Tag Archives: Lord

Government Sponsored Social Services, The Answer?

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Emergency Social Services

Emergency Social Services (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Life is given by the Lord.  Knowledge of what is Right comes from the Lord.  Love (pure love) comes from the Lord.  Prayer (effective and Holy prayer) comes from the Lord.

All the basic needs come from the Lord.  And if a man has all the above three, the extra things (those things which are above basic needs) are directed into the life of the believer at the leadership of the Lord.

Without Him we have nothing but basic needs.  Much like the plants and animals we survive at the basic level of life.  This is where most people find themselves living.  But there is a greater place of life and effectiveness here on earth.

The desire to seek and serve Him comes from The Father of Life.  We are only able to ask for His help.  Absolutely nothing else we can do will satisfy what is unseen and unknown to us in our base form.   Every other teaching (those teachings which ignore the power and singular Righteousness of God) results in a “religion” made by man.  But the Religion of God is a thing which is given.  The Religion of God is an off shoot of the “tree of life” which grows up within the believer.

This is the key to understanding the difference between the “good” actions of man and the Good actions from God within His people.  The world mimics God’s people because they perceive that works are the items which prompt God’s blessing.  They don’t realize that the Works they witness in God’s people are not generated from those people.

All day long the world encourages each other to do the things which are “good”.  But those “good” things fall short of accomplishing eternal value.  For instance:  A worldly man may witness a homeless man asking for money.  Giving him what he asks for is the obvious answer.  Perhaps, however, God has something other in mind.  Considering this, a group of people might institute a social program to provide that “something more”.  But they may or may not hit the mark God has in mind.

This post is something for people to consider.  Man’s answers to perplexing problems rarely (as in once in every 400 years perhaps) accomplish what the Lord desired to do.  With this in mind, you would think folks would ask for the Lord’s help.  But where, then, would pride find a home?  Since humbling ourselves before the Most High God evicts pride and the love of applause, we’re not likely to see a lot of that.

We haven’t seen such action on the part of humanity very much over our history.  In fact, when we do see it, true humility usually only lasts for the generation in which it was begun.  Therefore it is each man’s duty to seek what is truly God’s himself.  Most people will rely on the work of others who have done this humbling activity, thinking that they are doing the work of God.  This is what is meant by “man’s religion”.

http://www.hhs.gov/    Website for Governmental waste in human management.  There is never waste when God is directly involved.Think about it.

English: The Lord Jesus Christ in the image of...

English: The Lord Jesus Christ in the image of Good Shepherd. Early Christian trsdition of symbolism. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Does Punishment Equate With Correction?

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English: Interior photo of a courtroom in Broc...

English: Interior photo of a courtroom in Brockville, Ontario (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Four men sat in the court room waiting their turn before the judge.  One of them was obviously scared.  He was wrongly arrested for a crime he knew he didn’t commit.  There was no way for him to know what would happen next.  All his life was being ripped away without his consent.  Though he would admit he was a citizen of a law filled land, he now was at the wrong end of the land he had come to think of as his.

Another was constantly wiping his eyes for fear that the others would see his weakness.  His guilt was obvious.  And he knew prison was waiting for him.  He also knew that his family and friends would never forgive him for what he had done.  One more thing he knew:  He knew he didn’t have the violent attitude necessary to cope with the elements in prison that would come to molest him, take his possessions, and force him to submit all his days as a slave to their depraved minds.

One more prisoner sat there with a slight smile on his face.  This wasn’t his first time here.  What was it to him if he lived a few more years behind bars.  He knew he would be convicted.  He also knew he had friends where he was going.  He was part of those who happily enslave the weak in prison.  And he had his eye on the man sitting next to him.

The last of the four sat there sobbing.  Not able to contain his fear, he had wet himself.  Life was about to change for this fellow.  And he knew he didn’t have what it took to endure the punishment for his foolish crime.  His throat was parched dry and he wasn’t sure he could answer when asked questions.  His mind was numb from fear.  Panic had set in quite severely.  What was to come of him now?  All he could think of was terror.

Punishment cannot bring about a correction of attitude in those who are not repentant.  In fact, punishment to the proud will only bolster their pride.  A man who is violent in his attitude will only grow more wicked over time.  And until his body cannot carry out violence anymore, that man will contrive all kinds of ways to do wicked things.

Punishment, however, extended to a man who wishes to learn will certainly have a positive effect.  We can be sure that the last man will learn his lessons well.  Look at him quivering as he awaits his fate.  You could release this man today and be quite sure you won’t see him here again.  The Lord said it best (go figure)  “. . . he who is forgiven little, loves little.”  (Luke 7:47)

The other two are a bit of a curious matter.  The one who was wrongly arrested might go to prison anyway.  What will come of him is between he and God.  He might not have had an attitude about civil law.  But he is quickly developing one now!

And the one who was constantly wiping his eyes, what about him?  Won’t he also be in the same boat as the first?  It remains up to him as to how punishment will affect his heart.

What will happen to the Christian is largely brought on by his attitude.  God will do for us what the law of free will allows.  Sin has us all by the throat when we first come to the Lord.  And when we learn of the sentence of death against us we all respond a little differently.  We are told to fear God.  The more we fear Him the more we will find ourselves being able to become a student.  Only a student attitude will endure punishment favorably.  Fear is the only motivation that will result in love for the system that arrested our deviant behavior.  We might say this has to do with what the Lord said about Laodicea:  “‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”  (Revelation 3:16).   A lack of reverent fear will not provide the strength we need to learn to love Him.  Pride and sin will overcome the one who approaches the war of flesh with a lackadaisical attitude

The Lord approaches all of us in the same manner as the judge in that court room.  The difference being that The Lord is able to change the nature of things while we undergo His punishments.  The judge is constrained to the provided prison system.  The Lord has created all things.  And He is quite able to change the material nature of our circumstances.   He also knows how to change the attitude of His people so that their fear of God’s laws is refreshed when their attitude slips a bit.

