My many thanks to both the author, and this magazine. John B.
SOME CHRISTIANS ARGUE THAT THEY ARE NOT "UNDER THE LAW", MEANING GOD'S LAWS. BUT OBEYING GOD'S MORAL LAWS IS REALLY IS VERY IMPORTANT!
NOTE (JB) : BECAUSE THEY ARE THE LAWS BY WHICH ALL HUMANS SHALL BE JUDGED!
Romans 2:12 "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;"
Many insist the law has been "Nailed to His Cross"
Colossians 2:14 " Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;"
These are the CEREMONIAL LAWS, which were replaced in total by Christ's death!
Deuteronomy 31:24-26 "And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee." {Malachi 3:6- Hebrews 13:8} Now to the story!
During the few weeks of each year, my back-yard patio becomes a demonstration lab for one of the most famous laws of science: The Law of Gravity. Above the deck stand several large black walnut trees that produce 1,000 's of hard, andheavywalnitsfor few weeks in the autumn, you relax on the patio at your peril;, unless you are wearing a hard hat! Only the squirrels are delighted.
Now walnuts, have been falling for eoins, before Isaac Newton formulated the human law of Gravitation. Newton's law doesn't make the walnuts fall--- it only explains why they fall. There are, in fact 100' s of laws of science. You may remember some of them from School: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction: energy cannot be created or destroyed; you can know either the location of a particle, or its momentum, but not both.
The laws of science differ from the laws by Governments. A friend was driving above the speed limit when she saw the read and blue flashing lights of a patrol car in the rear-view mirror. She was so startled ( it was her first encounter with the law0 that by the time the patrolman asked her, to roll down her windo, she was weeping. He took mercy on her and gave her a warning instead of a ticket. A person can SOMETIMES get5 away with breaking government's laws, but the laws of science, though, aren't negotiable They are the invariable facts of physics, in the physical world. One would be very foolish to jump of cliff, without a parachute, in order to test the Law of Gravity, if only to test that its still in effect! The bottom of the Grand Canyon is too far down, and there's no soft rocks!
GOD'S INVARIABLE LAWS.
God's the Original Originator of all the "Natural Laws" of nature ....>;
NOTE(JB): Please think about this....God had had to have all Natural laws in place before he began to Create, or just allow things to float in space willy-nilly? Remember the Star we call "The Dog Star," is so big that an estimated millions of our suns can fit within it! Yet the Sun, our sun, can hold one million earths!
.....>; in that He created all that we describe by them. Because the laws of nature not only, never fail, but they do not change, thus help us understand the the physical world and how it works; we can make use of them in order to fly planes and heat our homes, or even hammer a nail into a board.
The God who designed the physical operation of the universe also created the laws for our human behavior. He designed us in such a way that certain moral choices will always result in certain consequences. These laws, too, are necessary for us to understand how the world works.
The story of God' s Law begins with a deep fand fatal wound in the spiritual fabric of the universe. In the beginning, God designed human beings to live happily and peacefully { for eternity] PROVIDED we follow His instruction. He gave Adam and Eve but ONE RULE they could.go anywhere in their garden home and eat anything except the fruit from one particular tree.
Because God created them {and us} with a sense of curiosity and the freedom of a free-wll, to chose,, they became interested in in that forbidden tree! Plus with a little help from the devil [Whose greatest con-job is that most of us think he doesn't eve n exist], they did precisely what God told them NOT to do! It soon became apparent to Adam and Eve, and to all that followed them, that one doesn't defy God's rules with impunity. The consequences were foretold, and death is our enemy, plus toil, sickness, pain and sadness.{None of these hurts God wanted for us, but they are the results of of our sins, thus self inflicted, due to our choices}
The breaking of the mrule changed something, deep and fundamental. Sin became, from that point forward, a sort of universal systemic infection.....>
NOTE (JB): Yes just as any systemic infection we need outside help to remove it, that help is Christ Jesus.
....> There was no longer just one point wherein human beings could fail , but many. That's why God gave His people the Ten Laws by which to live by. The Spiritual history of humans ever since has been our efforts to follow God's perfect, invariable {they do not change) rules, and God's efforts to save us from our inevitable failures.
THE CRUCIAL TEN.
A few of these rules are respected by all human legal systems>: killing, stealing, unkindness to our family members, and dishonesty are unlawful nearly everywhere. Governments know that a society where people could kill, steal with impunity would be very unhappy one. For God's other laws, though, human society is of little help. For example God tells us to avoid sexual sin, while Western culture is saturated with sexual immorality. "Don't covet what you don't have," yet much of the world is engrossed upon gaining more and more stuff, within the world's economic system. that holds 'You need more and, and more, and nicer stuff'.
Some of God's laws are just between YOU and God, {The first four}" Honor no other god before me, Don't take personal advantage of My Name, Remember to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath, for it's My Holy day for your rest." Yes, God asks us to obey these laws, though we have the freedom not to.
NOTE(JB): Yes we do have the freedom to ignore His laws but none can escape its consequences, just look at divorce rates and aids, which are in direct rates to human sin-filed actions.
Following God's laws, then, is more than just staying our of court and being a good citizen. If you want to capture God's original intention for humankind, you'll have to be intentional and purposeful about doing what God wants you to do, both in public and in private. And when you do make that attempt, you'll discover a couple of things.
First, you'll discover that by following God's laws, you'll become a happier, more peaceful in family and community. Just as most cooks find that they have a more tastier, more nutritious results when they follow a recipe, so to are we humans happier when we follow God's recipe for life.
The second thing you'll discover, though, is that you can rarely keep God's laws as consistently as we would like, as we will still keep finding ourselves, as Paul says, doing what we don't want to do, and not doing what we want to to do {Romans 7: 15]
WE ALL NEED HELP.
To Jesus, the Ten Commandments weren't just rules, but principles. He summed the m up in this way: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart" [Commandment 1-4, and love your neighbor as yourself [6-10 commandments]. I n saying this, Jesus closed closed all the loopholes we might leave for ourselves. Most have not killed another human being but look......>
..
Matthew 5:22 "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, [ empty one, fool, stupid] shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
Matthew 5:28 " But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."
Note(JB): The above are but two examples of the PRINCIPLE of the law!
.......>This leaves humans i n a quandary, for it means that even the best intentioned of us inevitably follow in the footsteps of Adam.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
Are we then without hope? NO!.....>
Romans 3:24-27 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith."
Romans 7:14-17 "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."
Is it no wonder that we find this...
Romans 7:24-25 "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
Note(JB): There's no Salvation in knowing the Bible, Satan knows it far better than any human, but it'll not save him. No Church can Save anyone, nor can any human, only Jesus Christ is able to save anyone and every one IF they have accepted Him i n loving obedience. Everyone that desires life eternal will do that which is needed, and Jesus will do the rest!
However, and PLEASE..... remember that without Jesus, God's laws would be as sure and certain and unforgiving as the laws of nature. Prove the law of Gravity, by jumping of you roof....
Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin, is death........." Pure, Simple and as inexorable as the law of gravity, to one suspended over the Grand Canyon, but by the intercessions of Jesus, our sins can be forgiven and forgotten, as if they had been cast into the Mariana Trench!
AGAIN, PLEASE.... do not be presumptuous, and think just because God truly loves each one of us, so much so, that He'll not allow us to suffer the results of our sins, as in smokers getting cancer!
Romans 6:22-23 "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Note(JB): Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. are the 10 in their fullness.
Thanking Y O U for your time. Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
other sites? AFTV.org. BLBN.org Amazingdicoveries.org itiswriten.com
Want/Need more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church any Sabbath/Saturday at 9-10 AM, Knowing that The Creator God has a place set-aside just for Y O U, in Heaven!
cc/jb
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
"JONAH MEETS ISIS" BY Omar Miranda, Signs of the Times, Jan, 1219 Issue.
My thanks to both the author and this magazine. (john B)
"IN A WORLD THAT'S FILLED WITH HATE, HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN RESPOND?
"God bless Great Grandma,, and, Daddy.. Help us to have a good night's sleep. And oh, yah,God, please Bless and protect all those people in Syria and rag that are being killed and terrorized, and please bless and be with those ISIS people, You know that they nare so angry because they don't know You, and don't love You, Amen"
I kissed my 8 year old son, put him to bed, and in shock walked back to my bedroom. As I sat down, my head was spinning. Did my son just ask God to bless and be with terrorists?? Why would God, the Creator of all, be with those who force people to "Convert of die"?
All others in the house were either asleep or otherwise occupied, and I was alone with my thoughts. I kept asking God, "Why would my boy ask You to bless them"
It was the summer of 2014, and the world and I watched with horror as the ISIS terrorist organisation attacked, persecuted,killed, and drove out thousands of people from their homes, just because they disagreed with them. I had asked God to stop them, but I was taken aback by my son's love even for THEM.
Just A few hours before, as mu family sat around the dinner table, and talked about our day. I had given my children, age appropriate version of the day's world events. When we got to the situation in Iraq, my son asked a simple question" Daddy why are these ISIS people doing this"?
My 12 year old daughter- who is convinced she knows everything already, shot back ,"Hurting People, hurt people!" They are doing this because they are very angry and they hurt people, because they don't know Jesus!"
My Son said, "OK" and finished his meal. Relieved, I thought the episode was over. Little did I know that still waters run deep. Fast-forward to his bed-time, and well-- you know how that turned out.
But his prayer kept eating at me. I couldn't shake it. Did God really expect my family and me, to be praying that God would bless ISIS?. This question drove me to deep and prolonged prayers and Bible study. I needed to know what God siad about terrorists--people who purposely and ruthlessly harm and persecute others, simply due to a difference in values, religion, or beliefs. And if God did say something about them, how does it relate toy life?
s I prayed, read, studied and struggled with the cognitive dissonance I felt by being someone who passionately love God and others but one who hates sin. I n all its forms., I came to this conclusion: God addresses terrorism and persecutions in surprisingly clear and plain language. He gave us a principle in an Old Testament story (actually an entire book) and then teases out that principle in several New Testament passages.
MUCH MORE THAN A FISH STORY.
The ols Book's story of Jonah bears a striking resemblance to what's happening with ISIS. Jonah, a prophet of God, was told to deliver a message, to the people of Nineveh, which was the most flourishing capital, of an incredibly ruthless, and evil Assyrian Empire, a kingdom in the northern Mesopotamia, a kingdom of the center of none of the great empires of the ancient Middle East. I was located in today's northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. Nineveh was built on the banks of the Tigris River, opposite of today's Mosul, Iraq-- which in 2014 was the heart of the very region that was terrorized by ISIS.
The Assyrians, and by extension, the Ninevites, were a wicked, cruel and paga dpeople. They. They pioneered brutal and unspeakable ways to torture others, especially Israel.
NOTE(JB) : There's much agreement among historians and archaeologists, that they "INVENTED" the "ART" of crucifixion, a method of killing, which a strong man may last up to three days before the mercy of death. Remember that Rome, came on the picture of history much latter, by some 1,000 years!
So when God told Jonah to deliver a message of Judgment and destruction, he was thrilled. He was excited that God wanted to destroy the Ninevites, because... well they deserved it, in Jonah's mind.
