Love Your God With All Your Mind Order Printed Copy

Author: J.P. Moreland
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About the Book

In "Love Your God With All Your Mind," J.P. Moreland explores the importance of intellectual engagement in one's faith. He argues that Christians should not shy away from using reason and critical thinking in their pursuit of God, and provides practical advice on how to develop a more thoughtful and robust faith. Moreland emphasizes the importance of loving God not just with our hearts, but also with our minds.

David Livingstone

"[I am] serving Christ when shooting a buffalo for my men or taking an observation, [even if some] will consider it not sufficiently or even at all missionary." With four theatrical words, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"—words journalist Henry Morton Stanley rehearsed in advance—David Livingstone became immortal. Stanley stayed with Livingstone for five months and then went off to England to write his bestseller, How I Found Livingstone. Livingstone, in the meantime, got lost again—in a swamp literally up to his neck. Within a year and a half, he died in a mud hut, kneeling beside his cot in prayer. Berlin Congress spurs African independent churches The whole civilized world wept. They gave him a 21-gun salute and a hero's funeral among the saints in Westminster Abbey. "Brought by faithful hands over land and sea," his tombstone reads, "David Livingstone: missionary, traveler, philanthropist. For 30 years his life was spent in an unwearied effort to evangelize the native races, to explore the undiscovered secrets, and to abolish the slave trade." He was Mother Teresa, Neil Armstrong, and Abraham Lincoln rolled into one. Highway man At age 25, after a childhood spent working 14 hours a day in a cotton mill, followed by learning in class and on his own, Livingstone was captivated by an appeal for medical missionaries to China. As he trained, however, the door to China was slammed shut by the Opium War. Within six months, he met Robert Moffat, a veteran missionary of southern Africa, who enchanted him with tales of his remote station, glowing in the morning sun with "the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary had been before." For ten years, Livingstone tried to be a conventional missionary in southern Africa. He opened a string of stations in "the regions beyond," where he settled down to station life, teaching school and superintending the garden. After four years of bachelor life, he married his "boss's" daughter, Mary Moffat. From the beginning, Livingstone showed signs of restlessness. After his only convert decided to return to polygamy, Livingstone felt more called than ever to explore. During his first term in South Africa, Livingstone made some of the most prodigious—and most dangerous—explorations of the nineteenth century. His object was to open a "Missionary Road"—"God's Highway," he also called it—1,500 miles north into the interior to bring "Christianity and civilization" to unreached peoples. Explorer for Christ On these early journeys, Livingstone's interpersonal quirks were already apparent. He had the singular inability to get along with other Westerners. He fought with missionaries, fellow explorers, assistants, and (later) his brother Charles. He held grudges for years. He had the temperament of a book-reading loner, emotionally inarticulate except when he exploded with Scottish rage. He held little patience for the attitudes of missionaries with "miserably contracted minds" who had absorbed "the colonial mentality" regarding the natives. When Livingstone spoke out against racial intolerance, white Afrikaners tried to drive him out, burning his station and stealing his animals. He also had problems with the London Missionary Society, who felt that his explorations were distracting him from his missionary work. Throughout his life, however, Livingstone always thought of himself as primarily a missionary, "not a dumpy sort of person with a Bible under his arms, [but someone] serving Christ when shooting a buffalo for my men or taking an observation, [even if some] will consider it not sufficiently or even at all missionary." Though alienated from the whites, the natives loved his common touch, his rough paternalism, and his curiosity. They also thought he might protect them or supply them with guns. More than most Europeans, Livingstone talked to them with respect, Scottish laird to African chief. Some explorers took as many as 150 porters when they traveled; Livingstone traveled with 30 or fewer. On an epic, three-year trip from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean (reputedly the first by a European) Livingstone was introduced to the 1,700-mile-long Zambezi. The river was also home to Victoria Falls, Livingstone's most awe-inspiring discovery. The scene was "so lovely," he later wrote, that it "must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight." Despite its beauty, the Zambezi was a river of human misery. It linked the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique, the main suppliers of slaves for Brazil, who in turn sold to Cuba and the United States. Though Livingstone was partially driven by a desire to create a British colony, his primary ambition was to expose the slave trade and cut it off at the source. The strongest weapon in this task, he believed, was Christian commercial civilization. He hoped to replace the "inefficient" slave economy with a capitalist economy: buying and selling goods instead of people. The ill-fated Zambezi expedition After a brief heroic return to England, Livingstone returned to Africa, this time to navigate 1,000 miles up the Zambezi in a brass-and-mahogany steamboat to establish a mission near Victoria Falls. The boat was state-of-the-art technology but proved too frail for the expedition. It leaked horribly after repeatedly running aground on sandbars. Livingstone pushed his men beyond human endurance. When they reached a 30-foot waterfall, he waved his hand, as if to wish it away, and said, "That's not supposed to be there." His wife, who had just given birth to her sixth child, died in 1862 beside the river, only one of several lives claimed on the voyage. Two years later, the British government, which had no interest in "forcing steamers up cataracts," recalled Livingstone and his mission party. A year later, he was on his way back to Africa again, this time leading an expedition sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society and wealthy friends. "I would not consent to go simply as a geographer," he emphasized, but as biographer Tim Jeal wrote, "It would be hard to judge whether the search for the Nile's source or his desire to expose the slave trade was his dominant motive." The source of the Nile was the great geographical puzzle of the day. But more important to Livingstone was the possibility of proving that the Bible was true by tracing the African roots of Judaism and Christianity. For two years he simply disappeared, without a letter or scrap of information. He reported later that he had been so ill he could not even lift a pen, but he was able to read the Bible straight through four times. Livingstone's disappearance fascinated the public as much as Amelia Earhart's a few generations later. When American journalist Henry Stanley found Livingstone, the news exploded in England and America. Papers carried special editions devoted to the famous meeting. In August 1872, in precarious health, Livingstone shook Stanley's hand and set out on his final journey. When Livingstone had arrived in Africa in 1841, it was as exotic as outer space, called the "Dark Continent" and the "White Man's Graveyard." although the Portuguese, Dutch, and English were pushing into the interior, African maps had blank unexplored areas—no roads, no countries, no landmarks. Livingstone helped redraw the maps, exploring what are now a dozen countries, including South Africa, Rwanda, Angola, and the Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). And he made the West aware of the continuing evil of African slavery, which led to its being eventually outlawed.

