" We define others by the questions we choose to ask and the answers we choose to believe" (a quote from someone else.)
Sunday, April 20, 2025
Rude People are Full of Hate
Rude people want us to either fear them or fight with them. When we show them the respect they didn't show us, we avoid becoming like them.
1 Peter 3:8-10 "8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."
1 Peter 3:8-10 "8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."
Those Who Follow Christ Walk Alone A Lot
As you become more filled with the Holy Spirit every day, do you find yourself disagreeing with and even being grieved by what most people who call themselves Christians are doing and saying?
I DO!!!!!!!
I DO!!!!!!!
Building Character is Better than Just Getting a Job Done
I once heard a psychologist teach an aggravated mother how to train her child to do things that needed to be done.
The psychologist told the young woman to get her to do her chores; she needed to manipulate her child to think it was her own idea so that she would willingly do her chores.
As I pondered this idea, it seemed to make sense until I realized from scripture that we are to train our children to obey rather than appealing to the stubbornness of their children.
Then God spoke to me and told me that if a mother manipulates the child to cause them to want to do their chores, she is training her child that he doesn't have to do anything they don't want to do.
See how clever the devil is? What sounded like a good idea was against God's way and trains a child according to their own selfishness, to think they didn't have to obey anyone unless they wanted to do it.
Sadly, making a child believe it was their own idea does get the job done, but it trains the child to resist obeying someone when they don't want to do something.
Life is all about obedience, either to parents, employers, or God. Often, we have to do things we don't like because it is better for the people around us if we are helpful, even when it is unpleasant.
Life is not just about accomplishing something; it matters that we think more of our effect on our companions and the success of the team than our own personal desires.
One of the reasons for the dissolution of marriage and the increase in selfish attitudes in children is the modern tendency to teach children to please themselves instead of thinking of the welfare of the community around them.
Philippians 2:3 "
"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves;"
When an entire culture is taught to "think of themselves first" jobs may get done, but the attitude that got it done damages others around them. These self-absorbed children walk away with greater pride than if they had worked with others, developing relationships instead of self-exaltation, having nothing to do with others.
God is all about relationships more than any other thing! He wants us to have a relationship with Him, and the only way to do that is to value His principles and commands.
Those who only value their own things and desires are never helpful to others in their trials, or are phony in their actions to help others. These are those who do their acts to enhance self without authentic concern for those they help. They even do this with God, to be praised instead of God.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ "
I have known many people in my life who resisted out of jealousy engaging in the joys of others because doing so would enhance the person rather than elevate the jealous party.
Teaching a child by example of selfishness does more to ruin a child than actual words.
Manipulation is not a godly tactic in training children. Straight talk and authenticity is the way of God.
To manipulate a child to do what they should do by making them think it is their own idea merely solidifies their stubborn nature to use and abuse others to their own glory and woefully deadens their consideration of others.
Philippians 2:2-4 "… 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.…"
As born-again believers, we should be training our children to obey because of love for others rather than to seek only their own ideas and desires.
As we can see from this example from psychology, many things that are being taught now in relationships sound so good, but are devastating to the character of children raised to only do what they want to do.
More than ever, now we are seeing young people argue with their bosses, disrespect authority,y and spurn wisdom because they don't believe they should have to do anything uncomfortable or that is not their own idea.
Another principle we can add here is that when a child will only do what is their own idea, they will never accept differences in people, the way God made them. They will expect others to be and act the way the child wants them to, rather than treating all people with honor and respect.
When others have different ideas from others, they will disrespect and punish those who are not just like them. They will even see compliance out of love as weakness.
In the culture I was raised in, many people treated with contempt those who were loving and compliant viewing them as feeble and fragile, justifying in the prideful child's mind to mock and demean anyone who is compliant to be an asset to others.
This is where we get the modern term, "suck up", describing someone who values the desires of others above their own.
Those who love to work with someone without the need to be seen as special or superior will not be respected in our culture. Those who are rude and bombastic are seen as strong, when the opposite is the truth.
Those who can defer to others to enhance the life of someone else are the stronger ones. Those who are weak must assert themselves prop-up their fragile ego, or they will be without any character at all. So, they develop a character that is completely self-absorbed and useless to those around them.
Those who will only do what they want according to their own will are never helpful unless is elevates them as special.
