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9月19日 Stories with life principlesToday in passing I read two stories that I’d like to share with you all, they were written by Rabbi Ahron Hoch, who I’d never heard of, but I thought the stories were worth repeating: “There once was a farmer who owned a horse. And one day the horse ran away. All the people in the town came to console him because of the loss. "Oh, I don't know," said the farmer, "maybe it's a bad thing and maybe it's not." A few days later, the horse returned to the farm accompanied by 20 other horses. (Apparently he had found some wild horses and made friends!) All the townspeople came to congratulate him: "Now you have a stable full of horses!" "Oh, I don't know," said the farmer, "maybe it's a good thing and maybe it's not." A few days later, the farmer's son was out riding one of the new horses. The horse got wild and threw him off, breaking the son's leg. So all the people in town came to console the farmer because of the accident. "Oh, I don't know," said the farmer, "maybe it's a bad thing and maybe it's not." A few days later, the government declared war and instituted a draft of all able-bodied young men. They came to the town and carted off hundreds of young men, except for the farmer's son who had a broken leg. "Now I know," said the farmer, "that it was a good thing my horse ran away."
So many times in life, we look at things the wrong way. I’m reminded of the song by Kenny Rogers, called “The Greatest”:
And the
ball goes up and the ball comes down, And the
ball goes up and the ball comes down, And the
ball goes up and the moon so bright Now it's
suppertime and his momma calls, Looking back I think many of us agree that we have had some experiences that were less then desirable, but we now say that it was a good thing for us because we grew from them. So many times the issue is of our attitude, and the perspective, we don’t have the ability to see the whole picture when we were experiencing the situation, but looking back we can see it was for our good.
Let me share another story I heard from this Rabbi: “I heard from a friend who experienced the following incident. If you've ever ridden a bus in Israel, you know how people enter the bus from the front door and pay the driver, and people exiting the bus do so from the back door. Sometimes the crowd is so great that people will also enter from the back door, and then pass their money up front to pay the driver. Well, this one time the driver decided he wasn't going to allow that. So he announced that whoever had entered from the back door, must now get off the bus and walk around to the front. Everybody complied grumpily, except for one very old man who could barely walk in the first place. Well, the driver stuck to his guns and announced that the bus would not move until this old man came on through the front door. So slowly slowly, one small step at a time, the old man got off the bus and walked around. And all the while, the people on the bus were shouting at the driver for not only his insensitivity to the old man, but for wasting everyone else's time! Finally, the old man managed to make it up through the front door and pay the driver. And then he turned toward the bus full of angry people and told them: "Please, don't be upset. We should be grateful that my legs still work and I still have the strength to walk. Thank God!!’” Oh that we all had the right attitude and could say thank you God, when we are in the middle of something that we see as an annoyance, perhaps it is God tugging at our attention, just to see if we have the right attitude. Which reminds me of poem I read once:
When I Whine ~~~~~~~ Today, upon a bus, I saw a girl with golden hair I looked at her and sighed and wished I was as fair. When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle. She had one leg and used a crutch But as she passed, she passed a smile. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine I have 2 legs, the world is mine. ~~~ I stopped to buy some candy The lad who sold it had such charm I talked with him a while, he seemed so very glad If I were late, it'd do no harm. And as I left, he said to me, "I thank you, you've been so kind. It's nice to talk with folks like you. You see," he said, "I'm blind." Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I have 2 eyes, the world is mine. ~~~ Later while walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue He stood and watched the others play He did not know what to do. I stopped a moment and then I said, "Why don't you join the others, dear?" He looked ahead without a word. And then I knew, he couldn't hear. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I have 2 ears, the world is mine. ~~~ With feet to take me where I'd go. With eyes to see the sunset's glow. With ears to hear what I would know. Oh, God, forgive me when I whine. I've been blessed indeed, The world is mine.
I’m reminded of Peter as he would be walking on the water in Matthew chapter 14: “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”
Peter took his eyes off the Lord, and that is when he started to sink. Jesus would rebuke him for doubting, I pray that even when I see the storms around me, and the wind, that I may still hold fast to my faith in Christ. We know that he works all things together for good for those who love him, perhaps we can not see the whole picture right now, but instead of focusing on the wind and the storm, let us instead focus on Christ, and give him glory despite our troubles.
I’ll close now with another poem: I asked for
strength and
I asked for
wisdom and
I asked for
prosperity and
I asked for
courage and
I asked for
love and
My prayers were answered. 8月29日 PlansBy Roy Lessin, Co-Founder,
DaySpring Cards
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares
the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future." Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
God has a plan for your life. He brought you
into this world to fulfill that plan. It is the best plan that anyone could ever
make for you. It is a plan that will bring Him the greatest glory and you the
greatest good. From the beginning of this calendar year until its end, God is
working out His plan.
As you follow God's plan for your life, you do
so by faith. It is important to remember that He is the Guide and you are the
follower. He does not need to bring you into His planning room as a consultant
to help Him decide what is best for your life. God has called you to trust Him
and to take the next step of obedience according to His will. God has said, "I
will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they
have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places
straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16 NKJV
Here are some ways that God is working out His
plan:
 He is your Shepherd—He is
leading you. He is your Provider—He is taking care of you. He is your Strength—He is enabling you. He is your Counselor—He is speaking to you. He is your Shield—He is protecting you. He is your Comfort—He is encouraging you. He is your Father—He is blessing you. 8月18日 Hosea 5:15“In their affliction they will seek me [The Lord] early”—Hosea 5:15
Lord grant that as each of us who claim to be his followers, go about our daily lives, we would seek him constantly, not just when affliction descends upon us. 5月7日 Quotes“When a person says God is a meaningless term, and I am an atheist. They are saying they do not believe in God, but they just finished telling you it is a meaningless term, so what are they denying?