NOTE(JB): a bit of background here.... Dagon, their "FISH-god," Google it and see pictures of rock carvings, showing his priests in a fish tail, with scales and wearing a fish-mouth hat. The same
"MITER-HATS" we see on the Catholic Church's leaders yet today! The "Prayer-beads" came from the Hindus, as well as their many "Processions".Much of their doctrines came to them from Babylon,, such as eternal souls, die and go to one's reward, Easter from Astarte their Queen of heavens and fertility symbols of Bunnies and Eggs, to which they revere Mary as of 1850's! Mary death is not recorded in the Bible, nor is her resurrection!
1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
Please note ONE MAN, as The Mediator, that excludes their Mediatrix Mary, who is still in her grave along with King David! Learn the Bible and take God's word in place of those of men, whose bloated ego's are too large for mortal to carry, without Satan's help! 2 Thess. 2:1-15 and Revelation's 13: 2 and 18:4. Yes men say Revelation's is not for us to understand but they then ignore Rev.1:3 and besides read John 1L:1-3 and 14 and ask "Why would Jesus, "The WORD" write Revelation if he did n't want men to read and study it? Besides much of this book borrows from the Old Book words phrases and whole verses, especially Daniel which without it one can't understand the symbolics, of "The Revelations of Jesus Christ"!
SO when the Holy Bible's "fish" spewed up Jonah on the beach, he was a living messenger of their god Dagon, and they ALL headed his words, and collectively repented, as their king demanded and God relented and chose NOT to destroy them, then! When this happened Jonah decided, wrongly, to put God i n His place by whining and complaining to Him about his frustration.. The book ends with Jonah seemingly not getting the message that God is kind and compassionate and seeks to extend mercy to all--- the same mercy He extended to Jonah and his fellow Israelites.
Jonah's stubborn, uncaring attitude smacks uncomfortably close to the attitudes of many Christians as we see the atrocities of ISIS unfold right before our eyes. If was say we love God and others, shouldn't we respond and pray for God to bless and to bring them all to repentance--- not just to destroy them?
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.
Look at how the following verse expands upon the principle of the Jonah story.....in Christ's words.....
Matthew 5:38-48 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, 39. That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.40 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect"
WHAT! Did Jesus really mean what He said?? That we are blessed when we are to love those who seek us to do things that are hurtful and not good? That we should give to others all that they ask of us by demand? We should walk with them Vs. 40-41? Plus to love, and pray for them, and not to resist an evil person Vs. 39.
Did Y O U make note of His stinging rebuke at the end? "Be ye perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect" Vs. 48.Jesus is here telling us not only that these "strange" actions are mandated but that they are possible only through His powers at work within uis and in our lives.
Here's the more troubling question: "Does Jesus want us to be Christian Carpets and let all others, who seek to do us wrong, just walk all over us?"
Well, YES and NO! Let me explain.
The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome, clarified Jesus' instructions through his unique perspective. Let's not ever forget that Paul used to be called "Saul" and he had persecuted Christians to the point of death! Paul reminded the Roman Christians that they shouldn't take revenge on others, but instead should let God take care of that.....
Romans 12:9 " Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good."
Hebrews 10:30 "For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people"
Paul ended his counsel with this.unbelievable zinger: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" Vs,21.
THE THIRD OPTION.
Paul, --like Jesus--- made it abundantly clear that we are not to seek revenge when persecuted. This emotion follows anger, and its perfectly normal for all humanity, but as Christ men and women, we are not to respond in this way.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 " Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools."
Note(JB) : ever notice when anger enters the hearts of people, wisdom departs? People do and say things they'd never do or say otherwise! The culprit? Most often it's self-pride! IT is this very emotion that changed Lucifer into Satan! Get the connection???
So, if we shouldn't 'pay-back' evil for evil, should we do nothing? That's not right either, now is it?
That's why Jesus and Paul recognized that the best option is the third one: To let God take care of it. If we truly love Him, and believe in His Word, and we trust Him because we know that HE has all the powers, and is the perfect and ultimate Judge, then we can leave those wrongs in the safest place of all: in HIS hands.
Hebrews 10:30 " For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people."
NOTE(JB) : If the Hatfields and the McCoys had followed Christ's advice, this feud would not ever take n place.
WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.
The simple truth, there's nothing more difficult that dealing with one whose sole purpose for living is to torment and persecute us and those whom we love. Yet Jesus did not give us a pass on this. If...if...we call ourselves His followers--- if we seek to be like Him--- we must by necessity, act as He acted, agree?
Today,, I want to challenge Y O U to do five things for those who purposely persecute you in order to respond to that persecution as Jesus would:
1) PRAY FOR YOUR PERSECUTORS. Commit to praying for them each, and every day. At this point, don't inform them th.at you're praying for them. Remember, this IS NOT about YOU, jit's about them! It's been my pleasant experience, that after a few or more prayers, it's very difficult to remain angry with them, and still hate them.
2) FORGIVE THEM. Yes, forgive before your Father-God, in Christ's name and for sake! AND YOURS! Look at the example Jesus set before us at the Cross!
Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."
Therefore if we want to be like Jesus, we must also do and act as He, agree?
3) DO SOMETHING FOR THEM. Several years ago my daughter was singled out for verbal bullying and abuse by an older girl. After my daughter spoke with her mother and me, she prayed about it and felt strongly impressed to begin praying for this girls every day. She also picked some flowers and gave them to her. The next week my daughter was pleasantly surprised to see a positive response from this young lady, and the bullying stopped. Pray, and take the time to listen to God's Holy Spirit, and then give a kindness to your persecutor.
4) ATTEMPT TO EMPATHIZE. Remember what my daughter said about ISIS? "HURT PEOPLE, HURT PEOPLE" They are doing this because they know not Jesus, and the fact that they've been brought up with this kind of thinking, "All who do not believe as we do, are to be killed" This is all most of the living members of this faith, have known since birth, for generations i n fact, look.......
Genesis 16:11-12 "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
NOTE(JB) : Yes Ismael and his Mom got a raw deal from Abraham, by sending them away empty- handed, yet this region will not ever see true peace until Jesus returns! How many have seen the news file, about the interview of a two year boy, who was asked, "What do you want to do, when your are grown up? He shouted "KILL JEWS!" Would YOUR two year have given such an answer? NO!
Thus, trying to understand where the other person is coming from, and how that colors his or her actions.
5). BE OPEN TO BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP.
YE,S IT'S TRUE, THAT YOU MAY NOT EVER WANT TO BE BEST FRIENDS, with that person, who makes it is or her purpose in life to to make your life miserable. However, we are here, to fulfill our main purpose,, to make disciples for Jesus! You may not like it, nor enjoy this, but people are watching you how you handle this situation, even the one who hobby is making you miserable!
Note(JB) : They will be the most impressed with your Christ-like dealings with them, and that they may have a change of heart
"I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU....REALLY!
Hebrews 13:5" Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
THIS IS hIS promise TO EACH ONE OF US! Claim it every day in prayers. WHY?
Living on this earth in these bodies of flesh, humans all, are subjected as Christians to Satan's and the world' anger. Persecutions, and torment, and deceptions galore! However, things SHALL get much, much worse to closer we come, in time to His Second Coming! The closer we get, to that point in time, the faster events will progress.However, we can be fully assured that no matter what happens, God will not ever leave those who claim Him through Christ Crucified yet lives to intercede on our behalf.. In full truth...
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
This is the very reason that we MUST turn the other cheek, and allow God to guide and protect us, and for HIM to judge and recompense us! Let's all make up our collective minds to not be as knuckle-headed as Jonah, who has not as yet learned about God's grace! Remember His promise.....
"IN A WORLD THAT'S FILLED WITH HATE, HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN RESPOND?
"God bless Great Grandma,, and, Daddy.. Help us to have a good night's sleep. And oh, yah,God, please Bless and protect all those people in Syria and rag that are being killed and terrorized, and please bless and be with those ISIS people, You know that they nare so angry because they don't know You, and don't love You, Amen"
I kissed my 8 year old son, put him to bed, and in shock walked back to my bedroom. As I sat down, my head was spinning. Did my son just ask God to bless and be with terrorists?? Why would God, the Creator of all, be with those who force people to "Convert of die"?
All others in the house were either asleep or otherwise occupied, and I was alone with my thoughts. I kept asking God, "Why would my boy ask You to bless them"
It was the summer of 2014, and the world and I watched with horror as the ISIS terrorist organisation attacked, persecuted,killed, and drove out thousands of people from their homes, just because they disagreed with them. I had asked God to stop them, but I was taken aback by my son's love even for THEM.
Just A few hours before, as mu family sat around the dinner table, and talked about our day. I had given my children, age appropriate version of the day's world events. When we got to the situation in Iraq, my son asked a simple question" Daddy why are these ISIS people doing this"?
My 12 year old daughter- who is convinced she knows everything already, shot back ,"Hurting People, hurt people!" They are doing this because they are very angry and they hurt people, because they don't know Jesus!"
My Son said, "OK" and finished his meal. Relieved, I thought the episode was over. Little did I know that still waters run deep. Fast-forward to his bed-time, and well-- you know how that turned out.
But his prayer kept eating at me. I couldn't shake it. Did God really expect my family and me, to be praying that God would bless ISIS?. This question drove me to deep and prolonged prayers and Bible study. I needed to know what God siad about terrorists--people who purposely and ruthlessly harm and persecute others, simply due to a difference in values, religion, or beliefs. And if God did say something about them, how does it relate toy life?
s I prayed, read, studied and struggled with the cognitive dissonance I felt by being someone who passionately love God and others but one who hates sin. I n all its forms., I came to this conclusion: God addresses terrorism and persecutions in surprisingly clear and plain language. He gave us a principle in an Old Testament story (actually an entire book) and then teases out that principle in several New Testament passages.
MUCH MORE THAN A FISH STORY.
The ols Book's story of Jonah bears a striking resemblance to what's happening with ISIS. Jonah, a prophet of God, was told to deliver a message, to the people of Nineveh, which was the most flourishing capital, of an incredibly ruthless, and evil Assyrian Empire, a kingdom in the northern Mesopotamia, a kingdom of the center of none of the great empires of the ancient Middle East. I was located in today's northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey. Nineveh was built on the banks of the Tigris River, opposite of today's Mosul, Iraq-- which in 2014 was the heart of the very region that was terrorized by ISIS.
The Assyrians, and by extension, the Ninevites, were a wicked, cruel and paga dpeople. They. They pioneered brutal and unspeakable ways to torture others, especially Israel.
NOTE(JB) : There's much agreement among historians and archaeologists, that they "INVENTED" the "ART" of crucifixion, a method of killing, which a strong man may last up to three days before the mercy of death. Remember that Rome, came on the picture of history much latter, by some 1,000 years!
So when God told Jonah to deliver a message of Judgment and destruction, he was thrilled. He was excited that God wanted to destroy the Ninevites, because... well they deserved it, in Jonah's mind.
