Bible

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Allow me to jus babble on a bit......It amazes me how I thought I knew something and learning how little I know. A real lesson here for folks like me. Anyway in my Bible study this morning I ran into what I felt connected with today's life. There has always been real true believers, then unbelievers convinced with the basic truths of Christianity, but no commitment , then the group who just flat out do not believe. It was that middle group that caught my eye---the unbelievers who believe in the basic principles but no real commitment to Jesus Christ. Now remember I said I was jus babbling on, in no way judging but I have been a Methodist now for almost 76 years and I am really torn in the fact that my Methodist upbringing is not the methodist church of today, then I think beyond the Methodist and I think organized religion is maybe not what I thought organized religion was in years past. Then I got to thinking about the many different subjects that once were considered evil/bad which the churches of today seem to accept as ok, making up some really good excuses for poor conduct.....Just a couple of ideas here although there are many, many, many more examples.....years ago the term was "shacking up" which carried a bad idea, to day it is said "living together", making it seem to be ok..( I love my daughter to pieces, but back years ago she lived with a guy before marriage, she did not appreciate my term "shacking up", they were living together,) then abortion was viewed as not a good thing, but today terminating the life of an unborn is considered a woman choice & in many eyes in the church this is acceptable, then the subject of sexual sin----I have many more thoughts here, but you get my drift. All these thoughts lead me to wonder what has happened to my church, your church. When I was running the road for a living I had certain radio preachers I listened to everyday and one such guy said---"We have been educated beyond our intelligence "--- think on that a minute.....I think an old term was, "young man, you're getting to big for your pants and just about to be taking down a notch or 2!!!" I WONDER if we have lots of folks attending church service who are really good folks yet folks who have never made a real commitment to Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior, who over the years have wavered in their thinking due to organized religion being more concerned with PC, numbers on the roll & income while drifting away from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and following the Gospel according to who ever sets the organized religion agenda.....Maybe we have become concerned with feelings, numbers and money more than with Saving Faith. Like I said I am just babbling on a bit, but then my lil "P" brain went to Paul's writings where he wrote of APOSTASY----the falling away, which raises the question of true believers, real born again Christians and Apostate Christians. Just a little something to get you to thinking.

I taught my kids to draw a big circle and inside that circle write everything they could control, things they could change to make life better, then on the outside of the circle write everything they had no control over, things that in noway, nohow could they in way change to make life better, then concentrate on those things inside the circle-----make their life better, my kids are now grown and they often remind me of the circle and what they can control and what they can not......I have taken this to include my church life......then, it comes down to self examination, rather than to try to set the world in order, maybe I should concentrate on setting "ME" in order.....I often refer to eternity being just one short breath away, and the most important thing is---AM I READY.....struggling to set the world straight and neglecting my faith status may not be the best idea around. I have to remember the Church is the body of Christ, I am part of that body, how di I measure up......Peter wrote "the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God".......Friends, for this ole boy judgment begins with "ME"

God Bless and have a great week