Must not one have to deposit some kind of content to the word before they say this is exactly what we are denying? Other wise you are denying a meaningless term, which is basically a redundancy. It’s like saying nonsense is nonsense. Of course it’s nonsense.” -Dr. Ravi Zacharias
“If chance be the father of all flesh then disaster is his rainbow in the sky. And when you hear: “state of emergency” “snipers killings”, “bomb blast school”, it is but the sound of man worshiping his maker” -Necha
“To say there is no God, in an absolute sense, presupposes infantine knowledge. It’s like me saying there is no such thing a white rock with black dots anywhere in the world. The only way I can say that is if I have comprehensive knowledge of the entire world. So how can one say there is no God, in an absolute sense, unless one has infantine knowledge? And if one does have infantine knowledge; that is really what they are denying, that there is no one who has infantine knowledge.” -Dr. Ravi Zacharias
“Atheism: It is the deliberate, defiant, dogmatic, denial of the existence of God. It is not satisfied with approximate truth, or relative truth, but claims to see the ins and outs of the games quite clearly. Being in absolute denial of the absolute”--Etian Born
“You can not deny meaning in the absolute sense without assuming that the denial is meaningful” -Dr. Ravi Zacharias
“Without God there is no: 1: Moral law. 2: There is no Meaning. 3: There is no Hope.
And if your wrong, there will be no recovery” -Dr. Ravi Zacerias 3月28日 The Stars!I want to share with you the awesomeness, and wonder, and greatness of our God this morning. If you open your Bible to Genesis Chapter 1, there you’ll find the account of how God created this world. Now most of us read this and just think it is a wonderful account, but we don’t really see the power of this passage, not only does it have some great thoughts, but it is the foundation for the rest of the Bible. But that is another subject.
The first verse I would like to draw your attention is verse 16 of Genesis Chapter 1. It reads: “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also”
Our God made two great lights, the Sun with all its power, light, and heat; and the moon with its magnificent reflection that lights the earth at night. Now as we…wait a second, what is this He added? The stars? What was that? An afterthought?
Read the verse carefully; it appears as if God created the stars as an afterthought…think about that, and afterthought!
As a galaxy, the Milky Way is actually a giant, as its mass is probably between 750 billion and one trillion solar masses, and its diameter is about 100,000 light years. And containing around 400 billion stars at last guess estimate.
Scientist also guess estimate there are a minimum of 400 billion galaxies.
Stars have inspired, amazed, fascinated, and stumped the greatest brains in the world since the earth was created. How their burning surfaces, mixed with the right about of gas, oxygen, and other chemicals which create light that is seen by us on earth, millions of miles away.
And the sheer quantity of stars…
All this was created…as an afterthought?
Talk about a powerful and awesome God!
Now let me move your attention up a few verses, to verse 4. We read “And God saw the light that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness”.
Whoa, hold on, he did what? Divided the light from the darkness?
Is that even possible, to divide light and darkness? No man has ever accomplished it, and never will. But God did it! What power and greatness that must take!
And to think: my God, the God who made the stars as an afterthought, and divided the light from the darkness, the one who feeds the very sparrows, the one who knows he number of hair on my head…he cares about me personally! Imagine that! He loves each of us so much. Why do we lack faith in him?
Surely if He can divide light from darkness, and create the stars as an afterthought, He can take care of your problems today.
Go and rest in the peace of knowing your Father cares and that He can take care of your problems today. 3月9日 How is a fleece to be used?For those of you who would like to know more about Gideon his story can be found starting in Judges chapter 6.
Reading through Judges 6:36-40 we find several things about fleeces:
“And Gideon said unto God, ‘If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,’”
Here I need to stop and say that I have never before realized that the fleece was for confirmation, not guidance. God had already told Gideon what to do. Gideon was just looking for confirmation. He already knew what he was supposed to do.
“’Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.’
And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
And Gideon said unto God, ‘Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.’
And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.”
Gideon was looking for a supernatural sign -- not something that could be explained naturally. Hence when he realized that perhaps the first sign could be explained naturally since the ground would dry long before the fleece, he asked to have the process reversed so that there would be no doubt that this was confirmation from God. The second time would be a supernatural event, i.e., something that could not have happened without God’s intervention. Notice the first time around though, he got a FULL bowel of water out of the fleece, not just a little. Gideon wanted a sign that could not be questioned because it could not be explained away naturally. My guess is that the next morning the fleece was tinder dry while the ground around it was soaked.
So number one, Gideon used the fleece not for guidance, but for confirmation. Second, he asked for a supernatural sign, not something that could be explained naturally, but a sure sign from God.
The question arises, why did Gideon even need to put out a fleece? Had not God told him what to do? Here we see God condescending to a man of weak faith to assure him of victory. I think that most of us today often feel that Gideon was a man of great faith. After all, he had only 300 men against tens of thousands. And yet this man’s faith was so weak that he needed a supernatural sign to assure him.
This makes me wonder, how much faith do I really have? If God were to give me the same command, I’m sure I would, like Gideon, want assurance that this was God’s will. God gave Gideon a command regarding a battle he was facing. What about other areas of our lives? I believe that God still can -- and does -- give such assurances today in answer to our prayers.
Notice that Gideon prayed and then waited on God for the unexplainable to happen for assurance. If we want the same assurance, we must make sure we are right before God and walking in his will, and we must pray about what he has told us to do.
But there should be a point in our lives where we do not require a sign from God, that when he tells us to do something, we do it without asking for a sign, or an assurance, because we know it is the Lords will.
Otherwise we can become like the Jews of the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 1:22 Paul says, “For the Jews require a sign.” Throughout Christ life, what did the Jews want? They wanted signs & miracles; they were always looking for a sign. Throughout their history, they were always looking for a sign of some kind, be it for battle, for the messiah, whatever, they always wanted a sign.
Paul goes on to say, “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block.”
The sign the Jews were looking for had become a stumbling block to their understanding and acceptance. They were overlooking the will of God because they were still looking for a physical sign.
In our lives, perhaps there will be times where an appropriate fleece is needed, but let it not become a stumbling block to us. Let us not wait on everything until we receive a sign. If God has told us to do it, then an assurance of his will -- a fleece -- is not needed unless our faith is lacking. 2月3日 OBADIAHThe shortest book in the Old Testament, only twenty one verses. So short that I doubt many of us have ever even thought about it, much less read about it. Oh we know it is a book because we learned to sing that song as children that name all of the Bibles sixty six books, but if we were asked what it was about most of us would shake our heads, having no idea. So what is the vision of Obadiah about? When was it written? Why?
