Another year passes. Time marches on. Many days forgotten, few remembered. Pains of the past gone. Joys from days gone by remembered fondly. Some old chapters in life closed. Some new chapters begun. Some living in places they never though they would see or go too. Other living where they always have. Both happy with their choices.
Now a new year is beginning. New events to experience wait ahead for all. Some will be sad. Some will be tragic. Some joyful. Some hilarious.
In the year to come. Some will turn from God. Some will turn to God. Some will join God. Some will not.
In the days ahead new events will guide and change every person that now lives upon this earth. Few events will affect all. Some events will affect a nation. Many events will affect each person. All will give them the opportunity to learn and grow, but most will not realize it or ignore it.
To those that read this:
I wish you the best and hope you will see and accept the love of God and allow His Son’s teaching to give you insight, courage, love and peace. Even if you do not believe, He is real.
Christian
Discomfort with and about God
People do not like situations that are beyond their control. As a result, they have learned to limit God. The true glory of God is too frightening to them. Consequently, they encapsulate Him to at the most the planet and the least they attempt to make Him into their personal genie. When doing this they get upset and blame Him for not living up to their desires, or God gives them a glimpse of how powerful He truly is which in turn makes them feel inadequate.
It challenges their believe that they must control how their live goes and works. As a result, they are repelled; Runaway; Deny. If they still believe they become lukewarm neither hot nor cold for God. If they don’t they become Atheist that still seek after the rewards promised to us by God, but instead say it is nature’s doing and it may take centuries to accomplish
I find it funny how those that say God is not real then look into space and say there are aliens. They bring forth theories that state there are multiple dimension. What I find funnier is that they think humankind by itself can grow to a point that they evolve into a higher and eternal life form.
Why do I find it so funny? It is that has they deny God they seek to be with God. Aliens are angels possibly. The idea that there is multiple dimensions is already well documented in the Bible. Earth is in one dimension while Heaven is another one. Last of all seeking to evolve into a higher eternal life form. Again, we are promised this within the Bible.
The only difference in their believe is that humankind will go through several generations to reach this goal. The Bible states that ALL that have ever lived will have an eternal body.
One major factor that may cause issue with them is the fact that only those that are amongst the count will be able to explore the universe as servants of God, while those that deny Him will end stuck on Earth in a VERY warm location that will be VERY uncomfortable. How unfortunate that they must deny Him.
Do you truly know the reason for the season?
It is true that the exact day of His birth is not known, but the year He came to be among the humans is known. It became the dividing of the term B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini is Medieval Latin, translated as “In the year of the Lord”). It is how the years are measured within history. It is something that will not be changed until Jesus sets foot upon the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem. Why? Because He is real. No other has effected how we view time, not even by those that followed their teaching throughout the centuries. Why? Because He really is the Son of God.
It is true though that humans have merged the celebration of His birth with other celebrations. They try to say this for Easter as well, but it is documented which day he did die upon the cross. That is the day when Passover was celebrated by the nation of Israel. The think is Easter is truly celebrated the event that took place three days later upon the Jewish calendar. That would be the day Jesus rose from the dead and returned from paradise and hell with the keys to both. Alive, breathing yet changed. He still bares the wounds to this day, for He is still alive.
This is one of the facts that many cannot get their head around because they are not willing to think beyond what they can see and feel.
This is one of the core elements of faith, to be able to think beyond not only the world around us but to have a believe in God and His omnipotent power to create not only the universe we now inhabit but another realm of existence that is known as heaven and that there are living beings in this place. Not only that, but they have the ability to go between the two. These are the facts for they are shown within the Bible and all scripture is inspired by God.
God is real. Jesus is real and is alive and it is His birth upon this earth to become the sacrificial lamb for our salvation is what Christmas is really all about. We are promised that though Him we will receive an eternal live that is how we also know that He is alive this very moment. Is that not something to celebrate, for that is what this season is truly for and it is well worth it.
Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: Pettiness
It is something that still surprises me. Seeing someone act and behave with petty i.e. immature behavior. I see more and more as I age why Jesus clearly showed how corrupt the natural state of humanity is. I lived in the south most my life. Now I am not saying that there is not petty immature people in the south, by mentioning this point. Why I mention it is that it has allowed me to gain an insight into behavior I may not have noticed living my entire life where I now live.
I also think it is due to my salvation that I can see things in a different light, or a better phrasing would be with the light of God shown upon those about me. I have had a very diverse image upon life that not all can say they have had so that too helps me look at things in this light of Christ as many may not or purposely turn their heads away from.
At this time, I am going through a little bit of bumpy road at work. The one at its center, well other than me, is one of my bosses. It is a large enough company that there are bosses over bosses. Well as I look upon the issue I start to understand what is going on, and so all I think I can do is do what I am supposed to do as is taught by Christ. As I type this, the realization hits me, just so you understand where I am coming from.
I need to pray for this man as well as another of the bosses. They suffer from the ideal that since they are management that everything must be done in such a way and in such a manner that it gives them the feeling of control of the situation. I wish I could go into more detail, but let us just say that each day is different from the previous one or the one that is to come, well at least in the area I work in. It is an area that is demanding. I had raised to the next level recently having become bored with the “regular” challenges and sought after some that would actually make me think.
The thing is they sent me on a shift that had no other peers equal to that new level to discuss issues with to gain their insight. Not anyone who says you can go straight into a job without someone to help you out at first is not telling you the truth; they are also lying to themselves. I can go no further other than to say that this one boss did not like that I acted in a certain way. To his satisfaction, even though the reason for my actions goes back to them not providing me with something I requested from them several times that night.
As I stated though this person does not see it this way, nor does he wish to see the truth, for it would shatter his illusionary world of power and control. Have I grown from it? I would say yes. Has he? I would say no. Thus the need to pray for him. For it is his soul that is in need of the help not mine.
It was stated best in the movie “Angel and the Badman” with John Wayne, when dealing with his future wife. She was a Quaker; their outlook on faith is one that I think all should have. When someone seeks to do harm to you it. You may suffer some injury, you may even die, but it is not you that is ultimately being hurt. It is them they are hurting.
Our reward is not promised on this earth but in the eternal life that is to come beyond this temporal life, we now live. How we live this life though is a determining fact upon our reward in the eternal. When you seek to do harm to another through violence or simply removing them from a job because you do not like them it is your reward you are taking from yourself. Each action of hate, each word said in anger. Each act that causes harm to someone else ultimately lies at your doorstep. It is something you must answer for before God. Many who now think themselves Christian will be stunned to find themselves standing before God on the days of the Great White Throne Judgment. They had thought they would be among the counted but instead find themselves being judged to see if they are worthy of being welcome to live an eternal life free to serve the Creator of the Universe within and throughout His creation. All that stand before Him will weep and plead, but what they do not fully understand is even though God will be the one that ultimately says if they are welcome. Their own actions and behavior are their judge. For we are given the Bible to teach us what is right and wrong and if we do not follow these rules even though we may have been saved we will find that we can be removed from Jesus and thus from God Himself.
The Blindness of humans
Due to the corrupt nature of humans, most cannot accept, that there was ever a being that could perform miracles, like causing the lame to walk or even a man blind since birth the ability to see. Jesus through His sacrifice upon the cross gave us the ability to overcome our base nature. Yet there are many that say humans can overcome themselves. Just listen to that sentence in your head. How can someone defeat himself or herself? It is impossible.
Yet through Christ with His sacrifice, humans can overcome their base nature. It is through this salvation that the world of humans still exists. For without Christianity and Judaism humans base nature would have destroyed itself most likely during the dark ages. It was believe in God and the teachings of Jesus that the humans still walk this earth today.
Nonetheless, again a time of corruption rears its head. Once again, the human race is threatened by itself. They force God from the world and chaos has erupted in its place. However, there are those in the “wilderness” shouting out and saying, “Turn to the light of Christ!”
Mark 7: 20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
The duel edge sword.
