Are you physically active? You need to be. Ever notice when you are less active physically, your mind becomes even more active. You have time on your hands. You think, think, think.
Thinking has it's place. But it is always the beginning of something. But it never leads to the end. That's where it becomes important to be physical active. Without that, we just go nowhere. We're full of ideas. But that is all. We're no better than a closed book. Just setting there.
It is amazing how GOD created our bodies to be active. The proof is here. The more active we are, the better off our bodies are. When we sit all of the time, our bodies begin to shrivel and fall apart. Isn't that a clear enough sign from GOD? Get off your behind He says!
There are times when we have no choice but to stay inside and think. And it is important. Even though we sometimes sit and wait for the next sign or opportunity, the wheel is always spinning. And when the call comes to get off your behind, do it. You had your break. It's over.
Our minds are also better off when we are active. Not just because we think less and do more. But because it protects our minds. When we are active, we think differently than we do when just sitting around. It is why you see teenagers typically sitting around on their behinds listening to crap music. Get them to rake the leaves outside and you won't see them wanting to listen to that music during that time.
Music has become one tool of a larger weapon on the world that demoralizes everyone. making them become a product of that weapon. Lazy. Lost. Confused. And miserable. This makes the ground underneath us thin and crumbly. It is just a matter of time until we land into a tough situation that we cannot handle. And the only way out is overboard.
GOD did not create us to sit around, indulging in things. He had a plan when He constructed each and every one of us. Not like a toy on a pedestal. But we're all part of the same plan. We each have unique abilities. If we commit ourselves to allowing GOD to lead us, He will show us what we are made of.
I was once told that I have a great musical ability. A GOD given talent that should not be wasted. Those same people thought I should go to Nashville and be a big star. And that is the load of crap people often hear when a special ability is recognized. They want you to indulge in it. Use it for your own selfish gain. And simultaneously help the popular world become even worse than it already is.
That is not how GOD works in your life. He does not lead us into the belly of the beast. But He uses us to lead people out. If music is your tool. Then it will not be through a record contract.
Let me end with this. If you really have what it takes to let GOD lead you. Then you would sit on a chair in the middle of an isolated field out in the middle of nowhere. Alone. Waiting for His call. Patiently. Full willingness to give everything away. Just to be on His side. You love Him that much? Prove it. Do it for the rest of your life. Thats how He comes into your life. You MUST walk a walk. You must be willing to walk it alone and never stop. Because at some point, you will realize that you were never alone.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Friday, September 2, 2016
Three Enemies of GOD
1 John 2:15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
So, there are three enemies to GOD which are: Lust of the flesh, Lust of the eye, and the Pride of life. The lust of the flesh includes the lust for other people, food, drink, drugs, money, etc. Lust of the eye is wanting something based on its beauty. Pride of life is when you are proud of your beauty, strength, intelligence, wealth, possessions, or even lack of possessions (proud of being poor). You can even be proud of being a healthy eater. Not that healthy eating is bad. But, the way we perceive something. If we walk around being proud of eating healthy, then we are exercising the lust of pride. We should not view the things or ideas of this world as if we possess them. Rather, we should instead only view everything we have or use as a necessity. If it is not a necessity, then we are already using lust. We must strive to crucify these shortcomings. But we cannot do this unless we are honest with ourselves and our desires.
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
So, there are three enemies to GOD which are: Lust of the flesh, Lust of the eye, and the Pride of life. The lust of the flesh includes the lust for other people, food, drink, drugs, money, etc. Lust of the eye is wanting something based on its beauty. Pride of life is when you are proud of your beauty, strength, intelligence, wealth, possessions, or even lack of possessions (proud of being poor). You can even be proud of being a healthy eater. Not that healthy eating is bad. But, the way we perceive something. If we walk around being proud of eating healthy, then we are exercising the lust of pride. We should not view the things or ideas of this world as if we possess them. Rather, we should instead only view everything we have or use as a necessity. If it is not a necessity, then we are already using lust. We must strive to crucify these shortcomings. But we cannot do this unless we are honest with ourselves and our desires.
Pleasures Of The World
Don't make the mistake of assuming you are supposed to love everyone by
socializing with them, thinking that Jesus
visited sinners and synagogues, and so should you. You are incapable of
showing the love of God to anyone until you have been purified
and the
love of God has been close to perfected in you. Everything
Jesus said and did was exactly as he was ordered to by the Father, and when
you are clearly under the control of the Spirit of God's promptings and orders,
you too will be sent to worldly people, (including religious worldly people),
with clear instructions; but until then, you should withdraw from social contact
with the world as much as possible. Friendship with the world
is enmity with God; be polite, but don't join in conversations and
activities of the world. This doesn't mean that you won't be kind and courteous
to those of the world with which your occupation brings you into association;
just that you will not socialize with them, because it would be painful and
harmful to you. Do not be
deceived. Evil companions corrupt good manners, morals, and integrity. 1 Cor 15:33.
