everything?

<< Hebrews 13:17 >>
Obey your leaders, and accept their authority.
They take care of you because
they are responsible for you.

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"do everything they tell you"
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"Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"
1 Corinthians 9:16

Beware of stopping your ears to the call of God.
Everyone who is saved is called to testify to the fact....
Paul's words have to do with being made a servant
of Jesus Christ, and our permission is never asked as
to what we will do or where we will go.
God makes us broken bread and
poured-out wine to please Himself.

Every ambition is nipped in the bud, every desire
of life quenched, every outlook completely extinguished
and blotted out, saving one thing only -
"separated unto the gospel." Woe be to the soul
who tries to put his foot in any other direction
when once that call has come to him.
- CHAMBERS

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"do everything they tell you"
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"...many Christians would rather simply be
“nice” and “do good” while remaining silent
about why they’re being nice and doing good.
It is a good, moral life lived well among neighbors,
coworkers and family, but it is a life absent of the
proclamation of faith and God’s glory
as revealed in Jesus Christ."

Service without proclamation of Jesus’
love does indeed meet needs, but
a filled stomach without
hope is a tragic paradox.
QUOTE

+++++++++++++++++++++++
"do everything they tell you"
+++++++++++++++++++++++

last sunday pastor reminded us about the pharisees...

Many "woes" were pronounced against them, but
...was Jesus against them
because of their instruction?
apparently not:

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
So be careful to do everything they tell you.
But don't follow their example,
because they don't practice what they preach.
Matthew 23:3

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"do everything they tell you"
+++++++++++++++++++++++

state of the union

dear Mr President,
I would like to think that I can depend on my senses.
I do beleive that I can keep myself from being
confused if I look and listen carefully.

This however seems to be the case,
only when all communication is given
and recieved with 100% clarity.

What is seen and heard may have just as
much to do with what is intended
as with what is expected.

If I am not looking for a pencil on my desk
how can I accurately say that I FOUND it?

Similarly what I listened to,
may not be what I heard.
I only HEARD what
I was listening for!

snow day

the snow was piling up.
the first two storms were a week or so apart
the first had a lot of wind, and drifting
but it was the light fluffy stuff.
this third storm was the heavier wet stuff.
we were doing just fine until now.

night before last
one of the cars got stuck
could not even get out of the parking spot.
the big 4WD had to be put to work ferrying
one of the 'night crew'.
the minivan was doing fine until last evening.

it found its way home ok
but could not make it 'across the threshold'
into the driveway.

Although it turned out to be
sunny most of the day yesterday,
none of the teens who were home
for a snow day from school
even thought about snow in the yard.

So, four people home all day....
plus...zero snow removal (or other productive activity)
equals, DIFFICULT EVENING...
as the 'other workers' return from a gruelling day.

LESSONS TAUGHT & LEARNED
1. Children need instruction
2. Every situation requires leadership
3. There is a thin line between revenge and justice

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CHECK THIS OUT <-click here
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Children live what they learn
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
BUT
If they live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If they live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If they live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If they live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If they live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If they live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If they live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If they live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If they live with fairness, they learn justice.
If they live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.

If they live with security,
they learn to have faith in
themselves and in those about them.

If children live with friendliness,
they learn the world is a
nice place in which to live.
With what are YOUR children living?

ALSO

"If teenagers live with pressure, they learn to be stressed"

snow storm rambling

Take no thought for your life." Matthew 6:25
A warning which needs to be reiterated is that the cares of this world,
the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in,
will choke all that God puts in. We are never free from the
recurring tides of this encroachment.
QUOTE: from Oswald Chambers
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"each student comes in with different attitudes towards,
and different aptitudes for the subject."
QUOTE: from Milton Francis

Another storm ....12 inches of the heavy wet stuff
fell overnight...this morning was really a challenge.

I must confess....although a snow lover....I was feeling
a little down.....I think I had too many cookies last night...

I'll post some pictures later.... CHECK HERE

HERE ARE SOME MORE QUOTES...while
I still have the STATE OF THE UNION ON MY MIND

"there are no words that can lift the sorrow that now engulfs
the families and friends of the fallen. What we can do is assure
them that the nation is praying for them; that, in the words of
the Psalmist, the Lord heals the broken-hearted and binds up
their wounds; and that over time grace will replace grief."
QUOTE: from Congressman Paul Ryan

"I believe that America is the indispensable nation of the world.
Just the creation of this nation itself was a miracle. Who's to say
that we can't see a miracle again?"
QUOTE: from Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

"We are poised for progress.
Two years after the worst recession
most of us have ever known,
the stock market has come roaring back.
Corporate profits are up.
The economy is growing again."

