ONE WORD..PRIDE..THEY DON’T WANT TO ADMIT THEY NEED SOMEONE ELSE TO SAVE THEM.THEY LIVE IN THIS WORLD, ARE SELF CENTERED, GREEDY, FILL THEIR VOID BY BUYING THINGS, THEN THEY DIE. WHAT A WAY TO GO,, SO SAD AND PITIFUL. CHEERS GLORY TO GOD.
People want to take credit for success,They don’t want to share with someone else?But, wait for tragedy to strike?/The first word out of our mouths?/”OH GOD WHY ME?”
FEED THE POOR AND ADD YEARS TO OUR LIVES?? BELIEVE IT OR NOT?
This section collects some specific commands from Old and New Testaments on serving the poor.
Deut. 15:7.If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of the towns of the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.Deut. 26:12. When you have finished paying the complete tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and the widow, that they may eat in your towns, and be satisfied.
Lev. 19:19ff. Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.
Prov. 31:8ff. [Commandment to kings.] Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
Is. 58:66ff. Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Jer. 22:3. Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Luke 12:33. “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys.”
Luke 3:11. And [John the Baptist] would answer and say to them, “Let the man with two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise.”
Mt. 5:42. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
Commentary: The message here is really very simple: help the needy. It’s not hard to understand; it’s just hard to do.
And the message is continuous. It’s in the Torah; it’s in the Prophets and Psalms; it’s in the Gospels; it’s in the Epistles. How many churches emphasize serving the poor as much as the Bible itself does? Would the world look the way it does if all believers followed these commands?
Another thing to note about these verses is the lack of caveats– the lack of excuses. None of them add “…once a year” or “…when you feel you can” or “…if they’re moral” or “…unless they’re black” or “…if they speak English”. We have plenty of reasons (I’m sure you can think of a dozen) why we can’t go out and feed the hungry, why we have to turn away the needy borrower– and God help us, how many of us have sold so much as a lawnmower in order to have money to give away? But all those reasons belong to our sinful human nature, not to God. God just wants those needy people helped.
If you wanted to be a Biblical one-issue voter, you’d do well to make that one issue serving the poor.
Serving poor may be The Right Thing To Do; but the Bible also associates it with material and spiritual reward. Here we’ll look at the benefits promised to those who serve the poor; in the next section we’ll examine the consequences of not doing so.
Prov. 22:9He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.Jer. 22:16 “Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was well. Is that not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD.
Deut. 15:10. You shall give generously to [your poor brother], and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.
Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.
Jer. 7:5-7. “For, if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.”
Is. 58:10. “And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Luke 14:12-14. “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 12:44. “Sell your possessions and give alms; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Mt. 19:20ff. The young man said to Him, “All these commands I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Commentary:Americans like money; the American dream is about being rich. No wonder we’re susceptible to religious quacks who promise riches to those who believe in God.
We do find promises of reward in the Bible– to those who serve the poor. God’s making a very simple proposal here: “You help the poor, and I’ll repay it.”
Full disclosure: there’s a little bait-and-switch going on. Jesus promises treasure in heaven. In the sociology of religion game, we call this spiritualization. In plain English, it means that Jesus is asking us to go way past our comfort level in giving things away. And in not getting them back.
Who are the poor, by the way? Among our rationalizations is the feeling that the actual poor aren’t people we really have to pay attention to. They may be of different races, or not speak our language, or aren’t moral enough for us; they may be illegal immigrants. (Imagine that, a class of human beings that are illegal. Imagine explaining that to God.)
God doesn’t want to hear these excuses; he specifically commands us to help the stranger, the alien, the sojourner. Jesus’ command on dinner parties couldn’t be clearer: the people you need to help are not the people like you, the people you like, the people who can repay you. As for racial prejudice, note that the first person in the gospel of John to whom Jesus clearly confesses to being the Messiah is a Samaritan; Samaritans were despised by the orthodox Jews of the time. (And for that matter, she was a woman, and an adulterer.)
Can you give too much? We believe in moderation in all things. Unfortunately, we get this idea from the Greeks, not the Bible. Jesus asks for immoderate giving.
As there are blessings for those who serve the poor, there are consequences for those who oppress them… or who simply ignore them.
Ezek. 16:49ff.“Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.”Is. 10:1-3. “Woe to those who enact evil statutes, and to those who continually record unjust decisions, so as to deprive the needy of justice, and rob the poor of My people of their rights… Now what will you do in the day of punishment, and in the devastation which will come from afar?”
Luke 1:52ff. [Mary's Magnificat.] “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were hungry. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed.”
Ezek. 22:29,31. “The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice… Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads,” declares the Lord GOD.
Jer. 5:28f. “[The wicked] do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; and they do not defend the rights of the poor. Shall I not punish these people?” declares the LORD. “On such a nation as this, shall I not avenge myself?”
James 5:1-6. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. …Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and with you have withheld, cries out against you; and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Luke 6:24. “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”
Luke 16:19-25. “Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.’
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony…’”
In 1967, Israel was being attacked by countries twice their size militarily Didn’t matter at all,,Israel had God with them,,There is story after story about miracles in this war, I am displaying an article written by TIM NASH ON an incident that occurred in EYGPT…enjoy would take volumes to get into the specific reasons that things came to a head in 1967. The attacks on Israel were not without precedent or warning. There had been sporadic attacks from time to time for several years before the Six Day War made the situation one of do or die for the Israelis. As the conflict began to loom, the war of rhetoric erupted into open conflict in an air battle with Syria that resulted in Israel downing seven Syrian warplanes. With Russia provoking Syria into thinking that Israel was preparing a horrendous attack on its borders, Syria went to Egypt and Jordan to prepare for war.
The rhetoric that had been getting louder in Egypt, Jordan and Syria that they would not be satisfied until Israel ceased to exist finally materialized as all three countries massed huge forces on the borders of Israel. Is it impossible to get a firm estimate but reputable sources place the size of the armies massed against Israel in June of 1967 included 465,000 troops, over 2,800 tanks, and roughly 800 planes on the three borders with Israel.
What transpired in the next six days is nothing short of perhaps the most phenomenal victory in military history. The first strike was from the air in one of the boldest maneuvers of the war. On the morning of June 5th, 1967, in a coördinated strike, the entire Israeli air force took to the air. While the Egyptians pilots were eating breakfast, an air strike hit the Egyptian air force and decimated their airplanes on the ground. At the same time, similar strikes all but destroyed the air forces of Syria and Jordan on the other borders.
With the air support for ground troops neutralized, Israel carried out a advanced ground campaign on three fronts that pushed their aggressors back and inflicted huge damage on their military forces. With air superiority secured, Israel prevailed in a brutal tank battle with Egypt in the Sinai desert. Simultaneously the Israeli army was prevailing against the Jordan and Syria.
In an amazing six days, Israel had defeated three enemies on three fronts and secured its own sovereignty as well as vastly expanded its land mass as a result of this amazing war. It also put Israel’s enemies on notice that the Israeli army was not to be trifled with and at the same time was a demonstration of one of the most brilliant executions of ground warfare strategy in the history of warfare.
2 Timothy 3 (New International Version)
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2 Timothy 3
New International Version (NIV)
2 Timothy 3
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly w
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Footnotes:
love your neighbors and God with all your heart all your mind and all your will,,feed the poor, help the widows, children without dads, and people who are not saved.
Preach the GOSPEL or good news to all the wold.,
When you are blessed y GOD BLESS OTHERS. Don’t live about things in this world, but concentrate on the world tomorrow. Seek the kingdom of God for yourself and family. seek everything that is HOLY and Good in this world. In Jesus name we pray,,AMEN
You know by today’s standards none of us were supposed to ever make it.
HIGH SCHOOL — 1958 vs. 2012
Scenario 1:
Jack goes duck hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck’s gun rack.
1958 – Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack’s shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2012 – School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counsellors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1958 – Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2012 – Police called and SWAT team arrives — they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1958 – Jeffrey sent to the Principal’s office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2012 – Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The family gets extra money (SSI) from the government because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbour’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1958 – Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2012- Billy’s dad is arrested for child abuse, Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy’s sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has an affair with the psychologist.
Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1958 – Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal out on the smoking dock.
2012- The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1958 – Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2012 – Pedro’s cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1958 – Ants die.
2012 – ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents – and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny’s dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1958 – In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2012 – Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him (Psalm 95:3-4).
The psalmist is giving the basic reasons everyone should give thanksgiving and praise to God. They apply not only to believers but also to all people. Each person has a responsibility to praise God, for all are creatures of His hands. In Romans 1, the apostle Paul points out that one of the charges God brings against people is that although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him
(Romans 1:21). They did not recognize their relationship to Him. It is a constant source of amazement to me that people can be so blind to the fact that they are not, as they often imagine themselves to be, independent creatures making their own way through life. We take for granted all the forces that keep us alive and boastfully talk about being self-made people. We strut through life as if there were no one else we need to recognize as the source of our strength and power. Dr. H. A. Ironside used to tell of an experience he once had at a restaurant. He ordered his meal, and just as he was about to eat, a man walked up to his table and said, Do you mind if I sit down with you?
Dr. Ironside said that it was quite all right, so the man sat down. As was his custom, Dr. Ironside bowed his head and said a silent word of thanksgiving to the Lord before he ate. When he lifted up his head, the man said to him, Do you have a headache?
Ironside said, No, I don’t.
The man said, Well, is there anything wrong with your food?
Ironside said, No, why?
Well,
the man said, I saw you sitting there with your head down, and I thought you must be sick, or there was something wrong with your food.
Ironside replied, No, I was simply returning thanks to God as I always do before I eat.
The man said, Oh, you’re one of those, are you? Well, I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow, and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!
Dr. Ironside said, Yes, you’re just like my dog. That’s what he does, too!
