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Thought there for a minute you were sending me a message.....I do have a tendency to get tacky from time to time.....Sure glad it was the mirror and you.....I do like that one....think I will copy to my fb page
Thanks for sharing
I often make mention that I wake with something on my mind, sometimes it is Scripture and sometimes a tune.....This morning early, the following Scripture came to mind....Took me a bit of time to find the exact Scripture that matched my thoughts......Then I got to wondering was this a message to enlighten me on some others or was this maybe a personal message to me. HUMMMM. !! I read it, then because I can be quite thick I read it 3 more times, then gave this parable serious thought----I put myself in there as the Pharisee, my habits, my daily thoughts, NAW !!! can't be me, can it? Then I put myself in there as the Tax Collector....Now, your turn, you think on how you may fit in here. I wonder if many folks think " well, I attend church every week, I give my tithes, I sing in the choir, occasionally I teach a class, I visit the sick, I am really a very good person, I know I am way better than than one who never does anything like I do !!! " I think this is referred to as self-righteousness, then I wondered if the above thinking person ever just simply said---"God forgive me a sinner". By FAITH a sinner will instantly experience God's saving grace. Not by anything they may have done....I always think of the thief on the cross speaking to Jesus, "Remember me"-----Anyway, as you read the Scripture I urge you to think on it, let it speak to you
Luke 18:9-14
New King James Version
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be [a]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
God Bless
Back some time ago I made mention that my brother was fighting cancer, Neal,
"if" he makes it to July 1 will be 82, my brother has faith and has been a good man and a very good brother, sadly cancer the more it hangs around the worse it gets, at the present time Neal is right at death's door, only God decides the departure time.....But, prayer is greatly needed for his family to feel God's presence, for God to offer much needed strength & courage to endure this sorrowful time period. Our family for maybe close to 50 years, the weekend after Father's Day get together for a family camping trip, some start on Thursday, some just for the Saturday, Neal was so looking forward to this, however, just the other day his radiation treatment really knocked him down, he is so weak he can do "nothing" for himself-----Much strength and courage is really what is needed....the circle of life comes to all our households at one time or another.....Once again thanks much & once again God Bless
Well, thoughts, prayers & concerns were and are much appreciated for my niece's husband, he is doing well considering 2 days of back surgery. As I understand it, and please consider that I really do not know a lot nor understand a lot, from retired transportation guy/truck driver to surgeon is quite a leap. OK, from what Alicia was telling me, I gather that some of the disc in his back were gone, then the bones grew together (fused themselves together), so I understand the separation required the doctor had to his thing from the back, then finish his work from the front or through Jim's side, after separating the bones spacers of some sort had to be put in where the disc use to be....how many I do not know, I do not do well talking with someone about this stuff. BUT, last night Jim was doing ok, he was eating some Freezy Pops, I suppose that is like a popsicle , and was HI as a kite due to the meds. I have called on the
Folks on the Bible Board more than once for prayers when I was going in for surgery and I KNOW prayer helps, big subject there. I told Alicia about the Bible Board and how Jim had prayers lifted from the north boarder to the south boarder and from one ocean to the other ocean, now they do not have the faith that many here do, but when I told Alicia about the Bible Board and y'all offering prayers for Jim, a complete stranger, her face lit up like a Christmas Tree......I feel we planted a seed.
I do have something that has been heavy on my mind for sometime-----What in organized religion is it that turns people off? I am not placing the blame on the churches, each person has their personal devil causing them to drift away, yet, if the church"s message is not Jesus Christ and the messaged is mixed in with PC, then we have a problem. I often ask the question of such people----What is it about the church that turns you off? I need to start keeping notes. Like I said heavy on the mind. But a problem can never be fixed it no-one ever addresses the issues at hand....maybe it boils down to each Christian walking the walk in their daily lives, I jus don't know, maybe the average Christian has become lax & lazy and jus passes the sharing of the telling of God's grace to the preacher & teachers.....Then I wonder if the churches have taken the responsibility of sharing the good news out of the hands of everyday folks, because higher ups in the church believe average Joe just ain't qualified...Like I said I jus don't know. But I do know our churches are not handling the storms very well
God Bless
yesterday went well, today at 1pm is round 2 and today is the tough one.....thanks so much for keeping in mind....Fishing....Jesus loved the fisherman but I would not suggest you try walking on water unless you know where the big rocks are
OK, the difference between a fairy tale and a truck driver tale, fairy tale starts out, once upon a time—— the truck driver starts out, now you ain’t gonna believe this sh%}{, but seeing as how I got a ton of mikes under my belt, I have earned the right to say, you ain’t gonna believe this sh}*^#, I heard from a very good source who knows a guy who has a friend who bumped into this guy in a bar who claims he knows Raj, and he tells me that the gas pipe line up in Alaska will open just as soon as the wind turbines get set up—— and all you negative people thought Raj was misleading us… hear it—-toot—-toot, coming round da bend
Well DogGone, I've done gone and done it again, I got side-tracked and plumb slipped my mind about tomorrow morning. Let me begin there...My niece's husband is going in for back surgery tomorrow at 8am and I want to be at the hospital for my niece ,,,Please think on this, and let me explain, my back surgery was a cake walk in the park compared to this guy's surgery. Let me tell you a bit about Jim, he is a fellow Marine, I served with Security for White House Helicopters back during the Kennedy/Johnson years, really fantastic duty, Jim was in Marine Corps Special ops, I will not say a lot on this, but, you folks have no idea what these young men are called on to do, let me leave it right there, even in your wildest imagination you will be off base. He has been shot, I know for sure once, but think maybe twice, he suffers PSTD, due to time in the Corps he has already had 2 back surgery. Understand all this and if I introduced him to you you would find one very polite gentleman....no whining, no complaining, a kind heart, a good husband and a very good dad. Now back to his upcoming surgery, this is a 2 day event, each day surgery will last 9 or 10 hours.....day 1 they go through his front side, his belly, to get to the spine, from what I understand they have to move it around, Now keep in mind, I have no idea what I am talking about, then the next day they operate again but this time go in from the back.....