Aside from false gospels, universal in churches today, the pleasures of this life are the greatest hurdles to be understood and overcome. Most pleasures are not inherently evil; their problem is the time passed in their pursuit. As our society's prosperity has increased, varieties of pleasures have proliferated. Just consider all the different varieties of sports shoes available for purchase today, up to one hundred; fifty years ago there were only four or five. It is very difficult for us, immersed in them since childhood, to understand how the pleasures of the world can be harmful to us. It is difficult to see how our pleasures actually enslave us to them, committing our mind, time, and energy to their pursuit. The pursuit of pleasures is love of the world, which competes with love for God; as such, our pleasures and passions are our false idols. For the love of the world, the things of the world, and the pleasures of the world are enmity with God. As it is written:
Aside from false gospels, universal in churches today, the pleasures of this life are the greatest hurdles to be understood and overcome. Most pleasures are not inherently evil; their problem is the time passed in their pursuit. As our society's prosperity has increased, varieties of pleasures have proliferated. Just consider all the different varieties of sports shoes available for purchase today, up to one hundred; fifty years ago there were only four or five. It is very difficult for us, immersed in them since childhood, to understand how the pleasures of the world can be harmful to us. It is difficult to see how our pleasures actually enslave us to them, committing our mind, time, and energy to their pursuit. The pursuit of pleasures is love of the world, which competes with love for God; as such, our pleasures and passions are our false idols. For the love of the world, the things of the world, and the pleasures of the world are enmity with God. As it is written:
Do not love the world or the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
You [spiritual] adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that the fellowship the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world is the enemy of God [and has committed adultery with the world]. James 4:4
Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh [the sinful nature] with its passions and desires [lusts and affections]. Gal 5:24
So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. Rom 8:8
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
The CHURCH SOCIAL and the NICE JESUS
The Church Social and the Nice Jesus
Ask any teenager that goes to church and is involved in a "youth group". Ask them what kind of man they believe Jesus Christ was. They are likely to conjure up a few words like kind, forgiving, loving, caring, or nice. The idea is that Jesus was supposedly a nice man who did nothing to upset people. The popular perception in the churches is that He preached tolerance and acceptance. And that life is all about being nice to one another and being happy.
But little do they know. He wasn't always nice. He wasn't always kind. Yes. He cared. And He loved. But those things don't always arrive in pretty packages. Better words to describe Jesus would be Strong, Manly, Stern, Bold, and Compassionate. These are more aligned with how the Scriptures portray Him to be. Not Mr Nice guy.
He caused trouble. He denounced. He condemned. He disrupted the established order. He even used violence on at least one occasion. In John 2:15, Jesus saw the money changers in the temple. He fashioned a whip and physically drove them out. He turned over tables and even shouted. He caused a major scene that would land anyone in jail today. He would have gotten charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Vandalism. Disturbing the peace. And INTOLERANCE. That's not Mr Nice guy.
Now ask yourself. How do you think your fellow "nice" Christians would react if they witnessed such a spectacle? They would accuse Jesus of not following Himself. (sarcasm intended)
Not once in the Scriptures did Jesus ever compromise or seek the middle ground on any issue. He was unafraid of confrontation. He was all about the absolute TRUTH. He didn't agree to disagree. He ridiculed the Scribes and Pharisees, calling them snakes and vipers. He labeled them murderers and blind guides. (Matthew 23:33). He undermined their authority. He insulted them. He was NOT nice.
Jesus condemned. He rebuked. He told others that it would be better to drown in the sea with a stone around your neck than to harm a child. That's the language of GOD. But you and I both know that society today would condemn that kind of talk on a podium.
When He upset people, He did it deliberately. He provoked. He stirred up controversy. He broke away from established customs. He divided. He showed anger. He could instead have been like a political leader and played Mr Nice guy and acted diplomatically. But He did not. Because tolerance is inaction. It is the same as doing nothing at all. Any coward can be tolerant. But INTOLERANCE is ACTION. Jesus was intolerant of evil.