That little story suggests that when people will not give thanks to God, they are acting like irrational animals. Such is the basis of this appeal by the psalmist: no matter how we may feel or what our attitude toward God may be, we are bound, as creatures dependent upon His love and grace, at least to give thanks to Him as our Creator. Psalm 96:8 says, Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name.
God is always worthy of our thanksgiving, not just when we feel like giving it. We should do it for His name’s sake. Doubtless it would make a great difference in our worship if we would remember that praise is not something that merely reflects our transient feelings but is something we ought to do simply because God made us, and we cannot live a moment without Him.
Lord, I give thanks to You because You are so worthy of glory. Forgive me for taking You and all that You do for granted.
Life Application: Does our thankfulness move beyond TGIF – Thank God It’s Friday? Does God’s character and goodness stir us to deep gratitude for His mercy and love toward us?
Copyright © 2007 by Elaine Stedman — From the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman; compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to www.RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet. Please direct any questions you may have to webmaster@RayStedman.org.
The Day Is Near
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.[c]
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Romans 11
New International Version (NIV)
Romans 11
The Remnant of Israel
1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[a]? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b] 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that could not see
and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.”[c]
9 And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.”[d]
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural bran
y Matt Slick,
Sin is the breaking of God’s law. If God says “Do not lie” and you lie, then you have broken His law and sinned. When you sin, you offend God because it is His law that you have broken. Also, the reason God says to not lie, not cheat, etc., is because these laws reflect the moral purity of His nature. Therefore, the Law is a reflection of the character of God. It is wrong to lie because God cannot lie. It is wrong to steal because God cannot steal, etc. The moral law is not arbitrary. It is based on God’s holiness.
The law, then, is a standard of moral purity. The Old Testament contains the Law of God. It is a perfect standard because it is God’s standard. When we fail to keep the law, we sin. When we sin, we offend God. This offense against God results in a judgment. Laws are laws because they have penalties. There is no law without a penalty. Therefore, breaking God’s law brings judgment which is separation from God. “But your sins have made a separation between you and your God,” (Isaiah 59:2). And, “the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23). So, to sin, to break God’s law, results in judgment. The judgment is known as damnation which is the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. If God did not judge the sinner, then He is not upholding His holiness and he would be allowing sinners to go unpunished.
Of course, Jesus came to take our place and die for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24). This means that Jesus bore our sin in His body on the cross and paid for them. He took the judgment upon himself. This further means that anyone who trusts in what Jesus did on the cross will have his sins removed; he will be saved from God’s future judgment.
So, replying to the question “What is sin?” is best answered by saying that it is breaking God’s law. All people have sinned. Therefore, all people are under God’s judgment — except for those who’ve trusted in God’s provision to escape that judgment.
Where are you? Are you in the place of God’s judgment or of salvation in Christ?
This article ,MLB..WE ALL SIN EVERYDAY,BUT, JESUS IS the way the truth and the life..He will forgive us for our mistakes if we turn to him for forgiveness. He is the reason why everything depends on him,,amen
¿Qué es pecado?
snake and appleby Matt Slick
Pecado es la condición del hombre sin Cristo la cual se manifiesta en el rompimiento de la ley de Dios. Si Dios dice “No mentir”, y Usted miente, entonces Usted ha roto Su ley y ha pecado. Cuando Usted peca, Usted ofende a Dios ya que esta es Su ley y Usted la ha roto. La razón por la cual Dios dice también que no mienta, que no engañe, etc., es debido a que estas leyes reflejan la pureza moral de Su naturaleza. Por lo tanto, la Ley es un reflejo del carácter de Dios. Mentir es estar equivocado, ya que Dios no puede mentir. Robar también es equivocado, ya que Dios no puede robar, etc. La ley moral no es arbitraria; está basada en la santidad de Dios.
Entonces, la ley es un estándar de pureza moral. El Antiguo Testamento contiene la Ley de Dios la cual es un estándar perfecto ya que es de Dios. Cuando fallamos al pretender guardar la ley, pecamos y cuando pecamos ofendemos a Dios. Esta ofensa contra Dios resulta en un juicio. Las leyes son leyes porque éstas tienen penalidades. No existe ninguna ley sin una penalidad. Por lo tanto, romper la ley de Dios trae juicio lo cuál es separación de Dios. “pero vuestras iniquidades han hecho división entre vosotros y vuestro Dios…” (Is 59:2). Y, “la paga del pecado es muerte…” (Ro 6:23). Así que pecar, romper la ley de Dios, resulta en juicio. El juicio es conocido como condenación, lo cual es el justo juicio de Dios sobre el pecador. Si Dios no juzgara al pecador, entonces, Él no estaría sosteniendo Su santidad y permitiría que los pecadores estuvieran sin castigo.
Jesús entonces, vino a tomar nuestro lugar y a morir por nuestros pecados. (1 P 2:24). Esto significa que Jesús llevó nuestros pecados (naturaleza y conductas) en Su cuerpo y pago por éstos en la cruz. Él tomó el juicio sobre Sí. Esto significaría que cualquiera que cree en lo que Jesús hizo en la cruz, sus pecados serán quitados y será salvo del futuro juicio de Dios.
Así que respondiendo a la pregunta “¿Qué es pecado?” la mejor respuesta es decir que es romper la ley de Dios por la naturaleza pecadora del hombre. Todas las personas han pecado; por lo tanto, todas las personas se encuentran bajo el juicio de Dios; excepto aquellos que han creído en la provisión de Dios para escapar de ese juicio.
¿Dónde se encuentra Usted? ¿Está Usted en el lugar del juicio de Dios o en el de la salvación en Cristo?
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All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[f] my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”[g]
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[h] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
The Mulims and Jews who pray to God, but not believe in Jesus, have tripped over the stumbling block,,What a living shame,,
God has made the choice for this to happen, Believe it or not. All things must be full-filled according to his will,
Someday, it will all be ended and the Jewish People will realized they missed the mark all these years. AMEN
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f
OUR HEARTS go out to this brave woman,She definitely is an inspiration.
The state is going to spend over a million dollars for a special election to replace her,,
The kicker? Only until November 2012..A new person will be elected,,
Why not just appoint a democrat by the Gov? Use the million dollars to fill the damn pot holes in our streets in Tucson? Cheers mlb
If you are lucky enough ? To have one of these bad boys beware!! Especially if its on the abdomin,,They are like a root on the palo verde tree in Arizona? They have away of cutting off the power supply to your intestines and other organs,
I will be going into the local VA in Tucson very shortly. Its been on my stomach for over 5 years.Time to say bye bye to this bad boy,,Please pray for me..cheers MLB
Dear DDear Drs. Jack and Rexella, I have been wanting for quite some time to write and tell you both of the remarkable effects you and the Lord Jesus Christ have had on me and my life. I began my life of alcoholism and drug addiction in 1970, when I was 14 years old. Although my late grandfather was a Baptist minister, I turned my back on Jesus and all I had been taught about living as a Christian. I managed to struggle through life behind a mask of normalcy and even beauty, while inside I was hollow, unfulfilled, and eaten up with corruption. I married a loving, successful man and we had a handsome, intelligent son. I had all the material things I ever wanted or needed, plus a loving family- but every day my alcoholism and addiction worsened. In 1996 disaster struck. Our son, only 11 years old, was diagnosed with leukemia and died just eight months later. My indifference to God turned into hate and rage. I swore I’d become an atheist and vowed never again to waste one word in prayer, as obviously (in my opinion) God had ignored my pleas for a miracle to cure my son of leukemia that he might live. Meanwhile, my addictions sharply accelerated as I tried to derive power, pleasure, and freedom from pain by using ever-increasing amounts of cocaine and alcohol. Finally, several months after my child’s death, I jammed a needle into my arm for the first time. I had reached the bottom, where I was to stay off and on for the next five years. Some time in 2002 I was again up all night injecting cocaine, drinking alcohol, and watching TV. Suddenly, on one channel, a vivid, beautiful earth appeared and I stared at it, remembering when the world had looked that way to me instead of the dark and lonely hell it had become. Then the two of you came on the screen, so full of love and life and laughter and light, and I knew I wanted whatever it was that you had. I had already been to treatment for my addictions three times, and was reluctant to return. I hardened my heart against your message that night, and for months afterwards, but still I made sure to watch you every week. Gradually I came to understand that God loves me no matter what I had said or done-and my anger began to fade. At last I realized that God had indeed not only heard my prayers but answered them-my son HAS been cured of leukemia and he DOES live-with God! This was the miracle I had asked of the Lord years ago. On October 2, 2002, I had my last drink and drug. I went back to treatment and have been sober ever since. I turned my life and will over to God, secure in His love and mercy and forgiveness. And it all happened because of you two, and your late-night ministry. Now I am a happy, fulfilled woman in Christ. I watch your show every week and always say the prayer along with Dr. Jack. With God’s help and empowerment, I am cleaning up the wreckage of my past. I have reconciled with my husband (yes, he watches your show right along with me). I read my Bible and your books, and watch your DVDs. I no longer fear death as I know I will be forever reunited with the Lord and my family in Christ, instead of being forever separated from them. Thank you and God bless you. Kay in Houston rs. Jack and Rexella, I have been wanting for quite some time to write and tell you both of the remarkable effects you and the Lord Jesus Christ have had on me and my life. I began my life of alcoholism and drug addiction in 1970, when I was 14 years old. Although my late grandfather was a Baptist minister, I turned my back on Jesus and all I had been taught about living as a Christian. I managed to struggle through life behind a mask of normalcy and even beauty, while inside I was hollow, unfulfilled, and eaten up with corruption. I married a loving, successful man and we had a handsome, intelligent son. I had all the material things I ever wanted or needed, plus a loving family- but every day my alcoholism and addiction worsened. In 1996 disaster struck. Our son, only 11 years old, was diagnosed with leukemia and died just eight months later. My indifference to God turned into hate and rage. I swore I’d become an atheist and vowed never again to waste one word in prayer, as obviously (in my opinion) God had ignored my pleas for a miracle to cure my son of leukemia that he might live. Meanwhile, my addictions sharply accelerated as I tried to derive power, pleasure, and freedom from pain by using ever-increasing amounts of cocaine and alcohol. Finally, several months after my child’s death, I jammed a needle into my arm for the first time. I had reached the bottom, where I was to stay off and on for the next five years. Some time in 2002 I was again up all night injecting cocaine, drinking alcohol, and watching TV. Suddenly, on one channel, a vivid, beautiful earth appeared and I stared at it, remembering when the world had looked that way to me instead of the dark and lonely hell it had become. Then the two of you came on the screen, so full of love and life and laughter and light, and I knew I wanted whatever it was that you had. I had already been to treatment for my addictions three times, and was reluctant to return. I hardened my heart against your message that night, and for months afterwards, but still I made sure to watch you every week. Gradually I came to understand that God loves me no matter what I had said or done-and my anger began to fade. At last I realized that God had indeed not only heard my prayers but answered them-my son HAS been cured of leukemia and he DOES live-with God! This was the miracle I had asked of the Lord years ago. On October 2, 2002, I had my last drink and drug. I went back to treatment and have been sober ever since. I turned my life and will over to God, secure in His love and mercy and forgiveness. And it all happened because of you two, and your late-night ministry. Now I am a happy, fulfilled woman in Christ. I watch your show every week and always say the prayer along with Dr. Jack. With God’s help and empowerment, I am cleaning up the wreckage of my past. I have reconciled with my husband (yes, he watches your show right along with me). I read my Bible and your books, and watch your DVDs. I no longer fear death as I know I will be forever reunited with the Lord and my family in Christ, instead of being forever separated from them. Thank you and God bless you. Kay in Houston
We should be very concerned about life in general? What priorities should government and people live by?