The most confident and kindly people are those who do their good deeds to please God and have no concern whether or not anyone else sees or praises them for it.
Matthew 6:1-2 "… 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
When we are trained God's way to require children to obey so they learn to do things they don't particularly like but that pleases God, they will learn to obey God to bless Him and others without any concern about their own desires.
Our culture has lost its morals, completely steeped in self-esteem teaching that appeals to the baser nature, the very reason it is so popular. We can see the cleverness of the devil making a wicked thing sound good and kind while undermining the principles of God that shape the character of people into assets to the community in which they live.
Our families are not just relatives we live with, they are communities that teach good or bad that shape a child's character for a lifetime.
This life is not just about getting a job done, or building wants and desires fulfilled in individuals. The character of a person is far more important than getting a job accomplished or making a person feel pride in themselves.
There can be no humility in someone who only does something because they want it. Humility is shaped by teaching a child to do what should be done, whether or not it is comfortable or self-enhancing.
God created us as human beings to be more satisfied with relationship development and spiritual and emotional connection to others and to Him than He was about "getting a job done."
When we operate God's way we will get the job done better when we work well with others, make others more important than ourselves and seek to bring about success because of the group.
Those who are loners and will not cooperate with others will always cause problems because life is mostly made up of tasks that require us to operate cooperatively with others. No one needs to have the glory for a job all by themselves; what we need to be whole and satisfied is to see the cooperation of the group succeed. No one person gets all the glory, all the people work together, feel joy and accomplishment together, this is the design of God, and creates lovely bonds with others.
Those who operate independently of others miss the joy and companionship that comes from working together for the greater good. I feel sorry for those who will not work with others and who will not allow others to work with them; they are missing so much in life and will not have the stories to tell at the end of their life.
Those who work alone and will not work with others can only boast about themselves. I cannot tell you how boring it is to listen to those who brag about themselves and how joyful it is to hear stories when everyone is sharing together their accomplishment as a group.
It would take a book to describe all the ways psychology has ruined the hearts of many people through good-sounding ideas that were against God's principles.
When we interpret the Bible according to our culture, we are going to get it wrong almost every time in almost everything. When the culture is deeply steeped in human enhancement, it will abhor the ways of God while ruining their own hearts.
God hates gifts that are given to manipulate Him into accepting their glorification of man.
Isaiah 1:11-15
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly."
No one enjoys a gift given or a kind act extended that comes with selfish strings attached.
The psychologist told the young woman to get her to do her chores; she needed to manipulate her child to think it was her own idea so that she would willingly do her chores.
As I pondered this idea, it seemed to make sense until I realized from scripture that we are to train our children to obey rather than appealing to the stubbornness of their children.
Then God spoke to me and told me that if a mother manipulates the child to cause them to want to do their chores, she is training her child that he doesn't have to do anything they don't want to do.
See how clever the devil is? What sounded like a good idea was against God's way and trains a child according to their own selfishness, to think they didn't have to obey anyone unless they wanted to do it.
Sadly, making a child believe it was their own idea does get the job done, but it trains the child to resist obeying someone when they don't want to do something.
Life is all about obedience, either to parents, employers, or God. Often, we have to do things we don't like because it is better for the people around us if we are helpful, even when it is unpleasant.
Life is not just about accomplishing something; it matters that we think more of our effect on our companions and the success of the team than our own personal desires.
One of the reasons for the dissolution of marriage and the increase in selfish attitudes in children is the modern tendency to teach children to please themselves instead of thinking of the welfare of the community around them.
Philippians 2:3 "
"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves;"
When an entire culture is taught to "think of themselves first" jobs may get done, but the attitude that got it done damages others around them. These self-absorbed children walk away with greater pride than if they had worked with others, developing relationships instead of self-exaltation, having nothing to do with others.
God is all about relationships more than any other thing! He wants us to have a relationship with Him, and the only way to do that is to value His principles and commands.
Those who only value their own things and desires are never helpful to others in their trials, or are phony in their actions to help others. These are those who do their acts to enhance self without authentic concern for those they help. They even do this with God, to be praised instead of God.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ "
I have known many people in my life who resisted out of jealousy engaging in the joys of others because doing so would enhance the person rather than elevate the jealous party.