An approximate date has been suggested somewhere around 840 B.C. though there is some debate that places the events taking place as late as 586, unlikely but possible. Strangely enough this short book offers an answer to one of the things that has puzzled me for years. I think we have probably all heard of the story of Jacob and Esau, how Jacob cheated Esau out of his birthright, fled to his uncle, married two of his cousins and eventually his descendants become the nation of Israel. But what ever happened to Esau, did not God say when they struggled in Rebekah’s womb “Two nations are in thy womb?” (Gen. 25:23) Well what ever happened to Esau’s descendants? The last we hear of Esau in Geneses he and Jacob are making up, a little later we read a chapter (Gen. 36) detailing some of the generations that were born to him, and that he was the father of the Edomites, and then we hear almost nothing more of him, at least I never did. I thought God said he was to become a nation… It seems that the Edomites did grow into a great nation. And it appears that there was still conflict between the brothering nations. In fact the Edomites cause Israel a great deal of trouble. They rejected Moses’ request to pass through their land (Num. 20:14-20) and even threatened to attack them if they set foot on Edoms soil. When Saul became king of Israel they fought against him and Israel (I Sam. 14:47). And not only did they fight against Saul, they also fought against King Davis in later years (I Kings 11:14-17). But they did not stop there, they also attacked King Jehoshphat (2 Chon. 20), and they rebelled against King Jehoram, son of King Jehoshphat (2 Chron. 21:8). And eventually when Jerusalem fell they stood by, rejoiced in the captivity of the sons of Judah, participated in sacking the city, and worst of all they set up road blocks to prevent the escape of the Jewish people. Well it appears God had had enough with them. As Matthew Henry said “Some have well observe that is could not but be a great temptation to the people of Israel, when they saw themselves, who were the children of beloved Jacob, in trouble, and the Edomites, the seed of hated Esau, not only prospering, but triumphing over them in their troubles; and therefore God gives them a prospect of the destruction of Edom, which should be total and final, and of a happy issue of their own correction”. The vision of Obadiah foretells of certain downfall of the nation of Edom, referred to in the New Testament as Idumea, for many reason listed in the vision which we shall get into shortly. Between the 13th and 6th centuries B.C. the Edomites settled in Mt. Seir, a mountainous region south of the Dead Sea, of which Sela was the capital; you’re probably familiar with Sela if you have read the Left Behind books, another name for the city is Petra, meaning rock. So rugged is the terrain that the valley in which Petra is located can only be reached through a narrow canyon guarded by towering mountain walls 200-250 feet high. During the 5th century B.C. the Nabataeans managed to dislodge them from their territory, causing them to withdraw to Idumea in southern Palestine. Hence them being known as Idumea in the New Testament. Edom was runined economically by the Arabs and later conquered by Rome as it quickly and vastly expanded it’s empire. The Edomites disappeared completely from the pages of history about A.D. 70. In fact the only real note of the Edomites in the New Testament was Herod the Great, he was and Edomite, and strangely enough being of that blood he was still trying to cause conflict with Israel, by attempting to have Jesus killed as a small child. If you remember in the New Testament he ordered everyone under the age of two killed in hopes of killing Jesus, who had escaped with his family to Egypt. And so it was that Edom disappeared and the nation that God had promised existed for a while, and yet because of the reasons we are about to look into, was wiped from the pages of history.
Obadiah
1. The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle. 2. Behold, I have made thee small among the heathen: thou art greatly despised. 3. The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? 4. Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.
In these first four verses we see Obadiah predicting the downfall of Edom because of their pride. We see an ambassador is already calling nations rise up and battle Edom. What form this ambassador takes it a little unclear. From there we see the Lord looking down and as if speaking directly to Edom, telling them that though they think that they are a great nation, an allegory is used saying they think they are so great that they are as Eagles nesting the stars. And it would appear they brag of their might as a nation, for they ask “Who shall bring us down?” Their pride is evident. The Lord responds almost as if taking the challenge and said “I will bring you down”. One should be careful what challenge they issue to the maker of the stars!
5. If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? If the grape gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? 6. How are the things of Esau searched out! How are his hidden things sought up!
The destruction of Edom could not be counted for as the works of robbers, and thieves, for they only take what is valuable. Even marauders would leave some gleaning, and not stripped them bare. But even Esau’s hidden treasures would be sought after!
7. All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.
All the men that Edom had a confederacy with would betray her, and lay a trap for her, that would be her downfall.
8. Shall I not in that day, saith the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom, and understanding out of the mount of Esau? 9. And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed, to the end that every one of the mount of Esau may be cut off by slaughter.
The wise men, and mighty men of Edom in whom she gloried would be slaughtered, so much for her mighty men!
10. For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. 11. For thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever. 12. But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress. 13. Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity; 14. Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.
The Edmoites had betrayed their brother Israel, they rejoiced when they fell. The gloated, and bragged, about Israel’s destruction. They even helped loot the city and set up road blocks, and chased down feeling Jews and handed them over to the enemy. It would appear as far as their Brother Israel is concerned they were heartless and coldly cruel in their treatment of Gods chosen people. They showed no mercy, no compassion. Perhaps that is why their destruction was to be so final and so great. It was a taste of their own medicine so to speak, in the next verse we see that God said as they had done, so should it be done to them. What goes around comes around.
15. For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. 16. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been. 17. But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. 18. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
Israel’s future deliverance is foretold in the last section of Obadiah. Israel and Judah shall be a flame to devour the house of Esau completely. A man named Tatford summarized the history of Edom’s demise once: The Edomites were expelled from their country by the Nabateans, but took possession of the Negev, which became known [in the New Testament]as Idumea, and even temporarily occupied part of Judah, until routed by Judas Maccabeus in 185 B.C. Simon of Gerasa later laid Idumea to waste and the Edomites seemed to have disappeared altogether in the first century A.D. It is true that Pera became the seat of a Christian patriarchate until the country was taken by the Mohammedans in the 7th century A.D. Today there is no trace of any who could be identified as an Edomite. Obadiah’s prediction that there would be no survivors has been fulfilled.
19. And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 20. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel [shall possess] that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. 21. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.
The land of Edom will be given to the Israelites dwelling in the South (Negev). Those on the coastal plains (Shephelah; the lowland) will be given the land of the Philistines. The captives will once more possess portions of the land of the Canaanites. Saviors (or deliverers) will rule the mountains of Esau, and the Lord will reign over the entire Kingdom.
