Christian

The world is full of pitfalls and potholes.

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As we go about our daily tasks, we are given days of joy and happiness. We are given days when nearly the same thing happens that had happened the day before. Then we are given trials. Most are minor, some are more painful, and some are soul rending.
The thing is there is always someone there waiting to help us. Many call out to Him, but many times, they do not believe he listens. Well He does. The answer you seek to see may not be the answer He wishes you to learn, but you must endure.
I had an encounter that took place in 1996. The details are unimportant, what is important though is that it took more than ten years to finally open my mind and heart to the lesson that God was trying to teach me. In those ten years I carried bitterness and anger within, which is opposite what God wants us to carry within us.
This anger and bitterness left me depressed and despondent. It led me to doubt my place with God. It led me down a path in which feel I could have been an unfruitful branch for God and so broken off of the tree and cast to the world.
I came close, but then I realized the truth and beauty of God and His Son Jesus Christ. It took an experience that was an echo of Job for me to turn my path back to God. Trials and tribulations I do not wish any to have to go through, but I know, as with me, that may be the only way for people to come to understand that Jesus in the answer.
That is the reason there are pitfalls and potholes in life.

When writing letters to those out there in the world

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As one who in essence is writing letters, I come to understand what made those that wrote the letters to the churches do what they did. Mainly they were separated by distance. In at least two cases the one writing the letters was imprisoned and unable to go to those they were writing these letters that later become the New Testament.
In my case I am unable to travel to those that have read my post due to obligations that require me to stay where I am. In several cases I am incapable of travel to them since at this time I have reached fifty two nations; one or two of them I never thought I would ever see that they have bothered to read that I have written but they have. Some come back time to time and look once again at what has been added. Most likely, many never return, but that is ok. At least once they read something that may have impressed upon them something that will come back to them in some other way. This is how God works at times. Planting little tidbits here and there, within their minds, till one day one of these seeds sprout and spread the love and joy of God throughout them. They realize that if not me than someone or something made them understand and accept God. Then they turn to His Son Jesus Christ and become saved.
I encourage and challenge those that are reading at this very moment to go pick up and Bible and read it. Learn the teaching of Jesus. Try to understand that they are still as relevant as they were when He first spoke them. Yes start with the New Testament but then turn to the Old and read it as well. For everything within the Old points to the New and to Christ.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Confessions of a screwed up middle aged man: the comeback

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I find it funny how even I forget time to time. I see my own blog posts coming to my aide as I go through the rough spots on my journey toward the eternal life to come that is promised unto us by the teachings within the Bible, which once again makes me think that even though penned and or type by me they were inspired by the Holy Ghost.
The last forty-eight hours have been rough upon me. I let my guard down and forgot where it was I worked and how things usually go. I also forgot in my moment of happiness in finding that one person that I know I will willing spend all eternity with in a perfect immortal body, that we are not promised all our rewards upon this earth and in this temporal life. That our greater reward, especially for those that are not rich is a greater in the future to come beyond this life.
I should have known that one in charge of this planet would throw some debris upon the already thin and rough road before me, but as I said, I took my eyes off the road for a moment and hit the debris head on.
I have gone through the usual turmoil that occurs when something bad happens. Shock, depression, anger, but has my better half reminded me only a short time ago with some verses from the Bible

Philippians 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Therefore, I am on my comeback to my place of joy and whom that joy is for. Jesus.

The workmanship of God

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When we think of God, we think of light, we also think of the source of our light that we see every day, the sun. What people have dismissed is that God created the sun just as was this planet.
Also people do not realize that the sun is huge. It can take 1,300,000 earths to fill the sun. Yet that sun is small. The largest known star at this time is VY Canis Majoris. It is estimated that it is 950 to 1200 times the size of our sun. Yet again this is nothing compared to the rest of the universe, and He who made it all, God.
I think this is one reason people have such a hard time accepting that God is real. Many limit God to this little speck in the universe, making Him as important as the insects that crawl and flay about.
It is sad that they do this, that the ultimate being that has the power to not only to create this planet, but to manipulate it as well. He has stopped it from rotating. He has turned a river to blood. He spread apart a sea. Yet people limit and ignore Him. Said it was just and nature event that cause these thinks to take place. Apparently you missed the earlier sentence that God can manipulate this planet, meaning to cause “nature events” to take place.
Did you see a bird today? You just saw the workmanship of God.

Light at the end of the tunnel

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Life is chaos. Each day is different. Each hour is something that never happened before. Some days will be good, Most will be mundane. Others will be filled with pain and sorrow. It is these last days that are the hardest to make it through.

There is order in the chaos. The yin for the yang. This order is always there, but forgotten and missed by most for it does not show itself boldly to the world. For it seeks to have you understand it that is there just out of site, but just as real as everything else about you is.

When pain strikes most seek it out pleading and scream “WHY?” “WHY ME?” Or other such statements, but that is not what the order seeks. It seeks to strengthen you in these times of strive. It seeks to guide you and let you know that there is always light at the end of the darkness that for this time of trial and tribulation you have just enough strength within you to make it through.

You protest and say no you do not, but the order says, “Yes there is for I am with you.”

Then you realize what is the truth and you know that you can make it to the light, for what is the light is Jesus Christ and He is that order.

What do you do with the other 313?

