The words of God are of little value if the power of God is not displayed in the life of the author.
The things we love the most, like friends and family, are, most often, the biggest distractions that keep us from giving our all to God.
What people believe about themselves is the truth to them regardless of whether it is actually true. That is scary.
The Bible was written in a secret code. The only ones who will be able to decipher it correctly are those who . . . . Even that is of little value if that info is not put into action.
When Christianity, Christ, and the Bible—which should be synonymous–are put into the hands of religious but ungodly men and women, the result is religion of worthless passivity.
The term “ungodly” refers to anyone who lives in a manner where caring for themselves and their family, even being overly concerned about one’s spirituality, takes priority over all else.
Requests to God are unheard if one personally does not first do everything possible to make conditions favorable concerning that request.
The problems and joys of family life will steal one’s devotion from keeping one’s mind and life on Christ’s business.
What is the most tightly held secret in the mind of God? It cannot be known until it is experienced. The answer: to experience the power that Christ had over the physical. A modern term is “mind over matter.” To know what I just wrote does not reveal the secret. That secret is what Jesus unsuccessfully attempted to teach us. It was unsuccessful because it seemed so unnatural; it violated all rules of physics.
A person is not fit to live if one is afraid to die.
Jesus was God’s greatest miracle. God’s second-greatest miracle was to create physical free-will agents that have the potential to believe Him, with their lives, in the same manner as He believes.
The mind, mouth, and heart are prone to lie, but the life seldom lies.
The body is of little value except to nourish the brain with oxygen, blood and other nutrients so that the mind and body can function and allow the real person (the inner being) to express itself through the belief process.
1 comment:
Roland, thanks again for your comments. That is an extremely good point that you brought up. And I truly understand were you and many others are coming from. To neglect one’s immediate family, is the most unnatural action a person can believe in–unless a person is a drunk or a derelict. Before I go any further, let me bring up what Jesus Christ is quoted as saying in the book of Luke, 14:25-26. “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.” Here is another verse in Luke that is similar, but talks about leaving one’s family for Christ’s service. “I tell you the truth,”Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brother or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many time as much in this age and in the age to come, eternal life.” Luke 18:29-30. Some may be saying, “What, is this man Jesus, out of his mind? I do know that the Apostle Paul in his Epistles tells a different story. In this, just one of many Biblical contradictions, I choose to believe what Jesus said, because, it is more accurate to get one’s information straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Let me give a more plausible meaning of what our Lord meant: It would be extremely difficult for a disciple of Christ to give his/her undivided attention to furthering the Gospel message when giving their family primary attention. Another even more acceptable interpretation is this: The word hate that Jesus used most likely means (to love one’s family LESS than the needy in the family or potential family of God). Let me give you a vivid example: Up north where it gets cold in the winter months, a genuine Christian man, whose son wants to go out and play in the first snow of the year. But he outgrew his old shoes and has been playing outside barefoot since then. His father has only enough money to buy one pair of cheap shoes for his son. Then he found out that his son’s playmate was in the exact same situation. No shoes that fit and no money. The question is: should he buy shoes for his son and silently say “the hell with the other kid”? Or should he explain to his son that, to God, his playmate is just as important as he is, and that Jesus would like him to buy his friend shoes first and maybe next week he could afford to buy his son’s shoes? Can you see what Jesus is talking about now. Roland, I challenge you to show me where it says or even implies in either the Gospels or Epistles what you said. I will quote you. “We also define that to love our fellow-man begins first with our immediate family and other close associates. . .” I have been studying and attempting practicing what Jesus desires of his followers for over 40 years, and this subject is one of the most contentious in the Bible. Here is a clue as to what is an error and what is correct when trying to understand what God’s Will is concerning a portion/s of the Bible; if it is easy and feels good, most likely, it is wrong; if it is difficult and may hurt or be next to impossible, it surely is correct. Remember, the road is narrow and difficult and only a few will find it. When you fully understand the aforementioned, I don’t think it will conflict with what you now believe. God bless you and your family. Looking forward to hearing from you when another extreme blog passage hits you where it hurts. By the way, if you haven’t already, scroll down to # 2: “Hard Edged Bible Verses.” If they doesn’t shake you, nothing will.
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