Monday, December 21, 2020

Genders are Different for a Reason

We are not to worry about what we eat or how much exercise we engage in for our health. Our genders play a role in our lifestyle.
When Christ was referring to "our body as being the temple" He was referring to living the right way that reflects the righteousness of God. It had nothing to do with eating and exercising. In fact, God said the exercise was of little value, it was not very important. And He told us not to worry about what we put into our bodies, pertaining to food.
Matthew 6:33-34 "…33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own."
Mark 7:14-23 "14 And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”
17 And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable.
18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,
19 since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
1 Timothy 4:7-9 "…7 But reject irreverent, silly myths. Instead, train yourself for godliness. 8 For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance.…"
God was clear that how we use our bodies to glorify Him was of great value. Exercise however may be of some value but exercising our faith was of far greater value.
In our culture, we think of exercise as a sort of fix all god. Yes, walking is good but too great a work out can cause problems. It has been discovered that too much exercise can cause infertility in young women. It can also cause miscarriages.
Men are designed to work harder, lift more and exhibit more stamina for longer hours than women, they were designed for the heavy work, while women were not.
Men's strengths are different from women's strengths, they are equal but different.
The best way to glorify God is for each gender to excel in the roles God has given them. Neither role is more important than the other, each has a specific and meaningful purpose, God designed.
We live in a world that wants to pretend the genders have no differences and that each is capable of doing the job of the other. This is silly, it has proven to cause confusion, chaos, and broken lives in the attempt to make one gender act like the other.
Personally, I have never been ashamed of my role as a woman as so many seem to be. The attempt to pretend all women can do all the things men do is evidence that they were ashamed of their own feminity. These women have missed so very much of life by stepping out of their roles to be something God never made them.
Yes, sometimes there is a cross-over, some women are capable of men's work but this is not true in general. Some men like to be cooks and tailors but most men do not. When the entire society encourages cross-over as the norm they are denying the very nature of each gender.
Galatians 3:28
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
We are all equal but we are different.
Genesis 1:27
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
God created each gender for His purposes and for the good of mankind, each is equal in HIs eyes but different in their roles.
We either believe God or we don't!

All Creatures of Our God and King

Sunday, December 20, 2020

God's Love is the Key!

There are some people that I love very much but cannot continue a relationship with because they work to deter me from my walk with Christ. They are not as excited about the Lord Jesus as I am, they are not looking for His appearing as I am so they must come to this before we can have the fellowship of a brother or sister with them.
I can love and visit with anyone, but my dearest friends must be those who enthusiastically encourage me to keep on going with Christ, not because I might stop but because we all need companions who love what we love.
Romans 12:10
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."
1 John 3:13-15 …13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.…"
There is a love of the brethren that cannot be explained in the heart of the born again believer. They yearn to be with those who love the Lord. They relish the discussions about the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His church.
James 3:15-17 "…15 Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.…"
Born again believers do not show partiality in their love of the brethren, they love everyone the same and Christ above all others.

Speaking in Tongues is not Evidence

Someone asked if speaking in tongues was the witness that one was born again. Here was my answer:
There is no scripture that says speaking in tongues is evidence of salvation. Why would God need any evidence, He already knows. However, God gives us the fruit of the Spirit so we can live a Christ-like life. Our lifestyle and our character which are the character qualities of Christ are our lifelong witness.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
This is how believers know one another, by the fruit.
Matthew 7:16-20
"16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thornbushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits."
It is not true that one believer cannot know the heart of another person who says they are a believer. We do not know them by their outward deeds as much as by their character qualities. Their deeds often express what's in the heart, however, a person with bad character can do good deeds fooling people. We must not believe the good deeds alone, it must match with an overall lifestyle and attitude to be accurate.
We cannot know if an unsaved person will be going to hell or not because they might repent in the future, but we can say, they have no fruit, they are not born again and will go to hell if they do not repent and trust in Christ.

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