Matthew 10:32-40
"32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Empathy Helps a Brother or Sister Heal
Lack of physical troubles is not a measure of inner spirituality, any more than material wealth is a measure of it. How we respond through the troubles can be a measure of our faith. And, how we respond to wealth can show us where our heart is also, do we brag, play and mock the poor, or do we use it for the sake of others while blessing those less fortunate.
James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
1 Peter 5:10 "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Notice in all these verses we see God protecting our spirit and inner being. The reason God allows trials in our lives is to keep us dependent on Him, to glorify Him through it and to carry His Word to others who might be looking on.
If we focus on our trials then we will not hold up spiritually. If we focus on Christ, He will hold us up in our inner being. But we should not have to hold up alone. We are a family as believers and should be interested and empathetic to others going through trials.
The purpose for showing empathy to our brothers in trials, is to double their strength in a very hard time. When we embrace others in their troubles while crying with them, we strengthen them, even without any words.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."
One hurting person, with one stronger person and Christ, can help uplift the one in distress.
Psalm 32:7-8. "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."
Let us not walk alone in pride that we have arrived, but let us seek to glorify God through an attitude of empathy toward others, not for self glorification, but to truly please God and help others.
James 1:12 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him."
1 Peter 5:10 "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Notice in all these verses we see God protecting our spirit and inner being. The reason God allows trials in our lives is to keep us dependent on Him, to glorify Him through it and to carry His Word to others who might be looking on.
If we focus on our trials then we will not hold up spiritually. If we focus on Christ, He will hold us up in our inner being. But we should not have to hold up alone. We are a family as believers and should be interested and empathetic to others going through trials.
The purpose for showing empathy to our brothers in trials, is to double their strength in a very hard time. When we embrace others in their troubles while crying with them, we strengthen them, even without any words.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."
One hurting person, with one stronger person and Christ, can help uplift the one in distress.
Psalm 32:7-8. "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing."
Let us not walk alone in pride that we have arrived, but let us seek to glorify God through an attitude of empathy toward others, not for self glorification, but to truly please God and help others.
Empathy is Preferred Over Sympathy
Why God teaches "empathy" and not "sympathy" among believers. Often believers don't want to connect in a very real way so they express sympathy, it makes them feel better that they "cared" but it offers little to the hurting person. Empathy can feel what the other person is feeling, being able to adequately comfort the hurting individual.
Romans 15:12 "15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."
Romans 15:12 "15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."
Sunday, February 8, 2015
True Believers Will Stand With Israel
Prime Minister Netanyahu is coming to America to address our congress, and our president and his vice president are going to arrange not to be there, in an act of shunning. If that isn't the height of disrespect and anti-semitism, I don't know what is.
Little do these wicked leaders know, they will be held accountable by God one day for their evil against the Jews.
I reject the evil that our government is doing in turning its back on Israel. I also reject the theology of "Reform" that encourages this kind of disrespect for God's people.
Anyone who is in a "Calvinist" or "Reform" church need to go to prayer in repentance for their rejection of Israel.
I want so desperately for the Prime Minister to know that not all Americans agree with our Islamic president, that we stand against him and stand with Israel. Those who are true believers in Christ, will not be against Israel, I want Netanyahu to know it is the Christians that stand with him.
Little do these wicked leaders know, they will be held accountable by God one day for their evil against the Jews.
I reject the evil that our government is doing in turning its back on Israel. I also reject the theology of "Reform" that encourages this kind of disrespect for God's people.
Anyone who is in a "Calvinist" or "Reform" church need to go to prayer in repentance for their rejection of Israel.
I want so desperately for the Prime Minister to know that not all Americans agree with our Islamic president, that we stand against him and stand with Israel. Those who are true believers in Christ, will not be against Israel, I want Netanyahu to know it is the Christians that stand with him.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Love is the Answer!
I am noticing a lot of drama on faceook these days, mostly on the part of women. I know that we are more prone to be "sensitive" than men in many ways and therefore more likely to let our emotions fly. Men have this problem too, but most of what I see is coming from women.
It has been my experience that men can have a disagreement, have a knock down drag out fight in a bar, get up from the floor and buy each other a beer. With women, they scratch one another's eyes out and hate them for ever and ever, never to ever speak to them again. LOL
I want to say to women who are like this......GET OVER IT!
When we feel ourselves becoming emotional over something someone said or did, it is best to keep our emotions to ourselves until we have had time to evaluate them. Often we are interpreting what was said or how it was said in terms of how we are feeling at the time, rather than whether there was a good reason to be upset.
How do I know? I have done this myself, I have learned over the years that often our feelings are not a measure of reality. They deceive us, which is why the devil loves to mess with them. He can cause terrible actions and reactions on mere emotion alone, without rational thinking or valid reasons, breaking up friendships that were valued.
Women have complained for years that men messed up this world, look at it! I say to that, "it would be much worse if women were in control. A woman would have a bad hair day and push the nuke button, simply to show that no one is going to mess with her."
Women are far more prone to revenge than men are, I know I have lived 63 years and have seen it. There are some men who act like spoiled women, and this number is growing since so many men under 30 have been raised by women in divorce situations. But in past generations there were far fewer men who acted like this.
When we have an emotion, it is best to go back and take a look at what transpired to see if our emotion was based on something real or imagined. We have the ability to blow way out of proportion little things that mean nothing at closer inspection. The longer we go without evaluating an emotion, while nursing it, the less accurate it becomes. We build up in our mind, events much more severe than they really were and destroy all possibility of reconciliation, while rotting our own bones with bitterness and pride.
Proverbs 14:30 "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones."