NOTE(JB): a bit of background here.... Dagon, their "FISH-god," Google it and see pictures of rock carvings, showing his priests in a fish tail, with scales and wearing a fish-mouth hat. The same
"MITER-HATS" we see on the Catholic Church's leaders yet today! The "Prayer-beads" came from the Hindus, as well as their many "Processions".Much of their doctrines came to them from Babylon,, such as eternal souls, die and go to one's reward, Easter from Astarte their Queen of heavens and fertility symbols of Bunnies and Eggs, to which they revere Mary as of 1850's! Mary death is not recorded in the Bible, nor is her resurrection!
1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;"
Please note ONE MAN, as The Mediator, that excludes their Mediatrix Mary, who is still in her grave along with King David! Learn the Bible and take God's word in place of those of men, whose bloated ego's are too large for mortal to carry, without Satan's help! 2 Thess. 2:1-15 and Revelation's 13: 2 and 18:4. Yes men say Revelation's is not for us to understand but they then ignore Rev.1:3 and besides read John 1L:1-3 and 14 and ask "Why would Jesus, "The WORD" write Revelation if he did n't want men to read and study it? Besides much of this book borrows from the Old Book words phrases and whole verses, especially Daniel which without it one can't understand the symbolics, of "The Revelations of Jesus Christ"!
SO when the Holy Bible's "fish" spewed up Jonah on the beach, he was a living messenger of their god Dagon, and they ALL headed his words, and collectively repented, as their king demanded and God relented and chose NOT to destroy them, then! When this happened Jonah decided, wrongly, to put God i n His place by whining and complaining to Him about his frustration.. The book ends with Jonah seemingly not getting the message that God is kind and compassionate and seeks to extend mercy to all--- the same mercy He extended to Jonah and his fellow Israelites.
Jonah's stubborn, uncaring attitude smacks uncomfortably close to the attitudes of many Christians as we see the atrocities of ISIS unfold right before our eyes. If was say we love God and others, shouldn't we respond and pray for God to bless and to bring them all to repentance--- not just to destroy them?
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.
Look at how the following verse expands upon the principle of the Jonah story.....in Christ's words.....
Matthew 5:38-48 "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, 39. That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.40 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect"
WHAT! Did Jesus really mean what He said?? That we are blessed when we are to love those who seek us to do things that are hurtful and not good? That we should give to others all that they ask of us by demand? We should walk with them Vs. 40-41? Plus to love, and pray for them, and not to resist an evil person Vs. 39.
Did Y O U make note of His stinging rebuke at the end? "Be ye perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect" Vs. 48.Jesus is here telling us not only that these "strange" actions are mandated but that they are possible only through His powers at work within uis and in our lives.
Here's the more troubling question: "Does Jesus want us to be Christian Carpets and let all others, who seek to do us wrong, just walk all over us?"
Well, YES and NO! Let me explain.
The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome, clarified Jesus' instructions through his unique perspective. Let's not ever forget that Paul used to be called "Saul" and he had persecuted Christians to the point of death! Paul reminded the Roman Christians that they shouldn't take revenge on others, but instead should let God take care of that.....
Romans 12:9 " Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good."
Hebrews 10:30 "For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people"
Paul ended his counsel with this.unbelievable zinger: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" Vs,21.
THE THIRD OPTION.
Paul, --like Jesus--- made it abundantly clear that we are not to seek revenge when persecuted. This emotion follows anger, and its perfectly normal for all humanity, but as Christ men and women, we are not to respond in this way.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 " Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools."
Note(JB) : ever notice when anger enters the hearts of people, wisdom departs? People do and say things they'd never do or say otherwise! The culprit? Most often it's self-pride! IT is this very emotion that changed Lucifer into Satan! Get the connection???
So, if we shouldn't 'pay-back' evil for evil, should we do nothing? That's not right either, now is it?
That's why Jesus and Paul recognized that the best option is the third one: To let God take care of it. If we truly love Him, and believe in His Word, and we trust Him because we know that HE has all the powers, and is the perfect and ultimate Judge, then we can leave those wrongs in the safest place of all: in HIS hands.
Hebrews 10:30 " For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people."
NOTE(JB) : If the Hatfields and the McCoys had followed Christ's advice, this feud would not ever take n place.
WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.
The simple truth, there's nothing more difficult that dealing with one whose sole purpose for living is to torment and persecute us and those whom we love. Yet Jesus did not give us a pass on this. If...if...we call ourselves His followers--- if we seek to be like Him--- we must by necessity, act as He acted, agree?
Today,, I want to challenge Y O U to do five things for those who purposely persecute you in order to respond to that persecution as Jesus would:
1) PRAY FOR YOUR PERSECUTORS. Commit to praying for them each, and every day. At this point, don't inform them th.at you're praying for them. Remember, this IS NOT about YOU, jit's about them! It's been my pleasant experience, that after a few or more prayers, it's very difficult to remain angry with them, and still hate them.
2) FORGIVE THEM. Yes, forgive before your Father-God, in Christ's name and for sake! AND YOURS! Look at the example Jesus set before us at the Cross!
Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."
Therefore if we want to be like Jesus, we must also do and act as He, agree?
3) DO SOMETHING FOR THEM. Several years ago my daughter was singled out for verbal bullying and abuse by an older girl. After my daughter spoke with her mother and me, she prayed about it and felt strongly impressed to begin praying for this girls every day. She also picked some flowers and gave them to her. The next week my daughter was pleasantly surprised to see a positive response from this young lady, and the bullying stopped. Pray, and take the time to listen to God's Holy Spirit, and then give a kindness to your persecutor.
4) ATTEMPT TO EMPATHIZE. Remember what my daughter said about ISIS? "HURT PEOPLE, HURT PEOPLE" They are doing this because they know not Jesus, and the fact that they've been brought up with this kind of thinking, "All who do not believe as we do, are to be killed" This is all most of the living members of this faith, have known since birth, for generations i n fact, look.......
Genesis 16:11-12 "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
NOTE(JB) : Yes Ismael and his Mom got a raw deal from Abraham, by sending them away empty- handed, yet this region will not ever see true peace until Jesus returns! How many have seen the news file, about the interview of a two year boy, who was asked, "What do you want to do, when your are grown up? He shouted "KILL JEWS!" Would YOUR two year have given such an answer? NO!
Thus, trying to understand where the other person is coming from, and how that colors his or her actions.
5). BE OPEN TO BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP.
YE,S IT'S TRUE, THAT YOU MAY NOT EVER WANT TO BE BEST FRIENDS, with that person, who makes it is or her purpose in life to to make your life miserable. However, we are here, to fulfill our main purpose,, to make disciples for Jesus! You may not like it, nor enjoy this, but people are watching you how you handle this situation, even the one who hobby is making you miserable!
Note(JB) : They will be the most impressed with your Christ-like dealings with them, and that they may have a change of heart
"I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU....REALLY!
Hebrews 13:5" Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
THIS IS hIS promise TO EACH ONE OF US! Claim it every day in prayers. WHY?
Living on this earth in these bodies of flesh, humans all, are subjected as Christians to Satan's and the world' anger. Persecutions, and torment, and deceptions galore! However, things SHALL get much, much worse to closer we come, in time to His Second Coming! The closer we get, to that point in time, the faster events will progress.However, we can be fully assured that no matter what happens, God will not ever leave those who claim Him through Christ Crucified yet lives to intercede on our behalf.. In full truth...
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
This is the very reason that we MUST turn the other cheek, and allow God to guide and protect us, and for HIM to judge and recompense us! Let's all make up our collective minds to not be as knuckle-headed as Jonah, who has not as yet learned about God's grace! Remember His promise.....
John 14:1-4 " Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."
How can Y O U know? read His 66 Love Letters to Y O U His child! The Holy Bible!
All quotes ar3e from the King James Version (John B)
Thanking Y O U for your time, Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com or bazenj@gmial .com
NEED/ WANT more? Visit you Seventh-day Adventist Church, knowing that ONLY Y O U can fill the place your Father has set aside for you, forever, in heaven.
OTHER SITES: EDW@CENTERFORONLINEEVANGELISM.ORG ; blbn.ORG: AFTV.org:
Amazingdiscoeries.org : itiswritten.com : redeen.international servantsite@wordpress.com
cc/jb
Friday, November 16, 2018
Marvin Moore's "FOOLING WITH TIME". Signs of the Times, November 2018.Issue.
My many thanks to both author and this magazine. (John B) TO ORDER CALL 1-800 545-2449 [USA] [CAN] 1-800 765-6955 THIS MONTHLY MAGAZINE. [Contains NO advertisements, but a call to Jesus]
Marvin Moore reflects on the meaning of time, how we organize it, and how it can be an important part of our Spiritual life.
Please, do me a favor...... define the word TIME! Take a moment to think about it before you continue to read on.
WHAT DID YOU come up with? When I first tried to define it, I had a hard time coming up with an idea without using the very word TIME! "TIME is the TIME, in which we do things." "TIME is the TIME, in which we do things." "TIME is the TIME, in which things happen." Eventually, I came up with the word PERIOD: "TIME is the PERIOD, in which we do things." "TIME, is the PERIOD in which events happen." Webster's o n-line Dictionary agrees, it defines time as "the measured or measurable PERIOD during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues." I like the definition of TIME, my wife Lois, came up with: "TIME is a way to measure how long it takes from one event to another."
TIME is such a basic part of our existence that it's impossible for us finite humans to imagine a "TIME" when TIME didn't exist. Throughout every day we're aware of passing, TIME. We have appointments to meet on TIME, Jobs to complete on TIME, and bedtime, daytime, and nighttime. Toward evening we'll say "Where on earth has the TIME gone?" Plus by the middle of June, we are exclaiming, "The year's barely started, and we're already halfway through it?"
TIME and living are practically synonymous. Without time we'd never get anything done! Stop and think about this...... "We couldn't even exist without time!?
ORGANIZING TIME.
We humans have been fooling with time for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found evidence of time keeping as far back as thousands years ago. However primitive this would be compared to our methods today. We divide time into milliseconds, [1/1000 ths] seconds minutes hours days weeks months years and decades and eons, even millenniums. We have clocks and calendars that help us keep track of time. That way we can make appointments, and keep them on time\, and we can even plan for our retirement at a future time..
However, watches, clocks are a fairly recent innovation. The ancients kept track of time by the movements of the heavenly bodies, which helped mankind to divide time b y day\s, months and seasons, and years. The Jews of the Bible times divided the light and dark parts of their days into 12 parts each. For example, Christ was crucified at about, "The Third hour, and He died at about "the ninth hour", which would have been about 9 AM and about 3 PM in our time system, today.
Mark 15:25 "And it was the third hour, and they crucified him."
Matthew 27:45-50 "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost." [His Spirit/Breath of life/breath His last]
We must know that these times in hours are but our estimates,as THEN, the length of an hour depended on the time of year, During the summer months the day would be longer , thus making the hours in winter shorter than summer hours!...,...> Cont.
NOTE(JB) : At their Latitude, the simmer's longest day, of daylight, would be from 5:30- AM to about 8 PM., but in the winter it would be from about 7:00 AM to about 4:30 PM. This is the reason why of the time frames in Genesis 1: 5,8,13. From sunset to sunset as one full day, thus all would be able by the sun's position to know the time beginning for the Seventh-day Sabbath, and when it would end!