The one thing I do know our prayers sure help and I trust that you folks in the morning will raise my fellow Marine in prayer. Jim always reads my Spiritual stuff on fb and has more than once disagreed with my thoughts, an innocent bystander may think he is a pain in the azzz, but it is a beautiful thing that he reads what I post, it is a beautiful thing that sometimes he will make a comment, and just my opinion here, I DO NOT know for sure, but believe that the Holy Spirit has spoken to his heart, and that my friends is another beautiful thing
I do apologize about the Judging stuff......I have been doing some reading and really want to do the post, but maybe God thinks I do not need to hurry into it----but I will get there.
God Bless---and please in the morning remember Jim---thanks so much
thanks......judging? You are right, but tomorrow I will post a bit on this, get to what does God's word actually say.....I wanted to do this a week or so ago then got side-tracked and ended up over there in right field somewhere, seems that happens often now days,,,,,gotta be my wife's fault, no way I would ever loose track of what I was doing or where I was going------OH WAIT !! what were we talking about?
I am almost that bad---lol
ZECHARIAH 1: 1-4
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 2 “The Lord has been very angry with your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.
I think it was yesterday I put a thing out here concerning "drifting away." I wonder if In the Scripture Zechariah is maybe sort of saying, "look here, you guys are really drifting away." Now maybe this passage carries me in a different direction than you, but if you do not mind I will just babble on a bit. 1st He says the Lord says to say to them----Return to Me and I will return to you----then God says do not be like your fathers , turn from your evil ways and your evil deeds----then the "key"---God said--"they did not hear or heed me.
There was a a thing or 2 that came to make me wonder a bit:-----Many of the Hebrew children way back in this piece of history just knew that no matter what, they were God's chosen people so they could do whatever they chose to do, whenever they chose to do so and God would continue to bless them. I wonder if today folks attend church, do good works, give money and consider themselves on safe ground with God, so out in life"s day to day living they can do whatever they choose to do, they are a professed christian so God will take good care of them. It appears that a lot of todays standards is based on Political Correctness, we have to be very careful not to offend any special group of people. Many religious organizations are drifting away from the word of God, not wanting to deal with consequences for folks actions and covering it all up with Love Your Neighbor. Yes love and care for your neighbor is an important ingredient in Christianity, but certainly not a free pass to go against God's word. Yesterday I referenced drifting away , little by little, like a boat coming untied from the dock and just little by little drifting away until it was way gone---out of sight. Folks, as Christians we need to be real careful where the currents of life are carrying us. Now this is just my opinion here, although I think I am close to being right on target----Too many people go to church and believe just because the S.S. Literature says one thing and the S.S. teacher interprets it so and from the pulpit the preacher gives a sermon and says this is so and this is what you are to do to be a Christian. We do not want to be classified differently so we accept what we are being told as Gospel. Folks, your Bible is your book of directions and the Holy Spirit is your teacher. I would suggest a good Study Bible as a guide, but the 1st thing before making a purchase is talk this over with God, explain to God that you really want to learn and ask for His guidance in making such a purchase.....once again my opinion, you can not go wrong with John MacAurther Study Bible.....Dr. David Jeremiah Study Bible is a good one and then I also like Scofield Study Bible-----I think my point is find that which communicates with you. Here on the Bible Board is a good place to ask questions concerning this, feel free to private message me if you do not care post openly......
God Bless and think on your Spiritual life, we only get one go-round, there are no do overs, just think on it a bit
It never ceases to amaze me as to how little I know concerning Scripture and I have been at it since 1990 and still dumb as a rock. Well maybe not so harsh, a rock may be a little ahead of me....
Hebrews 2:1 speaks of drifting away---over the years I often have thought of drifting away like maybe a boat became untied at the dock and slowly it just drifted away and then lost somewhere down the river and I also thought of drifting away as as gradually getting off course and missing my destination----suppose you take a compass and head to "X" marks the spot, but then you get off course, say, 2 or 3 degrees, you may be off just a tad bit, but the end results is that you totally miss your destination---and my 3rd thought---now you , may not be familiar with firearms, but, extend your right arm, then extend your index finger and point at an object, say 20 or 30 yards away, now just "BARELY" move that finger, just a tinny bit, and see, you have just missed your target------NOW!! I hope I got your attention, so go now and read Mark 4: 3-20, about the sower and the seeds and try your best to tie in with drifting away, it is there, I had a hard time understanding, then BINGO it popped in & I got it. Might also think on "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 4:9)-------a slice of info from my John MacAurthur Study Bible ----"On the surface this is a call for the listener to be attentive and decree the meaning of His analogy. Yet more that human understanding is necessary to interpret the parable----only those who have been redeemed will have the meaning explained to them".
We do not have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to understand Scripture, but it necessary that we have a relationship with God to understand Scripture, Understanding is not something a person can do on their own, understanding Scripture comes from God, not from man---Man may point us in the right direction, but the Holy Spirit teaches us and if I--YOU--or THEY do not pay attention to the Holy Spirit"s teaching, we start to "drift away"-------Just a passing thought, do not let someone misguide you and get you off course, just because a very well educated person says this or that does not make it gospel, sometimes it may be a wolf in sheeps clothing----"learn" to trust in the Holy Spirit
God Bless and have a great day----raining here, but I appreciate any day this side of the green. Rain does not make one have a bad day, one's attitude makes for a bad day
I went back into Hebrews, as my yesterday's post said I would for educating my "P" brain a little,....I was thinking on not just reading Scripture but to consider having a conversation with God. I am going from the "Interpreter's Bible" which offered me my thinking material. We have heard over the years in S.S. Classes and from the pulpits the term "Word of God" when referring to the Bible readings, I am not tossing stones here or saying one is wrong, just passing on a thought----I do not think I have ever heard ---"This is God speaking to us"---from the Interpreter's---"The word of God In general, is God speaking." I am in no way saying the Preacher or teachers were wrong, I am just saying I never considered Scripture as God speaking directly to me, or as if God & I were having a conversation. Now this come from the Interpreter's Bible on Hebrews 4, speaking of the living word----"It is living, with the life of God who speaks. It is no dust-covered antiquity, no lifeless record of ancient doings. We never encounter the word of God, whether in nature, in history, in the Bible, or in the Son, until it comes alive for us and becomes, indeed, God speaking directly to us in a living conversation. This is the meaning of the Reformation doctrine that the Holy Spirit must interpret the Word of God, or it is not yet the word of God. A friend once said that when he read the Bible in the morning, he read until one verse leaped up from the page, pointed its finger at him and said----"You are my man for today." Then he lived with that verse throughout the day, pondered it, let it go to work in his life. The practice is commended to all."