Well that is my Study on Obadiah and the Edomites, I’d love you’re comments. Tell me what you think; and if you have time, read some of my older blogs as well, I think you’ll find the Pip and Squeak blog quite humorous.
(Special thanks to Believers Bible Commentary for some of the thoughts expressed)
1月31日 How well do you know you're Bible?: Ten CommandmentsAlright, y'all knew this was com'n. Last week I challenged you to name the 12 disciples, this week:
The Ten Commandments!!!
It’s funny that people say they will live their lives by them to get to heaven, and yet they can’t even recite them.
So how many can you get? Try and get them all, then leave me a comment telling me how many you got, or think you got. I’ll publish the answers tonight.
Oh, and you want to embarrass a preacher? Ask him if he can name them all, BUT be sure you know them all you're self first!
The awards go to Jessica, and Undisclosed (I know who it is, but they have asked me not to reveal their identity). For the correct answers, I have added their e-mails, etc, as comments below.
Sorry Rachelle, I never got you're e-mail. And while Cassie had a good point, it would have defeated the purpose of this challenge if I had accepted it and given her an award.
Now here are the 12, according to Exodus chapter 20.
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me 1月27日 DatingMy views on dating/courtship probably vary from most. I personally have never had a girlfriend, or any young woman I was interested in as a wife, why you ask? I hope in this blog to share with you the truths I have learned in my life, and my commitments as to why I haven’t even begun to look for a girlfriend.
As I look around this world I see young people everywhere, they all seem to have a boyfriend/girlfriend. For many of them the thought of marriage never enters their head. They are playing a game, the dating game; they are in it for selfish reasons, most of them. In today’s world it is not uncommon to hear of a person having had multiple dating partners. I’m convinced some people think they would die with out a girlfriend/boyfriend, or at the very least a date. Everywhere we look we see young couples, college is full of them, television offers their glamour’s view where everyone has a girlfriend/boyfriend, and yet what motivates many of these relationships? Most of the time it is selfishness, people want to have a good time with a member of the opposite sex, with no long term commitment. They say they are looking for “the one” but most of them are not even ready for marriage if they found “the one” what would they do, most of them would not in a position to do anything. They want to have a relationship, without the responsibility. If a person is not ready for marriage, then what are they doing looking for a partner? Most people have their logic backwards. They are looking for someone to fulfill their wants/needs/desires, without being willing to work on themselves and prepare themselves for a long term commitment to “the one”. They want to window shop, but they are unwilling to buy. The problem with this is that when a person is involved with many different dating partners, he/she gives themselves emotionally to each person, and when they leave, there is part of that emotion still there with them. Perhaps the best story to illustrate this came from Joshua Harris book “I kissed Dating good bye” A young bride, Ana, was at the alter; her joy is unsurpassed as she gazes lovingly at her groom, David. As the preacher starts to say the vows for them to repeat an unthinkable thing happens, one after another several girls come to the alter and begin repeating the vows. Unsure what is going on Ana looks at David who is staring miserably at the floor. “What’s going on?” she ask on the verge of tears “They are girls from my past, they mean nothing to me now, but I have given a part of my heart to each of them” “I thought your heart was mine” replied Ana “It is” David pleads “Everything left is yours” As Ana burst into tears, she woke up.
Ana felt betrayed. In his many short term relationships David had given parts of his heart away. Imagine a David after the wedding, a girl smiles at him and ask “My you’re dressed nice, and such a lovely bride, does she know about me? And all the sweet things you used to whisper in my ear?”
This is the game many play as they date, they don’t think ahead, don’t save themselves for their bride to be, instead they give their hearts away in many short term relationships. Leaving one to wonder what they will have to give their spouse one day. I hope by now you can see my argument against dating for the sake of dating. The damage may far out weigh the temporary enjoyment.
So why go through that pain of dating, if you know your not ready for marriage anyway, if you are, then you certainly can look for a potential partner; but if your not ready, what is the point?
As I have looked through the Bible I see at least three requirements that should be met before a man marries. If he does not meet these requirements, then in my opinion, he has no right to look for a potential spouse. He needs to be working on himself, readying himself.
The first and perhaps the most important requirement is the spiritual one. A man when he marries will become the head of his household (Eph 5:23). As head of the household (his family) he will be in charge of leading his family spiritually. The Bible does not say if, or ought to be; he is in charge, and it is his responsibility. A man who does not want any responsibility will fall here first of all, if he refuses to take responsibility for the spiritual wellbeing of his household, then he should not be looking for a wife because it will be his responsibility.
The second is maturity, perhaps the most vague of the three, but still a necessary component. A man is supposed to love, nourish, and cherish, his wife (Eph 5:28-29); a good place to start with this is with the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Perhaps the best way to describe this in a simple form is a mature person is not selfish. An immature man will lash back at a person who has annoyed, or persecuted him. A mature man will be longsuffering. An immature man is insensitive, a mature man is kind & gentle his attitude is not about himself, but on others. An immature man thinks mainly of himself, and his comfort, a mature man thinks of others, he is good to them, and his actions reflect his helpfulness to them, despite his comfort. An immature man is thoughtful of himself, a mature man is curtsies, and he is a servant. Do you see where this is going? An immature person thinks of himself, and a mature person thinks of others, and is mindful of their needs. This is important in a marriage as it is not about me and my wants, I as a man am supposed to be nourishing, loving, and cherishing my wife, if I’m centered on myself then I will not be good at this, and there will be friction in the marriage. Like I said, the Fruits of the Sprit are a great place to start, but there are certainly many more places one can go to learn maturity.
The third is perhaps the most debatable in its form, called by some the financial responsibility, but I am more in the favor of the words: provision/support. As early as Genesis chapter three God established that the man is to provide, and support his family. (Gen 3: 19) God gave the man the responsibility to provide for his family. Most of the time this takes the form of financial ability to take care of a family, however, in cases like myself I am planning on being a missionary, I may not have a job that gives me money, however, it will still be my responsibility to provide for my family.
So what about me, where am I on these three requirements?
1. Spiritual. I know I am not ready to lead my own family yet, I am still learning in my personal life and trying to keep on top of that, I do not feel I am ready to take on the responsibility of leading a family spiritually. I am however, taking steps to ready myself, I take it seriously that is my job to ready myself so that one day when I do have a family, I will be able to lead them in the paths of righteousness. Bible studies are a great place to start on this, and dedication to the word will take you a long way.