In this adorable desert town, something has gone lops sided? The city is spending 84 million dollars on pre-construction cost of a street car line. The street car will hook up the UA with down town Tucson, some 2 miles away?
Heres the question? How many hungry mouths could 84 million hook up with in ARIZONA? this is not counting the cost of construction,,Something is wrong in Tucson Arizona? Or is it me not thinking right? Please leave a comment?
I had a very hard time in the following…We as children, were taught ,in this world, to receive anything good in life we must work hard for it Well, do you remember I said,”in this world?”
God offered us a new life in the new world tomorrow. W e don’t have to do anything but believe in his son JESUS CHRIST for Salvation, Jesus aka God, the father took on the sins of everyone, as a sacrifice of his blood, at the cross of Calvary, He conquered everything bad, known to mortal man,,even death when he was resurrected,
I am getting up a fishing party for the millennium,,Do you want to go? ok then, start by turning to a carpenters on and let him control your life forever,,amen!! MLB
We can not serve 2 masters.another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,[c] fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders,[d] drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
If you are a Chritian or someone who isn,t? Come to my site someday and look around? I have over 1500 post to see, Whats really great? It all free!!lol cheers Meanlittleboy
Jesus will let you find him,,If you don’t choose to call upon his name He won’t be found.
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On the Road to Emmaus
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| Theme: | Jesus reveals himself to his followers. (Third Sunday of Easter) | ||
| Object: | Image of Jesus graphic. (Click here for a page that you can print out and make a copy for each child.) You could also use a stereogram or one of those plaques that you stare at until the name of Jesus appears. | ||
| Scripture: | When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. Luke 24:30-31 (NIV) | ||
| This morning I have a picture for each of you. (Give a picture to each child) I want you to stare at the four small dots right in the middle of the picture. Concentrate and stare at the dots while I count to fifteen, then close your eyes. When you close your eyes, a white spot will appear and there may be a picture inside of that white spot. Let’s try it and see what happens. Are you ready? Okay, concentrate! One, two, three…….(to fifteen) Now, close your eyes and keep them closed. Do you see anything? You may open your eyes now. How many of you saw the face of Jesus? Some people have a little trouble seeing it at first, so if at first you don’t see the face of Jesus, keep trying and eventually you will see his face.
Our Bible lesson today tells an amazing story about a day when Jesus walked and talked with some of his followers, but they didn’t even recognize him. Here is what happened. After Jesus was crucified and risen from the grave, two of his followers were walking on the road that led to a town called Emmaus. They were sad and were talking about what had happened to Jesus. Suddenly, Jesus joined the disciples and walked along with them, but they did not know who he was because God kept them from recognizing him. “You seem to be having a very serious discussion. What are you talking about?” Jesus asked them. One of the men answered, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem that doesn’t know what has happened the past few days,” Then they told them about how Jesus had been crucified, and buried, and that some women had gone to his tomb, but the tomb was empty. “We have heard that he is alive,” they said, “but we have not seen him.” “Do you find it so difficult to believe what was written by the prophets in the Scripture?” Jesus asked. “It was predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his time of glory.” Then Jesus quoted passages from the writings of the prophets, explaining what the Scriptures said about himself. By this time, they had come to Emmaus and the disciples invited Jesus to stay with them since it was getting too late in the day to travel. So Jesus stayed with them and when they sat down to eat, Jesus took the bread and blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened and they saw that it was Jesus. Then just as quickly as he had appeared to them, Jesus disappeared. They were so happy and excited to have seen Jesus that they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they had seen Jesus. Do you want to see Jesus? The Bible says, “You will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29) Oh, he may not appear to you in the same way he did to the disciples in our story, but If you study God’s Word and seek him with all your heart, he will reveal himself to you. Dear Lord, open our eyes, we want to see Jesus! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. Group Activities (Crafts, games, songs, etc.) Coloring Page |
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 by Rolaant L. McKenzie |
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What is the gospel? Knowing the answer to this question is vital if one is to receive salvation and have a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ, for belief in the wrong gospel will not save, but condemn (Galatians 1:6-9). 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 provides a good summary of what the gospel is:
The gospel is the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that provides full and free deliverance from the power and penalty of sin according to the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Why is this such wonderful news? You and everyone else have been born with a fatal condition. This condition is called sin. Why is this condition so serious? Because God is sinless and hates sin, for sin is rebellion against His perfect and righteous standard. And your sinful actions makes you an enemy of God (Romans 3:23; James 4:4). God made man imperishable, in His own image (Genesis 1:27). He made man so that he may have continual fellowship with Him. But when sin came, the intimate fellowship between man and God changed. According to Genesis 3, humanity became separated from God when Adam and Eve disobeyed Him and ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the tree from which God had forbidden them to eat. Humanity became separated from God because all people are descended from Adam. As a result, the sinful nature Adam acquired through his disobedience was passed down to all people, including you. Because of this inherited sin nature everyone sins. It comes naturally. It is part of the fabric of being human. Adam’s sin placed you apart from God and under His condemnation (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22). The effect of sin on you is that it extends to every part of your personality — your thinking, your emotions, and your will. This does not mean that you are as evil as you can be, but it does mean that sin has extended to your entire being. The lost person is dead in his sins. All are sinners and cannot do anything to save themselves. Without the sovereign, regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, such a person is blind and deaf to the message of the gospel (Romans 8:7-8; 1 Corinthians 2:14), and is totally unable and unwilling to accept salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Many continually try to end the separation between themselves and God by their own efforts. They live “a good life”, or are religious, or adhere to a particular ethical philosophy. But these attempts at reaching God are futile, and fall infinitely short. They are all tainted with sin. Sin is a cancer that infects all. And you either get the cancer, or the cancer will get you! But there is hope! There is an antidote to sin and its deadly effects. As John 3:16 states, God loved fallen humanity so much that He sent His only Son to redeem sinners like you. Also, God demonstrated His own love toward sinners in that while they were yet in the depths of sin and rebellion against Him, Christ died for them (Romans 5:8). Jesus bridged the gap by His atoning death on the cross and ended the separation. Jesus was special because He was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit. He was not born of Adam’s seed as all other human beings are, and so therefore did not inherit a sinful nature. He did not have the tendency to sin as we all do. The Bible teaches that the payment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). It also teaches that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). In the Old Testament, God forbade sacrifice of spotted, deformed, and sickly animals (Deuteronomy 15:21; Malachi 1:7-14). He did this because a spotted, sickly, or deformed animal could not be a perfect sacrifice to pay for sin. Only a clean, healthy lamb without spot or blemish could be sacrificed. The lambs offered as the payment for sin in the Old Testament pointed forward to the time when Jesus Christ, the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God, would take the place of sinners and take upon Himself the just punishment for all their sins. As in New Testament times, people living in the Old Testament period were saved by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). They looked forward to a perfect Savior who would cleanse from sin and establish righteousness. Not merely outwardly, but most importantly, inwardly. God is more interested in what is inside us and not in externals. He is more concerned with our motives than outward appearances (1 Samuel 16:7). God is more interested in a humble and repentant heart than in sacrifices or offerings (Psalm 51:16-17). The good news that Jesus Christ commissioned His apostles to preach was His death on the cross for sinners and His resurrection from the dead (an historical event that provided immutable proof of His deity and the truth of His teachings, especially those regarding Himself being the only way to salvation). This good news, or gospel, is called ”the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). The apostles taught that salvation is by the grace of God alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7; Romans 4:3-5, 10:5-13). They were uncompromising in this message, and condemned all attempts by others to add anything to it. The Apostle Paul taught that belief in any other gospel that was a “different gospel” brought the condemnation of God and not salvation (Galatians 1:6-9). A “different gospel” is a gospel that on the surface may seem to be genuine and lead to salvation, but in the end it leads to eternal condemnation. This “different gospel” is a counterfeit gospel. It is a perversion of the gospel of the grace of God. It denies the complete ability of God’s grace alone to save, to keep, and to perfect the believer, and adds human works or merit. It is a “gospel” that seems right, feels right, and appears to offer the way to eternal life, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25). There are some religious groups that teach that Jesus’ death on the cross was not enough to pay for all of our sins. They say that one has to do certain good works, certain rituals like water baptism, belong to a particular church, observe certain religious days, or make other human additions to be saved. Or they teach that Jesus’ sacrifice covers only previous sins, but good works must be performed to cover present and future sins so that salvation may be received. This, however, is contrary to what the Bible teaches. Jesus, before He died said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek text uses the word tetelestai, which means paid in full. This means that our sins were paid for completely, and not just a down payment being made, making it necessary for us to make regular payments to prevent the gift of salvation from being “repossessed” by God. Jesus did all the works necessary to secure salvation for sinners without their help. He didn’t pay for some sins and then require sinners to pay the remaining balance with certain rituals or with good works. He paid for all sins — past, present, and future. Atonement for sin was done once and for all on the cross. It was not a down payment. The full price was paid at that time. God is not a loan company and His grace is not a loan. His grace is a gift. Jesus did not do an incomplete work that requires sinners to finish it. He is a perfect Savior who actually saved sinners, not a potential Savior who actually saved no one (Hebrews 9:12), but needed human help for His grace to perhaps become effective. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Romans 4:25 says that Jesus “was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” And Hebrews 9:26 says that “now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Jesus Christ died an excruciatingly terrible death on the cross. He was the perfect, unblemished Lamb of God, who paid the price sin in order to end the separation between humanity and God. He suffered the punishment and separation from God that was the due reward for your sins. He did this because of His unfathomable love for sinners. When you understand that you are a sinner worthy of death (Romans 3:23, 6:23) and that you cannot earn God’s love in any way, you are beginning to see your need for a Savior. When you confess your sins to God and accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord, He forgives you eagerly, instantly, and completely. God does not keep a record of your sins; He removes them far from you; God remembers your sins no more; your sins are blotted out like a thick cloud; and your sins are thrown down into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered against you anymore (Psalm 103:12, 130:3-4; Ezekiel 33:16; Isaiah 44:22; Micah 7:19). Scripture teaches that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7). Not just some sin or most sin, but all sin. He was buried and He rose from the grave three days later (1 Corinthians 15:1-11). When you truly believe this in your heart and place full trust in Him your entire life becomes transformed (2 Corinthians 5:17). You will begin to bear good fruit, and you will have the promise of God that He who began this good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). He will never abandon or cast you away from Him (John 6:37; Hebrews 13:5). According to His sovereign grace He will see to it that you make it home to heaven (1 Corinthians 1:8; Jude 24). The entire Trinity is involved in the safekeeping of Christians. The Father has given believers to the Son (John 6:37-44, 17:9), the Son has asked that they be kept (John 17:11, 20), and the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer forever (John 14:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19). Romans 10:9-10 says: “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” Ephesians 1:13-14 says: “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Galatians 5:22-25 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” When you believe the gospel you will become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ will live in you (2 Corinthians 13:5) and you will have a totally new outlook on life. Before, with your sinful nature, you sinned without much concern. But with Jesus in your life, you will now desire to love and serve Him, and others (Galatians 5:13). The Holy Spirit transforms sinners like yourself into the kind of people God wants you to be, and fulfills the very purpose for which Jesus died: to redeem sinners and change them so that they will truly love God and serve others as He commanded in John 13:34-35. When you as a believer in Christ Jesus live your life focusing on the goodness and glory of God, you will become changed into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18) and naturally seek to do what is pleasing to Him. When you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, He becomes your peace (Ephesians 2:14) and you have true fellowship with God. There are times when you will sin after being saved. You will struggle with sin till your dying day or until Jesus comes again. What gives you hope is that salvation is assured to those who trust completely in Jesus’ finished work of redemption (His life, death, and resurrection). So you should never feel that salvation is lost due to sins committed out of weakness. You should repent, confess your sin, accept the Lord’s promise of forgiveness, and let Him help you back to your feet. But you should never allow the devil to trick you into thinking that salvation is lost. You can rest in the promises of God’s word that salvation is assured to those who believe in Christ Jesus (1 John 5:11-13), and that God who begins this good work in the believer will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). However, sin does break your fellowship with God, though not your union with Him. Sin also brings down God’s chastisement on you to discipline you and turn you around, as a loving parent would do for his own child (Hebrews 12:6-7). 1 John 1:9 grants the assurance that in confessing your sin to God fellowship is restored. God’s grace is powerful and enough to save. It is not an ineffective grace that necessitates human additions (i.e. works, performance, etc.) to perhaps make it effective. To summarize, the gospel of Christ reveals that:
The Bible says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). But what does it mean to “believe on the Lord Jesus”? It means knowing yourself to be a sinner, and that Christ died for sinners. It means abandoning all self-righteousness and self-confidence in your own works, supposed merits, faith, repentance, and personal obedience, casting yourself completely upon Him for mercy and peace. It means exchanging your natural hatred and rebellion against God for a spirit of grateful submission to the will of Christ through the renewing of your heart by the Holy Spirit. You may wonder how you, a person lost and dead in sin, can repent of your sins and place your trust in Christ if I have no natural ability to do these things. Look to Jesus, speak to Jesus, cry out to Jesus, just as you are. Confess your sin, your impenitence, your unbelief, and cast yourself on His mercy. Ask Him to give you a new heart, working in you true repentance and saving faith. Ask Him to take away your evil heart of unbelief and to write His law within you, that you may never stray from Him. Turn to Jesus and trust Him as best you can, and pray for grace to turn and trust more thoroughly. Look to Christ to draw near to you as you seek to draw near to Him. Watch, pray, and read and hear God’s Word (the Bible); worship and commune with God’s people in a local church, and so continue till you know in yourself beyond doubt that you are indeed a person changed, a repentant believer, and the new heart which you desired has been placed within you by God. Jesus holds out His hands to you in invitation. You do not need to go to eternal punishment in hell for your sins. No matter where you have been or what you have done, come to Him and He will welcome you with open arms. Please do not harden your heart in refusal; do not say tomorrow you will come to Him. Tomorrow may never come (Proverbs 27:1; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:15-19). Sinner, there is grace from the throne of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for sinners like you so that you may not be condemned for the wicked things you have done. No matter what they are or how terrible or numerous they have been, His grace is greater than your sin and is able to save you. The Bible declares that anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11). It also says that there is now no condemnation for those who place their faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, please accept His gift of salvation right now. Do not postpone acceptance for what you think is a more convenient time, but honestly confess your sin and give yourself up here and now to Christ, who alone can save you. “‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die?’” (Ezekiel 33:11) The choice is yours today, right here, now. Please choose life. |
NIV)
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a]life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers,[c]do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism
NIV)
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a]life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers,[c]do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism
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RODGER BARRIER Mormonism and Christianity-Are They the Same? Author: Roger Barrier QUESTION: I am a devout Christian and my girlfriend is Mormon. We are getting closer to closer and have been dating about a year and have gotten through tough things together. (Her father’s suicide for example) My question is: What is the best way to go out about understanding, accepting, and growing together towards Spiritual Mothers and Fathers? I have drawn from the “condemnation engineering” sermon that “I’m Right, She’s Wrong” is not the best approach to our discussions about faith. ANSWER: I know that sharing life experiences with someone you love is a great strength and blessing. Your relationship is obviously being strengthened by and not weakened by some of the difficult trials you have walked through together. We have many wonderful Mormon neighbors. I truly respect their emphasis upon family values and their sincere zeal to share their faith. That being said, you need to be aware that Mormonism and evangelical Christianity are worlds apart. So how do you approach this one you care about so deeply and dialogue about the differences in your faith? I agree with you wholeheartedly that you can be seen as harsh and judgmental if you use “condemnation engineering” (Matthew 7:1-12). The concept of, condemnation engineering is based upon Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7. Condemnation engineering uses statements like, “You should stop doing it like that” (Matthew 7:1-5); or, “I know how to fix it. You ought to do it my way!” (Matthew 7:6). On the other hand, Jesus encourages us to draw people into the kingdom rather than belittling or coercing them. (Matthew 7:7-12). Let me now share a few thoughts which may be of help. To begin with, here is a principle I have followed for years: Don’t trash someone else’s religion or their religious and/or spiritual beliefs; show them something better—like the attractiveness of Jesus Christ. In other words, lift up Jesus instead of tearing down others’ spiritual foundations. Next, living a caring and loving Christian life in front of your girlfriend might initiate in her a desire to have the same Christ-filled life you have. Peter encourages this sort of approach in 1 Peter 3:1-2. Peter says that the best way for wives to win their husband’s to Christ is not by talking but by living out the abundant life of Christ before their eyes: “Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.” You might consider initiating a frank discussion of both your religious beliefs and hers. I believe that it is fair to say that Mormonism and Christianity are quite different. In fact, their basic tenants are mutually exclusive. May I share with you a simple overview of some of the basic differences? For example, I understand that the God of Christianity and the god of Mormonism are not the same. I believe it is correct to say that Mormons believe that the “Heavenly Father” is a glorified man who was once a human just like us. The spirits of all people on earth are the product of his union with “heavenly mothers.” The Christian God is the Creator of all things, infinite and eternal, completely different from us, yet we are made in His image. According to Mormonism, Jesus was the firstborn spirit-child of the Heavenly Father. He became mortal through the Father’s physical union with Mary. Jesus’ atoning death and a person’s good works are the basis of our salvation. That is not at all the Christian understanding of Jesus. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, fully human and fully divine—perfect God and perfect Man. He died to pay the penalty for our sins, rose from the dead, and will come again someday. From what I understand, Mormonism teaches that there are multiple levels of heaven—not just one as described in Christianity. I think it is correct to say that Mormonism is a “works” type of religion with fourteen steps or activities which must be climbed or accomplished in order to reach the highest level of heaven. Lower levels of heaven are populated by other Mormons in proportion to how many special activities they did accomplish. I am rather certain that a basic Mormon teaching is that non-Mormons will serve Mormons in the afterlife. Christianity, on the other hand, is not a “works” religion. Christianity is based on the concept of grace. Though we aren’t perfect—we’ve sinned and missed God’s standards so many times—God chose to provide a way for us to be made clean in his eyes. We can never do enough to earn or deserve our salvation, so Jesus died in our place, taking on the penalty for our sins. That’s grace. Heaven and eternal life are freely given by grace through faith to all who surrender their lives in repentance and humility to Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, and Jesus’ numerous declarations, He Himself is the only doorway into eternal life in Heaven. He clearly explained the His feelings in John 3:16-18: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Not only is believing in the crucified and resurrected Jesus essential to eternal salvation, the Apostle Paul elaborated on Jesus’ teaching by explaining that if any one teaches or trusts in anything in addition to the Work of Christ on the cross, they are deeply misguided and under the curse of God (“already condemned” is how Jesus put it). In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul made clear that any attempts to climb steps or do special activities to earn a standing in Heaven are doomed to failure. He wrote: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Paul’s gospel formula” was quite simple: “Faith in Christ + nothing else = salvation.” To put any thing else in the formula is to pervert the gospel. Evil teachers were perverting the gospel in by changing the formula to “Faith in Christ + the Jewish rite of circumcision = salvation.” In Galatians 1:6-9 Paul was pleading for the Galatian Christians not to be seduced by the new formula. With fire in his soul Paul wrote to them: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” If I understand correctly, the Book of Mormon was delivered to Joseph Smith by the angel Maroni. As best I can tell, the salvation formula used in Mormonism is “Faith in Christ + other essential steps or activities = salvation.” Considering what he wrote to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul would be appalled at this “perverting” of the formula. For further study you might want to read the following two books: “Mormonism 101: Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints” by Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker, 2000); and “Mormonism Unmasked: Confronting the Contradictions Between Mormon Beliefs and True Christianity” by R. Philip Roberts (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1998.) I have shared the above information in order to help you understand some of the basic differences between Christianity and Mormonism. I do not advise you to dump all of this information on your girlfriend because you would most likely be entering into the realm of condemnation engineering. You may, however, find the information helpful in a frank discussion of your beliefs and hers. Finally, let’s consider your question about growing to maturity together as spiritual mothers and fathers. It is not good to try to grow to spiritual maturity alone. Christian spiritual growth is best accomplished in the context of community. The best way for you and your girlfriend to mature together into Christlikeness is to be in lock-step in your spiritual journeys. If your girlfriend continues as a Mormon while you remain a Christian, you are heading down two different paths—thus, you will never mature together as spiritual mothers and fathers. The only way for you and your girlfriend to fulfill this desire of your heart is by following the Christian ideal of a maturing, intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as described by Paul in Philippians 3: “That I may know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” The meaning here is a personal, full fledged and intentional surrender of self in following the Jesus Christ who is presented in the Bible. I hope that these thoughts are helpful to you in your relationship with your girlfriend and in your growing relationship with Jesus. Love, Roger
YOU
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Colossians 1
New International Version (NIV)
Colossians 1
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[b]
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[d] behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Supremacy of the Son of God
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Paul’s Labor for the Church
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Footnotes:
Colossians 2
1 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Spiritual Fullness in Christ
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[b] was put off when you were circumcised by[c] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[e]
Freedom From Human Rules
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Footnotes:a.Colossians 2:8 Or the basic principles; also in verse 20
b.Colossians 2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.
c.Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
d.Colossians 2:13 Some manuscripts us
e.Colossians 2:15 Or them in him
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or people who are blessed in this world? Afew tips on saving money to help pthers in need. We are blessed by the Holy Father , so we can be a blessing to other people in Christ. The Bible repeats itsself,We are to help other believers whenever possible, cheers MLB
online
If you are shopping online Ebates is a no-brainer! Basically it works like this…
You visit Ebates.com, then click a link to your favorite online store (they have over 1200 stores like Target, Kohls, Walmart, etc) and make your purchase like normal. Ebates will then will be paid a referral fee by that retailer and will share the earnings with you. They pay you a percentage (1%-25%) of the purchase price back. It is completely free to and they even give you a free $5 gift card for signing up. I have been with them since 2008 and have earned hundreds of dollars. For more info read my review (what is Ebates?).
I had no idea that you can save $100 or more by NOT renewing & upgrading your cell phone service at the store. Instead you can buy cheap cell phones online from Amazon.com and do it all with them. I didn’t think much of it until I saw that some of the top phones are $100 or more cheaper from them than through your carrier. You can find out more about the program here.
Many people can save money by only using their cell phones and just doing away with a landline. If you are like me and prefer to use a landline rather than a cell-phone, you can still save money by getting free long distance calls using a device called . I have been using it for years, when I purchased mine it cost me $20 for the device and it costs $20 per YEAR to use – which equates to about $1.66/month. Admittedly it is a little quirky, so read my Magicjack review to be sure you know what you are getting into.
If you can get past the frequently outdated décor, public libraries are home to a wealth of resources. Of course you can borrow books instead of buying them, but they also often have subscriptions to high cost services or publications like Hoovers or Valueline. Our local library has grown a huge collection of popular CDs and DVDs over the last few years. So, it can be a cheap (free) ways to catch a few good movies. If you must be “Normal” and buy, at least use these 5 ways to save money on books.
This is one of my favorite creative ways to save money. I first learned the power of this back in college, when I discovered that I could get my textbooks for free, by buying and selling them at Amazon. I was paying a few bucks (at most) for my textbooks that many of my classmates were paying over $100 for.
Leo from Zenhabits suggests to, “Send out an email to family or friends, or just ask around. You might be surprised. I was about to buy a printer, and then found out my mom just bought a laser printer and didn’t need her old inkjet.” Freecycle.org and craigslist.org are also good places to look. And of course, you can always check out garage sales and thrift shops.
Don’t buy clothes that will only work as one outfit. Look for clothes that you will be able to wear with many other things, creating multiple outfits. Instead of buying that green and purple striped coat that will only go with one or two outfits, you could get a solid color gray that will work most of what you wear. Spend less money on the trendy items that won’t be in style long, and spend more on quality items. You really can do this and still be stylish at the same time. Simplifying your wardrobe is just one way you can save money on clothes.
It is easier than you may think. eBay and Amazon.com
Below are a few more ways to make money selling your clutter…
Of course, some of your junk won’t be worth the effort of selling it online. For that stuff – maybe garage sale, maybe just save yourself the hassle and give it to the thrift store.
Even if you buy the best stuff, if you don’t maintain it you will not save you as much money as it could. You’ll then spend less on buying new stuff. When you buy something worth maintaining, take a few minutes to read the maintenance manual, and create a maintenance checklist that you can attach to the item. For important things like your car’s oil changes or tune-ups, put them in your calendar. To make it even easier schedule most of your maintenance all on one day with a Car Day.
Even though, “Being green is so IN right now,” the “normal” thing to do is waste energy. So not only will everyone think you are cool, 
but you can save money as well. Check out these10 Energy saving tips.
Also, I am not sure how much money this will save you, but check out Blackle.com – birthed out of a question, “How much energy would be saved if Google had a black screen instead of a white one?” Supposedly, the search results are the same as the regular Google results.
Why not be extremely abnormal? You can get much cheaper access to a gym AND use it too!! Sign up for a class at a local community college (as little as $35 a semester). Then, use your ID to work out at the community college gym. That is a lot better than the $30-$40 a month most gyms charge.
Regardless of who you buy from, you can be abnormal and save money by shopping around every year or so for insurance. I have saved over $530/year for the same coverage by getting car insurance quotes on a regular basis. Now there is something to be said for finding a top-rated insurance company – it may not be worth saving $50/year to switch to a terrible company, so use your own judgement.
Term life insurance is recommended for most people and you can read my Zander term life insurance review if you are interested. To get other types of insurance quotes you can just click the links below…
My PerkStreet 2% cash-back debit card is my new favorite financial product. A lot of people like to use rewards credit cards so they can get cash back from their purchases, but just one late payment can completely negate any rewards earned that month. But when you find a debit card that pays rewards just as good (if not better) as most credit card rewards programs it seems like a pretty simple decision to me. I have been banking with PerkStreet the last two months and have earned $147 in rewards over that 2 month period – not too bad!
For some reasons, Americans just love to assume that bigger is better with just about everything. There is a plague of families constantly having to get a larger dwelling because their stockpile of junk gets too large for their current home. Often just by throwing junk away and spending time organizing storage areas and closets, you may realize that you DO have a big enough living space, it just needed a little organizational love. A lot of money can be saved by living in a smaller place. When you think about it that way, organizing really might pay very well.
You can save a lot of money on car depreciation by purchasing a car 2 years old or older. Some cars can lose as much as 35% in value during the first year. It’s best to drive a car as long as you can especially if you do purchase them new.
Shop for holiday cards, decorations, and gift wrap as the season ends, and keep them for next year. We do this and then we also enjoy the nice surprise after Thanksgiving of finding out what we bought the previous year that we forgot about.
If you are considering a new home, remember the best time to buy is in the dead of winter, when other buyers huddle inside. You can save 5 percent off the peak-season price.
You can now watch many TV programs and many free legal movies online if you hook your computer up to your TV. Or you could spend about $60 on a device that allows you to watch HDTV on your computer. Or if you rent a lot of movies one of the best ways to save money is to use Netflix or Blockbuster’s streaming or online video rentals. For even more, you can check out these 5 movie renting alternatives.
If you haven’t purchased jewelry in a while, you may be interested to know that the jewelry industry is going through some major changes. Diamonds have always had ridiculous markups, but recently there are more options for relief. Many direct importers are selling rings themselves at much better prices than you could get from the traditional stores. It makes perfect sense – the traditional stores have to pay for a storefront, sales force, utilities, etc., therefore the importers can usually beat their prices hands down. I bought my wife’s engagement ring at Amazon and ended up having it appraised for thousands more than I paid. That may just be my best way to save money.
