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Jesus said that a better man the John The Baptist never existed.....I don’t think trump and John should be mentioned in the same sentence

John the Baptist that said this?: 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. I don’t think so. They are opposites.

I've let this run its course. It's just becoming non-edifying so I'm going to go ahead and lock it up.

None whatsoever. One was a man of God the other gives empty lip service to God.

And the other side of the same coin... (less popular however). Luke 6:24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25 Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. 27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

Thanks, Paul does liken our walks with God to a race we are to run, or in another place I think it is called our “course.” Whatever terminology is used it is a very active “faith” we are called to. Scripture tells us to keep our eyes on the things above not on the things of the earth. So regardless of what happens or doesn’t happen here we are to always keep our eyes on the prize. For me that is that I might get an “abundant welcome”. Scripture calls our entrance by two different terms and “abundant welcome” and a “well done”, I’m of the mind the abundant welcome is the better. So that’s what I strive for. The “abundant” rather than the “well done”. Either way I just want to run my race to get the prize. And for me that is; All of Christ Jesus and nothing of me. Be blessed in Christ, Not me Ps, I just experienced a miracle. I just hit a deer going 60 mph plus and didn’t dump the motorcycle, came through it without a scratch. Am going to have to get the bike shipped home, but I have full coverage so things should work out fine. But to hit a deer at 60 mph and walk away without a scratch, is a miracle indeed. God is just sooo good! Praise God, to Him be all Praise!! Be blessed, Not me

What does the Church teach about these Scriptures?Is this Christ appearing in Old Testament times or an Angel? 1. Joshua 5:13-15 King James Version (KJV) 13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. 2. Daniel 3:25 King James Version (KJV) 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

To me, it's plain and evident this is the pre-incarnate Christ, or pre-incarnate Christophany. Heavenly angles of the Lord never allow themselves to be worshiped, and always direct worship to the Lord. It's forbidden for us to worship angles or angels to accept worship (Satan excluded). Where an angel stands is never Holy ground.

Another good devotional by Paul Ellis, hope it will encourage others, too. By Paul Ellis, Escapetoreality Branches are Not Sticks: Why God Will Never Cast You Away Posted on August 2, 2018 by Paul Ellis // 37 Comments “Whoever comes to me I will never cast away” (John 6:37). Jesus promised he would never cast away those who come to him, yet some people fear he might. Because Jesus is fickle and he changes his mind a lot. Of course, that’s not true, yet some worry that it might be true, because of what he said here: If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (John 15:6) How do these words make you feel? Read them again, then see which of the following responses best describes your reaction: 1. “I’m in trouble. I don’t know if I’m abiding, so I’m in danger of being cast into the fire.” This is the response of the uncertain or lukewarm mind. It’s the response of someone who has not fully understood the good news of grace. 2. “These words aren’t for me because I’m a good Christian. I’m not perfect, but I’m at least better than 50% of the people reading this.” This is the response of the self-righteous. Again, it’s the response of someone who has not understood the good news of grace. 3. “I’ve got nothing to fear because God loves and he will never leave me. Since I am one with the Lord, it is impossible for him to cast me away.” This is the response of those who have been set free by the gospel and are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. If your response was an insecure (1) or a self-righteous (2), don’t worry; you’ve come to the right place. To the self-righteous and those of you who think you are good enough for God, I have some liberating news: you are wretched, poor, blind, and naked. God’s law says so. Okay, so that wasn’t good news, but this is: Jesus gives grace to the wretched and he clothes the naked. Put off your filthy rags and put on the spotless garments of his righteousness. No one is good enough for God, but God is more than good enough for us. His best is better than your worst. His grace is greater than your self-righteousness. Believe it. And now some good news for the insecure and anxious. In the parable of the vine and the branches (John 15:1-8), Jesus talks about two kinds of people: Those who abide in him Those who don’t abide in him and are cast away Question 1: Who abides in Jesus? The believer. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15). A believer, by definition, abides in the Lord. They are not merely branches, but “branches in me” (John 15:6). Because a believer is in union with the Lord, they bear his fruit, and if they don’t, God nurtures them and lifts them up. He doesn’t cut them off. Question 2: Who doesn’t abide and is cast away? The unbeliever. Reject the life that Christ offers, and you will have no life in you. You will be a dead stick rather than a living branch. This is what happened to the religious Jews who rejected Jesus. They “were broken off for their unbelief” (Rom. 11:20). Who broke them off? Not God, but themselves. “They stumbled… theysought to establish their own righteousness … they killed the prophets” (Rom. 9:32, 10:3, 11:3). Some think that God cuts off unfruitful branches because God allegedly cut off the Jews, but “God did not reject his people” (Rom. 11:2); the Jews rejected God. And by Jews I mean the Jews as a nation rejected Jesus, while many individual Jews accepted him. Question 3: What’s the takeaway? Abide in the love of God. Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; abide in my love. (John 15:9) We don’t abide to get into the love of God; we get to abide because he loves us. Notice the order in the verse above. There is a proclamation (unconditional love from God to you through Jesus) followed by an invitation (abide in that love; agree that Jesus is the Son of the God who loves us). When you know how much God loves you, you’ll stop striving to earn his love. You will not fear that he may cut you off and cast you away. (He promised he wouldn’t.) You will be at home in his love. Your heavenly Father loves you. There is nothing you can do to make him love you more, and nothing you can do to make him love you less. “Abide in the vine” is both a statement of your union with Christ and an exhortation to live from the pleasant security of that union.