As "not nice" as Jesus was at times, it was always out of love. Love does not always mean nice. When a parent spanks a child, that is out of love. But it isn't nice. Churches have turned Jesus into a guidance counselor. Mankind's best friend. Christianity in its truest sense has nothing to do with niceness. Anyone in this world can be nice. Even a murderer. Right before he cuts your throat. Anger has far more value than niceness ever had. Cowards always resort to being nice. But someone who's willing to take a risk and do what is right, they will show anger. And that is what Jesus did.
But understand this. When Jesus showed anger, He did so because of something that offended GOD. Not because something offended Him. When we think of "turn the other cheek", that means we let certain things roll off our backs if it offends us personally. But we should ALWAYS stand up for what is right on behalf of GOD. When it comes to GOD and all His TRUTH, we don't play nice. There are times when we need to use strong language, cause a scene, or to hurt people's feelings instead of letting lies spread and evil grow.
Christianity is not about going to the meeting place, giving hugs, exchanging gifts and compliments, listening to music, and praising one another. And then going back to your hole in the wall. If that stuff is the Truth, then apparently we were given the wrong Scriptures. Because those things don't resemble Jesus telling His disciples to sell their cloaks and go buy a sword. (Luke 22)
Ask any teenager that goes to church and is involved in a "youth group". Ask them what kind of man they believe Jesus Christ was. They are likely to conjure up a few words like kind, forgiving, loving, caring, or nice. The idea is that Jesus was supposedly a nice man who did nothing to upset people. The popular perception in the churches is that He preached tolerance and acceptance. And that life is all about being nice to one another and being happy.
But little do they know. He wasn't always nice. He wasn't always kind. Yes. He cared. And He loved. But those things don't always arrive in pretty packages. Better words to describe Jesus would be Strong, Manly, Stern, Bold, and Compassionate. These are more aligned with how the Scriptures portray Him to be. Not Mr Nice guy.
He caused trouble. He denounced. He condemned. He disrupted the established order. He even used violence on at least one occasion. In John 2:15, Jesus saw the money changers in the temple. He fashioned a whip and physically drove them out. He turned over tables and even shouted. He caused a major scene that would land anyone in jail today. He would have gotten charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Vandalism. Disturbing the peace. And INTOLERANCE. That's not Mr Nice guy.
Now ask yourself. How do you think your fellow "nice" Christians would react if they witnessed such a spectacle? They would accuse Jesus of not following Himself. (sarcasm intended)
Not once in the Scriptures did Jesus ever compromise or seek the middle ground on any issue. He was unafraid of confrontation. He was all about the absolute TRUTH. He didn't agree to disagree. He ridiculed the Scribes and Pharisees, calling them snakes and vipers. He labeled them murderers and blind guides. (Matthew 23:33). He undermined their authority. He insulted them. He was NOT nice.
Jesus condemned. He rebuked. He told others that it would be better to drown in the sea with a stone around your neck than to harm a child. That's the language of GOD. But you and I both know that society today would condemn that kind of talk on a podium.
When He upset people, He did it deliberately. He provoked. He stirred up controversy. He broke away from established customs. He divided. He showed anger. He could instead have been like a political leader and played Mr Nice guy and acted diplomatically. But He did not. Because tolerance is inaction. It is the same as doing nothing at all. Any coward can be tolerant. But INTOLERANCE is ACTION. Jesus was intolerant of evil.
As "not nice" as Jesus was at times, it was always out of love. Love does not always mean nice. When a parent spanks a child, that is out of love. But it isn't nice. Churches have turned Jesus into a guidance counselor. Mankind's best friend. Christianity in its truest sense has nothing to do with niceness. Anyone in this world can be nice. Even a murderer. Right before he cuts your throat. Anger has far more value than niceness ever had. Cowards always resort to being nice. But someone who's willing to take a risk and do what is right, they will show anger. And that is what Jesus did.
But understand this. When Jesus showed anger, He did so because of something that offended GOD. Not because something offended Him. When we think of "turn the other cheek", that means we let certain things roll off our backs if it offends us personally. But we should ALWAYS stand up for what is right on behalf of GOD. When it comes to GOD and all His TRUTH, we don't play nice. There are times when we need to use strong language, cause a scene, or to hurt people's feelings instead of letting lies spread and evil grow.
Christianity is not about going to the meeting place, giving hugs, exchanging gifts and compliments, listening to music, and praising one another. And then going back to your hole in the wall. If that stuff is the Truth, then apparently we were given the wrong Scriptures. Because those things don't resemble Jesus telling His disciples to sell their cloaks and go buy a sword. (Luke 22)
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
HELLO!
