Rob Marshall Online

The Faith Experiment

I am about to make a big assumption.  That assumption is that you are probably not satisfied with the level of faith that you have in your life.  You can probably think of a lot of things that would be different if you just had a little more faith.

The truth is that each of us already has a lot of faith.  God has given us more faith than we can imagine.  The problem for most of us is that we don't really know how to use it properly.  It's unlikely that your parents were people who had a lot of faith in God, so there was no way that they could instill a lot of faith in you.

If your parents were like most people in the world, they probably had a lot of fears and doubts, and their lives were the result of the decisions that they made based on those fears.  If you were fortunate enough to have parents who had a lot of faith in God, and they passed that faith on to you, then you are a very rare person.

But based on the assumption that your faith-life isn't what you would like it to be, the question that I would like to ask is: Are you willing to change that?

Interview on Inside Scoop Live

Just a quick note to let everybody know that I recently did an interview with Gayle Campbell of Inside Scoop Live.  The interview is available at my author's page, and you can listen to the it at:

http://www.insidescooplive.com/author-pages/Marshall-Rob-reading-interview.html

God bless,

Rob

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God's Purpose For Our Lives

Most of us have probably heard the poem by Myra Brooks Welch called "The Touch of the Master's Hand."  It's a poem about an old, battered and scratched violin being sold at an auction.  No one was willing to bid on the violin until a gray-haired man came up out of the crowd, dusted off the bow, tightened the loose strings, and then played a "melody pure and sweet, as a caroling angel sings."

After hearing the beautiful song played on the violin, the bidding started off at one thousand, then went to two, and finally to three thousand dollars.  And while the crowd cheered that the violin was sold for so much, some asked, "What changed its worth?"  The reply was, "The touch of the Master's hand."

We often look at our own lives the way the crowd initially saw the old violin.  We are well aware of our faults, shortcomings, and the general mess we have made of our lives.  And we wonder if we will ever be able to have the kind of life that we've imagined for ourselves.  And when it comes to having that life, just like for the violin, we all need a touch of the Master's hand.

Introduction to Prosperity - Does God Want You To Be Rich?

We are almost constantly in a quandary of one kind or another.  If our lives are not what we want them to be, we end up stuck in a dilemma.  The problem arises because we begin to wonder: Does God want something else for me?  Or am I supposed to be in this struggle?

The question that occupies our minds is: What is God's will for my life?  And while there are as many answers to that question as there are people in the world, there are still a few general principles that we can apply.  And when it comes to prosperity, or money, the answer may surprise some people.

Poverty or Abundance, What Are You Thinking?

With Christmas approaching, one of the things on my mind, especially since it's showing up in commercials, is one of my all-time favorite movies, "It's a Wonderful Life."  This Frank Capra film with Jimmy Stewart became something of a Christmas tradition for us.  And, since it's a tradition, we always watch the black-and-white version. :-)

I first saw the movie on Christmas Eve some 30+ years ago.  It's the typical story of a good guy who struggles his entire life, never accomplishes his big dreams, and fails to realize just how wonderful his life has really been.  And one of the more typical themes in the movie is the battle that goes on between George Bailey, the hero of the story, played by Jimmy Stewart, and the very wealthy, but warped and frustrated, Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore.

George works hard his entire life helping people escape the clutches of the evil Mr. Potter.  His life is one of sacrifice for the greater good, while Mr. Potter is only thinking about lining his own pockets with money he extorts from the poor working class citizens of Bedford Falls.  It's a story that shows up in a million different ways in millions of stories.  And what are we supposed to learn from this story?

Biblical truths for thinking Christians

Since I changed the subtitle on the blog, I want to address the question of what I mean when I say: Biblical truths for thinking Christians.

When I say "biblical truths" it's because I am here to explore what the Bible says.  I want to do it in some new ways, but always with the goal in mind of coming to a better, deeper, understanding of what it teaches us.  I will use other material, and my own thoughts and reflections, but I will always bring it back and relate it to scripture.

And while I believe that there may be some bits of truth in other places, the definitive source for all truth, and in particular the kind of truth that will lead you to an incredible relationship with God, is the Bible.  Are there things that we might be able to learn from other philosophies?  Sure.  But unless they agree with what the Bible says, they are just interesting ideas.  But let's not simply dismiss them out of hand; let's be willing to put them to the test of God's word.

How Faith Moves Mountains

Faith is the most powerful force known to man.  Jesus told us that we can literally pick up a mountain and throw it into the sea (Mark 11:22-24) with nothing more than our faith.  If we were to use a nuclear bomb, the best we could hope for would be to blow the mountain to bits.  We would not be able to pick it up and throw it into the sea.

But there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to faith.  In a conversation that I had some time ago, I was explaining to a friend of mine that I wanted to understand how faith works, and then explain it to people.  His response was, "Faith is a mystery, and we can't understand it."

On the one hand, I understand what he's saying.  There are things about how faith operates that are difficult to understand, and some things that we will never know (for more on that, please see my article: The Law of Sowing and Reaping).  But having a better understanding of faith is essential if we are going to please God.

Gratitude and Abundance

I'm sure that you have all heard the question: "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

How you answer that question will depend on what you believe about how God created our world.  For those that believe in evolution, the answer may be (with my tongue firmly planted in cheek :-): "Well, first came an egg that a reptile laid, but the embryo in the egg wanted to have feathers, and the result was a chicken.  So, obviously, the egg came first."  :-)  People who believe in creation would answer: "God created the chicken first, it laid some eggs, and Eve made Adam a veggie omelet for breakfast." :-)

Removing Our Doubts

Every day we have choices.  From the car we drive, to the way we spend each minute of our day, we are constantly weighing options and making decisions.  Sometimes we think things through, consider all the factors, and make a decision that we believe is the best one.  But many times we find ourselves caught in the middle of what we want, what other people may want from us, and what God has planned.

The problem that we often face is that we end up torn between what we want and what we think is "right".  And when we're torn between different desires, we end up creating doubt.  And that doubt will kill our faith faster than anything else in this world.  We might be able to stand up against criticism, we might even be able to handle disappointment and discouragement, but when our minds fill with questions and doubts, our faith is gone.

The Law of Sowing and Reaping

Many people have heard the statement, "You reap what you sow."  Or, as my wife learned when she was making drapes for a living, "You rip what you sew."  When it comes to sowing and reaping we often fail to enjoy the blessings that God has for us because we don't fully understand this law.  Some people refer to it under different names, but some also recognize that this is the law of laws.  Understanding how this works can help us create the kind of life we desire.