2. Maturity. I have come a long way in my maturity in the last few years. My siblings have provided me with an excellent training ground for many of the issues I raised in the maturity part of my argument. However, as I honestly examine myself, I still see spots of selfishness that need to be addressed. Prayer and awareness are the strongest keys in this fight. Once you are aware of the problem a man can address the problem and deal with it (With the Lords help). I am constantly working on my character, doing my best to conform to the image of Christ who always thought of others before himself. To many people today are looking for the “perfect” person, but are unwilling to work on their own character to become a “perfect” person.
3. Provision/support. Right now I am barley supporting myself; how then can I even think about supporting a family?
Conclusion: I am not ready for marriage; therefore I have no right to look at any young woman as a potential wife. Those who date even though they are not ready, not only cheat themselves, but they are also stealing part of a young woman’s heart that belongs to her husband to be.
Chivalry of the old days is gone, replaced by the selfishness of the present it would seem.
So as we ready ourselves for marriage, and yet are unable to look for potential wives, how are we to treat young woman? Paul answered this in his letter to Timothy when he said “entreat them as sisters”. The last thing you would want to do is harm your sister, so respect her, and honor her. Don’t toy with a young woman’s heart, it is one of the most precious treasures God has given man kind, guard it, don’t take advantage of it!
I know many people disagree with me; I have had dozens of conversations on campus (I could write a book on those conversations alone). When people ask me about who my girlfriend is, I tell them what you have just read. I also tell them about my convictions on holding hands and kissing (being a virgin goes without saying). I personally will not do either until I am engaged. At which point it will be a topic of discussion with my bride to be.
Most people kind of sit back and stare at me and finally say something like “whoa man, that’s deep”. I’ll not go into what the others say.
My hope as you read this will be that you would look at your own life and examine what your convictions are; most people don’t form any until its too late, and then they don’t have a chance they have already crossed lines they wished they hadn’t. Think about you’re future spouse, how would you want you’re him/her to act?
Some of you are going to think I’m anti-dating/marriage; nothing could be further from the truth. I am looking forward to marriage, a spouse that I can share my deepest feelings with, who I can spend the rest of my life with, with whom I can raise children of my own (I have my first daughter’s name picked out, how odd is that?). I want to find a wonderful and beautiful girl and dazzle her, and sweep her off her feet, be her knight in shining amour and steal her away. But before I find her, I need to make sure that I have my armor, so to speak. A man would be foolish to go in search of his enemy without his armor, and so is a man going in search of a spouse without being prepared himself for marriage and long term commitment.
(For women wondering what they should do to ready themselves for marriage, being a guy, the best advice I have is go read Proverbs chapter 31) 1月24日 How well do you know your Bible?: PeterIn Acts Chapter 10, Peter had vision of a sheet coming down filled with unclean animals. Starting in Chapter 10:11 we read And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
The question is: What happened thrice? Read it carefully and let me know.
This was a question that came up in our home Bible study. The misconception by some of the participants was that the whole thing, i.e. the sheet going up and down, happened thrice.
After much discussion and carefully reading of the passage, it was agreed that the sheet only came down once, the conversation repeated its self 3 times, and then the sheet was lifted back up into heaven.
This was the conclusion; I am willing to allow for a translation error, but until I am presented with such, this is the translation I am going to accept.
1月22日 How well do you know your Bible?: DisciplesCan you name all 12 Disciples? Try and let me know how many you got, I’ll list all twelve tonight. (And the replacement for the one who betrayed Jesus) Here are the answers, according to Mark 3:13-19 1. Simon Peter 2. James, the son of Zebedee 3. John, the brother of James 4. Andrew 5. Phillip 6. Bartholomew 7. Matthew 8. Thomas 9. James ,the son of Alphaeus 10. Thaddaeus 11. Simon the Canaanite 12. Judas Iscariot 13. Matthias (The one who replaced Judas Iscariot, Acts 1:26)
1月15日 Virtuous WomenThis blog is dedicated first of all to my Mother; And second of all to Jessica and Rachelle.
Virtuous women are as scarce as precious stones. They are God’s Jewels. The question is not “Who can fine a pretty woman, or a smart woman, or a rich woman” but “who can fine a virtuous woman?” The world places so much emphasis on physical attractiveness, on dressing up the outside. Verse 31 of proverbs chapter 31 reminds us about what God values. “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the Lord, shall be praised.” True beauty cannon be attained from cosmetic bottles, pills, creams or sprays. Dear virtuous sisters, Gods gems and our treasures, we thank God for you!--Carl Knott 12月31日 A study into the book of Philemon, part 2To read the first part of this study, click here.
8. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is Convenient.
It is here that Paul comes to the purpose of his letter, and as is key in any conversation. The approach can set the mood for the rest of the letter. It is interesting to note that Paul could have “pulled rank,” as he was an apostle, and told Philemon to release Onseimus, but instead he approaches Philemon in the love of Christ.
As Paul wrote this verse it’s possible he was thinking of the saviors words from John 14:15: If you love Me, keep My commandments”. Love, isn’t that the whole message of the bible? As for the word aged it has been suggested that Pual had burt himself out in service to Christ, as he was not necessarily that old at this time, estimates put him anywhere between 53-63 years old.
10. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
In the original version of this verse the name Onesimus came last, imagine Philemon reading this whole letter being impressed with this “son” or brother of Pauls, and then he finds out that the “scoundrel” is none other then the slave that had stole from him and now he had been converted by Paul the prisoner!!! Remember that Philemon was converted by Paul as well, I’m sure he was having some flash backs, no?
The name Onesimus means profitable. When he ran away Onesimus was anything but profitable, and yet he was returning a more profitable slave then he had been before he ran away. History indicates that among slaves, those who were Christians often brought a higher price on the market then unbelievers.
12. Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
One might ask if Onesimus was no a Christian was it necessary for him to return to his master? The answer is a resounding yes. Salvation removes the penalty and power of sin, but it does not cancel debts. The new Christian is expected to settle all unpaid accounts insofar as it is humanly possible. Onesimus was obligated to return to his master’s service, and repay any money which he might have stolen.
13. Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
Paul would probably preferred that Onesimus stay with him in Rome. After all it would have been nice for Paul to have an assistant, but it would have the drawback of being done without Philemon’s knowledge or permission.
14. But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
Paul would not force a kindness from Philemon by keeping Onesimus in Rome with him. In fact Paul would do nothing concerning Onesimus without Philemon’s permission. Because the kindness would be robbed of it’s beauty if it were done by compulsion and not by a free and loving willingness.
15. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
Philemon probably felt the irritation of losing a slave when Onesimus ran away and yet Paul, a mature Christian, points out Gods working in the situation and suggest that Oneimus might have been lost to them for a season, that they might have him back forever.
16. Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
Before he ran away Onesimus was a slave motivated by fear, Philemon was now getting him back as a beloved brother and servant who was motivated by love.
17. If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. Here Paul goes back to a principle taught by Christ himself. In Matt. 10:40 we are reminded “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” And again in Matt 25:40 “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Paul asked Philemon to receive Onesimus as Paul himself, or perhaps digging deeper, as Christ himself.
18. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;
Onesimus conversion did not cancel his debts with Philemon, so Paul tells Philemon to put it on his account. This is a beautiful picture of what Christ did for us at Calvary, he told God to take our sins and “put it on his account”
to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
Normally Paul dictated his letters, here it appears as if he wrote perhaps the whole letter himself, showing that this was a personal matter to him, as most of the time Paul only wrote personally closings and matters that were close to his hear. Also here we see Paul remind Philemon that he owed his spiritual life to Paul, who would not press him for payment of the debt.
20. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Here Paul is simply asking the Onesimus be forgiven and resorted to his place of service in the household, not as a slave but as a brother in the family of God.
21. Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
The apostle had every confidence that Philemon would do even more then he requested. He himself had been freely forgiven by Christ. He would not so less, surly, for Onesimus.
22. But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
Paul expected to be released soon, and hoped to see his “brother” Philemon, we do not know if Paul ever made it so Colosse. All we can assume was that the guest room was always ready for him, and it was probably prepared under the loving hand of Onesimes.
23. There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; It is not known for sure who Epraphras was but it is speculated that it was he who planted the church at Colosse (Col. 1:7, 8; 4:12, 13). Evidently though he was a fellow prisoner in Rome and found out that Paul was writing a letter to Philemon and sent his greetings with the letter. Marcus, aka Mark, was the writer of the Second Gospel, Aristarchus was a believer from Thessalonica who accompanied Paul on several of his journeys, including his one to Rome. Demas eventually forsook Paul, having loved this present world (2 Timothy 4:10), and Lucas, aka Luke, was the beloved physician who proved to be a faithful companion and helper to the end. He also wrote the Third Gospel, and Acts.
25. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
The letter closes with Paul’s characteristic benediction. Life can hold no greater blessing than the unmerited favor of the Savior as one’s moment-by-moment experience. To walk in the constant realization and enjoyment of his Person and work is all that the heart can desire.
Special thanks to William MacDonald’s Believers Bible Commentary for some of the thoughts expressed. 10月19日 A study into the book of Philemon, part 1.Book: The Letter of Paul to Philemon Author: The Apostle Paul Approximate date: 61
Background: Paul at this point in his life was in prison, which was really more like house arrest since he wasn’t considered to be a dangerous criminal. Onseimus was a slave that had run away from his master, and had actually stolen from him to be able to afford to run away. After running away Onseimus made his way to Rome, and somehow happened to cross paths with Paul. Paul eventually led him to Christ. At the time of the writing of this book Onseimus is a new Christian, who knows he must go back and face his master, Philemon, of the Colossian church. The only problem was that the offences he had committed were normally punished by death. Paul on behalf of Onseimus wrote this personal “note” to Philemon, offering to pay whatever Onseimus owed him, and while not denying the rights that Philemon had over Onseimus as his owner, nor even attacking the evil system of slavery directly, he shows how Christian masters and slaves could live their faith out in that evil system. Tradition holds that Philemon did free Onseimus and sent him back to help Paul, it has also been suggested that he may have later become a minister and eventually a bishop at the church in Ephesus.
1. Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Phile’mon our dearly beloved, and fellow laborer.
It is interesting that Paul uses the word prisoner, while it is true he was a Roman prisoner as this point in his life that was not he is talking about here, he refers to himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ! Upon pondering this a bit I thought about prison—it is a place where a criminal is held without escape. Paul himself said that he was chief among sinners (I Timothy 1:16), therefore he would fulfill the criminal part of our definition. We know that Paul became a believer and the grace of Jesus Christ was extended to him, and covered his sin, of which he was then inescapable of. So Paul was a criminal, who was now a prisoner, unable to escape, Jesus Christ grace. I believe we should show this in our daily lives, we should show ourselves as prisoners of Jesus Christ. Christians who are unable to escape Jesus Christ grace, in II Timothy 1:7 Paul said “God has not given us the spirit of fear [which a common prisoner would have]; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. This has an application for us today, do we think of ourselves as prisoners of Jesus Christ? If we are it will have a great impact on our everyday life, because will remember we are serving Christ. If we think of ourselves as free men, then it is easy to fall into the ways of the world. Let us be willing prisoners of Christ.
2. And to our beloved Ap’phia, and Archip’pus our fellow soldier, and to the church in they house.
Apphia was likely Philemon’s wife, and Archippus his son. The reference to the church in Philemon’s house was probably a reference to other believers in Philemon’s home (Aka: Servants, Slaves, possibly other family). Remember that “The Church” refers to a body of believers, not to a building, therefore anyone who was a believer, even if they were a salve of Philemon, would be part of the church.
3. Grace to you, and peace, from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The word grace here comes from the root Greek word: xalpw (charo) which is a greeting meaning, be well, be glad, God speed, greeting, hail, joy (fully), rejoice. It has sort of a joyful rejoicing (rejoicing in Gods grace) aspect as a greeting.