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” {Rom. 12:2}
Welcome to this website. I sincerely hope that you take the time to read what is posted here. You may not agree with everything that is written. But, I am certain that you will take something with you when you leave. Something that will hopefully spark a change in the way you think and live. There are many websites devoted to this subject that have done a good job at explaining the Scriptures. I am not led to do that. My way is more philosophical. And is meant to be supplemental in addition to your personal studies of the Holy Scriptures.
This website assumes that you already have some familiarity with the Holy Bible. If you do not. Then you must get yourself one and take the time to read Genesis from the Old Testament and the Gospel of John in the New Testament. That is only a starting point. Overall, one should be devoting a significant amount of time to studying the Scriptures topically. For they are testimonies that lead you to an overall understanding of the world and the things in it. As well as giving you GOD's moral principles that this world tries so hard to cover up. The more you learn and understand from the Scriptures, the more you will understand what I am writing here!
The very bottom line is that this world cannot change your fate! But you can! If and only if you sincerely and diligently invest the time it is required for you to reach the point of commitment to the Spirit of GOD.
Welcome to this website. I sincerely hope that you take the time to read what is posted here. You may not agree with everything that is written. But, I am certain that you will take something with you when you leave. Something that will hopefully spark a change in the way you think and live. There are many websites devoted to this subject that have done a good job at explaining the Scriptures. I am not led to do that. My way is more philosophical. And is meant to be supplemental in addition to your personal studies of the Holy Scriptures.
This website assumes that you already have some familiarity with the Holy Bible. If you do not. Then you must get yourself one and take the time to read Genesis from the Old Testament and the Gospel of John in the New Testament. That is only a starting point. Overall, one should be devoting a significant amount of time to studying the Scriptures topically. For they are testimonies that lead you to an overall understanding of the world and the things in it. As well as giving you GOD's moral principles that this world tries so hard to cover up. The more you learn and understand from the Scriptures, the more you will understand what I am writing here!
The very bottom line is that this world cannot change your fate! But you can! If and only if you sincerely and diligently invest the time it is required for you to reach the point of commitment to the Spirit of GOD.
Sunday, May 1, 2016
What do you WORSHIP?
The Bible shows us that people were created to worship. Even if they reject GOD and go out on their own. They WILL worship something. That is a 100% guarantee. No matter who you are. And this can easily be proven.
One might say, "Well that can't be true. Because to worship something, you have to be religious. But atheists aren't religious. So they don't worship anything."
The dictionary defines the term "worship" as the following:
1.
a. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.
b. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.
2. Ardent devotion; adoration.
Adoration means profound love or regard. Additionally, an idol is defined as a material object.
So. Loving an object is a form of worship. Therefore. Regardless of who you are, you worship something. People in all walks of life tend to be materialistic. Loving "things".
Here are a few real world examples of worship of objects.
1. The Vita-Mix does it all and is seriously worth it! I love our Vita-mix!!!
2. Vitamix is a Life Changer for Sure
3. My Smartphone is my best friend!
4. I named my car casper. Because he is a white 4x8 and I love keeping him shiny!
These are just a few quick examples. As there are likely millions more to be found. Television commercials often show people bragging about how much they love an object of some sort that is for sale. And that we should love it to. Hunters hang animals heads on walls. Fisherman hang fish. People worship cars, jewelry, or anything else they can. They give them names. They love them so much that it becomes impossible for them to get rid of these things. Because in their own hearts, these objects have as much worth as a "loved one".
When we were made to worship, we were made to do so with love. Therefore, when we worship, we WILL love. That is certain. So when we become foolish enough to worship something other than GOD, we WILL love it. And it will become a curse instead of a blessing. We will become fools.
So you see. We must worship GOD. Put Him far above all other things in our life. Because, when we do that, we will stop worshiping other things. Providing we are worshiping the real GOD. This essentially means that we will stop putting our love where it doesn't belong. In objects and people (including ourselves). It would change the way we think and live. We would likely live in a more practical way. Now I know there are people out there that might say "Well GOD is the most important thing in my life. But I still love my car!" But what they fail to realize is that they might love GOD with their mouth. And sometimes they may feel like they do in their heart. But if they REALLY loved GOD, they would love Him with ALL THEIR LIFE AND THEIR WHOLE HEART!
For we have been told NOT to love the world and the things in it. Because the world is evil. And we cannot always recognize ALL things that are evil. As long as we do not love it, we can overcome it. But not without GOD.
