freedom? (2853)

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

< Romans 13 >> GOD'S WORD ® Translation

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1Every person should obey the government in power. No government would exist if it hadn't been established by God. The governments which exist have been put in place by God. 2Therefore, whoever resists the government opposes what God has established. Those who resist will bring punishment on themselves. 3People who do what is right don't have to be afraid of the government. But people who do what is wrong should be afraid of it. Would you like to live without being afraid of the government? Do what is right, and it will praise you. 4The government is God's servant working for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid.

Individual Freedom Vs. anything else

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth

The opposite of statism is capitalism.

How does capitalism differ from statism?

Only capitalism declares that each and every man, may live his own life for his own happiness, as an end to himself, not by permission of others, but by right, and that government's sole responsibility is to protect those rights, and never violate them, because they are inalienable.

http://www.capitalism.org/faq/statism.htm

 

 

Popes, Atheists and Freedom

Secularists should recognize that the pope's fight is their fight.

"Karol Wojtyla, like many dissidents who emerged in these years, had lived with the daily reality of the communist system. John Paul pushed Vatican policy toward a public, unapologetic claim for individual freedom."

 

Days after Benedict XVI chastised China before thousands in St. Peter's Square last week, a Chinese newspaper run by the People's Daily replied to his defense of Christians there: "The Vatican has to face the fact that all religious beliefs are free in China, as long as they do not run counter to the country's laws."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203525404576049802441667970.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

 

Why we fight

<< James 4 >> GOD'S WORD ® Translation

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1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Aren't they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you? 2You want what you don't have, so you commit murder. You're determined to have things, but you can't get what you want. You quarrel and fight. You don't have the things you want, because you don't pray for them. 3When you pray for things, you don't get them because you want them for the wrong reason-for your own pleasure.

 

<< 2 Timothy 2 >>

20In a large house there are not only objects made of gold and silver, but also those made of wood and clay. Some objects are honored when they are used; others aren't. 21Those who stop associating with dishonorable people will be honored. They will be set apart for the master's use, prepared to do good things. 22Stay away from lusts which tempt young people. Pursue what has God's approval. Pursue faith, love, and peace together with those who worship the Lord with a pure heart. 23Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments. You know they cause quarrels. 24A servant of the Lord must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be a good teacher. He must be willing to suffer wrong. 25He must be gentle in correcting those who oppose the Good News. Maybe God will allow them to change the way they think and act and lead them to know the truth. 26Then they might come back to their senses and God will free them from the devil's snare so that they can do his will.

 

Genesis 13:7 And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.

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Genesis 13:8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.

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Proverbs 17:14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

 

<< Proverbs 20 >>

 3Avoiding a quarrel is honorable. After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight.

<< 1 Timothy 6 >>

6A godly life brings huge profits to people who are content with what they have.

http://gwt.scripturetext.com/1_timothy/6.htm

 

 

no playing around

14Stop forming inappropriate relationships with unbelievers. Can right and wrong be partners? Can light have anything in common with darkness? 15Can Christ agree with the devil? Can a believer share life with an unbeliever?

16Can God's temple contain false gods? Clearly, we are the temple of the living God. As God said, "I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

17The Lord says, "Get away from unbelievers. Separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with anything unclean. Then I will welcome you."

<< 2 Corinthians 6 >>

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beware of dogs

sleeping with the enemy
knowing that he has every
intention to kill you...!!!

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greater love has no man
than this: that a man
lay down his life
for his friend

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love your enemies
do good to them
who dispitefuly use you
and persecute you.

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because you love your enemy
does that mean he is your friend?

can the snake be a pet?

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not

that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?

whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

have a happy Christmas

FATHERHOOD,

FAMILY & FAITH
or things to fight for ...

- from Sonny the Chronicler

 

the prince of darkness grim
we tremble not for him
his rage we will endure
for lo, his doom is sure
one little word
shall fell him.- Luther

 

everywhere is war - Bob Marley
even bob in his weed 'enlightened' mind
could discern the unending conflict in life.