Simply highlight the section you wish -- wait -- and then it'll say -- Quote Selection -- click it -- and there you go! God bless, George

After giving the original question a little thought, in my opinion Donald Trump has more in common with Caligula than John the Baptist!

Nobody I have ever known, myself included, has done all of these things....What are we to do? When W C Fields was caught reading the Bible and was asked “ why?”, he responded that he was “ looking for loopholes”. There is no record that he ever found what he was looking for.I did.Its called “ Grace”.Total forgiveness, there for the taking.He was probably never told how to obtain it.Faith in the Shed Blood Of Jesus- plus Nothing.There is the loophole he never found.Now that you know about it are you willing to apply it to your life and get saved?Its the only way . “ by Grace you are saved, through faith......” God bless.

So where are the similarities between Trump and John the Baptist if one never mentions Him and the other was all about Him? btw, Trump says he has never ever asked for forgiveness.

That does not count for much.....what does he say about Jesus Christ? THAT is what matters....I have never heard trump mention His Name....

I have been an avid rider for 50 years and this area is full of those fluffy-tailed rats, some call them deer.God has looked over this fool for many years......I have never had any close calls with deer.Almost hit a cat a few months ago and that was the only problem I ever had with animals .My only wreck was many years ago. An old lady pulled out in front of me.....I slammed the front brakes and went straight over the handlebars and landed on top of my head, which explains many of my postings here.......lol, but seriously I had a helmet on and walked away ok.The bigger miracle is the thousands of times I was so drunk I barely knew how to get home .....you familiar with that drunk driving thing where you have to drive with one eye closed and squint real hard so you can stay on the road ? I did a LOT of that.I should have+been dead a long time ago.We need to thank God for His Grace and make sure you wear a helmet, stay sober and watch out for deer ......or even cats...lol

Very good, and I agree with your statement. A little more descriptive, however, is it requires action on the part of the believer, not as a work requirement to be accomplished, but rather, believing in one's heart in mercy, one will then act accordingly. The Samaritan did not believe he needed to accomplish some work by aiding the injured individual; he in his heart believing in love, naturally took action accordingly.

I saw a rather twisted video on the BBC. They proclaimed President Trump was being mean to illegals by having the border guards empty bottles of water left by some so the people would not lack due to thirst. The media is of course very left and bleeding heart. BUT, they forgot to remove the video time stamp. It was taken during the PREVIOUS administration. Oh dear, what a very good example of distorted information trying to defame our President.

The Greek Word is pisteuo. 1. pisteuo (G4100), "to believe," also "to be persuaded of," and hence, "to place confidence in, to trust," signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence. So to believe is to trust in and rely upon the person believed. It requires action on the part of the believer, as to place their lives on the line for who and what they believe.

You STILL haven't learnt your lesson about texting and driving??? And a motorcycle at that.......smh PS: should we pray for the deer?

Hi Sonshine! If you're free next August come with us! It was great. One big family!

there are many who think being born again automatically makes us part of His Bride and therein lies a very dangerous self-deception. He's coming back for an helpmeet suitable to oneness with holiness and purity....perfection. He's not going to be saddled with a partner who makes eyes at Him over the table while playing footsie with the world beneath it.

I have been a christian for a long time, Not me, I fail the Lord so many times by keeping him waiting for me. In the morning when its so cold, I tend to sleep in a little while longer and am late for my appointment with the Lord. Yet He is so faithful. The Lord does preserves the way of the righteous.