Bur, sadly men think they know better and changed the Sabbath from the Seventh-day, to the first day, from Saturday to Sunday, PLUS changed the day's beginnings and endings to midnight. The time of darkness, that much, but not all, earth embraced Rome's edicts, of Sunday's Sacredness, in 321 A.D. by the order of Constantine, the Emperor, and the time of the starting of a new day, at midnight in 1503 AD, by the decree- Papal Bull- by Pope Gregory III, {The Great}He also is known for the calendar we use today, The Gregorian, for in 1582 A.D. he dropped 10 days from the month of October, as Rome's "EASTER" was getting too far away from the SPRING SOLSTICE. Thus Monday October 4th was followed by Tuesday October the 15th. This changed the Julian {Caesar} calendar began in January 1, 45 B.C. . Yet please make note, there's not ever been a change made to the same rotaion and sequence we use then and now, regarding the order of the seven days within a week. The Sabbath still falls on the original Seventh day, and the FIRST day of the week is still named after the Sun-god...... Sunday! Monday= Moon day: Tuesday = Thor's day? Wednesday = Woden: Thursday = Thor's day: Friday = Freidah : Saturday = Saturn. Sunday = The Sun-god.
Cont....> Calendars have been around for some 500 years. Wikipedia lists more than 80 cultures's calendars, from the Mayan to the Hebrew one of the Jews, to today's Gregorian calendar.
COORDINATING MONTHS WITH YEARS.
I mentioned a moment ago that the three most obvious ways to divide the passing of time, are to base it on the cycles of the heavenly bodies: the rotation of earth on its axis to mark our days, the orbit of the moon, around the earth to mark our months, plus the orbit of the earth around the sun to mark our years. In addition we mark our year into seasons, which are also based on the rotation of the earth around the sun.[ We''l discuss the division of time into weeks, in a moment]
A major problem, presents itself to every culture, has to be with its synchronizing lunar months with solar years. The earth orbits sthe sun about every 365,25 days, while the moon orbits the earth about every 29.53 days, which means that there are about 12>53 months in a Lunar Year. Thus, the months don't fit neatly into the years the way round pegs fit into round holes. Some cultures have solved this problem by using strictly the Lunar Calendar, others with a combination of Lunar and Solar calendars, and still others with strictly solar calendars.
LUNAR CALENDARS: In a strictly Lunar year, such as the one the Muslim's use the months are about 11 days days short of completing a year, which is the why the date of the Muslim Ramadan varies to widely from Solar year to Solar year.
LUNAR-SOLAR YEARS: To solve the problem presented by the difference in the Lunar months, and the Solar Year, many ancient cultures tried to align the Lunar with the Solar year to year.One of the most common ways to do this was to add a month every second or third year. The Hebrew religious calendar is an example of this calendar system.. Of course, with this calendar system, the time for the seasons varies quite widely from year to year.
SOLAR CALENDARS: The Roman Emperor Julius Caesar adopted a strictly Solar calendar on January 1, 45 B.C., and it became the norm throughout the empire for more than 1,600 years. Its years had 365 days divided into 12 months, with a leap year added to February every four years.. However even this system was slightly longer that a full year. Thus by the year of 1500 A.D. the spring planting season had slipped about 10 days back into February.
To correct this problem, and the fact that the Spring Solstice {EASTER}had also moved back, Pope Gregory III introduced a revised calendar that compensated for this "slippage" of time. This calendar cut out 10 whole days out of October calendar of 1582, so that Monday October the 4th was followed by Tuesday October the 15th! To prevent continued slippage the Gregorian calendar also cut out some of the leap February days. The LEAP DAY in years that are divisible by 4 is maintained EXCEPT for the years that are divisible by 100 [1800, 1900 etc] . However the years that are divisible by 400, such as 1600 and 2000 are LEAP YEARS.
All nations ruled by the Catholic Church adopted this immediately, but the last one was Greece, in 1923. By the end of the 20th Century, nearly all nations had adopted it at least for the political and economic reasons. Orthodox Jews continue to use the Hebrew religious calendar, and as noted, dthe Muslims still use their religious Lunar calendar.
THE WEEK.
THE WEEK, is the only measure of time that isn't based on the movements of earth, moon, or sun. Today the seven=day week is almost universal. However, throughout the world's history various cultures have used weeks that range form four to ten days. The ancient Romans.held an 8 day week, and during the French revolution, they observed a 10 day week. So where and why do we observe this seven day week? Where was the foundation for it?
Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
NOTE(JB) : This set the parameters of the 24 hour day, from Sunset to Sunset.
Genesis 2:1-3 "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made"
NOTE(JB) : This then set boundaries for the Sabbath day, from Friday;'s Sunset to Saturday's Sunset.
By His BLESSING the SEVENTH Day, He created a weekly MEMORIAL to the CREATION WEEK, and by HIS SANCTIFICATION, made this day a HOLY DAY, set aside for a religious purpose! This means that man/men have no right, no power, to change this day period!
Exodus 20:1-17 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.COMMANDANT 1 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. #2Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
#3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. #4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. #5 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. #6. Thou shalt not kill. #7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. #8. Thou shalt not steal. #9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. #10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
NOTE(JB) : The above are the whole and full Ten Commandments, in the books of Catholic Catechism, and the last Number ten has been split into two parts so that they can show ten! However, they've removed many, many words from each of them especially the fourth the sabbath Command. Not ever wondered nor questioned the why of this? Please THINK, no church no man can save YO U but Christ! LOOK......
Revelation 22:18-21 " For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
Note(JB) : Yes I've heard this, "Well but that is only concerning the Book of Revelation!" To which I ask, "Are Y O U sure you want to hang your eternal life on this remark?"
WHAT'S THE THEOLOGICAL AND SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WEEK AND ESPECIALLY OF THE SABBATH?
Exodus 31:17 " It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed."
NOTE(JB) : Rome's big argument is that "This is for the Jews ONLY! " Oh really????
Galatians 3:7 " Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham."
Galatians 3:14 " That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
It is one's love and faith in Jesus Christ, that makes ALL a "Child of the Promise", or a "Spiritual Israelite," ARE YOU, MY FRIENDS, BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND, THAT BIBLICAL ILLITERACY, CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO SALVATION? YOUR SALVATION? NEVER EVER TAKE WORDS OF MAN/MEN, FOR THE WORD OF GOD, LEARN THAT FOR SELF!!!
Please take note that the weekly Sabbaths, are also a point in time. So that from the very beginning of human history, God did something very special with time.Next take notice of the first words in the statement of time/Sabbath: "By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing."
Genesis 2:2 " And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made."
If you've ever looked real close at anything found in nature, you'll appreciate His consummate artistry. Its plants, animals and especially its twoans, as His 'Masterpiece". We humans are prone to mark our "SPECIAL DAYS" right? Birthdays, Anniversaries, graduation Weddings, and so on, so God did the very same thing! He "SET-ASIDE", for a holy purpose the Seventh-day Sabbath, as a special weekly memorial, to celebrate His CREATION!
Genesis 2:3 "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
SANCTIFIED: (SANK'TA-FI`D) adj. dedicated,consecrated, made holy.affecting sanctity. New World Dictionary, Simon & Schuster. 2nd College Edition.
Note(JB) QUESTION: "What can man make holy"? NOTHING! Thus "Sunday Sacredness" is but of human tradition! Mark 7:9 "And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."
Disagree? Speak to the Author of the Bible about this question, He's eager to hear from Y O U!
.....> Remember the story of Moses, and the burning bush? Moses was told to remove his shoes for he was on Holy Ground? [Exodus 3:1-5] So also does He expect us all to show this special respect for the Holy Time on HIS ....yes HIS .......Sabbaths! By honoring His Memorial Day the Seventh day Sabbaths! No need to remove one's shoes.Just surrender one's heart.
THE SABBATH A SPECIAL DAY FOR HUMANS.
REMEMBER... all that The Creator created during the six days of Creation week had to do with the physical world: a planet with its atmosphere, plants, animals and humans. BUT... on the SEVENTH DAY God created something special, that's especially for intelligent human beings. To the animals, the seventh day of the week is just like any other....>
NOTE(JB) : Science has shown that many life forms, from plants to bacteria, really slow down their activity on the Sabbath. WHY IS THAT? IF THERE'S NO GOD.HOW CAN THIS BE SO????
.....> Only thinking humans can recognize the significance of the Sabbath sd holy time. Thus the Sabbath is God's special Creation action, a TEMPLE IN TIME!. That only Humans can understand and be participants in it!
There's a profound reason for this....the most fundamental aspect of the Sabbaths is for a Loving and personal relationships, with the all the members of the Godhead as well as with our fellow believers.You see, God created millions of angels......
.Revelation 5:11 "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;"
Daniel 7:10 "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened".
....> He wanted intelligent beings whom He could love and who could love Him in return, and He as far as we can know, created each one individually, one by one. However, He gave humans the ability to koin Him in creating more humans. Given enough time, there's no limit to the number of people we humans are capable of creating.. That's how much God enjoys having relationships with other intelligent beings.
And, of course, these relationships take time......>
NOTE(JB) : no human can love an unknown being, and the only source we have to know God is from his Holy Book, the Bible! Most don't read it!
...> That's why God set-aside the Sabbath at the very beginning of world's history as a TIME. He could then relate to us and we to Him. And He embed this principle in His law of the Ten Commandments. It's why He made the day holy--- so that we would set it aside as time for enjoying a loving relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
Y O U, may say, as many do, "I worship God every day," That's good, and God is pleased. But HE also set aside an entire day for us to fellowship with Him and each other in a special way.
OR, Y O U may say, "It doesn't matter which day I keep so so long as it's one day in seven."
Well, God is pleased when we spend time with Him on other days but there's only ONE 24 hour day that He asks us to observe in honor of His Creation of our world and us.. There's but ONE day He asks us to spend time with Him and each other in a special relationship with Him and others.
.
Exodus 20:9-10 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Mark 2:28 "Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."
Obey man? OR obey God? Who can save you, man? NO! Man can't even save himself! Thus not YOU either.
.....>; God longs so much, to have a specail relationship with Him, that when we turned against Him, He gave His Son to die for us, to save us from our own sins. [John 3:15-16]. He made this great sacrifice just so that He could spend time with us, just so that we could love him as He loves us.
He also is a God of order, but there's ONE DAY e set aside at the very beginning of time as a special celebration of our Creation.. There's just that ONE day, the Holy Sabbath, the day for us to have a corporate special personal relationship with Him. And its high danger to fool with that time!
NOTE(JB) Sabbath in the Hebrew means REST, yet in 80 of earth's 190 languages, plus all the dialects, the 80 has for their name of the day we call Saturday, is THEIR WORD FOR REST! Pluis:
Genesis 11:7-9 "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth."
QUESTION: WHO CREATED EARTH"S LANGUAGES? THINK, use your mind, your intellect, and not your emotions!
pPp
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
JULIE GUIRGIS' "SELFIES, SCALPELS and, SOUL SURGERY.Signs of the Times Oct. 2018.
My many thanks to the author and this publication. (john B)
Yes these days, almost an. BUT, warns this author, one can photoshop their selfies (self phonto) t6o perfection, It's no longer only for the glamour studios,ONLY. but SHE WARNS there's no solution for the ugliness of SELF-LOATHING!