"...our journey goes forward,
and the state of our union is strong.
Thank you. God bless you, and may
God bless the United States of America."
QUOTE: from President Obama

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Read and Share
some thoughts on
PARENTING &
POLITICS

bipolar (3011)

Testimony
I give my testimony of christian conversion
when it took place, how it happened, what difference it made

Testimonial
You give a testimonial about me
how we met, when we met, why it matters

MONOSEXUAL - a term I will use to describe persons who
do not acknowledge the 'other sex'.
Whereas it may be possible to exist in the 'external' world
as a male without a female, in reality all human existence
must of necessity involve both sexes at some point.
Homosexuality is the physical
manifestation of a
monosexual mindset.

The Family Chronicle is interested in this phenomena
because of the impact it has on families and family life.

What do you think?

News 9 Report- QuiBids Offers Deals for Pennies

thanks Faith

THIS IS SUCH A BLESSING

Truth (2944)

1 John 2:21 I do not write to you because you do not know the ...
I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but becauseyou do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. ... //bible.cc/1_john/2-21.htm - 17k
3 John 1:3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and ...
It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulnessto the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. ... //bible.cc/3_john/1-3.htm - 17k
2 Corinthians 13:8 For we cannot do anything against the truth ...
For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ... For wecannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. ... //bible.cc/2_corinthians/13-8.htm - 16k
John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ... Make them holy byyour truth; teach them your word, which is truth. ... //bible.cc/john/17-17.htm - 15k
John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide ...
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. ... Whenthe Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. ... //bible.cc/john/16-13.htm - 18k
John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you ...
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ... ... //bible.cc/john/8-32.htm - 15k
1 Timothy 2:7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an ...
And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth,I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. ... //bible.cc/1_timothy/2-7.htm - 17k
Zechariah 8:16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth ...
These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other,and render true and sound judgment in your courts ... //bible.cc/zechariah/8-16.htm - 15k
Isaiah 65:16 Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by ...
Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth; he whotakes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. ... //bible.cc/isaiah/65-16.htm - 17k

LIE(S) to me...rambling

NEWS - "does he or doesn't he" CLICK HERE

... we can do nothing
against the truth,
but for the truth.
2 Corinthians 13:8

A WARNING - to carefully examine your own thinking
the title of a recent TV show ('LIE TO ME')
opened my eyes to an attitude that seems to be
very common these days. Most people don't take too
much time to check out what it is they are actually
hearing and beleiving to know if it is true.
or BASED ON TRUTH <-click this


The recent crime commited in Arizona...<-click this.
we now know involved some pretty
'messed up' thought processes.

The following are quotes from
A History of Propoganda

"Misinformation and disinformation
are widely used to distract people
from the truth and create new realities."

In "The modern world....
Propaganda and manipulation of reality continues to be used in large quantities in the modern world. Governments continue to tell their constituencies what they think they need to know. Advertisers use the whole gamut of propagandist techniques. And although some people can see the reality (and some theorize about improbable conspiracies), most people are taken in and see nothing of how they are manipulated."

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It is a very important part of the education
that we want our children to have.
Some call it critical thinking skills.

"He has made you believe a lie"
read for yourself the full acount HERE
and ask yourself some serious questions...
then pay careful attention to these instructions
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end...

ARE WE BELIEVING A LIE or LIES?
So God will cause them to be greatly deceived,
and they will believe these lies.
2 Thessalonians 2:11

Why would God allow such a thing ?
...because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved....check it out for yourself !!

HERE IS ANOTHER CHILLING DESCRIPTION...
of a situation that may be widespread among us TODAY.
...they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.

....Along with instruction for you..
5But watch thou in all things,
endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist,
make full proof of thy ministry.

The term 'propaganda' first appeared in 1622 when Pope Gregory XV established the Sacred Congregation for Propagating the Faith. Propaganda was then as now about convincing large numbers of people about the veracity of a given set of ideas. Of course, propaganda is as old as people, politics and religion. People with ideas will always want to persuade others about them and, if they have the power, they will pull every string they have to persuade everyone.
QUOTE from 'a brief history of propoganda'

But evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived.
2 Timothy 3:13

Many people who deceive others have gone into the world.
They refuse to declare that Jesus Christ came in flesh and blood.
This is the mark of a deceiver and an antichrist.
2 John 1:7

1 John 2:4 The man who says, "I know him," but does
not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

What do you think?

whatever version of REALITY you happen to be running or beleiving...
throw it out...and THINK ON THESE THINGS.

keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable. 9Practice what you've learned and received from me, what you heard and saw me do. Then the God who gives this peace will be with you. - PAUL

"I find your ramblings quite interesting. Hope you are not offended by the word "ramblings"; but the seeming disconnect in the obvious thought processes, then the sublime connections in all said is qualified by me as such, and guess what? I realize that sometimes that is how my mind thinks. Anyway, what has surfaced in all you have said, is the realization of the TRUTH!! The Word of God!! And, when in doubt, believe the WORD. When you (general) are being bombarded with everything, finances, bank, TV, moms cussing you out/or rather having strong disagreements etc. the only comfort (even when it doesn't appear that way at the time) is the Word, and that our lives can be staked upon it. The trouble with most of us adults, is that we sometimes get so intelectual, we want to reason out every thing instead of believing what God says in His Word. Isn't that the reason why Jesus kept on exhorting us to have childlike faith. And when we reach that place we will believe, and by extension apply what the Word says we must do. Such as, "Whatever things are true... etc, think on these things.Then the "mind's powersave" automatically chips in and peace floods in, and health will be in our marrow etc.

lie to me (2910)

when i was little,
mom made us memorize phillipians 4
the part about think on these things.

those were much simpler times.
the subject came up again tonight.

i dragged my sleep-deprived, (went to bed 3am)
half-starved (maybe)
self to listen to pastor rob...and wouldn't you know it...
yup...he said we could have peace if we think different...
and so he starts...."WHATSOVER THINGS ARE TRUE..."

don't get me wrong it was a great message
once again i was confronted with "stinking thinking".

we had a good time, folk came up and told him it was just for them etc.
and so did i....i also had to see him about the teenagers lost fone too..
but anyhow....i am driving home...thinking....

BTW....that is the real problem...i shouldn't really be thinking so much...!!!
but that'a a whole nother subject.....

i found out that i can set my computer to shut itself off five minutes after i
get done or stop...or fall asleep or whatever....they call it powersaving
my mind or thinker......not so easy....its like my mind has a mind of its own...LOL

so anyhow...WHATSOVER THINGS ARE TRUE?!!
its very hard to tell these days.
for instance, i had a H U GE ...fight about the bank balance....
nope...you don't want to know!...come to find out the balance
that you get at the ATM is not really true...
why do they
LIE TO ME !!?..you guesed it....the fees !...of course.

and why is the doctor telling me all this stuff
...sure he is V E R Y concerned about my health...right?
maybe.....

but this is one i can't figure out...
the weather man sat there talking bout....
ITS SNOWING.....in the upper atmosphere...
but....it's not reaching the ground....wat the &&$#@!
is he lying to me ?

me and mom got into a real ugly fight on watchnight..last
beleive it or not...i was in church...came out about 5 to twelve
to call mom and wish her a happy new year....we crossed the threshold
into 2011....in B I G disagreement.....mom wanted to know if it was
the devil that told me to call....the jury is still out on that one....
but mom usally knows what she's talking about...so i ain't touchin it !!!

but the bone of contention was how did she know it was true.
so tonight i finally come to realise that
WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRUE is not always easy....

this is the conclusion that i have come to.....
PSALM 23 IS TRUE !!!!...in fact the whole
BIBLE IS TRUE.....the rest of the stuff....on TV
in the newspaper, the legal advice, the medical advice...
and especially the financial advice....
MAY NOT BE TRUE !!!

the pridictions....the forecasts....the prognosis
MAY NOT BE TRUE.....but

THY WORD IS TRUE !!!

I didn't know what it was I was watching that night on TV...but
it was interesting....the kids were watching it.....that should have
been my clue ...right there.....but...I watched it ....
come to find out....it was
LIE TO ME !!!

I must confess I watched it again a couple times....
now...its in my head along with all the other 'stinking thinking'
that pastor Rob wanted me to get rid of...

so in order to get the PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
my thinking first...should not be so much..I must use POWERSAVE.
then I must think more PSALM 23 etc.

ICE TONIGHT

courage

Moral courage is the courage to take action for moral reasons despite the risk of adverse consequences.^[1]

Courage is required to take action when one has doubts or fears about the consequences. Moral courage therefore involves deliberation or careful thought. Reflex action or dogmatic fanaticism do not involve moral courage because such impulsive actions are not based upon moral reasoning.^[2]

Moral courage may also require physical courage when the consequences are punishment or other bodily peril.

WIKIPEDIA

 

http://bible.cc/joshua/1-6.htm

"I have commanded you, 'Be strong and courageous!

Don't tremble or be terrified, because the LORD

your God is with you wherever you go.'"