I have given it a lot of thought. Why has God made the matters of our eternal rewards that way ? He is wanting us to be filled with the fruits of righteousness. Peter calls it "having an abundance entrance " into the kingdom. I believe that its because Jesus is after an eternal companion a bride that is without spot or wrinkle but blameless before him in love. At the moment we are betrothed to him ( 2 Corinthians 11:2). The marriage is yet to be consummated at the marriage supper of the lamb. From the parable of the 10 virgins, 5 of them were foolish. They had the lamps but not the oil. In another words, they put their ministry first but failed to be diligent in cultivating the garden of their hearts or rather their ministry expanded but the size of their hearts remains small. when the bridegroom came, they missed out on the wedding celebration. Jesus is not after workers, he is not even after someone whom he can use. Jesus wants a bride so in love with him, one who will mature from a young maiden to a mature reigning bride with the divine seal of fire fully consuming her heart: a bride who is equally yoked with him in love and doing active ministry within the context of intimacy and partnership with him.

We can't judge others. God knows their hearts. I am sure if it was required of him to give it all to the the Lord, he would have. I have known more poor people who were greedy for gain than middle income folks. God doesn't require this of everyone--only those who love money. You will never know which people are generous because they will give secretly. Many go so far as to not deduct it all from taxes.

Hi there, and thanks for getting back to me. Actually RENEEiW The entire bible talks about abuse all through it. The opposite of abuse is love, and the entire bible, and one of Jesus many reasons for coming was to teach us to love. Love God, love our neighbors, love those who hate us, and those who abuse us, but not allow it if it was possible. Abuse of any kind is the opposite of love, and so is todays bullying. The idea is love the abuser and forgive them but don't love the abuse which is satanic. If we can, sometimes with a believer therapist help we can learn to let go of our emotions and triggers (Yes I have them from my abuse ) with God's help. Forgiveness helps us release the anger and bitterness. (Again speaking from experience. I still carry the emotional scars, but not nearly as bad as before therapy - Many, many years )

In contrast some like Billy Graham only lived off the profits of the books he sold, and those were at rock bottom prices. He never asked for donations for himself and gave away many of the books. I told my cousin when we visited her that our church never asks for money, which is true. She took me to her church that Sunday and was embarrassed to have her pastor ask all who wanted to be blest come forward and place money down on the stage. Then he asked those who wanted a double blessing to come forward again and place more money on the stage. Not only did the left hand know what the right hand was doing, the whole congregation watched while people came forward with their money. Fleecing the flock. Pastors above all should be setting the example of trusting our God to supply their needs and the needs of their church.

I think you had better to back to civics classes..... the Supreme Court created Roe V. Wade and they are the only people who can change it or reverse that decision..

Good. That may be all you can do. Or share your concerns with her. She may not listen to you right away but it may plant a seed.

Which is what I, being a successful General Contractor who carried $500 in my pocket every day, GAVE IT ALL UP, 28 years ago to come to a third world country without a penny in my pocket or any financial support from any church or organization, to preach the Gospel only relying on, putting all of my faith in: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psa 37:25 And today, 28 years later, by the endless Mercy, ever abounding Grace and infinite Love of/from my Father, I can truly say without any hesitancy: ...my cup runneth over. Psa 23:5 He has abundantly supplied, 24/7 for these 28 years, all of my needs, financially, physically and Spiritually, ...now, how about you? Lord bless

The term believer or Christian does not have a lot of importance to me. Anyone can call themselves a believer or a Christian. A born again believer has faith and trust in Jesus Christ. They have put their old self behind and have put God in the drivers seat of their life. God is in control of their life 100%. They no longer control their own life. They want to be obedient to God. Their old self has been set aside. They are not the same person they were 10 years ago. They do their best to display the fruit of the spirit each and every day. They do not willfully sin. They have repented of their sin and have turned to Christ for their salvation. They feel the Holy Spirit working in their life and they feel closer to God each and everyday. They do not have a "religion" but have a daily relationship with Christ.