There are times we go through trials and tribulations. As I have said before some may be a pruning by God to allow you to become a better tool for His glory. There will be some trials that confound and confuse you because they come at you from a direction you did not expect. Usually in these instances, there is another party involved. Someone outside that you do not know how or why they crossed your path and sent you into a trail and tribulation. When there is others involved it is always a test upon both parties or all those involved.
In many cases, it will be something that is testing you to see if you grow in your faith, and let me say on a personal note, that all our faiths including mine own have room to grow.
Here is my point of this post. Even though we end up growing and become closer to God in this time of tribulation we may not be the may target. I could be the other person in the situation that is being tested. It may be the other person having their faith in God worked upon by Him.
Our responses and actions to this person might be something that God can use to make this other person realize they need to change and come closer to God. Or they may just need to go through this trial in their own way, but still your reaction is important.
An example:
The other day I was behind a person on the road that was driving erratically. I noticed that he was more interested in looking on the screen of his cellphone then upon the road. I come to this conclusion by the mere fact that he crossed the double yellow line and had to come to a near stop several time to make a simple corner. I have seen drunk drives drive better. So as I get to a stop light I start honking my horn.
He jumps out of his car comes running to my window and proceeds to curse and me.
My respond. “Yes I have a problem with you. You are texting. Read Titus 3:1”
This reference to the Bible made his eyes widen, step back and then turn and leave to his car, which he suddenly started running to as it rolled driverless toward the car in front of it.
Was I being given a trail? I would say yes, if you knew me before Christ you would understand.
Was he being tested? I would say definitely.
The Blood that cleans
Humans are corrupt beings. They are this way due to the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. No human on their own can make themselves clean. How can filth clean filth? It is impossible for there will always be filth left behind when this is done.
That was why God created the blood sacrifice. For centuries, it was the blood of the lamb. Then God allowed His Son to come amongst humans. He lived without sin, but witnessed sin. Then it was the humans that called for His death, His sacrifice, and so He went to the cross and shed His pure and clean blood. This Blood is so powerful that it cleaned all the filth from those that called upon Him as their Savior.
This salvation makes people change. That which gave them pleasure before no longer does and so they turn from that which was their old live in the filth. Sometimes though they do get dirty, but they ask God for His forgiveness and blessing and He gives it.
But humans are corrupt beings. They are told within the Bible that they must abide with Jesus. Live in His word and His teachings, but most do not. Soon they find themselves returning to those sins and forgetting to ask Jesus for His cleansing. Therefore, they falter and fall, until one day they are merely paper Christians. Their month says they are but their actions say they are the sin they once were.
Jesus called these the “lukewarm” and He said he would spew them from His month for they are no longer one with Christ or God and no longer worthy to amongst the counted.
Can they fix this? Yes they can, but many are so blinded they do not realize that they have faltered and fallen away. There are those that cry from the wildness calling upon them to repent and return to Christ. Some may listen, but most do not.
Mark Chapter 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
John 15: 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Revelation 3: 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
We need to not be near sighted
One of the greatest challenges that those that call themselves Christian is to learn to look beyond today or even tomorrow. When they become near sighted, all they can do is plan for that moment or the next day. That is not how Christianity was designed to work.
Our vision should be focused on the eternal. Questions like “What will the earth look like in the thousand-year reign of Christ?” “What lies in the next solar system?” “What wonders and beauty are waiting to be seen?”
Why these questions and many many more? Because that makes us think beyond this temporal life.
This is like going to the store to pick a pair of shoes. You try one on, walk and feel it is uncomfortable, or it does not look quite right. So you try another pair and they are just right. Well the eternal life is the pair that is just right, filled with the rewards promised to us by Jesus.
Why keep the pair of shoes that are uncomfortable? Yet that is exactly how people live and act. They say I can work through the blisters and corns caused by wearing the wrong shoes. We are told repeatedly not seek our reward in this life for it is fleeting when compared to a billion years.
One year is 365 days. The average life span of a person worldwide, at this time, is 25915 days or 71 years.
One billion years is 365,242, 199, 000 days.
Personally, I would rather plan for the largest number. A lot more can happen in that life and will happen.