"Do You Ever Think About Heaven"

Do you ever think about Heaven? The beauty, and how it will be to live in eternity with Jesus? No one knows all about Heaven. And I believe even if we were to see it in person it would be like attempting to define God; overwhelmingly magnificent in so many ways that it would be beyond description. However, some fascinating information about Heaven is in the Bible. So, with the Holy Spirit's prompting, I began to search the scriptures. What I found was a captivating spiritual glimpse of Heaven that I would like to share with you. Mansions I genuinely believe God has provided a home for us in Heaven “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you,” (John 14:2). There were "many mansions" in Heaven when Jesus made this statement, and He promised to create more. I believe there will be a place prepared for every child of God. Giving up this body will be painful only so far as it pertains to our earthly life, and even that is not as fearful as is typically portrayed, at least not for Christians. The answer is to have absolute belief in God. Having full confidence in His Word brings freedom, and a new dimension to life, and allows us to look forward to whatever He has for us on this earth and for the rest of eternity. The Beauty of Heaven The earth is beautiful with flowers of every color, and symmetry beyond imagination; beautiful fishes in the sea, and the mountains, valleys, rivers, a fantastic variety of animals, birds, seasons of the year, and yes, people, and they are all beautiful. Sunrises and sunsets, so many things we take for granted. But the beauty of the earth cannot compare with the magnificence of Heaven. When we think of Heaven, gates of pearl often come to mind. Pearls can consist of every color. The streets in Heaven are gold, and there is a crystal river flowing from the Throne of God. Biblical descriptions and experiences of those who have visited or received visions of Heaven report a scene of unimaginable beauty. Colors conveying incredible spiritual sensations, and music of another dimension. Heaven will not be a strange experience, but more natural than life on earth; because our citizenship is in Heaven. This earth is not our home. Our home is in Heaven with our Father and our brothers and sisters, with whom we will spend eternity. "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ," (Phil 3:20. NKJV). The Father and Son will be there, and our family members and friends who have passed on. There will be Bible people and prophets and Apostles of the Old and New Testament, angels, and other heavenly beings gathered around the Throne of God, (another beauty beyond description). How Will it be to Live in Heaven? I see death as a door we pass through and on the other side a beautiful new way of life beyond comprehension. I believe when we begin to experience the glory of God, we will surely say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor 15:55). I believe we will have a real lifestyle in Heaven, a home, and that we will know one another: "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known," (1 Cor 13:12, NKJV). There will be no sickness, heartache, pain, or tears because: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away,” (Rev 21:4). Although no one can say with certainty how we will spend our time or what our responsibilities will be, we know that both Jesus and God work, so I believe we will have exciting work: But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working,” (John 5:17). I am sure we will not be sitting on clouds with our feet dangling. I believe we will be busy, and that we will worship God alongside the angels. "And all the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God," (Rev 7:11-12). There are many things the Bible does not tell us about Heaven. But I am convinced that our lifestyle will be like the other Gifts of God, far beyond anything we can ask or think, and that the parts we have not been told will be the best of all. New Heaven and New Earth "For here we have no lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come," (Heb13:14). At some point, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. We will have much to do, and I believe it will be enjoyable and that we will remain young and energetic forever. “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells,” (2 Pet 3:13). “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isa 11:6). The Apostle Paul's Heavenly Visit The Apostle Paul, speaking of himself in 2 Cor 12, said: "And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure," (2 Cor 12: 3-4, 7) Later, the Apostle Paul said that he was torn between leaving and staying; and that his only desire for remaining on earth was to tell others about the good news/Gospel, so they could also be with the Lord. "But I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake, (Phil 1: 23-24, AMP). Thoughts of Heaven should persuade those who hope for eternal life to follow God’s plan of salvation, and to do everything possible to bring their loved ones and others with them to a Heavenly Home prepared just for them. Jesus is With Us All the Way It is impossible to understand eternity. Even a thousand times ten thousand years will hardly be a mark in eternity. God considered it so valuable that He sent His only begotten Son to give His life so that anyone who was born-again would spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Like John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," the Christian journey to Heaven, except for the Holy Spirit, would be extremely challenging. However, we are not without the Holy Spirit, and Jesus promises to be with us all the way. “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matt 28:20). The sorrows, hardships, disappointments, and pain suffered on earth will be of little importance when we receive the first glimpse of our heavenly home. I often visualize my time of transition into Heaven as an experience so beautiful, fantastic and life-changing that it is difficult to think or concentrate on the troubles that plague humanity. I see my life as a journey, or time of preparation for a big event, the greatest adventure of my life. Although Jesus told us it would be a difficult journey, He also said we should continue and that someday we would hear these beautiful words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matt 25:21, NLT). Samuel Mills