Thanks to Social Media, we're exposed to multitudes of images of unattainable beauty every day! Before the digital age ofr the new cell phones/computers, we could see images of impossibly perfect beauties of many celebrities on billboards, T.V. and magazines, but we were mot overwhelmed by them , for most of us. But now were, especially teens tend to be consumed by them for hours each day...>.
Note(JB) : I have seen Teens, after school, in a cafe, having a soda, and they are "TEXTING: each other, rather than having a conversation! This is making conversations obsolete, and spelling, going out the windows of "Progress"? Let alone proper grammar, as conversations are reduced to to LOL and CU Soon?
....> Social Media, Facebook, twitter, and Instagram are the primary way many young people communicate with the outside world, even within many households! I n 2013 2/3 of American Teens were on Facebook, where they psted images that were shared by millions each and every day....>
Note(JB) : More that a few, were taken in their "Birthday suits," and once on the web, they are there for ever! On millions of smart-phones, laptops etc, that can not ever be deleted!
....> The effects on these young people's psyches is troubling. Viewing pictures in magazines, and o n T.V. that show thin, attractive woman, muscular lean men has been shown that can lead to self-body dissatisfaction. And it's not just the exposure to these images that's damaging; it's also the pressure to have perfect bodies, and a perfected profile pictures of ourselves, and then comparing ourselves to the photo shopped perfections of the images see. This became a danger, of a constant analysis of our own bodies, compared to the fake perfection, that Photo shop can do, that we see in many venues.
Phillpa Roxby, in her article, "Does Social Media Impact on Body Image?" published by the B.B.C. tells the story of Kelsey Hibberd, who lives in South End, United Kingdom. Hibberd recalls her high school years ad "Being Miserable". She intentionally kept her Face book friends to a minimum, choosing to communicate only with those who wouldn't make fun of her, and pick on her.
"I'd always been tall, and was a bit pudgy too."he said. "No-one seemed to notice in primary school, but then in the 7rth grade everyone started pointing at me, noticing things, making me think that I was ugly and not special."
Hibberd became e self-conscious about small things, like the shape of her eyebrows and the size of her forehead. She was bullied from the ages of 11 to 16. Thus she knows first hand that t3ens can have thousands of "friends", online yet be vulnerable to having body issues..
"You put forward your best self, and that can be a bit dangerous, because you naturally compare yourself to others." Hibberd says.
COUNTERING DAMAGING SELF-PERCEPTIONS.
Roxby also points out that in 2012, Australian members of Parliament [MPs] recommended that all school children should take part in compulsory body image and self-esteem lessons.An inquiry by the ALL-PARTY Parliamentary Group on Body image heard evidence that girls as young as five were worrying about their size and appearance."
Note(JB) : From without a doubt, headed by some Liberal PhD's Who try to conform all the rest of us, into their thinking and actions! They are the same-- world over! As if they are telepathically linked! Individual thoughts are discouraged! Group think is were they find comfort thus religion is also out of step, according to most of the like-minded thinkers! [Or is it stinkers?]
"It was also pointed out that among adults about 60% felt ashamed of the way they looked. The report said that the pressure to look good had pushed up cosmetic surgery rates by nearly 20 percent!"
Roxby also says that MP Caroline Nokes is a member of the parliamentary group that--with several charities, businesses, and public bodies--"Is launching a campaign to change attitudes toward body image, called "Be Real: Body Confidence for Everyone." With this she visited schools and spoke to 12-13 year old about how easily images in the media can be altered, enhanced and improved to create something far from realistic. "They understand, she said, because they go through the same process when they post images on social media sites."
It's true! Young people ca n "DOCTOR" the images themselves that they send to their friends.
Note(JB) : Most computer Operating Systems have a photo enhancement programmer. Within which one cam remove pimples, blotches, increase or decrease ears, nose, or chin. With enough practice one can make their "SELFY" look as great as any Hollywood star, or starlet!
I have asked many groups, to put their hands up, if any have doctored-up their images o n face book? Most put their hands up! Thus"social media", has such a huge effect on young people's bodies, confidence and it just can't be ignored.
"They can make decisions not to look at magazines and TV," Nokes says, "but social media networks are the primary way they communicate and {it's} their main channel to the outside world. But they are seeing the world through a filter, and that's not reality. It's really important we try to instill confidence that they each ,can be, who they are."
Note(JB): Remember, skin deep, but ugly goes on forever!This was the saying when this man 76 year old was a teen! She and others are asking the ad people to incorporate all types of body types and looks. Yes, that happens only on second Tuesday of next week! As in never!
FALSE--GOOD LOOKS.
note(jb) : Many know that a Hollywood star, whose been in the "Media" for 50 plus years, yet facially still looks like she did in the 20's, from the neck up, know that she's a product of a plastic surgeon! Why think Y O U it's called PLASTIC, because the results are PLASTIC and not real! Can you really imagine a world where all the girls look like Marilyn Monroe and the guys are as Errol Flynn?
This must raise many questions for JOHN Q.PUBLIC, and it should! The main concern is that it builds and intensifies a restless culture built upon superficial anxieties about appearance--- a culture that honors endless renovation over hard work, and a secure sense of individual identity.No wonder that as per the American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive Surgery, reported a 31 percentile increase in requests from people who wanted to look better on Social Media!
The most popular demands are nose jobs and fillers! Yet is not the greater problem one of people trying to recast their personal I.D? This along with Cosmetics, clothing companies, therapists, gyms and surgeons all make millions from these insecurities!
NOTE(JB) : The heads of Silicone Valley in California USA, send their children to private schools, that's not news. What is news, is that these schools, have not one "Smart-Phone, P.C. note-pad nor even a calculator for student use, by PARENTAL REQUEST! Is because they know something we don't? YOU BET! If they don't want for their children, should the public not take note, and do the same for our children?
The ame king of thinking also make all the diet programs so popular.. Poor body image, and the mental image we have for own self, is oft linked to to this image, and yet we in the overfed-overweight west, diet, but not because of the overweight issue but for the poor self-image, and not for health reasons.
Note(JB) : describes the values, beliefs, and attitudes we have towards ourselves! It reflects the overall opinion we have about self, Healthy self-esteem is a bout accepting ourselves, despite of our flaws and defects.We should not try to improve self with Botox, which is nothing more than a toxin! Who is willing to eat mouldy fruit, filled with toxins????? So why pay many $$ to be injected with them?
Personally all this to me, shows, a great lack of Bible Knowledge, after all we are made in the image of The Creator-God, and He made only ONE of YOU and me! That's good enough for me and I Pray it is for you as well!
Thanking Y O U for your time. Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
Want/need more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM, and learn that God The Father, has set aside a special place for you in His Kingdom!
Other sites: aftv.org. blbn.org. redeem.international amazingdiscoveries.org itiswritten.com
servantsite@wordpress.com
cc/jb
.
Yes these days, almost an. BUT, warns this author, one can photoshop their selfies (self phonto) t6o perfection, It's no longer only for the glamour studios,ONLY. but SHE WARNS there's no solution for the ugliness of SELF-LOATHING!
Thanks to Social Media, we're exposed to multitudes of images of unattainable beauty every day! Before the digital age ofr the new cell phones/computers, we could see images of impossibly perfect beauties of many celebrities on billboards, T.V. and magazines, but we were mot overwhelmed by them , for most of us. But now were, especially teens tend to be consumed by them for hours each day...>.
Note(JB) : I have seen Teens, after school, in a cafe, having a soda, and they are "TEXTING: each other, rather than having a conversation! This is making conversations obsolete, and spelling, going out the windows of "Progress"? Let alone proper grammar, as conversations are reduced to to LOL and CU Soon?
....> Social Media, Facebook, twitter, and Instagram are the primary way many young people communicate with the outside world, even within many households! I n 2013 2/3 of American Teens were on Facebook, where they psted images that were shared by millions each and every day....>
Note(JB) : More that a few, were taken in their "Birthday suits," and once on the web, they are there for ever! On millions of smart-phones, laptops etc, that can not ever be deleted!
....> The effects on these young people's psyches is troubling. Viewing pictures in magazines, and o n T.V. that show thin, attractive woman, muscular lean men has been shown that can lead to self-body dissatisfaction. And it's not just the exposure to these images that's damaging; it's also the pressure to have perfect bodies, and a perfected profile pictures of ourselves, and then comparing ourselves to the photo shopped perfections of the images see. This became a danger, of a constant analysis of our own bodies, compared to the fake perfection, that Photo shop can do, that we see in many venues.
Phillpa Roxby, in her article, "Does Social Media Impact on Body Image?" published by the B.B.C. tells the story of Kelsey Hibberd, who lives in South End, United Kingdom. Hibberd recalls her high school years ad "Being Miserable". She intentionally kept her Face book friends to a minimum, choosing to communicate only with those who wouldn't make fun of her, and pick on her.
"I'd always been tall, and was a bit pudgy too."he said. "No-one seemed to notice in primary school, but then in the 7rth grade everyone started pointing at me, noticing things, making me think that I was ugly and not special."
Hibberd became e self-conscious about small things, like the shape of her eyebrows and the size of her forehead. She was bullied from the ages of 11 to 16. Thus she knows first hand that t3ens can have thousands of "friends", online yet be vulnerable to having body issues..
"You put forward your best self, and that can be a bit dangerous, because you naturally compare yourself to others." Hibberd says.
COUNTERING DAMAGING SELF-PERCEPTIONS.
Roxby also points out that in 2012, Australian members of Parliament [MPs] recommended that all school children should take part in compulsory body image and self-esteem lessons.An inquiry by the ALL-PARTY Parliamentary Group on Body image heard evidence that girls as young as five were worrying about their size and appearance."
Note(JB) : From without a doubt, headed by some Liberal PhD's Who try to conform all the rest of us, into their thinking and actions! They are the same-- world over! As if they are telepathically linked! Individual thoughts are discouraged! Group think is were they find comfort thus religion is also out of step, according to most of the like-minded thinkers! [Or is it stinkers?]
"It was also pointed out that among adults about 60% felt ashamed of the way they looked. The report said that the pressure to look good had pushed up cosmetic surgery rates by nearly 20 percent!"
Roxby also says that MP Caroline Nokes is a member of the parliamentary group that--with several charities, businesses, and public bodies--"Is launching a campaign to change attitudes toward body image, called "Be Real: Body Confidence for Everyone." With this she visited schools and spoke to 12-13 year old about how easily images in the media can be altered, enhanced and improved to create something far from realistic. "They understand, she said, because they go through the same process when they post images on social media sites."
It's true! Young people ca n "DOCTOR" the images themselves that they send to their friends.
Note(JB) : Most computer Operating Systems have a photo enhancement programmer. Within which one cam remove pimples, blotches, increase or decrease ears, nose, or chin. With enough practice one can make their "SELFY" look as great as any Hollywood star, or starlet!
I have asked many groups, to put their hands up, if any have doctored-up their images o n face book? Most put their hands up! Thus"social media", has such a huge effect on young people's bodies, confidence and it just can't be ignored.