4. I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers.
One thing we are made aware of in many of Paul’s letters is that while he was an author, and a teacher, he was also a man of constant prayer. He told his son in the faith “I have remembrance of thee in my prayers, night and day” (II Timothy 1:3) and the Church at Corinth “I thank my God always on your behalf” (I Corinthians 1:4). The Church at Philipi “I Thank God upon my every remembrance of you” .(Philippians 1:3) and the Church at Colosse “We give thanks to God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you” (Colossians 1:3) As you can see, Paul was constantly praying, making request, and giving thanks. It wasn’t only when he was feeling good or depressed and in need, but “always”, “night and day”. In the days of the new Church, the apostles put men in charge of many day to day activities and in their own words said “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the teaching of the word”. Which brings up an important point, we are to be in prayer continually, this does not mean that we need to be praying every second of every day, you must remember that prayer is simply communicating with God. Communication is what causes relationships to grow strong, the more we communicate, the closer we get. The same is true of God, simply reading your Bible isn’t enough, that’s only one way communication, God wants to hear from you, what you have to say and think, for us believers he is our father, and he cares about us, he wants to hear the details of our everyday lives, not just when were in a jam. Most great Christians were great people of prayer, even Christ was constantly taking time out to pray; may we in our lives take a lesson from these wise men and do the same.
5. Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and towards all saints;
Here are the two main elements of the Christianity faith. The first is love, God so loved us that he sent his only son, Christ loved us enough to lay down his life for us. The love that knows no bounds or limits; agape love (unconditional love). And faith; the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. This is the basis of out belief in Christ, faith. We also see in this verse that the love and faith wasn’t just directed up to our Lord (where it should be first directed) but also to the other saints, what a testimony!
6. That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
The key word in this verse is the word effectual, which means, sufficient to produce a result. We are to communicate our faith to others by the acknowledging Christ, that we might be sufficient enough to produce results in the world around us.
7. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Paul had lead Philemon to Christ while he was planting the church at Colosse (of which Philemon was now apart of). Paul had heard good reports about Philemon’s generosity, and self-sacrificial love, which had encouraged Paul who was in prison at this time. The word bowels here could be translated heart. Philemon was an encouragement, to his brothers in Christ as well as an example. Paul was refreshed by seeing the reward of his work which had taken place years earlier when he had planted the Colosse Chruch. 9月24日 AnswersHere are the answers to the questions that no-one looked up ;)
9月21日 Search the Scriptures
1. Who is the first daughter mentioned by name in the Bible? 2. Which book in the Bible mentions angels the most times? 3. Which king built Israel’s capital at Samaria?
Answers will be forth coming on Friday, so check back to see if you found the right answers.
Think you know the answer? Leave a comment with what you think the answer is. 8月25日 Do you have FULL ASSURANCE?
It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment. We all will all die, statistics prove that 1 out of 1 die. So where will you be after death?
The ultimate question in life is: what will happen after death?
You are either on the path to Heaven, or Hell (which will be cast into the Lake of Fire). THERE IS NO MIDDLE ROAD.
You can try to get to heaven some other way than Christ, but the ultimate question then becomes what are you going to do about your sin? Nothing else will matter, if you believe you do the best you can and God will over look the rest, what is your best? Is it enough? What if you’re wrong? You will not be certain on your death bed.
However, if you accept Christ, you know that 100% of your sin is covered; there is no need for questions on your death bed, because YOU KNOW that God has accepted the sacrifice for your sin. And what if you’re wrong? You’ve still done your best, and you would be ok anyway, but not to trust Christ, and to find out after death that you were wrong, you will have an eternity, a time not measurable, to regret your decision.
I know two men right now, one died two days ago. He was ready to go; he knew payment for his sin has already been accepted. He is in Heaven right now, and like those of us who have full assurance, he was looking forward to the day when he would meet his savior face to face. The family is sad for the physical loss, but happy that he is with his savior, and they know they will see him again.
Full assurance.
The other man I know is a dear neighbor, who will die in the next few hours. He has spent his whole life in the LDS religion. I visited his family tonight, there is sadness. He is being remembered as a good man, “an example” but they never once mentioned where he would be after death, nor if they would see him again. They themselves must be wondering where they will be when they die, they have lived a good life, but will it be enough? The prophet Isaiah once said all our righteousness is as filthy rags, if that is the case then even our best acts of kindness have got us nowhere. There is no hope for them; they have no assurance of where they will be after death, all they have to go on is the revelation of a man named Joseph Smith, what if he was lying? What about the 3000 changes to the Book of Mormon since he wrote it? What about the DNA that speaks against the religion, that no one has been able to refute? What about the battle of millions that was fought in upper state New York, but there has been no evidence found of the battle ever taking place?
What about the rest of the world? Will their works be enough? Will their good deeds out weigh their bad ones? What if they missed something? What if…? What about….?
No assurance.
Friend, if you were to die tonight where would you be? Do you have the full assurance that if you die tonight you will be in Heaven? Or do you have the nagging questions that will leave you wondering until the moment of death?
Do you have this full assurance?
I personally know I can look death in the face and as the psalmist say, “oh death where is thy sting? Oh grave where is they victory?” I have full assurance; I am ready right now to die because I know where I’ll be, I didn’t always have this assurance, I was afraid to go to sleep for fear I would never wake on this earth. But I now have full assurance, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Do you want to know this full assurance?
For God so loved the world [you] that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him shall have everlasting life.
If thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved.
The gospel is as simple as that, I know it’s hard to believe that something so meaningful can be so simple but it is. God loves you enough that he sent his own Son to pay for your punishment. He has laid out the gospel so clearly that many people over look it.
You can have that full assurance, but not with out Christ.
So where would you be if you died tonight? Do you have full assurance?
If you have more questions about how to obtain this full assurance please leave a comment. If you don't want to discuss your questions in public comments please let me know and I will work out a way to talk with your privately about your questions. You make your choice on earth, after death you can't change anything. 8月22日 How Bad Is Sin?Most of us in today’s world measure sin in varying degrees of severity. A “little white lie” is alright, and won’t get you in trouble. Murder is horrible, something you should die for. While everything else falls somewhere else in the middle of the scale.
How does God see sin?
What if I were to say that in his eyes a “little white lie” is as bad as murdering someone?
A way to help illustrate my point is to think of the Ten Commandments as a chain, each link representing one of the commandments. You are hanging onto heaven by that chain, if you break one of the commandments that link in the chain will break severing you from heaven.
Is it really going to matter which link breaks? No matter which one it is, you’re still going to fall, from thou shalt not kill, to thou shalt not bear false witness (lie).