Teaching a child by example of selfishness does more to ruin a child than actual words.
Manipulation is not a godly tactic in training children. Straight talk and authenticity is the way of God.
To manipulate a child to do what they should do by making them think it is their own idea merely solidifies their stubborn nature to use and abuse others to their own glory and woefully deadens their consideration of others.
Philippians 2:2-4 "… 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.…"
As born-again believers, we should be training our children to obey because of love for others rather than to seek only their own ideas and desires.
As we can see from this example from psychology, many things that are being taught now in relationships sound so good, but are devastating to the character of children raised to only do what they want to do.
More than ever, now we are seeing young people argue with their bosses, disrespect authority,y and spurn wisdom because they don't believe they should have to do anything uncomfortable or that is not their own idea.
Another principle we can add here is that when a child will only do what is their own idea, they will never accept differences in people, the way God made them. They will expect others to be and act the way the child wants them to, rather than treating all people with honor and respect.
When others have different ideas from others, they will disrespect and punish those who are not just like them. They will even see compliance out of love as weakness.
In the culture I was raised in, many people treated with contempt those who were loving and compliant viewing them as feeble and fragile, justifying in the prideful child's mind to mock and demean anyone who is compliant to be an asset to others.
This is where we get the modern term, "suck up", describing someone who values the desires of others above their own.
Those who love to work with someone without the need to be seen as special or superior will not be respected in our culture. Those who are rude and bombastic are seen as strong, when the opposite is the truth.
Those who can defer to others to enhance the life of someone else are the stronger ones. Those who are weak must assert themselves prop-up their fragile ego, or they will be without any character at all. So, they develop a character that is completely self-absorbed and useless to those around them.
Those who will only do what they want according to their own will are never helpful unless is elevates them as special.
The most confident and kindly people are those who do their good deeds to please God and have no concern whether or not anyone else sees or praises them for it.
Matthew 6:1-2 "… 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
When we are trained God's way to require children to obey so they learn to do things they don't particularly like but that pleases God, they will learn to obey God to bless Him and others without any concern about their own desires.
Our culture has lost its morals, completely steeped in self-esteem teaching that appeals to the baser nature, the very reason it is so popular. We can see the cleverness of the devil making a wicked thing sound good and kind while undermining the principles of God that shape the character of people into assets to the community in which they live.
Our families are not just relatives we live with, they are communities that teach good or bad that shape a child's character for a lifetime.
This life is not just about getting a job done, or building wants and desires fulfilled in individuals. The character of a person is far more important than getting a job accomplished or making a person feel pride in themselves.
There can be no humility in someone who only does something because they want it. Humility is shaped by teaching a child to do what should be done, whether or not it is comfortable or self-enhancing.
God created us as human beings to be more satisfied with relationship development and spiritual and emotional connection to others and to Him than He was about "getting a job done."
When we operate God's way we will get the job done better when we work well with others, make others more important than ourselves and seek to bring about success because of the group.
Those who are loners and will not cooperate with others will always cause problems because life is mostly made up of tasks that require us to operate cooperatively with others. No one needs to have the glory for a job all by themselves; what we need to be whole and satisfied is to see the cooperation of the group succeed. No one person gets all the glory, all the people work together, feel joy and accomplishment together, this is the design of God, and creates lovely bonds with others.
Those who operate independently of others miss the joy and companionship that comes from working together for the greater good. I feel sorry for those who will not work with others and who will not allow others to work with them; they are missing so much in life and will not have the stories to tell at the end of their life.
Those who work alone and will not work with others can only boast about themselves. I cannot tell you how boring it is to listen to those who brag about themselves and how joyful it is to hear stories when everyone is sharing together their accomplishment as a group.
It would take a book to describe all the ways psychology has ruined the hearts of many people through good-sounding ideas that were against God's principles.
When we interpret the Bible according to our culture, we are going to get it wrong almost every time in almost everything. When the culture is deeply steeped in human enhancement, it will abhor the ways of God while ruining their own hearts.
God hates gifts that are given to manipulate Him into accepting their glorification of man.
Isaiah 1:11-15
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. / When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts? / Bring your worthless offerings no more; your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, and convocations—I cannot endure iniquity in a solemn assembly."
No one enjoys a gift given or a kind act extended that comes with selfish strings attached.
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