My thought here----"I am going to try to learn that when reading Scripture that this is God talking directly with me-----Me and God talking-
Something here to chew on, no matter if we are speaking Scripture, chatting with a friend to our spouse ...COMMUNICATING------just because we are talking with someone does not mean we are communicating, it only means we are only passing words back and forth----BUT---we are communicating when we understand what each person is saying----
I just never thought of Scripture as God "talking" to me
Food for thought-----I was reading and ran across this concerning Bible reading, following up on researching the Scriptures from my previous post.....anyway in Hebrews it speaks of Scripture as the living word of God----then this, which I have to go back and read over & over again to be sure I get it right in my tinny brain, but it explains or says that when I am reading the Scriptures it may just be hog-wash until the Scriptures become the living word, then,-- I am having a conversation with God or maybe I should say God with me---and the words become a living thing. Me & God are chatting, like with an old friend
Like I said tomorrow morning I will dig into this more and see if I can become more clear...yet something there for you to ponder over today....Are you reading Scripture or are you & God communicating?
My daughter wants me to make her a coffee grinder, I have all the pieces cut out, now today start the finish and putting together.....These girls in my life sure know how to play me----they totally believe in that Scripture "ASK AND YOU WILL RECEIVE"----I am so blest
you love jerking someone's chain...I enjoy the reading
I have no idea how many times this old poem has entered my mind----it holds so much truth, I believe. As you read give some serious thought to it and does this apply to your life
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life...
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied,
"The one you feed."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
NOW!!!! You want to rack your brain? I have two well respected Bible resources I use often....one says one thing-- the other says the opposite ----Both are excellent reference material and both can chase you all over Scripture seeking the right answer.....I believe all answers come from & through the Holy Spirit---if you should go seeking the correct answer, and I do not think either answer is 100% right or 100% wrong. I believe your heart will teach you what it is you need to understand. One point, the Scripture is not contradicting itself, it is the difference of opinions of the authors making an interpretation, that is why it is so important that before reading and studying Scripture that we take a moment and ask for divine guidance ---my opinion here----when the Holy Spirit teaches us something, that is what we go with, not saying another is wrong, jus saying that the Holy Spirit teaches me what I need to know to live a good life....Anyway,, the Scriptures I am speaking of are:
1 Thessalonians 5:23
New King James Version
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4: 12
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Now the subject is "soul & Spirit"....some believe they are identically the same,-- others say they are 2 different identities , but also this other resource states that "Soul & Spirit" are at times interchangeable. Both very respected resources back up of their opinions with their opinions of other Scripture......AND to me this why we need Divine guidance and we need to listen to the Holy Spirit. I suppose the 1st thing is that we need to have a relationship with God, without that-- my,-- your,-- their opinion-- is just hog-wash
God Bless
Some folks like to golf, some to tinker with old cars, some the garden, we all have something or another to carry us away from the normal, mine is my wood shop, I thinker, some stuff is fair, some is right good and some makes it to the trash can. When giving a wood work piece away, not always but often I enclose this. I had made my previous pastor a black walnut wooden pen, carved out a cross and filled it with epoxy with gold paint mixed in, not saying this in pride, but I was touched when he read it in church and made his sermon around it------something to think on
THE CRAFTSMAN---by David Smith
The craftsman walked through the woods and came upon an uprooted tree stump. The tree stump revealed what was once a strong, erect, and healthy tree, yet something had caused an inward damage that took down that once mighty tree. The uprooted stump now lay showing dark lines of decay signifying the rotting progress of the once mighty tree. The craftsman looked at the ugly, decaying tree stump and saw something of beauty that others had not seen nor could see. The craftsman struggled, working hard to remove the stump from the woods and deliver it to his workshop. The craftsman went to work cutting out a piece of the decaying wood and infused it with a solution to give the soft punky wood strength again. At this time the craftsman went about removing the ugly parts to reveal a handsome work of art, a thing that was not visible to the naked eye and had been locked up in the tree stump just waiting to be set free.
Just as the craftsman, so God does. He looks down from heaven and sees an uprooted person who was once strong and upright, but due to the struggles of life, the failures, the disappointments, the personal weaknesses, and the yielding to temptations has started an ugly decaying process to start taking effect. Yet, God alone sees a thing of beauty that others do not see nor can see. God reaches out to lift this person up and removes the ugly embedded scars of life and gives forgiveness and infuses the person with His Spirit to reveal once again the beautiful person that lives within us
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
God Bless and that is how it all works. Think about all the things you have done over the years then after you completed your task you step back and say to yourself---"HUMMM !! Ain't half bad"-----God does the same thing....