I enjoyed reading this devotional, thought others might like it, too. By Paul Ellis Jesus said the Philadelphians were doing well, "because you have a little power, have kept my word, and have not denied my name" (Rev. 3:8b). What does it mean to have little power? A church with little power is a small or weak church. The Philadelphians weren’t anything special. They lacked the resources of their Laodicean neighbors, and they didn’t have the reputation of the Sardians. Like David, the shepherd boy, they were of little account in the eyes of man. But weakness is no barrier to God. If anything, it’s an advantage because God chooses the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:27). A God who shares the stage with no one seems to delight in choosing the least qualified and the most unlikely. When he needed a man to lead Israel against the Midianites, he chose chicken-hearted Gideon. When he needed a herald for the gospel of grace, he chose law-loving Saul. And when he needed a father of many nations, he chose grey-haired Abram. In the economy of grace, the weak and unqualified seem to have the inside track. If you were to tour the churches of Asia, you might be dazzled by the energetic Ephesians, the affluent Laodiceans, and the spiritual Sardians. And you might be tempted to dismiss the small Philadelphian church as inconsequential. But Philadelphia was where the action was. Jesus had given this little church an open door that no one could shut. What a wonderful encouragement for those of us who think we have nothing to offer. You may have no money, no reputation, no ability, no connections, no education, and no chance, but as long as you have the Lord, you have everything you need. You may have no power, but the Lord-with-the-key (see Rev. 3:7) has given you authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). How had they kept his word? They believed Jesus and took him at his word. What made the Philadelphians special was this: They were believing believers who were persuaded that the Lord is good and trustworthy. This is the only clue to their commendation. Nothing else is recorded. Search the letter to the Philadelphians and you will not find seven steps to success, or twelve strategies for church outreach. The Philadelphians simply believed Jesus, and that made all the difference. The question to ask is not why the Philadelphians had an open door, but why some of the other churches weren’t as fruitful. The answer is they were captive to unbelief. They put little stock in the grace of God. The Ephesians’ unbelief was evident in the way they were working themselves to death. The Sardians’ unbelief was in their refusal to receive the gospel. And the Laodiceans’ unbelief was in their boast that they needed nothing from God. Unbelief takes many forms and not even believers, strangely, are immune from its insidious effects. Whenever the promises of God are dismissed or doubted, the result is barrenness. Apart from him we can do nothing. — Extracted from Letters from Jesus, a finalist at this year’s International Book Awards.

The "key" is in their name, Philadelphians, ...which means brotherly love, that is what John is emphasizing in his letter: If a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God loves his brother also. 1 John 4:20, 21 David is a type of Jesus, holding the keys, in the sense he was the King of Israel Isa 22:22, Jesus is the Supreme ruler in the Kingdom of Heaven, the holding of the keys, the symbols of power, thus belongs to Christ as Lord of the Kingdom and Church of God. The Church is called to preach the Gospel, in LOVE, therein lies the power, ...not in arguing over doctrinal issues. How many do we see here who are infirm or weak physically, yet their posts are filled with love and are powerful, ...encouraging, comforting, edifying, uplifting, helping, praying for others needs, ...that, ...is a demonstration of modern day Philadelphian brotherly/sisterly love in the church at Worthy. Lord bless

So thankful that God’s love never fails. I do, we all do, but He doesn’t, and knowing He does all things well. Blessed be His name. Such a strength there is in knowing; His love never fails. Through the darkest of nights, He still sees, blessed be His name. In Christ, Not me

The purpose of redemption is not just to save us....but to bring us into friendship with God. Enoch and Elijah were friends with God...they loved God. And that means that we all can be friends too...if we have a change of heart. So then these men prove that we are "redeemable"....we just need rescuing. But some of us need more rescuing than others. How far does Jesus' love extend? It extends as far as death. There is no greater love. The mistake of much of modern ministry is that it is man centered. Getting people "saved"...by a religious belief and belonging to a religious movement. But where is God in all that? No, the purpose of redemption is to be won over by God's love into a relationship that is similar to that of Enoch and Elijah. All other considerations are just religious in nature and come from an indoctrination into the modern man-centered doctrines. Jesus came to reconcile us with the Father. For many of us (but not all) that means repentance....a turning away from our life course. But to make a doctrine out of anything than just a simple heart of obedience to God is to muddy the intent of God. We may all be weak in our flesh, but we are not all the same. No one doctrine covers all people. The kingdom of God has no cookie cutters.

Contradictory perhaps??. If you aint willing to fight for your right to live and those around you, then you might let people sacrifice themselves for you. You cannot have the rights of a Citizen if you plug the 'Leftist-Subject' ideals. That is some of our problem. There are so few PATRIOTS any more. You are either a Citizen or a Subject. Bearing arms is a citizen's right and duty. If you really ARE a pacifist, then you will man the Red Cross and be an ammo carrier for us that fight. You will not be able to hide from the skirmishes (figurative or physical) you will have to be involved if you hold to the sanctity of life. It is a violent life we have. We do have to get used to that fact. Be ready to either capitulate or sacrifice...

that is correct, NOT ME. Once you lose your fascination and passion for God, you also lose your fruitfulness and effectiveness in the kingdom. Everything else you do for God is the beginning of the beginning. Your evangelism, your discipleship, your teaching is all at the beginning of the beginning. David a man after God’s own heart, this was his life vision : One thing have I desired of the LORD ,that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple ( Psalm 27:4). David was a man after this ONE THING : to live fascinated with the beauty pf the Lord. Love for God does not automatically grow; rather it diminishes unless you intentionally cultivate a responsive heart and love for God.