What constitutes the free exercise of religion?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Per dictionary.com
Exercise – a putting into action, use, operation, or effect:
Per the first amendment, Congress (i.e. the government) cannot impose any law that blocks the free exercise (practice) of religion.
Now it states religion, which can mean any religion. That can mean Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hindi, so forth and so on.
This means that if someone states per religious reasons that they cannot do something that violates said religion, then the government cannot force them to go against their believes, per the first amendment.
Yet that is what is being done.
The sin called homosexuality is just that a sin. To force a religion that says it is not a sin is a violation of the first amendment.
If someone wishes to live a sinful live that is his or her choice, but to try to force a religion to condone said sin is again a violation of the first amendment.
Those that truly follow Christianity do not turn their backs on the people living in sin, but we should not be force to say that something we consider bad for the person to be good.
We do not hate the person committing the sin. We condemn the sin itself. We ask that you do not continue to live in this sin, for we only wish what is best for you. There is really going to be an eternal life. ALL are promised to have immortal bodies, but not all are promised to live in happiness. Those that follow the teaching of Christ and the Bible believe in the White Throne Judgment. This happens after the thousand-year reign of Christ upon earth. This is post rapture and post Armageddon. At this time those that lived righteous lives without knowing of the existence of God or the salvation promised by Christ upon the cross, will find that their mere actions will most likely gain them access to God and His Son.
It is those that know of God and His Son that deny Them both, or live in sin will at this time find it the hardest to get past God’s judgment. Of these most will fail and it will be by their own doing. On Mount Sinai God did not just hand down stone tablets with ten rules. He gave a huge list of laws and rules to follow.
One of these is that men shall not lie with other men as if they lie with women. The same is said of women. These are laws given by God. These are sins. To force those that believe this to accept your life choice is wrong. If you wish to live in this sin, go right ahead it is not my job or place to stop you if you do not wish to listen. It is also not your job or place to stop us from believing it to be true.
Do not think that by forcing your way into our Churches you are getting God to condone or approve of your choice. This is the furthest thing from the truth, but as I said, I am not here to force you to stop living in this sin unless you are willing to acknowledge what is written in the Bible. I am here to shine the light of God upon you and tell you that what you are doing is wrong and can lead you to standing before the Great White Throne. This is not where I wish to see. I would rather you be in the court audience. Watching as all the actions of someone’s life pass before all to see and witness.
One time someone said to me. If no one would know, would you commit a homosexual act for $5,000,000 dollars? I said no. He could not believe me and kept pressing me. I said God would know. Not only will God know but also EVERYONE will know. I am in no way perfect, but I will not give in to sin even for money. For your soul is more important to me then money ever could be and the glories of an eternal life that will allow us to explore all the creation of God is more rewarding then paper made by man. Give me what God creates, for He created the entire universe.
The Two Greatest Commandments revisited
In one of my other posts, I mentioned two great commandments given to us by Jesus. To love God with all your heart and all the time. The other was to love your neighbor as you love yourself. These two things Christ stated was above the Ten Commandments and yet if you look at it they are part of the Ten Commandments.
Like the Ten Commandments it is something that is ignored by most, be they non-Christian or even Christian. This is a sad statement when you ponder upon it some, but true. Could it be the times we live in? Possibly, but it does not need to be this way.
Also as I have stated in other posts is the need to be truly humble.
Per Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Humble is: not proud: not thinking of yourself as better than other people;: given or said in a way that shows you do not think you are better than other people;: showing that you do not think of yourself as better than other people
This is the building blocks on which loving your neighbor as you would yourself is built upon. In love of God first, placing Him first in all you do and being a humble person. Placing the actions and feelings of all others before yourself allows you to love them like yourself.
In Christianity there are many groups. All think that their vision of God is better than the other persons version. In reality the only vision we have of God is found within the entire Bible. It shows God is all knowing. It shows God as creator and Father. Yet many that call themselves Christian think of Him as some magical genie that will grant their wishes to become rich, a celebrity, important.
This is not what the Bible teaches and the mere fact that there are people that believe otherwise shows they have not truly read the Bible and understand it. As a result, they find it impossible to follow the two greatest commandments.