 

says St Paul: (paraphrasing) remember that
the people that appear to be opposing you
are not the object of the struggle.
This is not a wrestling match
against a human opponent.
http://bible.cc/ephesians/6-12.htm

 

now this:
there is FIRST; the ADVOCATE
then there is the ADVERSARY

 

there is no doubt that every single human
is 'hard wired' for war, that's perhaps
what Marley observed.

conflict, competition...the same thing?

..ever wonder why it is we seem to be so
obsessed with sports and games?

 

but let's hear again from St Paul:
A servant of the Lord must not quarrel.
Instead, he must be kind to everyone.
He must be a good teacher.
He must be willing to suffer wrong.
2 Timothy 2:24

 

ON A TANGENT
I was always suspicious of
emancipation. I think that
it is impossible to be free.
If you take the time to really
check it out....we are ALL
enslaved to something.
the KEY, I beleive, is in
CHOOSING YOUR MASTER ! !

 

...and speaking of choice:
since we are born to war
and born to serve
choose a side and start
fighting, in earnest....

BUT
Proverbs 17:14

Starting a quarrel
is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before
a dispute breaks out.

AND
Do not be in a hurry to go to court.
What will you do in the end if your
neighbor disgraces you?

SO
From strength to strength go on,
wrestle and fight and pray,
tread all the powers of darkness down
and win the well-fought day.
that having all things done,
and all your conflicts passed,
ye may o'ercome thru Christ alone
and stand entire at last.
Words from: Charles Wesley, 1749

 

BTW ...these Charles Wesley words
have been etched in my mind since
my high school years when we were
"compelled" to meet in a daily
morning assembly and sing
rousing songs of the faith
from the Anglican Hymnal
"Songs of Praise"

 

FINALLY
let us hear from Henry...

Henry was one of the best known
American poets of the 19th Century...
was written during the American civil war.

 

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

I don't mind this first stanza at all
but seriously it is the fourth verse
that has stayed with me across the years
and so often brings tears to my eyes.

 

And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

LET ME CLOSE
23 Peace be to the family,
and love with faith, from God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them that
love our Lord Jesus Christ
in sincerity. Amen.

<< Ephesians 6 >>

struggle

<< 1 Timothy 4 >> GOD'S WORD ® Translation   1The Spirit says clearly that in later times some believers will desert the Christian faith. They will follow spirits that deceive, and they will believe the teachings of demons. 2These people will speak lies disguised as truth. Their consciences have been scarred as if branded by a red-hot iron. 3They will try to stop others from getting married and from eating certain foods. God created food to be received with prayers of thanks by those who believe and know the truth. 4Everything God created is good. Nothing should be rejected if it is received with prayers of thanks. 5The word of God and prayer set it apart as holy.   6You are a good servant of Christ Jesus when you point these things out to our brothers and sisters. Then you will be nourished by the words of the Christian faith and the excellent teachings which you have followed closely. 7Don't have anything to do with godless myths that old women like to tell. Rather, train yourself to live a godly life. 8Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come. 9This is a statement that can be trusted and deserves complete acceptance.   10Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life, because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.   11Insist on these things and teach them. 12Don't let anyone look down on you for being young. Instead, make your speech, behavior, love, faith, and purity an example for other believers. 13Until I get there, concentrate on reading [Scripture] in worship, giving encouraging messages, and teaching people. 14Don't neglect the gift which you received through prophecy when the spiritual leaders placed their hands on you [to ordain you]. 15Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress. 16Focus on your life and your teaching. Continue to do what I've told you. If you do this, you will save yourself and those who hear you.

When?

<< Matthew 25 >> GOD'S WORD ® Translation

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32The people of every nation will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right but the goats on his left.

34"Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. 36I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' 37"Then the people who have God's approval will reply to him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40"The king will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant [they seemed], you did for me.'

41"Then the king will say to those on his left, 'Get away from me! God has cursed you! Go into everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels! 42I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43I was a stranger, and you didn't take me into your homes. I needed clothes, and you didn't give me anything to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't take care of me.' 44"They, too, will ask, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a stranger or in need of clothes or sick or in prison and didn't help you?' 45"He will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you failed to do for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant [they seemed], you failed to do for me.' 46"These people will go away into eternal punishment, but those with God's approval will go into eternal life."

 

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ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in Heav'n above,
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.