OH MY!!! I never knew that temptation or escaping temptation was such a large subject. The subject even goes to is this demonic or human temptation ....I'll not even get started here....I said I would like to make it short, sort of right to the point. I woke up at 4a.m. with this on my mind and realized that I do not want to miss the beauty of the forest by starring at 1 or 2 trees. In the OT. it is easy to find several things when God was dealing with the Hebrew children and God would say if you do this and then I will care for you , basically if you follow my guidance....If I may, let me call this a trial and as long as the Hebrew children followed God's instructions they were fine, but when they drifted away from the trial they fell into temptation, now think on what James wrote in1 James 1: 14---"but each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed."----Now think a bit on the Hebrew children, they drifted to other gods, women, life customs----those things tempted them, now consider the whole process, years of following God then years of drifting away....when they fell into temptation God only knows where they landed, the escape from those temptations went through a period of time. NOW!! Greg, (Excel) is 100% correct when temptation hits us, "IF" we call upon God, the Holy Spirit will bail us out, yet how many Christians take the time or even think on this escape. The beginning of James says to count it all joy when we fall into various trials----knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. A little story here, back years ago I worked with a lady who each and every day told me her problems and she had enough problems for 3 or 4 people....I ask her---"Brenda, do you pray for patience?" She let me know that probably God is tired of her asking Him for patience, she ask every day----I then told her that her prayers were answered everyday, Scripture teaches that through trials we learn patience, God only was giving her what she prayed for, I told her she did not need patience, she need to ask God for strength and courage----she changed her prayer and and learned to control her trials. Let us think on the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, down in there it says --"and lead us not into temptation." But Scripture clearly teaches us that God tempts no-one , Let us take a quick look here...The word temptation might mean a trial or persecution , but here the petition is usually taken as a request that God will remove occasions of sin or the evil impulse which prompts sin. NOW, as Greg said God is always right there all we need to do is Psalm 50:15---Call upon me in your day of trouble and I will deliver you-----When I got into temptation I found myself in. different subjects, greed, idolatry, selfishness, etc.....The devil daily tosses each of us into temptation, some of those problems may last only a moment or 2, while those other temptations may carry on for years....The other day I made mention that I dug a hole and it just keeps getting deeper and deeper, so , I am now going to stop digging-----TEMPTATION is a much larger subject than I ever imagined, but, a subject that each christian needs to really give serious thought to----not personal opinion, but God given thought---to ignore it could be giving into temptation...
Then also at 4am I found my mind just wandering around like a lost sheep, then this came to mind and I really dwelled on this over and over, then my mind got very clear.... God Bless
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
And go with me, with me all the way.
THERE ARE 3 other verses, but these verses was what rolling around up there......
OH!!! Thanks to Greg for not necessarily disagreeing with me, but pointing out his thoughts on this subject......Should any of you folks ever think differently, please share, as a Christian brother of sister you are called to speak up----not to judge but to discuss. and for God's sake, do not take everything I post as gospel----as we know I am not the best communicator and we have different personalities, I may say one thing and you take it differently, the only clearing up can be done through conversation
Woke up this morning, coffee real good, looks to be a pretty day, only one down side, even last night I got to reading some on Greg & my discussion concerning temptation, although I got a handle on it, how to compose something from hours of research into a short post....probably just me, but, I like short, to the point post, I think they call stuff like that "thought provoking", anyway I am still working on it. sort of like a bulldog with a new squeeze toy. THEN: when I sat down this morning this tune popped into the ole brain------ENJOY the thought
GLORY BE TO THE FATHER AND TO THE SON
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Greg and my thoughts on temptation is a great discussion-----BUT---GOD IS, GOD WAS & GOD SHALL EVER BE------Much we do not know, we do not understand but we do know that to those who believe one day when our earthly life is over at that very moment we will be made perfect, we will know, we will understand all that we never knew or understood before. Sometimes I think I know or understand something only to learn that I know nothing or very little....sometime a little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing.
God Bless
WOW !! Man did I ever dig a big ole hole to climb out of. I have been searching the Word now for over an hour and 1/2, I am getting there, great subject......I am just now getting the big picture, so maybe I am starting to understand "escaping temptation is not immediately, but in due time",----just wish I was smarter than I am, but being thick upstairs often takes me longer to get the point than some, but I am getting a grip on this subject and so glad you pointed out your thoughts. I am so blest that I have a ton of resources from back in my dad's time which he passed on to me. I will get back after I learn...lol---
Yes, Scripture tells us Psalm 50:15---"Call on Me in your time of trouble & I will deliver you." and I use this often and I do get instant help....then This morning when I got searching our subject here, I was very tempted to just 100% agree and say "man ! I was way off base" and move on. I just deleted a short paragraph because I was digging this hole a little deeper
This subject carries me way back in the O.T.---Job, David----temptation was there, they endured, but not instantly.......I have dug a very deep hole, hope I can crawl out of it
Thanks so much for your thoughts----I trust that others who visit this Board will have Spiritual thoughts enter their minds, will offer a thought for the day to stroll around in their minds.
Greg, still sitting outside, l love the outdoors, When my nephews & nieces grad fro college I make them a nice pen, I use to take a piece of wood and make the pen, now I spend maybe 30 to 45 minutes just choosing the right piece of wood. Today’s project was a grand-niece, I had ordered the pen parts of copper and spent a good bit of time selecting the right piece of wood, settled for a piece of cedar which I cut from my back yard. Yes it is Sunday, but I don’t consider it work, my hobby, doing something for another,,,, this pen has for the center band , these words “FAITH— HOPE —-LOVE”, I am sure when the pen is presented to her, God will supply words to complete the process
No!! I ain’t forgot to get back on my previous post, just sitting here enjoying God’s beautiful day
I am sitting in my shop enjoying the beautiful sun, now when I go in I got to go digging fo an explanation for what I wrote or what I copied..... but I do need to dig in, understand exactly what you are saying, now to understand or better put what the research was trying to teach me,,,,, can’t help it if I am thick, lol,,,, God made me this way, His fault not mine
1 Corinthians 5:1-8
New King James Version
Immorality Defiles the Church
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord [c]Jesus.
Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
I do not want to appear to be too harsh, yet, what is---is. I had the Interpreter's Bible on my desk this morning and notice a yellow sticky marking this page. I do not know why, because I have never really studied this passage, have read it several times but never really dug into it. This morning I got into this writing and got to thinking that our church of today really has not changed much since the day's of Paul. Of course you folks know I am a Methodist and seems as if this denomination has or is losing its way, like so many other denominations. SO !! Without being too harsh allow me to think aloud a bit----Here in the above passage we have a man is getting it on with his father's wife, his step-mother. Now back in this time in history such illicit sexual liaisons were not unknown in the Greco-Roman world. Like many of our life-styles of today, nothing unusual here.---SIN-- IS SIN-- IS SIN---we today have come to accept much as to not offend another, and the Christian Church seriously practices non-offensive behavior, especially if the offensive person is an upright citizen, a long time church member or of that family, and maybe is a good finical contributor, along with several other good excuses. Now the shocking thing is not only the sin allowed in the church but the fact that there is a divorce between religion and morality. Our "PRIDE" has allowed satan his personal sitting spot on the front row. Have we come to believe that professing Christians are exempt from the moral law? From David Jeremiah Study Bible---"The central problem in the church is "pride"---To openly condone sexual immorality without concern---to see oneself beyond the moral law (Rom.6:15; Jude 4) is pride. Such deep rooted sin should drop the mature believer to his or her knees in mourning, with a prayer for restoration of the unrepentant brother".----As long as our churches accept bad behavior from its members the outside world will judge our faith by our actions. James explains it very well, can your faith save you? We say YEP, I believe so I am safe....But if our faith shows no actions, & we just sit on our fat butts and say nothing, do nothing, then the outside world will see no difference between their life style and ours. In the world of today we need to become familiar with what our Bibles teach us, we have come to a point in time that believing every preacher & teacher just don't cut it anymore, we have to become familiar with God's word. A little lesson here, if I may; When I was in church or S.S. class and I heard something which stirred questions in my mind, when I got home I would start to look for answers to my questions, "I NEVER LOOKED FOR WHY THE PREACHER OR TEACHER WAS WRONG---I ALWAYS LOOKED FOR WHY I DID NOT UNDERSTAND"---I always ask for God's quidance and I always, in God's time had the Holy Spirit taught me what I needed to know---ALWAYS.......When reading Scripture may I suggest not to just read the words, but to give some thought to what you are reading, what is this saying to me?-----God Bless
Hebrews 13:1 & 2
Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
We just never know how a small act of kindness may offer help to another
Good Morning God, once again--"help me to remember That nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I can't handle together"----As my friends read the following Scripture I ask that that Your Spirit will open their eyes & heart to the first 12 words-----knowing that if mankind learned to live this, our world be a much better place
Matthew 7:12-14
New King James Version
12 Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow Way
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
God Bless and have a great Friday-----Week-end liberty is just a few hours away (My military friends understand this part)
pps is down, but consider that no volume to speak of,,,, probably just a good idea to go grill a steak and end the day on an up note
I had this on my mind this morning and I have been chasing it all over Scripture in 2 different Study Bibles, J.F.B. Bible commentary and the Interpreter's Bible and I have come to the conclusion I know nothing......
1 Corinthians 10:13
New King James Version
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Let us say you are teaching a S.S. class or speaking with one seeking an answer, ......the question arises---"Well, OK, but what is the way of escape?" I will just leave it there and let you stew over the question. In all my reading and seeking a clear understanding, I ran across this from J.F.B. Commentary----"If Paul, an inspired apostle, not only permits, but urges, men to judge his sayings by Scripture, much more should the fallible ministers of the present visible Church do so."
I also was reading "way to escape-- The Greek is, "the way of escape"; the appropriate way of escape in each particular temptation; not an immediate escape, but one in due time, after patience has had her perfect work ( Jam 1:2-4, 12 ). He "makes" the way of escape simultaneously with the temptation which His providence permissively arranges for His people.
to bear it--Greek, "to bear up under it," or "against it." Not, He will take it away ( 2Cr 12:7-9 ). God gives us strength and courage to fight off temptation
NOTICE: escaping temptation is not immediately, but in due time
Very interesting subject to study, sort of ties in with Paul teaching to search the Scriptures to verify, then Jesus said "Knock and it will be opened,--seek and you will find---ask and it will be given"....a good point to think on is---God works in His time---not yours
God Bless have a good day
You want to work your brain thinking side a bit.....Reading In Romans 1-- I have always focused on the sins, then and now....this morning I am learning that Paul's real focus is not on the "sins"---but on Judgment----which will follow throughout Romans. when I get to digging in the real problem is "Idolatry"----not the sexual sins----, Idolatry from the O.T., In the N.T. the term for idolatry is "covetousness"......(Colossians 3:5). good explanation also comes from Luke 16:13-& Matt. 624
I looked up in one of my Bible dictionary. --- Covetousness--A strong desire after the possession of worldly things. It assumes something more aggravated form of avarice, which is the mark of cold hearted worldliness
AVARICE = Greed----all this got me thinking on how many just are not happy with what they have in life, how the grass always looks greener over there. Think on this--to a man who is broke a $10. bill is a big thing, to a man who has a $10. bill and $100. bill sure would be nice and so & forth....sort of like the gov't, enough is never enough
What a great way to start off a Wednesday :
Romans 1:5-8
New King James Version
Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God Bless and have a really good day
Went to my Grand-daughter's H.S. graduations today. Rain, Rain go away....she went to a private school, St.Catherine's......While we hear little good concerning kids, their education and dismissal of God from school, I thought I would pass on just a little of her graduation ceremony. I will only give a pinch, not the whole song etc, just enough to give a slight flavor:
School Hymn:
Father in heaven who loves us all, Oh help your children when they call......then the song carries on with God bases.
Poem: Jerusalem:
And did those feet in ancient time tread upon England's mountains green? And was the Holy Lamb of God on England's pleasant pastures seen? And did the countenance divine shine forth upon the clouded hills......etc....etc...