"They can make decisions not to look at magazines and TV," Nokes says, "but social media networks are the primary way they communicate and {it's} their main channel to the outside world. But they are seeing the world through a filter, and that's not reality. It's really important we try to instill confidence that they each ,can be, who they are."
Note(JB): Remember, skin deep, but ugly goes on forever!This was the saying when this man 76 year old was a teen! She and others are asking the ad people to incorporate all types of body types and looks. Yes, that happens only on second Tuesday of next week! As in never!
FALSE--GOOD LOOKS.
note(jb) : Many know that a Hollywood star, whose been in the "Media" for 50 plus years, yet facially still looks like she did in the 20's, from the neck up, know that she's a product of a plastic surgeon! Why think Y O U it's called PLASTIC, because the results are PLASTIC and not real! Can you really imagine a world where all the girls look like Marilyn Monroe and the guys are as Errol Flynn?
This must raise many questions for JOHN Q.PUBLIC, and it should! The main concern is that it builds and intensifies a restless culture built upon superficial anxieties about appearance--- a culture that honors endless renovation over hard work, and a secure sense of individual identity.No wonder that as per the American Academy of Facial and Reconstructive Surgery, reported a 31 percentile increase in requests from people who wanted to look better on Social Media!
The most popular demands are nose jobs and fillers! Yet is not the greater problem one of people trying to recast their personal I.D? This along with Cosmetics, clothing companies, therapists, gyms and surgeons all make millions from these insecurities!
NOTE(JB) : The heads of Silicone Valley in California USA, send their children to private schools, that's not news. What is news, is that these schools, have not one "Smart-Phone, P.C. note-pad nor even a calculator for student use, by PARENTAL REQUEST! Is because they know something we don't? YOU BET! If they don't want for their children, should the public not take note, and do the same for our children?
The ame king of thinking also make all the diet programs so popular.. Poor body image, and the mental image we have for own self, is oft linked to to this image, and yet we in the overfed-overweight west, diet, but not because of the overweight issue but for the poor self-image, and not for health reasons.
Note(JB) : describes the values, beliefs, and attitudes we have towards ourselves! It reflects the overall opinion we have about self, Healthy self-esteem is a bout accepting ourselves, despite of our flaws and defects.We should not try to improve self with Botox, which is nothing more than a toxin! Who is willing to eat mouldy fruit, filled with toxins????? So why pay many $$ to be injected with them?
Personally all this to me, shows, a great lack of Bible Knowledge, after all we are made in the image of The Creator-God, and He made only ONE of YOU and me! That's good enough for me and I Pray it is for you as well!
Thanking Y O U for your time. Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
Want/need more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM, and learn that God The Father, has set aside a special place for you in His Kingdom!
Other sites: aftv.org. blbn.org. redeem.international amazingdiscoveries.org itiswritten.com
servantsite@wordpress.com
cc/jb
.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Ty Gibson's "Frederick's Dreadful Experiment" Sept/ Signs of the Times 2018
My many thanks to both Ty and this magazine {J. B}
LOVE DEFINES EXPLANATION, {IN SCIENCE] . SO WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
Back in the 13th Century { that's during the 1200's for your collage grads (JB)] , the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, conducted an experiment that was intended to discover what language children would learn naturally as they grew up, IF, they were not ever spoken to!He thought it would be Hebrew, Greek or Latin, Arabic, or perhaps the language of the parents. Some things are just apparent agree?
So this King took babies form their mothers and placed them in the care of nurses who were forbidden to speak in their presence.
To his reported great dismay, his experiment was cut short---- but not before something tragically significant regarding human nature was revealed. As you may have guessed, the babies grew up to speak no language at all, because they all died. In the year 1248 an Italian historian by the name of Salimbene di Adam recorded, with an air of scientific observation, that they could not live without the human touch, {he called it petting]. The babies literally died for want of touch!
ASTOUNDING?
Modern medicine call this phenomenon "FAILURE TO THRIVE". For some reason, we humans flourish under the influence of love, and we gradually die without it! The implications of this fact are HUGE! Consider the research of Dr. Dean Ornish, in his national best-seller "Love and Survival", Ornish presents study after study demonstrating that love is a major influence for mental, emotional, and even physical health. He says, "Anything that promotes feelings of love and intimacy is healing: anything that promotes isolation, anger, hostility, loss, hostility, anger, cynicism, depression, alienation, and related feelings often leads to suffering, disease, and premature death from all causes"
Modern science is now proving through controlled studies that human beings are literally engineered for love. We are made for love, as if our DNA contains the message "YOU MUST LOVE AND BE LOVED IN ORDER TO SURVIVE"!
However, this idea from Dr. Ornish and modern main-stream science, presents a huge problem. As he explains it, "The scientific evidence leaves little doubt that love and intimacy are so powerful determinants for our health and survival. Why they have such a great impact remains a mystery>" So to solve the mystery, Ornish posed a question to a wide range of scientists, the gist of it was: "Why are human beings so vitally dependant on love"?
The bottom line answers were in the lines of: "Well,it's strange isn't it?" We don't know why". Dr. Ornish concluded, "Mystery remains. No one can fully explain...why love and intimacy matters so much."
Scientists are baffled by the existence of love and the very fact that we need it to life. BUT WHY?
Quite simply, because love creates a break, actually a contradiction, against science, as the scientific train of thought and logic in the evolutionary worldview. You see the problem arises from their point of view,, from teaching received, and as accepted as norm,
They can't understand the paradigm of reality that the human need for love is crucial to live. WHY?
Because in their Darwinian views evolution begins with the 'SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST', premise, MUST mean that it is the prima-faciah reason for self-preservation, as the foremost law in our survival.
LOVE, by contrast,, is essentially a giving of self, to another, rather than self-preservation, thus and therefore it makes no sense, within the evolutionary context!
Why can this be so stated? "IF materialistic evolution is the truth about human origins, then human beings are merely biological animals, and there's no such thing as love...,......
YET,, here we are, creatures who thrive on love and are utterly dependent on it. A tenacious desire to love and be loved pervades in the heart of every human being! We try to explain it with no reference point beyond ourselves, and w3e seek its satisfaction in countless material pursuits, but it remains--- larger than anything this world more than ourselves.
We can't help but ask the obvious question at some point" 'what is that something more that we so desperately long for?
Only the Holy Bible offers the answer with two simple declarations:
1) Genesis 1:27 " So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
2) 1 John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." [1 John 4:16]
Thanking Y O U for your time. Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
Need?Want more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist church, any Saturday/SABBAth 9-10 AM. Knowing that Heave has a place set aside just for YOU!.
ABBA= the Hebrew term meaning closely to the English word DADDY. Sabbath means rest!
Other sites: BLBN.org-- Amazingdiscoveries.org-- Redeem.international-- AFTV.org---
itiswritten.com--- servantsite@wordpress.com
cc/jb
LOVE DEFINES EXPLANATION, {IN SCIENCE] . SO WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
Back in the 13th Century { that's during the 1200's for your collage grads (JB)] , the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, conducted an experiment that was intended to discover what language children would learn naturally as they grew up, IF, they were not ever spoken to!He thought it would be Hebrew, Greek or Latin, Arabic, or perhaps the language of the parents. Some things are just apparent agree?
So this King took babies form their mothers and placed them in the care of nurses who were forbidden to speak in their presence.
To his reported great dismay, his experiment was cut short---- but not before something tragically significant regarding human nature was revealed. As you may have guessed, the babies grew up to speak no language at all, because they all died. In the year 1248 an Italian historian by the name of Salimbene di Adam recorded, with an air of scientific observation, that they could not live without the human touch, {he called it petting]. The babies literally died for want of touch!
ASTOUNDING?
Modern medicine call this phenomenon "FAILURE TO THRIVE". For some reason, we humans flourish under the influence of love, and we gradually die without it! The implications of this fact are HUGE! Consider the research of Dr. Dean Ornish, in his national best-seller "Love and Survival", Ornish presents study after study demonstrating that love is a major influence for mental, emotional, and even physical health. He says, "Anything that promotes feelings of love and intimacy is healing: anything that promotes isolation, anger, hostility, loss, hostility, anger, cynicism, depression, alienation, and related feelings often leads to suffering, disease, and premature death from all causes"
Modern science is now proving through controlled studies that human beings are literally engineered for love. We are made for love, as if our DNA contains the message "YOU MUST LOVE AND BE LOVED IN ORDER TO SURVIVE"!
However, this idea from Dr. Ornish and modern main-stream science, presents a huge problem. As he explains it, "The scientific evidence leaves little doubt that love and intimacy are so powerful determinants for our health and survival. Why they have such a great impact remains a mystery>" So to solve the mystery, Ornish posed a question to a wide range of scientists, the gist of it was: "Why are human beings so vitally dependant on love"?
The bottom line answers were in the lines of: "Well,it's strange isn't it?" We don't know why". Dr. Ornish concluded, "Mystery remains. No one can fully explain...why love and intimacy matters so much."
Scientists are baffled by the existence of love and the very fact that we need it to life. BUT WHY?
Quite simply, because love creates a break, actually a contradiction, against science, as the scientific train of thought and logic in the evolutionary worldview. You see the problem arises from their point of view,, from teaching received, and as accepted as norm,
They can't understand the paradigm of reality that the human need for love is crucial to live. WHY?
Because in their Darwinian views evolution begins with the 'SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST', premise, MUST mean that it is the prima-faciah reason for self-preservation, as the foremost law in our survival.
LOVE, by contrast,, is essentially a giving of self, to another, rather than self-preservation, thus and therefore it makes no sense, within the evolutionary context!
Why can this be so stated? "IF materialistic evolution is the truth about human origins, then human beings are merely biological animals, and there's no such thing as love...,......
YET,, here we are, creatures who thrive on love and are utterly dependent on it. A tenacious desire to love and be loved pervades in the heart of every human being! We try to explain it with no reference point beyond ourselves, and w3e seek its satisfaction in countless material pursuits, but it remains--- larger than anything this world more than ourselves.
We can't help but ask the obvious question at some point" 'what is that something more that we so desperately long for?
Only the Holy Bible offers the answer with two simple declarations:
1) Genesis 1:27 " So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
2) 1 John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." [1 John 4:16]
Thanking Y O U for your time. Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
Need?Want more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist church, any Saturday/SABBAth 9-10 AM. Knowing that Heave has a place set aside just for YOU!.
ABBA= the Hebrew term meaning closely to the English word DADDY. Sabbath means rest!
Other sites: BLBN.org-- Amazingdiscoveries.org-- Redeem.international-- AFTV.org---
itiswritten.com--- servantsite@wordpress.com
cc/jb
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
"SAVED..by the BANNER of CHRIST" Barry Kimbrough- Signs of the Times, july 2018.
Many and grateful thanks to both in the title line, (John B)
This author points out TWO things God does for us all that make it possible for us to live a new life. While yet upon this earth, in these flesh bodies.
IN 1867, an american visited Cuba on a trip he would not ever forget. Because a revolution was stirring, he soon found himself arrested as a spy and condemned to death. His background was British, but he had immigrated to the United States, where he earned citizenship. Unfortunately, the efforts of consuls from both nation failed to free him from the Cuban prison. On execution day, the black hooded prisoner was led to the place where he would stand before the firing squad,. But the moment the guns were raised, American and British consuls quickly ran up to him and covered him with their nation's falgs. The captain was about to give the order to shoot, but he knew that under such circumstances such an order would invite a war. Instead he looked away, allowing the foreign official to rescue the man and arrange for his return to America.