We were once under the laws made for this world by GOD. But because of our sinful nature after the fall of Adam, it is impossible for us to live up to them. Therefore, we are DEAD to GOD. Sentenced without any possibility of parole. That is, until Jesus Christ entered the picture. He was sent here by GOD to redeem us. He told us and showed us how to walk the walk. And through His persecution, He was put to death to redeem us of our condemnation of Sin. Then He was resurrected from the death to finalize it. He paid for our Sin. We are indebted to Him. Through Christ, we have the ability to go beyond this world to have eternal life.
But we are not forced to be. We can make the choice to reject the offer. Would anyone reject it? You may think they wouldn't. The price has been paid by the blood of Christ. All we have to do is accept it.
How do we do that? We first acknowledge it. Clearly we must come to know Jesus. We learn about everything He did for us. And we follow Him. He became dead to this world and then rose to eternal life in Heaven. He did so literally. What we must do is to die to this world, figuratively speaking, and then resurrect in the Spirit OF Christ. We could also say that we are walking in Christ.
Many teach a very simplistic form of Salvation. Such as simply "believing" in Christ with your heart through your own will. Or being baptized in water in Christ's name. These ritualistic practices do not get us Salvation. They are thoughts and movements. They are steps. Call them symbolic gestures. They are contrary to what is required for Salvation. I know plenty of people who claim they were baptized. But still have fallen far away from Christ. Anyone who has truly found GOD will never fall away.
Jesus talked about a commitment that was required for entering the gate of the narrow path to Heaven. The narrow path is "through Him". The small gate means that we cannot take anything with us. We must "die to this world". Meaning we must not love the world or the things in it. If we love those video games, we must STOP. If we love those movies, we must STOP. The list goes on and on, and is very long I am sure. We must be transformed within. And although we will never be fully above Sin, considering we are not sinless humans, we will NOT WANT to Sin. Therefore, our way of thinking will be far different than before. We will be following GOD's will instead of our own. Our will is what got us into the mess. But changes do not occur overnight. It is a daily devotion and remindance.
And you can see where it might be difficult to do such a thing. Does it mean that simple sacrifice is the way to Heaven? Not at all. The way to Heaven is through walking in Spirit of Christ. The sacrifices come as a result of it. If they do not come in time, then we aren't walking in Christ. It is important to understand that when we simply sacrifice "because GOD wants us to", then we are simply trying to "work for eternal life". And that requires no acknowledgement of Christ Salvation. Therefore, it will not work. We are just "after something" when we do that. But when sacrifices are the result of our walk in Christ, it becomes something else. Because it isn't our will leading us. Rather it is GOD's. Our intentions are different. And that is important. Because what leads us spiritually is of the utmost importance.
The world we live in today is EXTREMELY tempting. We live in a modern day Babylon. Nearly the whole world is this way. And the parts that aren't are on their way to becoming it. Satan has many people doing his bidding in this world. And they are spreading his evil in the form of good. Such as democracy. To "liberate" people from pain and struggles. But it is really to lavish them and trick them into indulging into the world. Thus, worshiping it instead of GOD. We see this to be true, even in the churches. Many of them are so worldly, that they love each other as family and friends more than they do GOD. Jammed full of traditions. We see how modern society promotes the idea of families loving one another like some form of worship. We may not see them bow to one another. But deep within is where it exists. I even have a close relative that worships one of his so-called friends. His actions prove it many times over because he puts him on a pedestal and invests his time to keep him there. But he doesn't realize that is what he is doing. I personally believe that when we see churches using an unbiblical system of worship, full of rituals and verbal confessions, we are seeing a true weakness in their faith. Because they only know their faith IN Christ. But not the faith OF Christ. Another distinct difference indeed!! Anyone can have faith IN something. It comes from within. And its all about receiving something. Trusting that something will be delivered to us. Or help will come. That is why people define faith differently from person to person. Because it is a result of what comes from within that person. But that is not what we are to be guided by. That is our own will. The faith OF Christ is the Spirit that Jesus carried. Something that we were unable to do on our own. His faith measured up when ours could not. And that is why we must walk in Christ Spirit. Because our faith cannot be our own. It is through the will of Him we get it.
These things will not happen overnight. We devote ourselves. We must grow into it. Because a new seed is planted. A new root takes hold. And we become something different. Struggle is involved. We must face ourselves and see just how spiritually poor we really are. Letting go of all the things this world has placed upon us, making us think that we are "something special" to this world. We should be nothing to it. Because the world cannot save you. It cannot guarantee anything. You can easily end up dead tomorrow. Then what good is all you worked for on Earth going to matter? It won't a single bit. Because that is not what we strive for. We live IN this world. That is for sure. But we should use this world ONLY for living in it. But our minds, hearts, and souls should be aimed at the One Jesus Christ who we belong to. Not in words. But with our LIFE. We do not need to sing a song about it. We do not need to raise our arms in the air and pray like a cult member. How much we change and who we are inside will be recorded, and without all those things. GOD does not expect rituals or "Amens". Any hypocrite can do those things and not know Jesus Christ at all.