Closing prayer:....by a senior classmate
Help us, O God, to remember, through the example of Jesus Christ, that what we keep we lose; only what we give remains our own. May our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives with the Father and Holy Spirit, be near us, behind us to justify us, and above us to bless us. Amen
Now I am not promoting this school 100% a pinch too much on the liberal side for me, but then I am just an ole stick in the mud. But I found the message given to these young ones to go out into the world with was good. If in time to come and tough times falls on them, as falls on all people,,,,,maybe, just maybe, some of the above words will come to their minds and they will reach out for God's helping hand....We may drift away from God, but, God is securely anchored and never drifts away-----always right there for you and for me----God Bless
I was getting ready to run outside to do some yard work and then some wood work, anyway I sat at my desk and thought, "just for curiosity let me flip open my Bible to the O.T. and see where I land."
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn[a] of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies
.
5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me
.
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears
In reading from John 10 I got curious about sheep, and remembered that some years ago I heard a story similar to the following. So much in Scripture talks about sheep & shepherds, here in 2021 and living in USA we don't give much thought to sheep & shepherds, but maybe the following will help us to understand why Scripture has so many references to sheep & shepherds. Might suggest after reading the following that when you have a minute you read John 10 and see new thoughts enter your mind.....God Bless
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In ancient Israel, as the winter night fell, all the sheep of a town were driven into the sheepfold. The sheepfold was square in shape and made of four stone walls with no roof. The walls were about nine feet high and four feet across. On top of the walls lay thorn bushes and branches all the way around to keep out the wild animals.
There was only one entrance in and out of the sheepfold where a gate or door was bolted from the inside at night. The guardian (or keeper) would sleep on the inside by the door. This way, both thieves and wild animals were stopped from stealing and killing the sheep. The sheep were protected and secure in the sheepfold during the cold darkness of the night.
When morning came, the shepherds would present themselves to the guardian, asking him to open the door that they might come in and call to their flock. The guardian would open the door and the shepherds would enter and call out to a few of their choice sheep by name. With thousands of sheep and many dif- ferent flocks in the sheepfold, it was an amazing sight to see the different flocks begin to untangle themselves from one another and follow their own shepherd. By calling the names of a number of his sheep, all of a shepherd’s flock would hear his voice and follow him as he left the sheepfold to lead and guide his flock to lush pasture.
Once there, the sheep would graze under the watchful eye of the good shepherd. They were safe with him for he would fight off wild animals and robbers, placing his life in the balance. And if one of the sheep should stray, he would leave the flock in search of it, find it, and reunite it with the rest of the flock.
Shepherds were highly regarded in ancient times, for the sheep were both a means of clothing and food. The Hebrew word for shepherd comes from the verb which means ‘to graze, to feed, to pasture, to nour- ish, to tend.’ The noun shepherd means, ‘one who leads and guides, protects, provides and feeds.’
This morning I noticed in Luke Chapter 6 I had these verses hi-lited-----Many believe that our country is going to hell in a hand-basket, but, maybe-- just maybe-- if folks would think on these verses and put them in their heart as a learning curve----HUMMM!!! Makes one wonder.
Luke 6:
31: And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
A good one you posted here. While people constantly complain about how bad our world has become, talk about all the evil that surrounds us each and every day and folks think things can get no worse and sure enough some idiot steps up to the plate and proves that yes things can get way worse. Your Romans 12:10 offers a fix. This morning I went looking for Scripture concerning "return to God and He will heal" and I was surprised that just how many passages of Scripture concerns this very subject. Scripture from way back yonder in the beginning of times God has been pleading with folks to return. Scripture clearly states to "love God and love our neighbor" then all else will be OK......We live in the greatest country on earth, I remember when I was a little boy every Sunday the churches were full, even the folks who did not attend church would put off any yard work, etc. until after Church was over. Back then we called it respect. Now I just do not know or understand people, it does not take any effort to be kind, no effort to stay away from gossip, no effort to show a little respect, even if we disagree with another. Just an opinion here, organized religion has fallen away, drifted from the truth, I think Peter best says it, "The time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God." NO WAY I can fix the world, my country or my local area, so back sometime ago when my thinking was that things can get no worse I got to thinking was it everyone else or maybe it was me.....NAW!!!! Can't be ME. I am good----BUT what I did when I was out in the world when I had eye contact with a person I offered a pleasant greeting, after going through the check out line I told the cashier thank you and if they were pleasant I thanked them for being kind, and let them know that their kindness may really make a person's day,, when I would see a person with a T-Shirt with a Christian slogan I would make a polite comment and my acts of kindness & politeness seemed to change my little corner of the world. Fixing the world is a simple fix, if the Christian would start by fixing themselves 1st. You say you are a Christian, a person of the Faith, then walk the walk... OH!!! by the way, I wrote this, yes, and by the way I have lived both sides, however, I have learned through personal experience that my world is a much better place for me to live in when I changed "MY ATTITUDE"----God Bless
HOW DO YOU READ YOUR BIBLE? It is amazing how at different times a thought enters my mind that has never been there.. I have been reading & studying my Scriptures seriously since 1990 and honestly today I know very little, and maybe understand less--- the Scriptures are always a learning process.....This morning I woke up and while laying there in the bed talking with God this thought entered my mind, that thought may have been there previously but reckon I paid little attention....My 1st question was "How do you read your Bible?"-----Many times I just read and try to understand, then many times I read, research word meanings, cross reference , let us say I really study....Thinking on my morning thought while I was talking with the Lord.....I need to read my Bible like it is a letter or book sent "personally" to me. When Jesus is talking, teaching, I need to picture Him there on the Mountain side, in the synagogue, there at the well, or in a room with His disciples----really try to picture it as it was, not just reading words. Today I thought of what I have been taught as Jesus's teaching to be maybe Jesus pleading. Jesus came in human form so why should we not expect Jesus speech pattern to be different. Allow me to share this: John 14
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
How many times have I heard and read this, now how many times did I seriously think Jesus was speaking to me? Did I ever make it personal? Now, some will say Jesus was talking with His disciples so this technically does not apply to me.....OK, I understand, yet when cross referencing to other Scripture I learn that what He was teaching His disciples, it was not only meant for them but for me....keeping it personal. John 3:16 Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus, yet, when searching the Scripture I learn that this message was not only for Nicodemus, but Jesus was saying this for me.