There is a lot we can ignore or let go, if we are more tolerant of personalities and human frailty. We never let sin go, and we remain honest, but flying off at the slightest provocation, shows that we are insecure and self absorbed, lacking understanding.
If someone is continually obtuse and destructive that is another matter, those are people we would rather not have as friends, but many times we are dealing with personalities, nothing to stress about, if our attitude is right we can even see the humor in our diversity and enjoy someone who expresses themselves differently than we do.
When we find ourselves having judged harshly the little things, it is good to repent, apologize and go on to determine to refuse to react, but rather evaluate first and respond with intelligence.
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins."
We must remember that our diverse personalities were given to us by God and are what makes life interesting. Each one has something to offer, with all our warts and flaws. Perhaps if we learn to see the humor in one another, we will actually enjoy those who might have otherwise been an irritant to us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."
Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Mark 12:30-31 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The conclusion of the matter is this: LOVE!
It has been my experience that men can have a disagreement, have a knock down drag out fight in a bar, get up from the floor and buy each other a beer. With women, they scratch one another's eyes out and hate them for ever and ever, never to ever speak to them again. LOL
I want to say to women who are like this......GET OVER IT!
When we feel ourselves becoming emotional over something someone said or did, it is best to keep our emotions to ourselves until we have had time to evaluate them. Often we are interpreting what was said or how it was said in terms of how we are feeling at the time, rather than whether there was a good reason to be upset.
How do I know? I have done this myself, I have learned over the years that often our feelings are not a measure of reality. They deceive us, which is why the devil loves to mess with them. He can cause terrible actions and reactions on mere emotion alone, without rational thinking or valid reasons, breaking up friendships that were valued.
Women have complained for years that men messed up this world, look at it! I say to that, "it would be much worse if women were in control. A woman would have a bad hair day and push the nuke button, simply to show that no one is going to mess with her."
Women are far more prone to revenge than men are, I know I have lived 63 years and have seen it. There are some men who act like spoiled women, and this number is growing since so many men under 30 have been raised by women in divorce situations. But in past generations there were far fewer men who acted like this.
When we have an emotion, it is best to go back and take a look at what transpired to see if our emotion was based on something real or imagined. We have the ability to blow way out of proportion little things that mean nothing at closer inspection. The longer we go without evaluating an emotion, while nursing it, the less accurate it becomes. We build up in our mind, events much more severe than they really were and destroy all possibility of reconciliation, while rotting our own bones with bitterness and pride.
Proverbs 14:30 "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones."
There is a lot we can ignore or let go, if we are more tolerant of personalities and human frailty. We never let sin go, and we remain honest, but flying off at the slightest provocation, shows that we are insecure and self absorbed, lacking understanding.
If someone is continually obtuse and destructive that is another matter, those are people we would rather not have as friends, but many times we are dealing with personalities, nothing to stress about, if our attitude is right we can even see the humor in our diversity and enjoy someone who expresses themselves differently than we do.
When we find ourselves having judged harshly the little things, it is good to repent, apologize and go on to determine to refuse to react, but rather evaluate first and respond with intelligence.
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins."
We must remember that our diverse personalities were given to us by God and are what makes life interesting. Each one has something to offer, with all our warts and flaws. Perhaps if we learn to see the humor in one another, we will actually enjoy those who might have otherwise been an irritant to us.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away."
Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Mark 12:30-31 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The conclusion of the matter is this: LOVE!
Where Will Your Eternal Home Be: Heaven or Hell?
There will be a frightening day, when many who think they are saved will realize they were not changed into a new creation by Christ and will not inherit heaven but are headed for the fires of hell.
They followed the rules, paid their tithes, said they loved the Lord, even doing lots of busy work in the apostate churches. These people did good works, but not by the power of God. In their flesh they honored themselves for their deeds rather than seeking Christ for their direction and giving Him the glory.
The apostates who will be shocked when they get to heaven, will think they are in, because they did works, or said things to cause others to praise them, but their works and their words, were in their own power, to elevate self, not in the power of God for His glory.
It is good for everyone to ask the Lord about their own heart. Do they follow Christ for what they can get out of Him, or to glorify self, OR do they love Christ, want no glory for themselves, giving Him all praise and worship. Are their good deeds because Christ in them compelled them, and they loved to obey Him?
Now is the time to take a look at ourselves, the time is short, we could be going home soon, whether it be by a traffic accident or the rapture, we don't know how much time we are given to ask that very important question; "am I really saved and pleasing Christ." Which home will be ours, heaven or hell, for eternity?
1 John 2:19 " They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
Matthew 7:21-23 "
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
They followed the rules, paid their tithes, said they loved the Lord, even doing lots of busy work in the apostate churches. These people did good works, but not by the power of God. In their flesh they honored themselves for their deeds rather than seeking Christ for their direction and giving Him the glory.
The apostates who will be shocked when they get to heaven, will think they are in, because they did works, or said things to cause others to praise them, but their works and their words, were in their own power, to elevate self, not in the power of God for His glory.
It is good for everyone to ask the Lord about their own heart. Do they follow Christ for what they can get out of Him, or to glorify self, OR do they love Christ, want no glory for themselves, giving Him all praise and worship. Are their good deeds because Christ in them compelled them, and they loved to obey Him?
Now is the time to take a look at ourselves, the time is short, we could be going home soon, whether it be by a traffic accident or the rapture, we don't know how much time we are given to ask that very important question; "am I really saved and pleasing Christ." Which home will be ours, heaven or hell, for eternity?
1 John 2:19 " They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
Matthew 7:21-23 "
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Friday, February 6, 2015
Hyper Grace is a Lie
Romans 6;
"6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
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