I didn’t realize that you had options and to be honest most times if the hospital is involved, I am “normal” and could care less about what it costs. But, if it isn’t an urgent matter there are ways to save money at the hospital that I had never thought of. Did you know that you can bring your own stuff (e.g. pillows, linens, nightgowns)? Evidently, hospitals charge quite a bit for these items. (I have no personal experience with this one – can anyone confirm or deny?)
I love to try new restaurants, but since it is quite an expensive hobby – it is nice when you can save a few bucks. Enter the Entertainment Book . This wonderful tool costs about $25, but will pay for itself quickly if you use it a couple of times. It is available for most large U.S. cities and has thousands of coupons to participating restaurants – most of which are buy-one-get-one-free. This is one of my favorites ways to find new places to eat and save money in the process. Also consider Groupon.com or Restaurant.com who sells $25 gift certificates (with restrictions) for $10 to thousands of restaurants across the country.
Feel free to share any creative and ways that you save money by NOT being “normal.”
author unknown
January 14, 2012
“Next Mephibosheth grandson of Saul arrived from Jerusalem to welcome the king. He hadn’t combed his hair or trimmed his beard or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safe and sound.” (2 Sam 19:24-25 The Message)
Our lesson from David’s fall today takes place as David is returning to Jerusalem in glory. On the way, he meets up with Mephibosheth, son of Jonathon and grandson of King Saul.
Now to fully understand this story, we need to go back a few years in history. When news came that Jonathon and Saul were dead, Mephibosheth was only five years old. In that day, whenever a new king took over the throne, it was customary for him to have all the descendants of the former king killed. Fearing that this would happen, Mephibosheth’s nurse took the young child and fled. Unfortunately she dropped him, and as a result, he was lame in both feet for the rest of his life (See 2 Samuel 4:4).
But David wasn’t like other uprising kings. He remembered Jonathon with affection, and he set out to find any of Jonathon’s family who were still alive. When he found out about Mephibosheth, David brought him to the palace. He gave him all of Saul’s land and wealth, he gave him Saul’s servant, Ziba, to look after him, and then he gave him a place at the king’s table (See 2 Samuel 9).
But as David fled Jerusalem during Absalom’s attempt to usurp his throne, he was met by Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth. Naturally David wanted to know where Mephibosheth was. Ziba’s response? “Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” (2 Samuel 16:3)
Now this answer didn’t sit well with David, for what Mephibosheth was doing was considered an act of treason. His response? “So the king said to Ziba, ‘Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.’” (2 Sam 16:4 NKJV)
With this background in mind, imagine David’s surprise to be met by Mephibosheth. Naturally David had a question or two for the wayward man: “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” (2 Sam 19:24)
Here is where we learn the true story: “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me” (2 Sam 19:25 NJKV).
As it turns out, Mephibosheth, who was lame, needed a donkey to ride in order to follow the king. But when he went out, there was no donkey. Ziba had already taken Mephibosheth’s donkey to David (See 2 Sam. 16:1). Thus, Mephibosheth was stuck in Jerusalem with no way to follow. And as a result of deception, all his wealth was given to the lying servant, Ziba.
Now Mephibosheth had plenty of reason to be bitter. But he wasn’t. Instead, he was grieved for the king who had redeemed him from a life of hiding and shame: “but my lord the king is like the angel of God . . . For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king. Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your own table. Therefore what right have I still to cry out anymore to the king?” (2 Sam 19:24-28 NKJV)
King David realized the love for him in Mephibosheth’s heart, and he reinstated him gladly: “Why do you speak anymore of your matters?” (2 Sam 19:29 KNJV) And he promised to give Mephibosheth back what Ziba had stolen from him.
Mephibosheth’s response? “Then Mephibosheth said to the king, ‘Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house.’” (2 Sam 19:30 NKJV)
To Mephibosheth, the wealth didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was once again in right standing with the king!
Friends, we can learn a lesson or two from Mephibosheth!
Let’s take a look at some of the parallels in this story: Just like Mephibosheth had been redeemed by King David, we have been redeemed by Christ. He has taken our place and set us at the right hand of God! He has given us blessings and riches that we aren’t worthy of having!
But just like Mephibosheth’s wealth was given to Ziba, sometimes things happen and these blessings and riches from God are stolen away.
Our attitude?
We generally get angry at God. But perhaps we would do better to follow Mephibosheth’s example: “Rather, let him take it all, inasmuch as my lord the king has come back in peace to his own house.”
God is calling us, friends, to stop focussing on what we don’t have. Instead, He is calling us to simply rejoice in His presence! Instead of begging God to change our circumstances, God wants us to be content WHERE WE ARE in Him!
But don’t forget what David did to evoke this response from Mephibosheth: He promised to give Mephibosheth back his wealth!
And God will do this for us as well, but first, we have to have our priorities straight. We need to learn from Mephibosheth that our first concern is to be happy in the presence of our Lord and Maker. Our relationship with Him should be our #1 priority. Only when it is will we be guaranteed happiness, for only then will we become content where we are and with what we have!
And what happens after that isn’t even important anymore, is it?
Join us next week for LESSONS FROM DAVID’S FALL, Part 11: Do It – NOW!!!
In His love,
Lyn
Wives and Husbands
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[n] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[o] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband
When we were very young, we had a mother to run, too for help..Now, that I am entering the twilight years,,Thank God we have a wonderful father to lean upon,,Glory to God for his son, ABBA ABBA,,I believe,,cheers mlb..May we live with you forever?
Article borrowed
How do we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ?
1. Repent of your sin and selfishness. Repentance is agreeing with God that you have been wrong and being willing to turn from that old life to a new life in Christ. 2. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord (God and Master) and Savior (who takes away your sin). 3. Receive the Holy Spirit as the promise of what God will do in your life. 4. Thank God for His grace and the free gift that He has given you.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Jesus loves you. Our only hope is in Christ. You can’t get to heaven as you are because your sins have separated you from God (Romans 3:23). That’s why God sent his only son to die for the sins of the world, to bridge the gap between God and man (Romans 6:23). If you were good enough to go to heaven on your own merit, Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection would have been unnecessary.
If you would like to accept Jesus as Lord pray right now:
Father, I know that I am a sinner and cannot obtain salvation in and of myself. I come to you in the name of Jesus asking that you forgive me of my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness and guilt. I trust and believe that Jesus died and rose again to pay my sin penalty. I accept this free gift of salvation, and from this day forward, turn my life completely over to the Lord. I thank you and praise you God for giving me a new life in Christ. Amen.
Newspaper story appearing at page 10 of the July 15, 1911 edition of Spirit Lake Beacon (Iowa).[1]
Chicken eyeglasses, also known as chickens specs, chicken goggles, generically as pick guards and under other names,[2] are small eyeglasses worn by chickens intended to keep them from attacking and cannibalizing one another. A common variety uses rose-colored lenses, the coloring thought to keep a chicken wearing them from recognizing blood on other chickens, which naturally causes an attack instinct. They were mass-produced and sold throughout the United States as early as the beginning of the 20th century.[3][4]
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A form of chicken eyeglasses was first patented in 1903 by Andrew Jackson, Jr. of Munich, Tennessee, as an “Eye-protector for chickens”.[5] Sometimes the devices merely took the form of blinders,[2] but other versions were actually semi- or fully translucent glasses, often rose-colored.[6] The idea behind the glasses is to keep chickens from attacking and cannibalizing one another. Red-tinted lenses, as opposed to other colors, are said to be effective in stopping the internecine pecking because they make the sight of blood not easily recognized.[6] As summed up in a 1953 article in Indiana’s National Road Traveler newspaper, “The deep rose-colored plastic lenses make it impossible for the cannibal [chicken] to see blood on the other chickens, although permitting it to see the grain on the ground.”[7]
The glasses were often made from celluloid or aluminum[8] and typically consisted of “two oval panels that fit over the upper beak of the chicken. A pin is put through the nostril to-hold the oval pieces in place.”[2] Different designs were produced that attached to the chicken’s head in different ways. The model described previously hooked through the nostrils with a cotter pin,[9] while others had a strap.[3] The glasses were available through the mail order company Sears-Roebuck, or through chicken feed stores for a few cents.[10] The glasses are no longer produced, at least by their main manufacturer, but are sought as collector’s items.[11
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to keep the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Footnotes:
QUE es el verdadero Evangelio?
Pregunta: “¿Qué es el verdadero Evangelio?”
Respuesta: El verdadero Evangelio son las buenas noticias de que Dios salva a los pecadores. El hombre es pecador por naturaleza y está separado de Dios sin esperanza alguna de remediar tal situación. Pero Dios ha provisto los medios para la redención del hombre; en la muerte, sepultura y resurrección del Salvador, Jesucristo.
La palabra “evangelio” significa literalmente “buenas nuevas.” Pero para comprender verdaderamente que tan buenas son estas noticias, debemos entender primeramente las malas noticias. Como resultado de la caída del hombre en el Jardín del Edén (Génesis 3:6), cada parte del hombre – su mente, voluntad, emociones y carne – han sido contaminadas por el pecado. Por la naturaleza pecadora del hombre, él no busca ni puede buscar a Dios. Él no tiene el deseo de venir a Dios y, de hecho, su mente mantiene una hostilidad hacia Dios (Romanos 8:7). Dios ha declarado que el pecado del hombre lo condena a una eternidad en el infierno, separado de Él. Es en el infierno donde el hombre paga el castigo por pecar contra un Dios santo y justo. Ciertamente estas serían malas noticias, si no existiera un remedio.