Paul's Epistles can be very hard to understand. I remember back in my early days in reading Scripture I told my dad that much of Scripture I could sort of understand , but Paul's writings were really strange, like a foreign language to me, I just could not grasp anything from Paul.....Dad smiled and only said, "yes, Paul can be difficult at times." Then one day Paul's writings came in more clearly....Then one day I started to read Paul's letters as if he were writing to "ME"....I made it a personal letter---In Paul's writings I learn that all Jesus taught to others --Paul confirms these teachings were for "ME". Once again personal.
I suppose many of you have passed this time in your spiritual life years ago, but maybe, just maybe, we have one or 2 here on the board who try to get a handle on Scripture, but like I was, it appears to be a foreign language. Back when I taught S.S. class I encouraged folks when reading from their Bible, "THE VERY 1ST THING BEFORE READING A WORD" place your hands on your Bible and take a moment and speak with God and ask for an understanding of what you are about to read.-----If I may, this not only gets you to reading Scripture like it is personal, but it also helps to establish a personal relation with God.
God Bless and have a Blest week
Thanks and I will.....got maybe 10 or 12 other things to do 1st.....Now some may think that is bad, but NO , if St.Peter comes to get me I can say, with a minute I still have several things to do----catch me later
The other day I posted a short note and in it I stated that I had gotten hung up on the word works...Allow me to wade through this and hopefully while wading I will not slip up and fall. Not exactly sure how to share my thoughts so if it reads that I am going around in circles, well I very well may be, should it make any sense at all, well I'll give credit to the Holt Spirit ..
I suppose the best starting place is Eph. 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast". Yes I originally was in Titus, and elsewhere in Scripture it clearly speaks of the Christian and the good works he/she is to do. I suppose where I got off track is on the Christian and their focus on the good works thing. I do not know how many times after a person's funeral I have heard the phrase---"he or she was such a good person, and much on their good works." Now that is a nice thing to be remembered by, but this good works do not get us into heaven. Scripture speaks of levels or degrees of hell and heaven, where this good works stuff fits in there I do not know nor will I even attempt to go there. Way beyond my pay grade .
John 6:28-29-------"Then they said to Him, what shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, THIS IS THE WOK OF GOD, THAT YOU BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM HE SENT." (nothing more or less...BELIEVE)----Remember the thief on the cross was a bad guy, safe to say he never been to a worship service, never tithed, never baptized......he in his last moments here on earth just ask Jesus to remember him, and Jesus acknowledge his wish.....Then that ever so popular piece of Scripture "John 3:16----For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." ------2 things here to think on---
1---perish, John used the Greek word "apol-loo-mee"--To destroy fully, to die, lose----Opinion here, to me that means gone, poof, to be no more......
2.---believes---In the N.T. belief denotes more than an assent to a fact----the Greek word....pistis, noun; pisteuo, verb-----means adherence to, committal to, faith in, reliance upon, trust in a person or object, and this not only involves the consent of the mind, but an act of the heart." (from Scofield Study Bible.). I always thought of this as glue, "IF" you believe. A lot there to think on. Today we in the faith use the word believe very loosely, real simple to say "yep I believe" and accept that as our EZ-PASS into heaven and maybe easy putting on the back burner God's Grace.
Now when I go here I am not condemning another, just pointing out our human nature.....it is so easy to get so tied up in helping the poor, feeding the children, directing the choir, preaching or speaking from the pulpit or the other hundreds of good works the Church promotes, to put God over there and issue all the credit to our good works------The devil is real busy everywhere in our world and do not think for a moment he ain't busy in our local churches, do not think for a moment he ain't real busy in the heart and mind of each and every professing Christian----See, those of the world are already on his side, he has them, it is the professing Christian that the ole devil is after and no better tool than personal pride to use to steal a soul.
So much that all organized religions teach and preach on the subject of "doing good works", give here, feed here, so on and so forth, that we collect all the credit for good works that we do and somehow or another we allow God to just fall through the cracks. I try to give credit to the Holy Spirit for my good works, then every now and then I fall off the wagon and take personal credit ...A simple example----I often see beggars out on the street....there are so many out there making a good living that a person, like me, has become cold to the real need....I have learned that when I see a beggar I take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit---:"do I help or do I ignore", now allow me to be honest, sometimes I don't think to do this, but when I do I get my answer......if I get a feeling to do something I do it, if I feel nothing I ignore....I use the same approach to some of these popular preachers-----God always answers
God Bless and think a pinch on your faith, your true belief,
My lovely bride of 51 years made me leave home and take her on a road trip , yesterday,,,,,,,while I did read some on Titus I didn’t get to post anything. Well this morning here in the motel room I did get into Titus, a little humor here —-those church leaders/elders are to have no wine, however their wives can have at it, it actually said something like a little wine, but that would be decided by who ever was holding the bottle & glass, and how many neighbor wives were present.......then I noticed that several places it speaks of good works, and that is where I got bogged down, so went chasing good works around in many different books in the Bible—-o.t. & n.t., we are saved by God’s grace unto good works.....and good works is what I went searching for. I have not finished this but am looking forward to a clear understanding. Such a simple subject I thought. I’ll get back.....enjoy your day & God Bless
My morning tune:-----some good thing material here----
You gotta walk that lonesome valley
And you gotta walk, walk it by yourself
Nobody else can walk it for you
You gotta walk, walk it by yourself.