Just look at yourself. See what you have done. You have done nothing for GOD have you? You gave to a charity? You helped an older lady across the street? Did you feel good when you did those things? Did you tell someone about what you did? If you did, then you have done NOTHING at all. Because when good works are the result of walking in Christ, we don't feel good about ourselves. We don't silently take the credit. And we don't tell. Because it wasn't our will that led us. And we certainly do not work for ourselves. What we do in this world should be for the greater good that isn't ours. There are millions of people out there rejecting TRUTH. They reject Christ. Therefore, they reject the gift of Salvation. What can we do? This will become our purpose in this life. As long as we are here. There is plenty of need for it. The world hates Truth. It loves lies. Therefore, we MUST get the Truth out there for all to understand. And we need to give it in a way that they will hear it, process it, and hopefully accept it. If they reject it, then they will have no excuse for that. We certainly need the help of Christ to do so. Without Him, we will likely mess things up further.
One might say, "Well that can't be true. Because to worship something, you have to be religious. But atheists aren't religious. So they don't worship anything."
The dictionary defines the term "worship" as the following:
1.
a. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.
b. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed.
2. Ardent devotion; adoration.
Adoration means profound love or regard. Additionally, an idol is defined as a material object.
So. Loving an object is a form of worship. Therefore. Regardless of who you are, you worship something. People in all walks of life tend to be materialistic. Loving "things".
Here are a few real world examples of worship of objects.
1. The Vita-Mix does it all and is seriously worth it! I love our Vita-mix!!!
2. Vitamix is a Life Changer for Sure
3. My Smartphone is my best friend!
4. I named my car casper. Because he is a white 4x8 and I love keeping him shiny!
These are just a few quick examples. As there are likely millions more to be found. Television commercials often show people bragging about how much they love an object of some sort that is for sale. And that we should love it to. Hunters hang animals heads on walls. Fisherman hang fish. People worship cars, jewelry, or anything else they can. They give them names. They love them so much that it becomes impossible for them to get rid of these things. Because in their own hearts, these objects have as much worth as a "loved one".
When we were made to worship, we were made to do so with love. Therefore, when we worship, we WILL love. That is certain. So when we become foolish enough to worship something other than GOD, we WILL love it. And it will become a curse instead of a blessing. We will become fools.
So you see. We must worship GOD. Put Him far above all other things in our life. Because, when we do that, we will stop worshiping other things. Providing we are worshiping the real GOD. This essentially means that we will stop putting our love where it doesn't belong. In objects and people (including ourselves). It would change the way we think and live. We would likely live in a more practical way. Now I know there are people out there that might say "Well GOD is the most important thing in my life. But I still love my car!" But what they fail to realize is that they might love GOD with their mouth. And sometimes they may feel like they do in their heart. But if they REALLY loved GOD, they would love Him with ALL THEIR LIFE AND THEIR WHOLE HEART!
For we have been told NOT to love the world and the things in it. Because the world is evil. And we cannot always recognize ALL things that are evil. As long as we do not love it, we can overcome it. But not without GOD.
We were once under the laws made for this world by GOD. But because of our sinful nature after the fall of Adam, it is impossible for us to live up to them. Therefore, we are DEAD to GOD. Sentenced without any possibility of parole. That is, until Jesus Christ entered the picture. He was sent here by GOD to redeem us. He told us and showed us how to walk the walk. And through His persecution, He was put to death to redeem us of our condemnation of Sin. Then He was resurrected from the death to finalize it. He paid for our Sin. We are indebted to Him. Through Christ, we have the ability to go beyond this world to have eternal life.
But we are not forced to be. We can make the choice to reject the offer. Would anyone reject it? You may think they wouldn't. The price has been paid by the blood of Christ. All we have to do is accept it.
How do we do that? We first acknowledge it. Clearly we must come to know Jesus. We learn about everything He did for us. And we follow Him. He became dead to this world and then rose to eternal life in Heaven. He did so literally. What we must do is to die to this world, figuratively speaking, and then resurrect in the Spirit OF Christ. We could also say that we are walking in Christ.