You and I are saved from spiritual death by two banners from God's kingdom, the flags of God's grace and the power He gives us to live a new life.
THE FLAG OF GOD'S GRACE.
THE first flag of Salvation is God's work for us. Like the prisoner whose only hope was a dramatic intervention from representatives of his home countries, we are in desperate need of Someone to run up to us and cover our sinfulness. This through Christ's death on the Cross, God has flown His "colors" of his Saving Grace, and He has rushed forward to cover us with those colors, thus saving us from eternal death.......>
NOTE(JB): Yes HE has also given each of us a free-will, and sadly many have rejected His love and His gift of eternal life, by living our lives as we each chose to live without Him! It is no small wonder all who reject Him will be themselves rejected by God! They are snared by Satan, and many don't even know it!Sadly I've had these people tell me, "I'd rather serve forever in Hell than ten minutes in heaven!" What these Biblically Illiterate do not know is that they shall share the fire, the Lake of Fire with satan himself who will not ever be again! The Father shall not give sinners eternal life, in order to punish them eternally, the results alone are eternal! Why reject heaven's love????
....> WE become the fortunate recipients of a "NOT GUILTY" verdict. The gift of spiritual protection known as " the Righteousness od God" is not restricted to any gender, race or creed, nor languages, nor cultures but is "unto all upon all those who believe'. { Romans 3:22]
The benefit is down-to-earth. We find freedom from "tyranny of the shoulds," a small voice in our heads that accuses us that we "should have listened more carefully to your parents" or "You should never have started to drinking, or smoking, or "You should not have cheated on that test, or...??????.
Your reading the Gospels brings rescue from the bondage of guilt by promising "No Condemnation for those who are "IN" Jesus Christ [Romans 1:8] This "being 'IN' Christ is the key. The indictments of our guilty consciences are silenced by a voice from heaven declaring our acquittal. Clothed in HIS righteousness, we stand before God just as we had never sinned.
So.... how do we, YOU and I receive this gift?
BY FAITH...Romans 10:17" So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Hebrews 11:6 " But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
It's likened to taking a trip on a commercial jet.We trust our very lives to the competence of the pilots and carefulness of the plance's builder. We also have confidence in the preflight safety checks,, the crew, and the air traffic controllers. BY FAITH, we board, our plane, bus or train or taxi, and enjoy our journey. This is an earthly experience of hopeful surrender, is it not?
In the same way, submitting ourselves to Jesus Christ gives spiritual confidence and assurance that our sins are indeed.. forgiven, because Jesus has already paid the price for them all. We can revel in this happiness for as long as we trust Him!
THE FLAG OF GOD'S POWER.
THE second flag of salvation is a new life.....> Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Note(JB): This is the total rebuilding of our character to be nas Jesus's character, over time.
....> that proves the power of the Gospel 2 Corinthians 3:18 " But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." ....> to change us for the better. After Paul says we are not condemned in Christ, he explains that it's because os something God does in us, Romans 8:1-2 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." The power of the Holy Spirit can set us free from the powers of any habit and or addictions that Satan has chained us with.
Note(JB)" I was a smoker for 40+ years, yet when I cast away all the stuff, got on my knees and prayeed Father, You have see me discard all things tobacco I need you you Father-God, remove my urge, my desire to smoke. HE DID and it was three weeks latter that I realized not one time did I reach without thinking of an other cancer stick! Thank YOU Father! That was getting onto 20 years age, yet still today I suffer from shortness of breath. Yes we are forgiven of our sins, but NOT of its consequences, like my shortness of breath! Yet this also will be corrected in the Resurrection!
.....> The power of the Holy Spirit is able to deliver anyone WILLING, from any and all things, unhealthy or wrong!
IS THIS NOT THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE? God is bigger than the Universe He created, no person's sins can be this big, that He can not forgive, and He forgets them all! Revelation 21:4-5 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
It may all seem impossible when we think how often we've struggled to resist a cigarette, or that next drink of alcohol, or that tempting, suggestive language of a late-night T.V. show. Humanly, it can't be done. But God delights to do in us what we can't do ourselves. Please remember people used think the earth as flat, and that people could not ever fly. Then on December 17, 1903 the Wright Brothers did it in a home-made airplane that weighing in at 605 pounds for a mighty 12 seconds of flight! Not one person then could have dreamed that from a cufe gas engine, bicycle chains and sprockets and a hand carved propellers, wings and trail and error, that man would soon be in a plane that weighs in at 1.32 million pounds and fly from New York to Los Angeles, non-stop in just a few hours. Or the world's largest plane the Antonov AN-225, with a wing-span of nearly a whole football field, and take off holding four main-battle tanks, weighing in at 280 tons! What we once considered absurdly impossible has become routine, and we hardly take note of it, anymore.
If God can help flight engineers turn the impossible into the ordinary, surely He can help us get off the ground, spiritually.
Like gravity, the law os sin and death keeps us down.....> Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
......> Like the law of aerodynamics, God lifts us up. With the thrust of the Holy Spirit's powers, and the lifting wings of faith, we can soar spiritually in the ways we never thought we could. The practical side of the Gospel is its ultimate purpose: " Romans 8:2-4 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Our doing rightly, because we want to---- an ability that sin has robbed from us----can be restored to us by the Holy Bible! {JB if we but "EAT OUR DAILY BREAD", and study the Word of God each day, so read your BIBLE again for the .....'first time'!}
John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
PUTTING IT TO WORK.
What deos this look like in everyday life? Take gosip, for example: "Yes, he's a smart guy," we say, "but what a bad father he is!" "Do you know what I heard"? For many , this is the kind of talk, that is a habit hard to break. But through the influence of the Holy Spirit we can begin to see the good in others. When we git the urge to gossip, we can pray for God's help to say something good about the person instead.
The sales lady at the desk next to you at work may have trouble arriving on time, but she may also be very talented. Thus instead of being critical, we learn to say something positive such as, "She sells more that anyone else here."
Knowing this: "The power of the Spirit can deliver us from our own built,..... prisons!"
What a huge difference it would make if we all learned just this one spiritual skill. Would it not be a miracle?
Be it known, that we ALL have a Miracle-working Savior. No matter the problem, He has the cure.
Standing before the firing squad of guilt and hopelessness, let us gratefully receive God's rescue flags of pardon and power. Than God for spiritual freedom, won for us at such a high cost!
Thanking Y O U for your time.
Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
WANT/NEED more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath @ 9-10 AM. With the knowing that Heaven has reserved a place just for you, and no other, because God loves
Y O U , so much that He willingly died for Y O U, as payment for sins!
Other sites: aftv.org blbn.org redeem.international amazingdiscoveries.org itiswritten.com
servantsite@wordpress.com
This author points out TWO things God does for us all that make it possible for us to live a new life. While yet upon this earth, in these flesh bodies.
IN 1867, an american visited Cuba on a trip he would not ever forget. Because a revolution was stirring, he soon found himself arrested as a spy and condemned to death. His background was British, but he had immigrated to the United States, where he earned citizenship. Unfortunately, the efforts of consuls from both nation failed to free him from the Cuban prison. On execution day, the black hooded prisoner was led to the place where he would stand before the firing squad,. But the moment the guns were raised, American and British consuls quickly ran up to him and covered him with their nation's falgs. The captain was about to give the order to shoot, but he knew that under such circumstances such an order would invite a war. Instead he looked away, allowing the foreign official to rescue the man and arrange for his return to America.
You and I are saved from spiritual death by two banners from God's kingdom, the flags of God's grace and the power He gives us to live a new life.
THE FLAG OF GOD'S GRACE.
THE first flag of Salvation is God's work for us. Like the prisoner whose only hope was a dramatic intervention from representatives of his home countries, we are in desperate need of Someone to run up to us and cover our sinfulness. This through Christ's death on the Cross, God has flown His "colors" of his Saving Grace, and He has rushed forward to cover us with those colors, thus saving us from eternal death.......>
NOTE(JB): Yes HE has also given each of us a free-will, and sadly many have rejected His love and His gift of eternal life, by living our lives as we each chose to live without Him! It is no small wonder all who reject Him will be themselves rejected by God! They are snared by Satan, and many don't even know it!Sadly I've had these people tell me, "I'd rather serve forever in Hell than ten minutes in heaven!" What these Biblically Illiterate do not know is that they shall share the fire, the Lake of Fire with satan himself who will not ever be again! The Father shall not give sinners eternal life, in order to punish them eternally, the results alone are eternal! Why reject heaven's love????
....> WE become the fortunate recipients of a "NOT GUILTY" verdict. The gift of spiritual protection known as " the Righteousness od God" is not restricted to any gender, race or creed, nor languages, nor cultures but is "unto all upon all those who believe'. { Romans 3:22]
The benefit is down-to-earth. We find freedom from "tyranny of the shoulds," a small voice in our heads that accuses us that we "should have listened more carefully to your parents" or "You should never have started to drinking, or smoking, or "You should not have cheated on that test, or...??????.
Your reading the Gospels brings rescue from the bondage of guilt by promising "No Condemnation for those who are "IN" Jesus Christ [Romans 1:8] This "being 'IN' Christ is the key. The indictments of our guilty consciences are silenced by a voice from heaven declaring our acquittal. Clothed in HIS righteousness, we stand before God just as we had never sinned.
So.... how do we, YOU and I receive this gift?
BY FAITH...Romans 10:17" So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Hebrews 11:6 " But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
It's likened to taking a trip on a commercial jet.We trust our very lives to the competence of the pilots and carefulness of the plance's builder. We also have confidence in the preflight safety checks,, the crew, and the air traffic controllers. BY FAITH, we board, our plane, bus or train or taxi, and enjoy our journey. This is an earthly experience of hopeful surrender, is it not?
In the same way, submitting ourselves to Jesus Christ gives spiritual confidence and assurance that our sins are indeed.. forgiven, because Jesus has already paid the price for them all. We can revel in this happiness for as long as we trust Him!
THE FLAG OF GOD'S POWER.
THE second flag of salvation is a new life.....> Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" Note(JB): This is the total rebuilding of our character to be nas Jesus's character, over time.
....> that proves the power of the Gospel 2 Corinthians 3:18 " But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." ....> to change us for the better. After Paul says we are not condemned in Christ, he explains that it's because os something God does in us, Romans 8:1-2 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." The power of the Holy Spirit can set us free from the powers of any habit and or addictions that Satan has chained us with.
Note(JB)" I was a smoker for 40+ years, yet when I cast away all the stuff, got on my knees and prayeed Father, You have see me discard all things tobacco I need you you Father-God, remove my urge, my desire to smoke. HE DID and it was three weeks latter that I realized not one time did I reach without thinking of an other cancer stick! Thank YOU Father! That was getting onto 20 years age, yet still today I suffer from shortness of breath. Yes we are forgiven of our sins, but NOT of its consequences, like my shortness of breath! Yet this also will be corrected in the Resurrection!
