Friday, August 18, 2017
The Days Are Getting Shorter
There are days when I am tempted to comment, and I do, on the foolishness that is going on in the world. Then the Lord reminds me this is prophesy being fulfilled, there isn't anything I can do about it, except to live my life for the Lord, grow myself while others help me and I help them. Along with that comes God's mandate to bring the gospel to the unsaved.
Nothing can distract us from that mission given by Christ if our mind is continually being regenerated by the Word of God. We must spend more time reading about and talking about Him, than we do the things of the world to keep our perspective.
However, we do want to be able to answer the lies of the world with the Word of God. When we know what is going on, perhaps it comes up in the news feed, then we will be able to bring God's perspective that help brothers and sisters sense safety in the Lord no matter what is going on.
There are many brothers and sisters in the Lord who are suffering in one way or another, they need us and we need them to keep us focused on what really matters and the coming inheritance that we will be experiencing soon.
This life is so very temporal, the speed with which the days pass are a testimony to the shortness of life. I still feel 35 inside, but my body is now elderly. The memories of the past 65 years seem as near as yesterday.
James 4:14
"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."
Psalm 144:4
"Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow."
Psalm 90:12
"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Proverbs 27:1
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
Nothing can distract us from that mission given by Christ if our mind is continually being regenerated by the Word of God. We must spend more time reading about and talking about Him, than we do the things of the world to keep our perspective.
However, we do want to be able to answer the lies of the world with the Word of God. When we know what is going on, perhaps it comes up in the news feed, then we will be able to bring God's perspective that help brothers and sisters sense safety in the Lord no matter what is going on.
There are many brothers and sisters in the Lord who are suffering in one way or another, they need us and we need them to keep us focused on what really matters and the coming inheritance that we will be experiencing soon.
This life is so very temporal, the speed with which the days pass are a testimony to the shortness of life. I still feel 35 inside, but my body is now elderly. The memories of the past 65 years seem as near as yesterday.
James 4:14
"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."
Psalm 144:4
"Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow."
Psalm 90:12
"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Proverbs 27:1
"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring."
Fisticuffs no Solution at All
Please, please, please, believers let's focus on what matters for eternity and stop getting caught up in the struggles of the world.
The devil loves to distract us with meaningless things that we hang onto with "PRIDE."
Yes I said pride! Most skirmishes in our world today have to do with one person or government having power over another. It has nothing to do with "working things out", but rather one or the other side winning.
When our relationships are based on "winning", then love, kindness, empathy and decency is absent.
We have the bratty liberals and the bratty conservatives taking to the streets to duke it out with fisticuffs to determine the winner, whom ever is left standing wins. Sad, very sad!
The devil loves to distract us with meaningless things that we hang onto with "PRIDE."
Yes I said pride! Most skirmishes in our world today have to do with one person or government having power over another. It has nothing to do with "working things out", but rather one or the other side winning.
When our relationships are based on "winning", then love, kindness, empathy and decency is absent.
We have the bratty liberals and the bratty conservatives taking to the streets to duke it out with fisticuffs to determine the winner, whom ever is left standing wins. Sad, very sad!
This World is Passing Away
If this world is not my home, I am here to learn and to bring the gospel, then I will not be overly concerned about what governments are doing. Or what the ungodly value.
As a believer my focus is that Christians grow in holiness and those that are lost become saved.
Other than that, I realize that God is the one who rises up governments and takes them down for His own purposes.
Romans 13:1-2 "1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. 2 Consequently, the one who resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.…"
We never disobey God to obey an authority over us. When the authority over us is not telling us to dishonor God, then we are to obey them.
If a government commanded me to kill my baby, I would have to disobey that, but if the government commands me to remove a statue, then I will comply.
I understand the mentality behind the rioting factions, total rebellion against anything conservatives held dear. Those who are rebellious often "throw the baby out with the bath water" and commonly overreact to simple and unimportant things. However, what should be our response to those who have tantrums over nothing?