Jesus walked this lonesome valley
And he had to walk it by Himself
Nobody else could walk it for Him
He had to walk, walk it by Himself.
You must go and stand your trials
You have to stand it by yourself
Nobody else can stand it for you
You have to stand it by yourself.
Some folks say that old John was a baptist
Some folks say he was a Jew
But the Bible claim, it plainly tells us
That old Johnny was a preacher, too.
Oh, you gotta walk that lonesome valley
Yeah, you gotta walk it by yourself
Nobody else is gonna walk it for you
You gotta walk, walk by yourself.
Excuse me, I swear I thought I heard the train a comm’n, not sure but really sounded like a train.
Now. Grass cutting time is here, along with grill’n time and special deck time with friends & family..... you old timers here on da board have a great summer, and keep an ear open for that train
I probably should have continued with my morning thoughts,,,,,I was in touch then, now , seems as if I lost my morning thought.....derailed right off the track.....
Titus 1: 10 -16
10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
We have here a church led by, my opinion, untrue unbelievers,, as I had read this in the past I caught the word "PROPHET"----I just assumed (and we understand assuming) a prophet to be a good ole boy, one on our side......This prophet name was "EPIMENIDES". Looking at verse 10-11-12 says insubordinate, idle talkers & deceivers ----then later it says , one of them a prophet of their own. This prophet was said to have slept for 57 years in a Cretan cave sacred to Zeus and awoke with the gift of prophecy. The church is in Crete and the folks running the church were Cretans, and this prophet said they all were liars, and Paul says that is a true statement. I did a lot of digging on this guy Epimenides and so far more confused than when I started. Now what grabbed my thought was giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men. Sort of brought me from 2000 years ago up to today , thinking on the commandments of men-----it appears that a lot of places in our country following the commandments of men carries more weight that the commandments of God....Just something for you to think on there. Then at the end ...."they profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work....I want to tread easy here, I do not want to appear to be passing judgment.....but so much today is proudly and publicly said to know God, to have immediate, certain, incontrovertible knowledge of Him...Their actions however, with equal publicly belie their profession and prove their vaunted knowledge false. (that was from the Interpreter's Bible). Being disobedient to God's church, refusing to follow church doctrine & authority they become unfit for any good deed.....I am trying to get done here, so bear with me....somewhere in Scripture a guy ask Jesus what work must he do----Jesus's answer was to believe on Him who's sent His son-----now that's not word for word, I will try to get the exact quote later.......I have mentioned more than once that I have been a Methodist for 77 yrs now and I can not remember the last altar call, I can not remember the last time I heard a preacher reaching out for people to turn from sin and come to Christ....I am not judging, just saying. At the same time professing Christians have a responsibility to be Ambassadors for Christ....Sometimes it appears to be a good ambassador for Christ totally involves work and not belief----the old say'n "if you gonna talk the talk, then walk the walk"......I wish years ago I had the faith I have today, another story for another day....Just a suggestion here, and I do not mind one little bit if one of you folks add to or take away, even tell me I am full of prunes.------maybe ask yourself are you focusing more on your works or on your faith....HUMMMM----God Bless
Yesterday I posted a bit about Titus.....Well this morning I went back again, allow me to ask, Have you ever heard of a fellow named "Epimenides"? Me neither....However due to me being so thick upstairs I completely over looked the message I was reading....If you will open your Bible to Titus 1: 10 to the end of Chapter 1.....just a few sort verses...After I finish trying to educate myself I will complete this post. Things here are as simple as falling off the wagon, but each time I have read Titus and hi-lited stuff I failed to really see what is here. Many of you, I mean this as a compliment, can probably read Titus and grasp it all in one reading, then I am sure there are folks here like me. Anyway over in James ( I had to look it up) 3:1..."My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we receive a stricter judgment"....NOW!! I am not teaching, but when posting should I lead another astray, well reckon I would be in hot water-----"I think"---there is a difference in posting something that folks might take for gospel and in discussing faith, voicing your opinion. I have often seen where folks will take a verse to make a point and all the while the miss the point of that verse....I think a great example of this is "You don't judge"---well read all on that subject and one could understand it completely different......well, you get my point.....Trust me when I say I stay in enough hot water as it is, I sure don't need to turn up the heat.....so--I'll get back later
God Bless and have a very Blest Day----GOD LOVES YA
What a great tune to have on one's mind so early in the morning......Allow me to look back a year or 2, well maybe 70+ years. This tune this morning made me think on my grandma out in a little town, Peru, Ind., and her "LITTLE" ole country church...an old wooden building with just 1 room. There was wire stretched across the ceiling from left to right and material was attached which divided the main room into 4 or 6 rooms for Sunday school classes. Back then it was perfectly OK for a person to just stand up and offer a testimony, perfectly OK for a person to say AMEN during a sermon----OH!!! How my church has changed. But this morning the below old tune popped into my mind and I went way back in years, I can remember the ole preacher stopping the music to offer the invitation to come to Christ....Should today in the modern Methodist Church this occur, I am sure someone would call the men in the little white coats to come and take us away. I am not in any way saying church is bad, but how it has changed over the years, almost all is human efforts and Jesus you just sit over there and be quite---our preachers are highly educated, our music directors are professionals, our S.S. teacher have steps to follow and speak, things do change and often that is a really good thing.....NOW!!! NO !!! I am not loosing my mind, I am not living in yester-year, it was this old song that brought back memories of the Christ filled church and the sad thought of how many people today do not and may not ever experience----JESUS TENDERLY CALLING------Maybe, take a moment and read the lyrics to this old beautiful song
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Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
Calling for you and for me
See, on the portals He's waiting and watching
Watching for you and for me
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies
Mercies for you and for me?
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing
Passing from you and from me
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming
Coming for you and for me
O for the wonderful love He has promised
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon
Pardon for you and for me
Come home, come home
You who are weary, come home
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling
Calling, O sinner, come home!