As a born again Christian a person should be careful of the lyrics of the music they are listening to. Some of the secular music can be very worldly.

I've got a pretty extensive library of music in several listenable formats. And it covers a wide range of styles, going far back into the classics of the baroque era to fairly recent. Variety is most appealing, and it's easy to get involved with a particular category for a while, and stray into another. If there's lyrics, and the message goes against my faith however, the line gets drawn then and there.

Well I tell ya, it is like this -it don't matter what one listens to or plays someone is going to have a wild hair objection to it. So if it lifts your spirit makes you happy gives you a good countenance toward our Lord and savior enjoy. Hum, sing, play, make a joyful noise. and let the grump go grump grump grump grump. Tell them there is a musical rhythm to their grumping, it will drive them into silence for at least a bit. Martin Luther had objection to the church organ, called it the devil's instrment, Church of Christ has various rules against instruments because they say the New Testament is silent on the subject of instruments and they only speak of what the Bible speaks of- go figure that one out humming abit as you do. Seems there is both a direct assault upon our enjoyment of worship nd an indirect one by way of music that is not praising of our creator and instead often a direct denial of Him. I never enjoyed "church" music until recently when i changed churches to a really livelu group that praises God in song - worship- so intense it makes me very aware of the Holy Spirit moving among us. now i sing perhaps just joyful noise, but I love it for my God seems to be showing us that He loves it too. BTW- as a personal preference I love to listen to George's wife's music ( Bath Rika Whitten) as I am driving along the highway, keeps me calm and in praise mode, and yes I am a Fernando Ortega groupie also. Music is good in fact excellent for the mind body and spirit and soul. Bring on the drums, bring on the bass, Get Rhythm in your shoes dance to the Lord sing and praise. Hey even bring on the shofar listen for the trump.

I think music is good as long as it doesn't have alot of verbal garbage in it....be careful of what you listen to. Some secular music is ok. Also, I hate music that is so loud that you might become deaf listening to it.

I love camping ( as long as there is a comfy bed and an indoor toilet ) Have a very blessed time and come back refreshed

You and your dad have fun!

Its been a long time since I was able to go camping. I did so love it. Post some photos when you get back.

I pray you all have a lovely time and I will continue to pray for your dad. God bless you. Becky.

Oh man, ...I envy you, they say I live in Paradise, ...but I'll take some time in the High Sierras any day rather than the blue lagoon, coconut trees and white sand beaches. I know your dad will have fun, I spent many hours hiking the John Muir Trail with a pound or two of peanuts to feed the squirrels. Have fun!!!

Camping is Awesome! Enjoy!

Noel, My first thought when reading your post was "what a breath of fresh air" just to read something fun that the family and friends are planning. Have a fantastic time!

Sure this is the right place. It sounds like a good time

It's what we do with Jesus that matters. That's a conscious choice. These days most people have heard the Gospel. You've clearly talked to your friend about it and he has some conception of God. In a situation like that I don't think doing the law while not knowing it is applicable. It's important to keep in mind that sometimes people will say they believe in God to get a Christian off their back, or as a recent thread talked about people might say they're "spiritual but not religious". That's counterfeit and feels like someone who wants to appear spiritually clean without committing to Jesus. It's difficult to make an accurate assessment of where your friend stands from the perspective of someone who has never met them and only has what you've said to go on. I'd say press deeper. How do they feel about Jesus? Do they believe there's a need for salvation? What sort of characteristics does he attribute to God?

The virtuous woman : What is her secret? She is a woman that fears the LORD. Consider this for a moment! This woman lives in a house built high upon a rock over which the way of holiness runs leading to the celestial city the New Jerusalem. The sun of righteousness is always shining through her windows in the early morning’s watches. Her windows are called watch and pray, thanksgiving and praise, pray without ceasing. Her house has been built with the exceeding great and precious promises of the Word of God that through these she might become a partaker of the divine nature. All her rooms are flooded with the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The house is well furnished with every good and perfect gift from above. The servants of the house are goodness and mercy. They are such faithful servants that they follow her all the days of her life. Her spiritual diet: she feeds daily on the bread of life and drink from the water of life .And she eats abundantly the milk and honey from the land of promise. In her garden there grows all the fruits of the Spirit: love joy peace long sufferings gentleness goodness faith humility self-control and the fragrance which is exhaled from these fruits pervades the whole atmosphere of her house. Yes, this is the secret of Mrs far above rubies. She is a woman that walks in sound wisdom. A woman that fears the LORD. Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her in the gates.