King James Bible

 

"What we seek we shall find; what we flee from flees from us."Emerson

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear" Mark Twian

"It is curious - curious that physical courage should be so common

in the world, and moral courage so rare" Mark Twian

"You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday.

You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity." Epicurus

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage

is also what it takes to sit down and listen." Churchill

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."Churchill

profanity

PROFANE:
Marked by contempt or irreverence for what is sacred.
1. To treat with irreverence
2. To put to an improper, unworthy, or degrading use; abuse.

In the eighties I was working with a prominent charity at a school for blind and visually impaired students. There was much political upheaval at the time. Labor and managenemt were going at it...full bore. Labor unions were flourishing. The organization for which I was working was a highly religious outfit...and yet...it became the object of intense industrial action by a local trade union seeking to gain 'a footing' among this 'new' hitherto immune section of the workforce - non-profits. The idea that 'church people' would never 'take advantage' of the working class. was an idea that was about to be challenged.
It was against this backdrop that I was first introduced to a gentleman by the name of Harvey Cox. The manager of the non-profit for which I worked had quite a collection of books from his college years. Among them were some writings by Mr. Cox from whom I will now quote the following:

The forces of secularization have no serious interest in persecuting religion. Secularization simply bypasses and undercuts religion and goes on to other things. It has relativized religious world views and thus rendered them innocuous. Religion has been privatized. It has been accepted as the peculiar prerogative and point of view of a particular person or group. Secularization has accomplished what fire and chain could not: It has convinced the believer that he could be wrong, and persuaded the devotee that there are more important things than dying for the faith.

I the face of the overwhelming onslaught of secularization
What is the christian supposed to do?
BTW...is this the same as worldiness?
1 John 2:15