Pero en el Evangelio, Dios, en Su misericordia, ha provisto ese remedio, un sustituto para nosotros – Jesucristo – quien vino a pagar el castigo por nuestro pecado, mediante Su sacrificio en la cruz. Esta es la esencia del Evangelio que Pablo predicaba a los corintios. En 1 Corintios 15:2-4, él explica los tres elementos del Evangelio – la muerte, sepultura, y resurrección de Cristo a nuestro favor. Nuestra vieja naturaleza murió con Cristo en la cruz y fue sepultada con Él. Entonces nosotros fuimos resucitados con Él a una nueva vida (Romanos 6:4-8). Pablo nos dice que nos “sujetemos firmemente” a este verdadero Evangelio, el único que salva. Creer en cualquier otro evangelio es creer en vano. En Romanos 1:16-17, Pablo también declara que el verdadero Evangelio “Es poder de Dios para salvación a todo aquel que cree,” con lo cual él nos dice que la salvación no se logra mediante el esfuerzo del hombre, sino por la gracia de Dios a través del don de la fe (Efesios 2:8-9).
Mediante el Evangelio, a través del poder de Dios, aquellos que creen en Cristo (Romanos 10:9) no solo son salvados del infierno. De hecho, nos es dada toda una nueva naturaleza (2 Corintios 5:17) con un corazón cambiado y un nuevo deseo, voluntad, y actitud que son manifestados en buenas obras. Este es el fruto que el Espíritu Santo produce en nosotros por Su poder. Las obras nunca son los medios para la salvación, pero sí son la prueba de ella (Efesios 2:10). Aquellos que son salvados por el poder de Dios, siempre mostrarán la evidencia de la salvación por medio de una vida transformada.
About 5 years ago, my wife and family was told ”Your husband is dying”..He wont make it through the night. Ihad just experienced a colon cancer operation that had gone bad. All my organs were shutting dowm,,Staph diseas aka MRSA was all through out my body. I don’t want to bore you with everything else. Lets say ,”only a miracle would be in order to save my life.
I am one of the luckiest people on earth. I have a wife that never takes give up as an option,An aChurch, with Pators and deacons of God in the Congregation. My wife sent out an alert for prayer and called CSA ADOBES for help..It wAS a very short period of time that omeone came a calling. They laid their hands pon me and prayed to Jesus Chrit to heal me. Well, 60 days later, I came out of a coma and through the mercy of God survived. All I remmeber was one of the doctors saying,”this man is a marvel” I have accepted Jesus as my savior and lwetting the HOLY SPIRIT minister to me every day, I could never express my gratitude to my wife, Csas Adobe and Jesus Christ. I thank him every day,,Glory to God.. cheers meanlittlebou
Preach It, Teach It Founder
Dr. Roger Barrier, founder Preach It, Teach It, currently serves as senior teaching pastor at Casas Church in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to being an author and sought-after conference speaker, Roger has taught thousands of pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders in 32 countries worldwide.
He partners with Intimate Life Ministries and also regularly teaches national leaders for Campus Crusade for Christ and various other mission organizations.
Dr. Barrier began preaching at the age of 13, and he shares his 3,000+ sermons with you on his popular website, PreachitTeachit.org, receiving almost a million hits in 210 countries in the last two years. His compelling teaching style is one-of-a-kind, combining a solid biblical foundation with culturally relevant application, engaging illustrations, and astute scholarship.
Casas Church, where Roger has served throughout his thirty-five-year career, is a megachurch known for a well-integrated, multi-generational ministry. The value of including new generations is deeply ingrained throughout Casas to help the church move strongly right through the twenty-first century and beyond.
Dr. Barrier holds degrees from Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Golden Gate Seminary in Greek, religion, theology, and pastoral care.
His popular book, Listening to the Voice of God, published by Bethany House, is in its second printing and is available in Thai and Portuguese. His current book, Got Guts, Get Godly, is translated into Russian, Spanish and Urdu. Dr. Barrier has also written a number of journal articles and was a contributing author of The Kingdom and the Power.
Roger is an avid golfer, and he loves to read about and study astrophysics, genetics, and neuroscience in his free time.
The two Barrier daughters, Brianna and Bronwyn, are in full-time Christian ministry. Brianna Barrier Engeler raises funds for international ministries. Bronwyn Barrier Muenckler is a security specialist and consultant for Logic Trends.
To book a conference with the Barriers, go to Roger Barrier’s Facebook page.
Roger’s Sermons
•David: Greater Than Our Hurts
•Why We Never Have to Sin Again
•Priceless: The Biblical Worth of a Woman
•Greater Than Our Doubts
•Protecting Your Family from Pornography
Roger’s Sermons
Ask Roger Blog Posts
•Embarrassed in Heaven? You Bet!
•Apostasy: Can a Christian Fall Away?
•Is It OK to Lend Money with Interest?
•Unequally Yoked
•How I Face Tragedy-Don’t Give Up on God!
Ask Roger Blog Posts
Potatoes
A nutritional All-Star — one of the best vegetables you can eat. They’re loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Bake and then mix in some unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple for extra moisture and sweetness.
.2. Mangoes
Just one cup of mango supplies 100% of a day’s vitamin C, one-third of a day’s vitamin A, a decent dose of blood-pressure-lowering potassium, and 3 grams of fiber. Bonus: mango is one of the fruits least likely to have pesticide residues.
.3. Unsweetened Greek Yogurt
Non-fat, plain Greek yogurt has a pleasant tartness that’s a perfect foil for the natural sweetness of berries, bananas, or your favorite breakfast cereal. It’s strained, so even the fat-free versions are thick and creamy. And the lost liquid means that the yogurt that’s left has twice the protein of ordinary yogurt – about 17 grams in 6 ounces of plain Greek yogurt.
.4. Broccoli
It has lots of vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin K and folic acid. Steam it just enough so that it’s still firm and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and a spritz of lemon juice.
.5. Wild Salmon
The omega-3 fats in fatty fish like salmon can help reduce the risk of sudden-death heart attacks. And wild-caught salmon has less PCB contaminants than farmed salmon.
.6. Crispbreads
Whole-grain rye crackers, like Wasa, Kavli, and Ryvita — usually called crispbreads — are loaded with fiber and often fat-free. Drizzle with a little honey and sprinkle with cinnamon to satisfy your sweet tooth.
.7. Garbanzo Beans
All beans are good beans. They’re rich in protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. But garbanzos stand out because they’re so versatile. Just drain, rinse, and toss a handful on your green salad; throw them into vegetable stews, curries, and soups; mix them with brown rice, whole wheat couscous, bulgur, or other whole grains.
.8. Watermelon
Watermelon is a heavyweight in the nutrient department. A standard serving (about 2 cups) has one-third of a day’s vitamins A and C, a nice shot of potassium, and a healthy dose of lycopene for only 80 fat-free, salt-free calories. And when they’re in season, watermelons are often locally grown, which means they may have a smaller carbon footprint than some other fruits.
.9. Butternut Squash
Steam a sliced squash or buy peeled, diced butternut squash at the supermarket that’s ready to go into the oven, a stir-fry, or a soup. It’s an easy way to get lots of vitamins A and C and fiber.
.10. Leafy Greens
Don’t miss out on powerhouse greens like kale, collards, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. These stand-out leafy greens are jam-packed with vitamins A, C, and K, folate, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, lutein, and fiber. Serve with a splash of lemon juice or red wine vinegar.
TEN FOODS NEVER TO EAT?.10 Worst and Best Foods
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1. Artery Crust
Judging by the label, Marie Callender’s (16.5 oz) Chicken Pot Pie has “only” 520 calories, 11 grams of saturated fat, and 800 mg of sodium. But look again. Those numbers are for only half a pie. Eat the entire pie, as most people probably do, and you’re talking 1,040 calories, 22 grams of saturated fat (more than a day’s worth), and 1,600 mg of sodium (an entire day’s worth).
.2. Triple Bypass
Can’t decide what to pick from a restaurant menu? No worries. Now you can order not just one entrée, but two… or three… all at once. Olive Garden’s Tour of Italy – Homemade Lasagna, Lightly Breaded Chicken Parmigiana, and Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo – comes with 1,450 calories, 33 grams of saturated fat, and 3,830 milligrams of sodium. Add a breadstick (150 calories and 400 mg of sodium) and a plate of Garden-Fresh Salad with dressing (350 calories and 1,930 mg of sodium) and you’ll consume almost 2,000 calories (an entire day’s worth) and 6,160 mg
.3. Salt’s On!
On average, a cup of Campbell’s Condensed soup has 760 mg of sodium. That’s half a day’s worth … assuming you eat only one of the 2½ servings that the label says the can makes. Campbell’s Healthy Request and Select Harvest, Progresso Reduced Sodium, and Healthy Choice slash the sodium to the 400s. Look for lower sodium lines in the 100s to 300s by Amy’s, Imagine Foods, Pacific Natural Foods, and Tabatchnick.
.4. Tortilla Terror
Interested in a Chipotle Chicken Burrito (tortilla, rice, pinto beans, cheese, chicken, sour cream, and salsa)? Think of its 970 calories, and 18 grams of saturated fat as three 6-inch Subway BLT Classic Subs! Skipping the cheese or sour cream cuts the saturated fat to 6 grams, but you still end up with 750 calories and more than a day’s worth of sodium. Yikes!
.5. Factory Reject
People don’t expect light desserts at The Cheesecake Factory. But the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake kicks things up a notch. If it weren’t served on its side, this one would stand over six inches tall. And upright or not, the slab of cake still weighs in at three-quarters of a pound. What do you get for all that heft? Just 1,760 calories and 2½ days’ worth of saturated fat (50 grams), mostly from chocolate, sugar, cream, white flour, and butter.
.6. Burial Grands
No one thinks of cinnamon rolls as health food. But each Pillsbury Grands! Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll with Icing has 310 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat plus 2½ grams of trans fat (more than a day’s worth) and 5 teaspoons of sugar. Companies are dumping their partially hydrogenated oils left and right, yet Pillsbury still makes most of its rolls and biscuits with the stuff.
