CQQ #38: Why God Says No...?

Is "no" always a wrong answer?

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[WARNING: Before jumping to any conclusions, please read this entire blog entry for proper context.]

This blog entry is a continuation of a series of entries on the topic of prayer. If you haven't already, be sure to also check out last week's entry, "Prayer as a Convenience...?", and the week before, "Prayer as a Cop-Out...?".

Having said all that was said in the past two weeks, do I believe in the power of prayer? Absolutely! Do I believe that God will say yes to every prayer of petition? Not necessarily.

But if we're always told to send our prayers and petitions to God, why would God choose to say no to some of our prayers?

CQQ #37: Prayer as a Convenience...?

"Hey, can you get me a cheeseburger? I'll love you for a day."

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[WARNING: Before jumping to any conclusions, please read this entire blog entry for proper context.]

This blog entry is a follow-up to last week's entry, "Prayer as a Cop-Out...?".

While many people may be quick to pray and not get involved (when in their power to do so), the opposite extreme is also common: people not praying enough. Or, specifically, treating God as a "friend of convenience", a person who's only treated as a "friend" when someone wants something from them.

And I think many of us have been guilty of this before.

CQQ #36: Prayer as a Cop-Out...?

"Heavenly Father, I pray a cheeseburger falls into that homeless person's lap."

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[WARNING: Before jumping to any conclusions, please read this entire blog entry for proper context.]

A cop-out is an instance of avoiding a responsibility or commitment, typically with some poor excuse behind it.

For instance, you could say that Jonah "copped out" when he tried to flee to Tarshish to avoid his God-given task of delivering a prophetic warning to the city of Nineveh.

A number of people might treat prayer the same way. Many are quick to pray for others in need, yet so very few seem to actually care to get involved when it is in their power to do so. For instance, giving to the poor, donating to services, lending an ear to those having a bad day, or providing help of whatever kind to whoever is in need.

And I think we've all been guilty of this before.

CQQ #35: Women in the Bible...?

A shout-out to the ladies of faith!

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As of this blog post, today is International Women's Day, which celebrates the achievements of women and standing up for gender equality.

Learning this, I began to think about the achievements of women in the bible, something that I don't see talked about very often. We always talk about the men of faith. But what about the women of faith?

CQQ #34: Why Do We Suffer...?

Why do we have so much pain and suffering?

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Thank you, Farathriel, for suggesting this topic!

Long ago, the first humans (Adam and Eve) were created with the gift of freewill, the ability to make their own choices, for God did not want puppets (else their choices wouldn't be genuine). Those first humans had it all—a beautiful, peaceful paradise in the Garden of Eden. They could eat from any tree they wanted, all except one: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were told that if they ate from that one tree, they would surely die. Yet, despite knowing this, Eve chose to believe the lies of the serpent (Satan) and doubt God's instruction, and she shared that tree's fruit with Adam, who could have stopped her but also chose to disobey.

CQQ #33: Church Denominations...?

Can church denominations bring glory to God?

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Thank you, Rob Moore, for suggesting this topic!

Supposedly the church is described as being one body and encouraged to glorify God in harmony and "with one voice" (Romans 15:5-6).

So why are there so many church denominations?

CQQ #32: Judging Others...?

OBJECTION! Your metaphorical gavel is unreasonably large.

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Thank you, HonnieBunnie007, for suggesting this topic!

When it comes to the topic of judging others, I often see two extremes: the side that says we shouldn't judge ever, and the side that's super quick to slam the gavel over a person's every move (with nearly every verdict being guilty).

Is there a right way to judge?