ADVERT EYES ...more on this later

weluvu

consecration

What is THE PECULIAR DANGER OF A CONSECRATED MAN?
His danger is that his locks may be shorn, that is to say, that his consecration may be broken. As long as he is consecrated he is strong; break that, he is weak as water. Now there are a thousand razors with which the devil can shave off the locks of a consecrated man without his knowing it. Samson is sound asleep; so clever is the barber that he even lulls him to sleep as his fingers move across the pate, the fool's pate, which he is making bare. The devil is cleverer far than even the skilful barber; he can shave the believer's locks while he scarcely knows it. Shall I tell you with what razors he can accomplish this work? Sometimes he takes the sharp razor of pride, and when the Christian falls asleep and is not vigilant, he comes with it and begins to run his fingers upon the Christian's locks, and says, "What a fine fellow you are! What wonders you have done! Didn't you rend that lion finely? Wasn't it a great feat to smite those Philistines hip and thigh? Ah you will be talked-of as long as time endures for carrying those gates of Gaza away. You need not be afraid of anybody." And so on goes the razor, lock after lock falling off, and Samson knows it not. He is just thinking within himself, "How brave am I! How great am I!" Thus works the razor of pride—cut, cut, cut away—and he wakes up to find himself bald, and all his strength gone. Have you never had that razor upon your head? I confess I have on mine. Have you never, after you have been able to endure afflictions, heard a voice saying to you, "How patient you were!" After you have cast aside some temptation, and have been able to keep to the unswerving course of integrity, has not Satan said to you, "That is a fine thing you have done; that was bravely done." And all the while you little knew that it was the cunning hand of the evil one taking away your locks with the sharp razor of pride. For mark, pride is a breach of our consecration. As soon as I begin to get proud of what I do, or what I am, what am I proud of? Why, there is in that pride the act of taking away from God his glory. For I promised that God should have all the glory, and is not that part of my consecration? and I am taking it to myself. I have broken my consecration; my locks are gone, and I become weak. Mark this, Christian—God will never give thee strength to glorify thyself with. God will give thee a crown, but not to put on thine own head. As sure as ever a Christian begins to write his feats, and his triumphs upon his own escutcheon, and take to himself the glory, God will lay him level with the dust.
Another razor he also uses is self-sufficiency. "Ah," saith the devil as he is shaving away your locks, "You have done a very great deal. You see they bound you with green withes, and you snapped them in sunder, they merely smelt the fire and they burst. Then they took new ropes to bind you; ah! you overcame even them; for you snapped the ropes in sunder as if they had been a thread. Then they weaved the seven locks of your head, but you walked away with loon, and web too, beam and all. You can do anything, don't be afraid: you have strength enough to do anything; you can accomplish any feat you set your will upon." How softly the devil will do all that; how will he be rubbing the poll while the razor is moving softly along and the locks are dropping off, and he is treading them in the dust. "You have done all this, and you can do anything else." Every drop of grace distils from heaven. O my brethren, what have we that we have not received? Let us not imagine that we can create might wherewith to gird ourselves. "All my springs are in thee." The moment we begin to think that it is our own arm that has gotten us the victory, it will be all over with us—our locks of strength shall be taken away, and the glory shall depart from us. So, you see, self-sufficiency, as well as pride, may be the razor with which the enemy may shave away our strength.
There is yet another, and a more palpable danger still. When a consecrated man begins to change his purpose in life and live for himself—that razor shaves clean indeed. There is a minister; when he first began his ministry he could say, "God is my witness I have but one object, that I may free my skirts from the blood of every one of my hearers, that I may preach the gospel faithfully and honour my Master." In a little time, tempted by Satan, he changes his tone and talks like this, "I must keep my congregation up. If I preach such hard doctrine, they won't come. Did not one of the newspapers criticise me, and did not some of my people go away from me because of it? I must mind what I am at. I must keep this thing going. I must look out a little sharper, and prone my speech down. I must adopt a little gentler style, or preach a new-fashioned doctrine; for I must keep my popularity up. What is to become of me if I go down? People will say, Up like a rocket, down like the stick;' and then shall all my enemies laugh." Ah, when once a man begins to care so much as a snap of the finger about the world, it is all over with him. If he can go to his pulpit, and say, "I have got a message to deliver; and whether they will hear or whether they will not hear, I will deliver it as God puts it into my mouth; I will not change the dot of an i, or the cross of a t for the biggest man that lives, or to bring in the mightiest congregation that ever sat at minister's feet"—that man is mighty. He does not let human judgments move him, and he will move the world. But let him turn aside, and think about his congregation, and how that shall be kept up; ah Samson! how are thy locks shorn? What canst thou do now? That false Delilah has destroyed thee—thine eyes are put out, thy comfort is taken away, and thy future ministry shall be like the grinding of an ass around the continually revolving mill; thou shalt have no rest or peace ever afterwards. Or let him turn aside another way. Suppose he should say, "I must get preferment, or wealth, I must look well to myself, I must see my nest feathered, that must he the object of my life." I am not now speaking of the ministry merely, but of all the consecrated; and as sure as ever we begin to make self the primary object of our existence our locks are shorn. "Now," says the Lord, "I gave that man strength, but not to use it for himself. Then I put him into a high position, but not that he might clothe himself about with glory; I put him there that he might look to my cause, to my interests; and if he does not do that first, down he shall go." You remember Queen Esther: she is exalted from being a simple humble maiden, to become the wife of the great monarch—Ahasuerus. Well, Haman gets a decree against her nation, that it shall be destroyed. Poor Mordecai comes to Esther, and says, "You must go in to the king and speak to him." "Well," says she, "but if I do I shall die." "Ah," says he, "If thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Esther was not made Queen Esther that she might make herself glorious, but that she might be in a position to save the Jews; and now if she prefers herself before her country then it is all over with her—Vashti's fate shall be as nothing compared with her destruction.
And so, if you live in this world, and God prospers you, you get perhaps into some position, and you say, "Here I am; I will look out for myself; I have been serving the church before, but now I will look to myself a little." "Come, come," says human nature; "you must look after your family," (which means, you must look after yourself). Very well, do it sir, as your main object, and you are a ruined man. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these shall be added to you." If you keep your eye single, your whole body shall be full of light. Though you seemed as if you had shut out half the light by having that single eye, yet your body shall be full of light. But begin to have two masters, and two objects to serve, and you shall serve neither; you shall neither prosper for this world, nor for that which is to come. Oh, Christian, above all things take care of thy consecration. Ever feel that thou art wholly given up to God, and to God alone. - SPURGEON

the danger

If we obey God it is going to cost other
people more than it costs us ....
If we are in love with our Lord, obedience
does not cost us anything, it is a delight,
but it costs those who do not love Him...
...when we obey God it will mean that
other people's plans are upset,,

We can prevent the suffering;
but if we are going to obey God,
we must (cannot) not prevent it,
we must let the cost be paid.

We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate
relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord.
Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have
been pressed into the consequences of our obedience.
We have simply to obey and
to leave all consequences with Him.
- CHAMBERS

freedom? (2853)

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

< Romans 13 >> GOD'S WORD ® Translation

---

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

---

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.

---

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.

---

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 >>

+++++++++++

beware of dogs

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

+++++++++++

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

+++++++++++

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

+++++++++++

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."

 

++++++++++++++++++++

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

___________________

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