.7. Transgression
“Excellent source of ALA Omega 3,” declares the Land O’Lakes Margarine box. Who knew that Land O’Lakes stick margarine was so heart healthy? It isn’t. Each tablespoon of the spread has 2½ grams of trans fat (more than an entire day’s limit) and 2 grams of saturated fat. And beware of other trans-filled sticks by Blue Bonnet, Parkay, Country Crock, and Fleischmann’s. At least those brands don’t imply that a bit of ALA outweighs the harm caused by the margarine’s trans and saturated fat. Shopping tip: Look for tub margarines – most have little or no trans fat.
.8. Starbucks on Steroids
The Starbucks Venti (20 oz) White Chocolate Mocha with 2% milk and whipped cream is more than a mere cup of coffee. It’s worse than a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Few people have room in their diets for the 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat that this hefty beverage supplies. But you can lose 130 calories and almost two-thirds of the bad fat if you order it with nonfat milk and no whipped cream.
.9. Extreme Ice Cream
An average halfcup serving of Häagen-Dazs ice cream squeezes half-a-day’s saturated fat and a third-of-a-day’s cholesterol into your artery walls and makes a nearly 300-calorie down-payment on your next set of fat cells – if you can stop at a petite half-cup!
.10. Stone Cold
Cold Stone Creamery’s Oh Fudge! shake (chocolate ice cream, milk, and fudge syrup) starts at 1,250 calories for the “Like It” (16 oz) size. That’s more than a large (32 oz) McDonald’s McCafe Chocolate Triple Thick Shake. The “Love It” (20 oz) has 1,660 calories and the “Gotta Have It” (24 oz) reaches 1,920 calories (just about an entire day’s worth) and 69 grams of saturated fat (3½ days’ worth). That’s the saturated fat content of two 16 oz T-bone steaks plus a buttered baked potato, all blended into a handy 24 oz
What We SHOULD Believe?
The Bible
We place our confidence in the divinely inspired Word of God without error. It is completely reliable as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice.
1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; and 2 Peter 1:20–21
God the Father
We acknowledge the Creator-God as our heavenly Father, all-knowing, all-powerful and always present, yet intimately acquainted with each one of us.
Psalm 103:19; Matthew 28:19; and 1 Peter 1:2.
The Lord Jesus Christ
We claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He who is fully God came to earth as a man, lived a sinless life, died to pay in full the penalty we owed for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and will come again someday.
John 1:1–3, 14; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:1–3; and 1 John 5:11–12
The Holy Spirit
We recognize the Holy Spirit as the third member of the Trinity who is constantly at work, convicting those who’ve sinned, comforting those who hurt and guiding those who believe in Christ.
John 14:26; Acts 1:5, 8; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; and Ephesians 1:13–14
The Depravity of Humanity
We confess that we are all sinners, by birth and by choice. Our relationship with a holy, sinless God can only be restored through Christ’s work of salvation.
Genesis 3; Jeremiah 17:9; and Romans 3:10–18, 23; 5:12
Salvation
We believe that God’s free gift of salvation is available to everyone. Those who accept it by faith, apart from works, receive the forgiveness of their sins and experience a restored relationship with God which results in permanent life-change.
John 3:16; Romans 10:9–10; 1 Corinthians 15:1–5; and Ephesians 1:4–12; 2:8–9
The Return of Christ
We anticipate our Lord’s promised return which could occur at any moment.
1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12; Hebrews 9:28; and Revelation 19:11–16
Eternity
We are convinced that at the end of time, believers will enter into everlasting communion with God and unbelievers will be condemned to everlasting separation from God.
John 11:23–27; 1 Corinthians 15:51–57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; and Revelation 20:4–21:5
The Body of Christ
We are grateful to be a part of the church universal, which exists to proclaim God’s truth, to stimulate spiritual growth, to facilitate healthy relationships and to bring glory to God.
Acts 2:41–47; Philippians 2:1–4; and Hebrews 10:24–25
The Christian New Covenant involves the theological concept of a new relationship between God and humans mediated by Jesus. This new relationship is available to all people,[21] both Jews and Gentiles.
Christians vary in their view of the New Covenant. Some believe the New Covenant extends the Mosaic Covenant but it seemingly accomplishes new things.[22] Christian laws of faith claim that a New Covenant of the trinitarian God with the Christians and the Christian Church replaces, fulfills or completes God’s Mosaic covenant. See also Types of Supersessionism.
The only reference in the Hebrew Bible that uses the wording “new covenant” is found in the Book of Jeremiah, Chapters 30-33 (God’s promise of restoration), Chapter 31, Verses 31-34:
“
³¹Behold, days are coming – the word of HASHEM – when I will seal a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
”
This prophet’s word refers to the birth of Jesus Christ and his atonement on the cross (Matthew 26:28), as well as the expounding of proper interpretation of the law, based on principle rather than rule (Matthew
God told David someone would come from his genealogy that would rule forever.We all know he was talking about JESUS CHRIST. AMENcovenant
The Davidic covenant[2 Sam 7] establishes David and his descendants as the rightful kings of Israel[Jer 33:17-21] (including Judah from whom also the Messiah comes[Gen 49:10]). In Christian theology, the Davidic covenant is an important element of Jesus’ as the Messiah (see also Nativity of Jesus). Christian scholar John F. Walvoord maintains that the Davidic covenant deserves an important place in determining the purposes of God and that its exegesis confirms the doctrine of a future reign of Christ on earth.[13] According to Christian theology, the “features” or provisions of the Davidic covenant are found in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. While Jewish theologians have always pointed out that Jesus did not fulfil the political expectations of a messiah (liberation of the Jewish political state), for conservative Christian theologians, the opinion is almost unanimous that Christ fulfills the Davidic Covenant, the provisions of which include the following items:
1.David is to have a child, yet to be born, who shall succeed him and establish his kingdom.
2.A son (Solomon) shall build the temple instead of David.
3.The throne of his kingdom shall be established forever.
4.The throne will not be taken away from him (Solomon) even though his sins justify chastisement.
5.David’s house, throne, and kingdom shall be established forever.[13]
God will put up with a lot of foolishment from mankind. There is one thing he won’t tolerATE? mESSING WITH A bLOOD cOVENANT HE HAS SIGNED SEALED AND DELIVERED PAST PRESENT OR FUTURE. When ever someone says anything in america against Israel, we can expect a calamity to occur withing 72 hours.So Mr President do us all a favor, study the covenant of Israel I am posting on this site..For God sake don’t mess with Israel,,cheers
The Israel covenant
The Israel covenant[Deut. 29:1-29] [30:1-10] is a conditional covenant between God and the children of Israel. After warning that Israel will be dispersed among the nations, and conditional to Israel’s repentance, return to God, and obedience to the Mosaic law. In regard to this covenant Israel and the Jewish people are referenced separately so that when God refers to Israel he is referring the descendants of Ephraim.[Jer 31:9-10] The Lord also says that he has chosen Israel over Judah i.e. the Jewish people in regard to the return to the land. [Jer 3:11-14] God promises:
1.That Israel would lose their identity[Isa 7:8]
2.That while Israel (Ephraim) will become many nations between the Nile and the Euphrates, yet only a remnant of the people of Ephraim will return[Isa 10:22]
3.That Israel and Judah will be at war with each other, but that the Lord would bring about a peace between Israel and Judah[Zech 9:10] [11:14] [Jer 30:1-7]
4.That Ephraim would return to Lebanon and Gilead, which is located in Western Jordan [Zech 10:7-10] However, the only people living in these areas now are the Arab peoples. The Palestinian Refugee camps are also located in these locations
5.That there would be a conflict between Ephraim and many other nations of the World[Deut 33:17] [Zech 9:13]
6.The remnant that will return from Ephraim will be the descendants of those who did not bow to Baal[1 Kings 19:10-18]
7.That a new nation of Ephraim will form south of Israel in Saudi Arabia or Egypt. A nation the Jewish people will refer to as Sodom[Ezek 16:46,49]
8.To regather Israel from its dispersion and unite them with Judah, but that Judah would not recognize them [Ezek 16:59-63] [Deut 33:9]
9.That a people who are called “Not his people” will be called his people[Hos 1:10]
10.To bring the Israelites to the land which their fathers possessed (here named Land of Canaan)[Hos 1:11]
11.To prosper the Israelites above their fathers.
12.To restore the Israelites spiritually so that Israel will love the Lord with all their heart and soul
13.To put all the curses of Israel upon Israel’s enemies
14.That the descendants of Judah, i.e. the Jewish people, would return to where their family “Israel” already was [Deut 33
I didn’t know when we were married I was marrying an ANGEL.My wife gives her self to everyone she comes in contact with,,She is my ROCK AND MY FORTRESS,,Thank you Jesus for my wife. Please accept her into your glory. dennis
ps,,her ggg grandfather was the founder of the SALVATION ARMY,,WILLIAM BOOTH cheers
IF ONLY ONE PERSON TURNS TO GOD? \The angels celebrate like a super bowl victory on earth. AMEN
IS TO HAVE SOMEONE CALL YOU A “JESUS FREAK OR A SLAVE OF JESUS? A PERSON DOES NOT KNOW what real freedom is in life? Until they becoem a slave or servant of JESUS CHRIST.
We give up a lot to follow him, like guilt, condemation a date with hell. We finally enjoy life at its fullest. We don’t have to worry about anything in life.
God will bless us in all aspects of life now and eternal.All we have to do is search the kingdom of God, and be obedient to his commandments.
Let me ask you a question? if you have never eccepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? what the Hell or you waiting for? Is it better to ;live 75 years in this world or forever in the one to come? No wonder the Bible calls anyone who refuses to open the door to Jesus a Fool..
God blesses us so we can bless others in this world.Its time to get on the GLORY TRAIN, Time is running out on this old way of life. Jesus is coming!!
A GREAT SERVANT OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. MAY YOUR BIRTHDAY BE REMEMBERED,,AMEN CHEERS DENNIS