 

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in Heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

 

refusing to go to the funeral

December 9th. - Chambers
	THE OFFENCE OF THE NATURAL
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Galatians 5:24   The natural life is not sinful; we must be apostatized from sin, have nothing to do with sin in any shape or form. Sin belongs to hell and the devil; I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and God. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence and self-assertiveness, and this is where the battle has to be fought.   It is the things that are right and noble and good from the natural stand point that keep us back from God's best.   To discern that natural virtues antagonize surrender to God, is to bring our soul into the centre of its greatest battle. Very few of us debate with the sordid and evil and wrong, but we do debate with the good. It is the good that hates the best, and the higher up you get in the scale of the natural virtues, the more intense is the opposition to Jesus Christ. "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh" - it is going to cost the natural in you everything, not something. Jesus said - "If any man will be My disciple, let him deny himself," i.e., his right to himself, and a man has to realize Who Jesus Christ is before he will do it.   Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.   The natural life is not spiritual, and it can only be made spiritual by sacrifice. If we do not resolutely sacrifice the natural, the supernatural can never become natural in us. There is no royal road there; each of us has it entirely in his own hands. It is not a question of praying, but of performing

Christmas gift ? (2779)

THE GIFT OF TEARS

REPENTANCE
"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation." 2 Corinthians 7:10

Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses a man's conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not his relationship with men that bothers him, but his relationship with God - "against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned,

and done this evil in Thy sight." Psalm 51:4

The marvels of conviction of sin, forgiveness, and holiness are so interwoven that it is only the forgiven man who is the holy man, he proves he is forgiven by being the opposite to what he was, by God's grace. Repentance always brings a man to this point: I have sinned. The surest sign that God is at work is when a man says that and means it. Anything less than this is remorse for having made blunders, the reflex action of disgust at himself.

The entrance into the Kingdom is through the panging pains of repentance crashing into a man's respectable goodness; then the Holy Ghost, Who produces these agonies, begins the formation of the Son of God in the life.

The new life will manifest itself in conscious repentance and unconscious holiness, never the other way about. The bedrock of Christianity is repentance.

Strictly speaking, a man cannot repent when he chooses; repentance is a gift of God. The old Puritans used to pray for "the gift of tears."

If ever you cease to know the virtue of repentance, you are in darkness. Examine yourself and see if you have forgotten how to be sorry.

from OSWALD CHAMBERS

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Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows.

HEAR IT HERE

impossible

Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.

HER IT HERE

 

"To him that overcometh. . . ." Revelation 2:7

Life without war is impossible either in nature or in grace. The basis of physical, mental, moral, and spiritual life is antagonism. This is the open fact of life.

Health is the balance between physical life and external nature, and it is maintained only by sufficient vitality on the inside against things on the outside. Everything outside my physical life is designed to put me to death. Things which keep me going when I am alive, disintegrate me when I am dead. If I have enough fighting power, I produce the balance of health. The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a vigorous mental life, I have to fight, and in that way the mental balance called thought is produced.

Morally it is the same. Everything that does not partake of the nature of virtue is the enemy of virtue in me, and it depends on what moral calibre I have whether I overcome and produce virtue. Immediately I fight, I am moral in that particular. No man is virtuous because he cannot help it; virtue is acquired.

CHAMBERS

battered and bruised (2757)

December 2nd.
	CHRISTIAN PERFECTION
"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. . . ." Philippians 3:12   It is a snare to imagine that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do; God's purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements is apt to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you go off on this idea of personal holiness, the dead-set of your life will not be for God, but for what you call the manifestation of God in your life. "It can never be God's will that I should be sick." If it was God's will to bruise His own Son, why should He not bruise you?   The thing that tells for God is not your relevant consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your real vital relation to Jesus Christ, and your abandonment to Him whether you are well or ill.   Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship to God which shows itself amid the irrelevancies of human life.   When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that strikes you is the irrelevancy of the things you have to do, and the next thing that strikes you is the fact that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives are apt to leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary, by human effort and devotion we can reach the standard God wants.   In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in perfect relation to God so that my life produces a longing after God in other lives, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God.   God is not after perfecting me to be a specimen in His show-room; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He likes.

Oswald Chambers <Click it