.....> The power of the Holy Spirit is able to deliver anyone WILLING, from any and all things, unhealthy or wrong!
IS THIS NOT THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE? God is bigger than the Universe He created, no person's sins can be this big, that He can not forgive, and He forgets them all! Revelation 21:4-5 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful."
It may all seem impossible when we think how often we've struggled to resist a cigarette, or that next drink of alcohol, or that tempting, suggestive language of a late-night T.V. show. Humanly, it can't be done. But God delights to do in us what we can't do ourselves. Please remember people used think the earth as flat, and that people could not ever fly. Then on December 17, 1903 the Wright Brothers did it in a home-made airplane that weighing in at 605 pounds for a mighty 12 seconds of flight! Not one person then could have dreamed that from a cufe gas engine, bicycle chains and sprockets and a hand carved propellers, wings and trail and error, that man would soon be in a plane that weighs in at 1.32 million pounds and fly from New York to Los Angeles, non-stop in just a few hours. Or the world's largest plane the Antonov AN-225, with a wing-span of nearly a whole football field, and take off holding four main-battle tanks, weighing in at 280 tons! What we once considered absurdly impossible has become routine, and we hardly take note of it, anymore.
If God can help flight engineers turn the impossible into the ordinary, surely He can help us get off the ground, spiritually.
Like gravity, the law os sin and death keeps us down.....> Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
......> Like the law of aerodynamics, God lifts us up. With the thrust of the Holy Spirit's powers, and the lifting wings of faith, we can soar spiritually in the ways we never thought we could. The practical side of the Gospel is its ultimate purpose: " Romans 8:2-4 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Our doing rightly, because we want to---- an ability that sin has robbed from us----can be restored to us by the Holy Bible! {JB if we but "EAT OUR DAILY BREAD", and study the Word of God each day, so read your BIBLE again for the .....'first time'!}
John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
PUTTING IT TO WORK.
What deos this look like in everyday life? Take gosip, for example: "Yes, he's a smart guy," we say, "but what a bad father he is!" "Do you know what I heard"? For many , this is the kind of talk, that is a habit hard to break. But through the influence of the Holy Spirit we can begin to see the good in others. When we git the urge to gossip, we can pray for God's help to say something good about the person instead.
The sales lady at the desk next to you at work may have trouble arriving on time, but she may also be very talented. Thus instead of being critical, we learn to say something positive such as, "She sells more that anyone else here."
Knowing this: "The power of the Spirit can deliver us from our own built,..... prisons!"
What a huge difference it would make if we all learned just this one spiritual skill. Would it not be a miracle?
Be it known, that we ALL have a Miracle-working Savior. No matter the problem, He has the cure.
Standing before the firing squad of guilt and hopelessness, let us gratefully receive God's rescue flags of pardon and power. Than God for spiritual freedom, won for us at such a high cost!
Thanking Y O U for your time.
Questions? Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
WANT/NEED more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath @ 9-10 AM. With the knowing that Heaven has reserved a place just for you, and no other, because God loves
Y O U , so much that He willingly died for Y O U, as payment for sins!
Other sites: aftv.org blbn.org redeem.international amazingdiscoveries.org itiswritten.com
servantsite@wordpress.com
Friday, July 13, 2018
Victor Parachin' s "NEVER GIVE UP!" JUNE 2018 Signs of the TIMES.
My grateful thanks to both the author and this magazine. (John B).
Once upon a time, [NOW you know this is but a story, as some like to call the first 11 chapters of Genesis, being but an allegory.] but as a story it has both a universal appeal, as well as a story about life, and not ever giving up!
WHY?
Mostly you will not nor can't fail, if you do not give up. Giving up is really giving up on self, right? Now to the story...
Two frogs living in a farm pond, near the farmer's barn, on one bright sunny day, they both decided to explore the broader area, so they made their way into the barn. There, they both by accident jumped into a large bucket half filled with cream. Within it, they found the side far too slick to climb out, and the cream did not allow them to just jump out, so they both kept on swimming, and swimming, until the larger of the two said, "I am far too tired to keep on swimming, and it's impossible for us to get out, there's just no point!"
The smaller frog tried to encourage his friend, but after a few more minutes the larger frog just gave up and gradually sank to the bottom, of the bucket.
However, tapping into his determination and persistence, the smaller frog said to himself, "I'm not giving up." so he continued to paddle, to swim, and to glide in the cream. After a while he noticed that the cream, was getting thicker and thicker, and making it much harder to swim, yet he kept on trying, to move. But, as he kept moving he found that the liquid cream had turned into butter, and it was solid enough for the frog to jump back out, into the barn. His relief was immense, his joy overwhelming, and his confidence, through the roof!
This cute story has made its way across the globe, and across the ages. It's timeless in its appeal to children as well as adults because of its simple principle that it teaches, "NEVER GIVE UP". Just as with this story, both we and the frog, never know the moment when it all changes for the good!
Here are some suggestions to help you face down challenges, overcome adversities, conquer problems, banish self-doubts, meet your goals, and enjoy a mor3e constructive and dynamic life.
REMAIN POSITIVE:
Anurag Harsh,a management consultant and author of several books [ Grow Develop Yourself for Success, writes: "A positive attitude is not fanciful; rather it is a driving force. It is the desire to move forward, to persevere when others are retreating in the face of change and hardship".
NOTE(JB): You can start your car, and give it the gas, but until YOU actually put it in gear, nothing moves! A Positive Mental Attitude PMA, is required within all of us, IF we want to make a change. Remember the one fact that proves one is crazy? Keep dong the same thing over and over, yet expect a different outcome every time!
Recently, OPRAH MAGAZINE, editors asked readers, "What person in your life made the world a better place?" One responded, a Jan Lamont of Sammamish WA., who wrote: "My Dad, While he was working in a store, a young Japanese American came to apply for a job, even an entry level one. No one, it seems would hire him being it just after W.W.2, but my father gave him a chance. For nearly 50 years Yosh worked hard and smart, and helped the company expand to seven stores... and ended up as the president of the company. All in the face of real and even hostile prejudice, that followed the war. Yosh kept up his PMA, to success.
One needs only to look to Arnold Schwarzengegger's life. His Father did not agree with his career choice, of becoming a professional body-builder. It was not until he won the Mr. Universe, he was told, "If you want to build big muscles, chop wood" Arnold refused to listen, to all the negativity. In stead he studies five hours a day in acting and English lessons. He suffered one rejection after another many times having to hear, "People want to hear John Wayne talk, not to look at your over-developed body." Who could deny his success, financially?
FORTIFY YOUR MIND WITH INSPIRING QUOTES:
Luke 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
NOTE(JB): as with all endeavors, we must self-prepare, at birth we can only breath, cry, and eat, but as we grow, we learn. Thus without learning what can we do?
Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
slack hand= a lazy person.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Note(JB): Dream.... yes, but be realistic, and dream within your knowledge base. A Person of the height of 4 foot three, will not ever become a huge basketball star! Yet he or she might become its greatest ever coach!
Thanking Y O U for your time.
Want/Need more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM. After all man can save Y O U or themselves, that's for Jesus to do! He died to bring salvation to Y O U and me.
Other sites: aftv.org blbn.org amazingdiscoveries.org itiswritten.com servantsite@wordpress.com
cc/jb
Once upon a time, [NOW you know this is but a story, as some like to call the first 11 chapters of Genesis, being but an allegory.] but as a story it has both a universal appeal, as well as a story about life, and not ever giving up!
WHY?
Mostly you will not nor can't fail, if you do not give up. Giving up is really giving up on self, right? Now to the story...
Two frogs living in a farm pond, near the farmer's barn, on one bright sunny day, they both decided to explore the broader area, so they made their way into the barn. There, they both by accident jumped into a large bucket half filled with cream. Within it, they found the side far too slick to climb out, and the cream did not allow them to just jump out, so they both kept on swimming, and swimming, until the larger of the two said, "I am far too tired to keep on swimming, and it's impossible for us to get out, there's just no point!"
The smaller frog tried to encourage his friend, but after a few more minutes the larger frog just gave up and gradually sank to the bottom, of the bucket.
However, tapping into his determination and persistence, the smaller frog said to himself, "I'm not giving up." so he continued to paddle, to swim, and to glide in the cream. After a while he noticed that the cream, was getting thicker and thicker, and making it much harder to swim, yet he kept on trying, to move. But, as he kept moving he found that the liquid cream had turned into butter, and it was solid enough for the frog to jump back out, into the barn. His relief was immense, his joy overwhelming, and his confidence, through the roof!
This cute story has made its way across the globe, and across the ages. It's timeless in its appeal to children as well as adults because of its simple principle that it teaches, "NEVER GIVE UP". Just as with this story, both we and the frog, never know the moment when it all changes for the good!
Here are some suggestions to help you face down challenges, overcome adversities, conquer problems, banish self-doubts, meet your goals, and enjoy a mor3e constructive and dynamic life.
REMAIN POSITIVE:
Anurag Harsh,a management consultant and author of several books [ Grow Develop Yourself for Success, writes: "A positive attitude is not fanciful; rather it is a driving force. It is the desire to move forward, to persevere when others are retreating in the face of change and hardship".
NOTE(JB): You can start your car, and give it the gas, but until YOU actually put it in gear, nothing moves! A Positive Mental Attitude PMA, is required within all of us, IF we want to make a change. Remember the one fact that proves one is crazy? Keep dong the same thing over and over, yet expect a different outcome every time!
Recently, OPRAH MAGAZINE, editors asked readers, "What person in your life made the world a better place?" One responded, a Jan Lamont of Sammamish WA., who wrote: "My Dad, While he was working in a store, a young Japanese American came to apply for a job, even an entry level one. No one, it seems would hire him being it just after W.W.2, but my father gave him a chance. For nearly 50 years Yosh worked hard and smart, and helped the company expand to seven stores... and ended up as the president of the company. All in the face of real and even hostile prejudice, that followed the war. Yosh kept up his PMA, to success.
One needs only to look to Arnold Schwarzengegger's life. His Father did not agree with his career choice, of becoming a professional body-builder. It was not until he won the Mr. Universe, he was told, "If you want to build big muscles, chop wood" Arnold refused to listen, to all the negativity. In stead he studies five hours a day in acting and English lessons. He suffered one rejection after another many times having to hear, "People want to hear John Wayne talk, not to look at your over-developed body." Who could deny his success, financially?
FORTIFY YOUR MIND WITH INSPIRING QUOTES:
Luke 21:15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
NOTE(JB): as with all endeavors, we must self-prepare, at birth we can only breath, cry, and eat, but as we grow, we learn. Thus without learning what can we do?
Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
slack hand= a lazy person.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
Note(JB): Dream.... yes, but be realistic, and dream within your knowledge base. A Person of the height of 4 foot three, will not ever become a huge basketball star! Yet he or she might become its greatest ever coach!
Thanking Y O U for your time.
Want/Need more? Visit your Seventh-day Adventist Church any Saturday/Sabbath at 9-10 AM. After all man can save Y O U or themselves, that's for Jesus to do! He died to bring salvation to Y O U and me.
Other sites: aftv.org blbn.org amazingdiscoveries.org itiswritten.com servantsite@wordpress.com
cc/jb
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