Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Let Life Teach Others.
When we bail irresponsible unrepentant people out of difficulty we enable them to continue in that vein, and we also don't allow life to teach them. The same thing is true for forgiving someone who is not sorry. Any time we remove consequences we erase the good lessons that could have been learned.
James 1:2-13
"2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."
If we love others we help them to help themselves. We do not pass out money when someone has neglected to pay their bills to be able to buy toys. If we love someone we allow them to fail when the problem was because of their own foolishness.
As someone once said, "give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime."
James 1:2-13
"2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."
If we love others we help them to help themselves. We do not pass out money when someone has neglected to pay their bills to be able to buy toys. If we love someone we allow them to fail when the problem was because of their own foolishness.
As someone once said, "give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime."
True or False Friend
"The covert narcissist does not clap for you when you succeed at something." (Tyr Ravensohn)
Those who are jealous of others cannot bring themselves to be happy for those they choose to believe are beneath them.
When you are in a group sharing something that brings you joy you will be able to tell those who are jealous and covertly contemptuous, these people will avoid clapping for you or celebrating with you.
Proverbs 18:24
"24 A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a [b]friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Philippians 2:3
"3 Do nothing from [b]selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"
Galatians 6:2
"2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."
Philippians 2:1-3
"1 Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being of one mind, 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."
True friends enjoy the successes of their friends. True friends grieve with their friends in difficult times. True friends do not change or remove love on a dime, they are steady and consistent.
Those who are discerning will be able to see a true friend from a fake one.
Those who are jealous of others cannot bring themselves to be happy for those they choose to believe are beneath them.
When you are in a group sharing something that brings you joy you will be able to tell those who are jealous and covertly contemptuous, these people will avoid clapping for you or celebrating with you.
Proverbs 18:24
"24 A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a [b]friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Philippians 2:3
"3 Do nothing from [b]selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"
Galatians 6:2
"2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."
Philippians 2:1-3
"1 Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being of one mind, 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."
True friends enjoy the successes of their friends. True friends grieve with their friends in difficult times. True friends do not change or remove love on a dime, they are steady and consistent.
Those who are discerning will be able to see a true friend from a fake one.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Low or High, Prideful or Humble Which Do You Want to Be!
People of low intelligence think more highly of themselves than is warranted while people of high intelligence think more lowly of themselves. The low intelligent people see no need for improvement therefore they remain ignorant. The higher intelligent people tend to know there is a lot more to learn therefore they work harder to learn more.
Low intelligent people only care about appearing smart while the higher intelligent people know they need to learn more and work at actually becoming smarter.
Low intelligent people think they know it all therefore they don't bother to improve. While high intelligent people see themselves in truth knowing they don't know everything. These people enjoy learning because they have no need to pretend they are smart enough.
Low intelligent people are easily manipulated by the opinions of others, music and other outside stimuli while the higher intelligent people tend to think about the words of a song or what the meaning of the outside stimuli is rather than how it makes them feel.
The lower intelligent person bases their responses and activities on their moods while the intelligent person evaluates what makes sense through thinking and pondering.
Emotional responses tend to be driven by unconsciousness while the rational thinking person's responses are driven by evaluation and thinking.
Lower intelligent people tend to hate correction and instruction while higher intelligent people love to learn new things even when it comes through correction.
Proverbs 12:1-2 "1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. 2 The good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a man who devises evil.…"
I am convinced that we can raise our intelligence level simply by choosing to see our selves in truth, that is that we do not know everything and have much to learn.
I am also convinced that those who love to think they know everything will remain foolish and ignorant until they can see themselves in humility.
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Matthew 7:24-26
"24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand."
Those who are humble of spirit can learn far more than those who have themselves elevated above others. When we are wise our gaze is not sideways in competition with others, our gaze is upward toward God, there can be no competition for superiority when we see ourselves in truth and our need to learn from Christ.
Those who elevate self in competition with others will not be Christ focused. One cannot be Christ focused and man focused at the same time.
Philippians 3:9
"And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—"
Romans 10:9-10
"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
Is Christ your Lord or is man your idol?
Low intelligent people only care about appearing smart while the higher intelligent people know they need to learn more and work at actually becoming smarter.
Low intelligent people think they know it all therefore they don't bother to improve. While high intelligent people see themselves in truth knowing they don't know everything. These people enjoy learning because they have no need to pretend they are smart enough.
Low intelligent people are easily manipulated by the opinions of others, music and other outside stimuli while the higher intelligent people tend to think about the words of a song or what the meaning of the outside stimuli is rather than how it makes them feel.
The lower intelligent person bases their responses and activities on their moods while the intelligent person evaluates what makes sense through thinking and pondering.
Emotional responses tend to be driven by unconsciousness while the rational thinking person's responses are driven by evaluation and thinking.
Lower intelligent people tend to hate correction and instruction while higher intelligent people love to learn new things even when it comes through correction.
Proverbs 12:1-2 "1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. 2 The good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a man who devises evil.…"
I am convinced that we can raise our intelligence level simply by choosing to see our selves in truth, that is that we do not know everything and have much to learn.
I am also convinced that those who love to think they know everything will remain foolish and ignorant until they can see themselves in humility.
Proverbs 1:7
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Matthew 7:24-26
"24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand."
Those who are humble of spirit can learn far more than those who have themselves elevated above others. When we are wise our gaze is not sideways in competition with others, our gaze is upward toward God, there can be no competition for superiority when we see ourselves in truth and our need to learn from Christ.
Those who elevate self in competition with others will not be Christ focused. One cannot be Christ focused and man focused at the same time.
Philippians 3:9
"And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—"
Romans 10:9-10
"Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
Is Christ your Lord or is man your idol?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)