My response to an adult having a tantrum is to ignore them, let them have what they want and allow the ungodly to come against them. God is using ungodly conservatives to come against ungodly liberals, the two factions are "taking it to the streets" and all that results is civil war, worse anger ensuing and nothing resolved. The one who fights the hardest wins, but what did it accomplish? All it did was to make for more tantrums, more wars and deeper resentment.
We are about the gospel as believers, we don't put up statues nor do we tear them down. Our entire focus ought to be the gospel, lost souls and spiritual purity for the believer.
It is my belief that America is under judgment, but so is every other country of the world. The world is under judgment. Christ is very patient, He destroyed the world once, He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and He will destroy the world once again during the tribulation.
2 Peter 3:10 "10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
Those statues in the square that some people go to observe and work up happy feelings about, will be destroyed by Christ along with everything and everyone else that and who do not honor Him.
As a believer my focus is that Christians grow in holiness and those that are lost become saved.
Other than that, I realize that God is the one who rises up governments and takes them down for His own purposes.
Romans 13:1-2 "1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. 2 Consequently, the one who resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.…"
We never disobey God to obey an authority over us. When the authority over us is not telling us to dishonor God, then we are to obey them.
If a government commanded me to kill my baby, I would have to disobey that, but if the government commands me to remove a statue, then I will comply.
I understand the mentality behind the rioting factions, total rebellion against anything conservatives held dear. Those who are rebellious often "throw the baby out with the bath water" and commonly overreact to simple and unimportant things. However, what should be our response to those who have tantrums over nothing?
My response to an adult having a tantrum is to ignore them, let them have what they want and allow the ungodly to come against them. God is using ungodly conservatives to come against ungodly liberals, the two factions are "taking it to the streets" and all that results is civil war, worse anger ensuing and nothing resolved. The one who fights the hardest wins, but what did it accomplish? All it did was to make for more tantrums, more wars and deeper resentment.
We are about the gospel as believers, we don't put up statues nor do we tear them down. Our entire focus ought to be the gospel, lost souls and spiritual purity for the believer.
It is my belief that America is under judgment, but so is every other country of the world. The world is under judgment. Christ is very patient, He destroyed the world once, He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and He will destroy the world once again during the tribulation.
2 Peter 3:10 "10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
Those statues in the square that some people go to observe and work up happy feelings about, will be destroyed by Christ along with everything and everyone else that and who do not honor Him.
The Idols Are Nothing
As a believer my heart is focused on eternity. All that history is going to be erased anyway when Christ comes. While our country is fighting over preserving history and statues, people are dying and going to hell. In the vast configuration of things, preserving the statues and history will bring no one to the Lord, it's a distraction.
When Christ destroys the world and it's evil, it will all be gone anyway. As a believer I cannot fight with anyone over a statue, which really has no meaning for Christ.
Statues often tend to be idols anyway. People look at them longingly as though they are getting something out of the experience. I am a former Catholic, I see the sense of worship in icons more clearly than those who have never been Catholic.
If we cannot feel blessed, loved and having purpose without a statue, necklace, ritual or any other physical expression, then we have a heart that depends on idols.
As believers we walk by faith, not by sight. We can be as joyful, fulfilled and trusting in Christ much more if we are not depending on an icon of some sort to bring joy.
Jonah 2:8
"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love."
1 John 5:21
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols."
Psalm 135:15-18
"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!"
Perhaps God is going to use the ungodly to tear down our idols?
When Christ destroys the world and it's evil, it will all be gone anyway. As a believer I cannot fight with anyone over a statue, which really has no meaning for Christ.
Statues often tend to be idols anyway. People look at them longingly as though they are getting something out of the experience. I am a former Catholic, I see the sense of worship in icons more clearly than those who have never been Catholic.
If we cannot feel blessed, loved and having purpose without a statue, necklace, ritual or any other physical expression, then we have a heart that depends on idols.
As believers we walk by faith, not by sight. We can be as joyful, fulfilled and trusting in Christ much more if we are not depending on an icon of some sort to bring joy.
Jonah 2:8
"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love."
1 John 5:21
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols."
Psalm 135:15-18
"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!"
Perhaps God is going to use the ungodly to tear down our idols?
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