Many teach a very simplistic form of Salvation. Such as simply "believing" in Christ with your heart through your own will. Or being baptized in water in Christ's name. These ritualistic practices do not get us Salvation. They are thoughts and movements. They are steps. Call them symbolic gestures. They are contrary to what is required for Salvation. I know plenty of people who claim they were baptized. But still have fallen far away from Christ. Anyone who has truly found GOD will never fall away.
Jesus talked about a commitment that was required for entering the gate of the narrow path to Heaven. The narrow path is "through Him". The small gate means that we cannot take anything with us. We must "die to this world". Meaning we must not love the world or the things in it. If we love those video games, we must STOP. If we love those movies, we must STOP. The list goes on and on, and is very long I am sure. We must be transformed within. And although we will never be fully above Sin, considering we are not sinless humans, we will NOT WANT to Sin. Therefore, our way of thinking will be far different than before. We will be following GOD's will instead of our own. Our will is what got us into the mess. But changes do not occur overnight. It is a daily devotion and remindance.
And you can see where it might be difficult to do such a thing. Does it mean that simple sacrifice is the way to Heaven? Not at all. The way to Heaven is through walking in Spirit of Christ. The sacrifices come as a result of it. If they do not come in time, then we aren't walking in Christ. It is important to understand that when we simply sacrifice "because GOD wants us to", then we are simply trying to "work for eternal life". And that requires no acknowledgement of Christ Salvation. Therefore, it will not work. We are just "after something" when we do that. But when sacrifices are the result of our walk in Christ, it becomes something else. Because it isn't our will leading us. Rather it is GOD's. Our intentions are different. And that is important. Because what leads us spiritually is of the utmost importance.
The world we live in today is EXTREMELY tempting. We live in a modern day Babylon. Nearly the whole world is this way. And the parts that aren't are on their way to becoming it. Satan has many people doing his bidding in this world. And they are spreading his evil in the form of good. Such as democracy. To "liberate" people from pain and struggles. But it is really to lavish them and trick them into indulging into the world. Thus, worshiping it instead of GOD. We see this to be true, even in the churches. Many of them are so worldly, that they love each other as family and friends more than they do GOD. Jammed full of traditions. We see how modern society promotes the idea of families loving one another like some form of worship. We may not see them bow to one another. But deep within is where it exists. I even have a close relative that worships one of his so-called friends. His actions prove it many times over because he puts him on a pedestal and invests his time to keep him there. But he doesn't realize that is what he is doing. I personally believe that when we see churches using an unbiblical system of worship, full of rituals and verbal confessions, we are seeing a true weakness in their faith. Because they only know their faith IN Christ. But not the faith OF Christ. Another distinct difference indeed!! Anyone can have faith IN something. It comes from within. And its all about receiving something. Trusting that something will be delivered to us. Or help will come. That is why people define faith differently from person to person. Because it is a result of what comes from within that person. But that is not what we are to be guided by. That is our own will. The faith OF Christ is the Spirit that Jesus carried. Something that we were unable to do on our own. His faith measured up when ours could not. And that is why we must walk in Christ Spirit. Because our faith cannot be our own. It is through the will of Him we get it.
These things will not happen overnight. We devote ourselves. We must grow into it. Because a new seed is planted. A new root takes hold. And we become something different. Struggle is involved. We must face ourselves and see just how spiritually poor we really are. Letting go of all the things this world has placed upon us, making us think that we are "something special" to this world. We should be nothing to it. Because the world cannot save you. It cannot guarantee anything. You can easily end up dead tomorrow. Then what good is all you worked for on Earth going to matter? It won't a single bit. Because that is not what we strive for. We live IN this world. That is for sure. But we should use this world ONLY for living in it. But our minds, hearts, and souls should be aimed at the One Jesus Christ who we belong to. Not in words. But with our LIFE. We do not need to sing a song about it. We do not need to raise our arms in the air and pray like a cult member. How much we change and who we are inside will be recorded, and without all those things. GOD does not expect rituals or "Amens". Any hypocrite can do those things and not know Jesus Christ at all.
Just look at yourself. See what you have done. You have done nothing for GOD have you? You gave to a charity? You helped an older lady across the street? Did you feel good when you did those things? Did you tell someone about what you did? If you did, then you have done NOTHING at all. Because when good works are the result of walking in Christ, we don't feel good about ourselves. We don't silently take the credit. And we don't tell. Because it wasn't our will that led us. And we certainly do not work for ourselves. What we do in this world should be for the greater good that isn't ours. There are millions of people out there rejecting TRUTH. They reject Christ. Therefore, they reject the gift of Salvation. What can we do? This will become our purpose in this life. As long as we are here. There is plenty of need for it. The world hates Truth. It loves lies. Therefore, we MUST get the Truth out there for all to understand. And we need to give it in a way that they will hear it, process it, and hopefully accept it. If they reject it, then they will have no excuse for that. We certainly need the help of Christ to do so. Without Him, we will likely mess things up further.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Do You Really Care or Not?