So we look to what the writer of Hebrews had to say about this, for the conclusion of this post.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”  7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!  10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.  13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.  (Hebrews 12)

Sure, You Can! For Now.

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Police Officer Breaking the Law

Police Officer Breaking the Law (Photo credit: Call To Adventure)

“I can, so I will.”

This is said of the majority of mankind.  They perceive an advantage is to be gained by stretching the laws of the land.  They don’t notice that they’ve already determined to stretch the laws of God.  So what does it matter if they push past the limits of man’s laws?

“I must, so I should.”

This is said by a handful of people who are striving with all their might to learn to love God and all His ways.  They subject themselves to the laws of God.  So it matters a great deal when it comes to obedience to the laws of man.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  (Joshua 24:15)

Just Stick That Seed and Move On.

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English: Seed Time The fields have recently be...

English: Seed Time The fields have recently been ploughed, and I surmise that the machinery is planting a crop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It all started with a twist of God’s word, and wickedness among men was born.  Next came murder.  Now I’m not wise enough to know what the next elevation of sin was, and how it progressed to become a fullness of sin among men.  But I can be sure that we reached that point fairly early on.

Every day men fool each other into believing deadly folly.  And the truth of God has been accepted throughout the ages with the same percentage: Most don’t, some do.  (quite the mathematically calculated stat huh?)  I can’t speak for any days prior to about 20 years ago.  But I do think folly is becoming far more vocal today than ever before.  It’s not just the advent of radio signals that have promoted more broadly the things of wickedness.  It is the heart of man, as a whole, which is becoming less open to God’s truth.  But isn’t that what we were warned would happen?  “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, . . .”  (2 Timothy 3:13, 14)

Should we be concerned about this?  Nah.  Just stay the course and watch what happens.  Maybe they will involve us in the form of a persecution.  But it is they who they destroy.  If you have the truth of Christ within you, relax.  Speak with firmness and confidence.  But don’t let them drag you into the stupid war of man’s ideas regarding the Holy Commands of God.  We answer when asked.  But we should also learn when to refrain from another answer.

Look for the line of questioning.  Does it lead in a linear path?  Or does it do circles around the issue.  Avoidance is one trick men use to circumvent the truth.  Then, if that fails to provide the rotten fruit they are accustomed to eating, they will turn to blame.  For the sake of your partners in conversation, release yourself before they get to that point.  They will chase after all manner of folly regardless your involvement.  Go look for another conversation.  Let the seeds the Lord has given you remain planted.  Let’s see if something grows.

By His Grace.

The Growth of Decline.

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Exponential function

Exponential function (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What we are to become, after the end of this world, is yet to be seen or announced from the Lord.  We have little glimpses of what God Himself refers to as Glory.  And we know that God is love, perfection, and absolutely steady in Holiness.  So we can easily come to the conclusion that His people will be like wise.

And what we are now is virtually blind, naked, and powerless compared to what is to come.  What is it to us then if we suffer for the time it takes to wink an eye?  I have mentioned this before, but it is worthy of re-mention:  If this place of testing was sufficient to produce the Glorified Jesus, the Christ of God, what are those who overcome the temptations of this world?  And how powerful is the grace and mercy of God that He would come to us to empower us to overcome?

We take great heart in His promises.  We take great heart at the signs of His presence in our activities and attitudes.  Even as the Sun rises in the morning, we know that He will produce in us what is necessary to be pleasing to the Father.

Stay the course with renewed strength.  Look around and take note of how wicked the world has become in just the last 25 years.  The growth of wickedness will become exponential at this point.  Encourage one another to remain steady as we pursue the holiness He is calling us to embrace.

Jesus Loves the Homosexual Lifestyle, Right?

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A bible from 1859.

A bible from 1859. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A curious hole in the testimony of some homosexuals I’ve talked to has appeared.  It seems they think their lifestyle is “OK” with God.  Can someone tell me then why it’s not “OK” to hand out Bibles at one of their rallies?

“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”  (John 3: 20)

P. S.

You people who are promoting your own agenda in the world, tell us that God loves you and your agenda, yet run from the Bible anytime it is poked in your face:

Here.  Why don’t you do this:  Begin to read the Bible for what it contains.  Then turn and promote the agenda of God in Christ Jesus (even when it runs right up your proud backbone). 

You see, we Christians do just that.  We don’t claim to be holy or righteous.  We promote the agenda of Jesus regardless how it offends our sense of pride.  And when it stands against our sins, it is we who cave.  The Lord won’t stand for anyone who uses his own agenda to promote sin.

In case you didn’t get my point:  Go ahead, keep your life of sin going.  But add to it the Word of God.  In time, I promise you, your agenda will diminish and the Holiness of God will begin to enter.  Keep up your charade, however, (of being God loving sinners) and you will be horribly ashamed and surprised when you stand before Him face to face.

You love the Bible when it says “God loves you.”  But you hate to read about how no immoral or sexually perverse person will ever enter eternal life.  You rave that you deserve recognition because you’re a minority.  Did you ever stop to think that murders are a minority also?  Did you give thought to why that is?  It’s because most people understand that immoral behavior does not receive the love of God.  They are the majority.  You are the minority.  hmmmmmm

So bring the Bible before your face.  Go ahead and read the things that please you.  Then, just for kicks, read a little more.  It will scar your conscience.  Isn’t that what you’re running from when you don’t want the Bible in your wicked rallies?