Another way to think of it is to draw a pie on a window, with ten slices, each slice representing a commandment, when you commit a sin that slice with the commandment forbidding that sin will be hit with a hammer. What is going to happen? The whole window is going to shatter when you hit it. Which means you become guilty of all the sins.
James 2:10 says “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all”
You might say that “I’m basically a good person, sure I tell a “little white lie” now and then, but I’ll be alright”
A “little white lie” is still a lie, and it is sin, that will sever you from God, and make you guilty. God does not see a difference in sin, as in little sin, and big sin. It is all SIN, no more, no less.
Now God did/does have different judgments for the varying sins, but the fact remains that it is all still sin, and it will be judged. A "little while lie" will just as quickly sever you from God, as murder would.
You see God is a pure God, a holy God, a just God, he cannot allow sin to exist in his presence. This is why your sin, my sin, everyone’s sin, must be punished. But God loved us enough to put our sin, my sin, YOUR sin, upon Jesus, and punish him for our sin so that we don’t have to pay for it.
What will happen if you don’t accept Gods gift of grace through Jesus?
Revelation talks about the Judgment of the Great White Throne, which I mentioned in an earlier blog. Those who have not accepted Gods grace will be judged, the severity of their punishment will be determined. As I said before, you decide where you will end up while on earth, that is the trial, the judgment is to determine the severity of your punishment, after which YOU WILL BE CAST INTO A LAKE OF FIRE FOR ETERNITY!!!! Hell is a temporary place; it will be destroyed, but THE LAKE OF FIRE WILL LAST FOREVER!!!!!
God’s wrath is nothing to mess with!!!!
It will lead you to an eternity of regret, turn away while there is still time, someday the door will be shut FOREVER, and it will be TO LATE to accept Gods gift of salvation.
For anyone who has questions on the plan of salvation, or other questions pertaining to this topic please leave a comment. 8月17日 Part 2 (2 Samuel 13)
Nathan was a prophet from God who went to David and told him this story.
There were once two men in a city, a rich one, and a poor one. Now the rich man had herds of sheep as far as the eye could see, but the poor man had only one female lamb. The poor man loved his lamb, it was his constant companion, it ate with him, and it drank with him, and was like a daughter to him.
One day a traveler came to the house of the rich man, and the rich man knew that it would be polite to serve the traveler something to eat. So one would think he would kill one of his many sheep and serve it to the traveler, instead though he went to the poor mans house and took the only lamb of the poor man and served it to the traveler.
Now David when he heard this was very angry with the rich man and demanded of Nathan who the rich man was that he die and restore the lamb fourfold. Because he had no pity.
Nathan shook his head and said “Though art the rich man David; God had given you command of the whole of Israel; and yet, you went and killed Uri’ah with the sword of the enemy and has taken his wife”
The rich man = David The poor man = Uri’ah The lamb = Bath-sheba
Nathan then told of the judgment that would befall David for his sin “The Lord has said ‘I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie [“sleep”] with thy wives in the sight of the sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun”
David cried “I have sinned against the Lord”
God’s grace was immediate and Nathan told David that he would not die; but because adultery had to be judged his and Bath-shebas son would die.
You see there was one thing David forgot; God sees all, even while David thought he was covering his sin, God was watching. And God must punish sin; we also see even Bath-sheba was punished when her and David’s son died. And later all the punishments would come true (2 Samuel 13:28-29, 18:15, 16:22).
God does see, and punish sin.
So you might wonder if there is room for second chances, and there is. After the death of the child that was born to them Bath-sheba had another son, Solomon, who wrote the book of proverbs.
However; punishment was still given.
Another thing I will mention, fornication (sex before marriage) is adultery, its adultery to the one you will one day marry. So as you can see; it is not something to take lightly.
David lusted in his heart, which was his first sin.
So here is a message to the guys out there.
God wants us to be pure, and not just physically pure. Jesus said in Matthew 5:29 “Whosoever looked on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” And trust me I know, in today’s world that staying pure (in the heart and physically) is a full time job. The way women and girls dress in today’s world….well as the author of Cheaper by the Dozen used to say “it leaves nothing to the imagination”…which makes it very hard for us guys to keep our thoughts pure when some of today’s girls are flaunting their bodies in front of our eyes, begging it seems for our lust. So how do we go about combating lust? Paul gave us the answer in 2 Timothy 2:22 “FLEE youthful lust” This is the only time I know of in the Bible that tells us to FLEE. And for us as guys that is hard to do, it goes against our grain to FLEE. We would rather stand up and fight than flee. Which makes our job all the harder. But we must commit to staying pure (physically and in our hearts) if we are to honor God.
And for the girls.
On behalf of us guys I ask the girls out there: dress modestly please. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9 “in like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel”
Do you really want guys lusting after you for your body? Or would you have someone who cares about you for your character? And would love you, not lust you?
I wish to thank those girls who do dress modestly. Who don’t buy into the world’s contest of seeing how much you can show and get away with. You are the kind of girls that earn my respect!
The following I found on the site of Hyperion1984:
Find a girl who calls you handsome instead of hot, who wouldn’t think twice about calling you back after hanging up on her because you’d never hang up on her, who will sleep comfortably knowing that you’ll wait to be married to stay awake to watch her sleep. Wait for the girl who kisses your cheek, who won’t show you off to the world because she just wants you to herself, who allows you to hold her hand in front of her friends or your friends. Wait for the one who doesn’t need to constantly remind you of how much she cares about you and how lucky she is to have you because she shows it by her actions. Wait for the one who turns to her friends and says, “…that's him.”
We need more of these types of girls.
I ask that every person take a stand, and say that they are willing to combat lust, and stay pure. People are watching.
I’ve had people tell me I’m wrong, if fact I got into a discussion with a young man at my university once who said the whole point of college was to “date” and get “laid” by as many different girls as possible. I pity him, what will he have to share on his wedding night with his bride? He has been unfaithful outside marriage, what makes you think now that he has stood at an alter he will be faithful? What a sad life; they have no meaning, I have meaning, I have Christ.
Perhaps I am starting to ramble, but I hope you get my point.
Our bodies are temples for the Lord, we should treat them accordingly
Please leave your comment to my thoughts P.S I will be adding another Evidence that Demands a Verdict blog soon, along with another Pip and Squeak, so check back! |
Little boy in a
baseball hat stands in the field with his ball and bat|
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