It amazes me at the energy people put into debating over GOD. Whether you are for or against, time is wasted and fruitfulness is non-existent. Meanwhile, the Amish people are setting a better example than most self proclaimed Christians. That also goes with saying that some self proclaimed atheists set a better example than most Christians. So I am not proclaiming that the Amish are GOD's people. But I am saying that what we do with our time matters. Spending a significant time trying to be self righteous in a negative way is no good for anyone.
I took the following statement from an article. And I would like you to read it. The man who wrote it clearly has a well defined perspective on what family is all about. And I believe that the majority of people in this world, Christian or otherwise, have a false sense of what it means. Else, modern traditions wouldn't revolve around such individualistic behavior. You think about this statement:
"Some families are just so many individuals with the same last name, living in the same house. They seem to lead separate lives, go their own ways, each independent of the other. Each is busy leading his own life. They lack the essential elements of a joyful family life---love, togetherness, loyalty, sharing. These sad little groups of lonely individuals are not families at all---they are failures. They are missing out on one of the greatest challenges on this earth---building a meaningful family relationship where work, possessions, and even feelings can be shared in love and trust."
The textbooks often define different cultures as Individualistic or Collective. As if both are legitimate choices. But the truth is, there is only one culture that is good. And that is one that follows GOD's moral principles. A collective culture might carry more of those values. And Individualistic one is nothing more than an excuse to be selfish. That's the United States as a whole. And there are exceptions per family case. But in all honesty. We should be spending far less time debating people and more time setting a better example. As parents, the time you waste being online self indulging, the more cheated your kids are. Its like a chain smoking mother treating her kids like dirt and pouring self pity all over her neighbors for being broke. You can tell the woman how to solve her problem by not buying cigarettes. But she doesnt want to hear that. She thinks her kids are too wild and driving her crazy. Yet, its because they get high on smoke all day. Its high time people stop making excuses for bad behavior and shape up. If you have kids or not, the world is full of them. And many aren't getting what they deserve. They are far more important than YOU. So make the sacrifice and do what Jesus would have done. Deny yourself and be fruitful in a way that GOD would be pleased. He put us here not to be self centered. And as I said. The Amish set a better example than most other people. The only thing wrong with them is that they horde their own salvation instead of trying to save other people like Jesus did. This is where YOU come in.
I took the following statement from an article. And I would like you to read it. The man who wrote it clearly has a well defined perspective on what family is all about. And I believe that the majority of people in this world, Christian or otherwise, have a false sense of what it means. Else, modern traditions wouldn't revolve around such individualistic behavior. You think about this statement:
"Some families are just so many individuals with the same last name, living in the same house. They seem to lead separate lives, go their own ways, each independent of the other. Each is busy leading his own life. They lack the essential elements of a joyful family life---love, togetherness, loyalty, sharing. These sad little groups of lonely individuals are not families at all---they are failures. They are missing out on one of the greatest challenges on this earth---building a meaningful family relationship where work, possessions, and even feelings can be shared in love and trust."
The textbooks often define different cultures as Individualistic or Collective. As if both are legitimate choices. But the truth is, there is only one culture that is good. And that is one that follows GOD's moral principles. A collective culture might carry more of those values. And Individualistic one is nothing more than an excuse to be selfish. That's the United States as a whole. And there are exceptions per family case. But in all honesty. We should be spending far less time debating people and more time setting a better example. As parents, the time you waste being online self indulging, the more cheated your kids are. Its like a chain smoking mother treating her kids like dirt and pouring self pity all over her neighbors for being broke. You can tell the woman how to solve her problem by not buying cigarettes. But she doesnt want to hear that. She thinks her kids are too wild and driving her crazy. Yet, its because they get high on smoke all day. Its high time people stop making excuses for bad behavior and shape up. If you have kids or not, the world is full of them. And many aren't getting what they deserve. They are far more important than YOU. So make the sacrifice and do what Jesus would have done. Deny yourself and be fruitful in a way that GOD would be pleased. He put us here not to be self centered. And as I said. The Amish set a better example than most other people. The only thing wrong with them is that they horde their own salvation instead of trying to save other people like Jesus did. This is where YOU come in.
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