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Why I say this is too many go to church on Sunday and then they leave God behind inside the church.
They speed to church and then they speed home. Then the rest of the week they speed about for are they even aware they are defying God as they do so. (Titus 3:1).
Being a faithful Christian is a daily way of the life. Your behavior and actions are a constant and never ending reflection of what we commit ourselves too, God.
I do not see Christ running around in a sports shirt, promoting this team or that. When I see a sporting coliseum, I see a building that reflects where thousands of Christians died nearly two thousand years ago. I do not support sports in fact they repel me, because I see them as a distraction from the goals and glories of God.
When I work, I work to do my best and make something of quality. Why? Because Jesus wants me to reflect Him. One of Christ’s greatest teachings is humility, to place all others before yourself and placing God at the center, and only God. When you live like this all you do is seek to make what is the best you can do for it is not for you, but God you are making it for.
Every day you spend within this temporal life is a test given to you by God. Each day He asks anew: “Are you going to reflect My Son today?”
And each day most fail this test.
Each day you awaken and you do not think about God’s calendar of events for you, you let Him down.
Being truly Christian is a 365 days a year task, not 52 days. Just think on that a second. 313 days you leave God and His Son Jesus behind. Is that really how you want to have to explain to God why 52 days you were willing to be His servant, but 313 days you told Him to get lost?

The sin called self-glorification

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Self-glorification seems to be the goal of many, to emulate yourself, to make yourself seem special, important, rewarded. This may appear right, but it is not. It is actually a type of selfishness.
In the last month, we were introduced to two individuals that practice self-glorification.
The first was a doctor in New York City, now hospitalized with Ebola.
The second a nurse, that lives in Maine and refused to take a three-week vacation in her home.
Both have done special acts, but their attitude of selfish behavior shows whom they were really doing these deeds for, themselves. Not those sick people or for God.
Self-glorification is a sin. True humility would have these people not questioning, but listening and respecting their neighbors, which is everyone else in this nation.

Vote for God on Tuesday

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“But there is no one worth voting for.”
That is wrong.
“But I want to vote for this person because they promised they will do this or that for ME.”
This is wrong
For the first statement, God is always worth voting for and is always on the ballot.

https://www.gop.com/platform/preamble/
http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2012/09/04/democrats-drop-god-from-party-platform.aspx

To the second, If you are voting for yourself reward then you are not following the Bible. We are to place all others before oneself. Our reward is not of this earth and to seek after a worldly reward is seeking a reward from he who is in charge of the world, which by the way is not God.

http://www.democrats.com/abortion-debate
http://www.democrats.org/people/lgbt_community

https://www.gop.com/platform/we-the-people/
https://www.gop.com/platform/renewing-american-values/

Each person is responsible for their own sins, not those of others

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In Galatians 6:5 it states that each person is responsible for their own burdens. What this boils down to is you are responsible for your own sins. Not your father’s sins, not your mother’s not your wife’s sins, only your own sins.
Yet there are those that in many communities and cultures that have ignored this verse or do not realize its true meaning. It is even mentioned in the Quran and the Torah. Yet there are those that say to blame all whites for the slavery that their ancestors did over a hundred years ago.
Those that teach this are teaching hate. Those that teach this are teaching prejudice. Those that teach this are not following the teaching of Christ, which is to forgive and love your neighbor. But who is your neighbor? Per Jesus….. everyone.
When you teach hate, you teach the total opposite of the teachings of Christ. When you teach only to seek self-glorification, you teach the opposite of the teachings of the Messiah.
It is this incorrect teaching that has resulted in the divisions and strife that is now tearing this nation apart. It not only tears apart those that live within this nation on a national level, but also those at the family level.
If you know that, someone is committing sin and do nothing when you have the ability to stop them, it does become a burden you must carry before the presents of God. For if you could have stopped it and did nothing you are saying that it is ok to sin, which is opposite the teachings of Jesus.
So to clarify; you are responsibly for your actions. If you hate someone because of what their ancestor did to your ancestors. You are committing the sin not them, if you do not honor your father because he did not raise you right. That is your sin not his.
I have accepted my sins and turned them over to Christ. As a result He has taught me humility and self-sacrifice, which results in love for all and a caring for them which causes me to write these blogs in an effort to enlighten them to God’s glory and love

Luke 10: 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Mark 12: 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

True faith in God results in Love

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The true message of the Bible. The true message of Jesus. The true message of the Bible is truly love.
The theme of Christ’s teachings was to love all. This is not the teaching others say. This is not the teachings even those within the church teach.
Many teach that self-glorification and self-satisfaction is the road to God. However, this is not the truth at all.
To truly love you must be willing to place all others before yourself. If you do not or cannot do this, than is what you believe really of God? The answer is no.
Do you take what men say the Bible says to be real? Have you truly read the Bible yourself?
Then how can you tell who is telling you the truth. I challenge you to pick up a Bible and read it. I challenge you to see that the words I now type are those based upon the teaching of the true Bible. I encourage you to see that what I say is true. That it is filled with the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ the living Savior of all that come to understand and accept the true. That to truly love yourself means to place ALL others before yourself and to love them no matter what they say or do.
Start with the New Testament. Once you read that then expand to the rest of the Bible. For the entire Bible aims you toward Jesus Christ.