appy

@Daily verse and quote I want you to know, that your posts for the most part, are quite interesting and certainly give a lot of folks something to ponder on for the day, or something to smile about.

Like you and jade, I'm not fond of "The message" version and do NOT read or use it because in many places within it, there are passages that have that "new age" wording. This is more noticeable when reading other versions next to it, side by side. The quoted verse, from "the message" sounds so contrary to other scriptures that teach us to not be angry. In regard to paraphrases, I prefer the LB or NIV for this passage. Ephesians 4:26-27 (LB) If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angry—get over it quickly; 27 for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV) “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

I homed in on "about the human vulnerability" part, but if the aim was to talk about the preparation for his death, don't forget to add the story of the woman with the perfume that got poured on his feet. Matthew 26:12 By pouring this perfume on Me, she has prepared My body for burial. Mark 14:8 She has done what she could to anoint My body in advance of My burial. Mark 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

Some people, not everyone, but some, in general speaking, have a hard time understanding that Jesus was, and IS fully God and fully human at the same time. This was the same issue for the religious leaders in the NT times. They just could not wrap their minds around the fact that he was God in the flesh. For standing in front of them was a human being. There was no mistaking this. Jesus had to be fully human because God's justice, requires that the same human nature which has sinned should pay for sin. Jesus also had to be fully God at the same time, because humanity can not bear the weight of God's penalty and anger. There is no way that a mere human could fully satisfy God's wrath. For God's wrath is infinite in nature and quality. Only Jesus as God could bring a sacrifice of infinite and eternal value to God that he would appease heaven’s wrath. By merit of his divine nature, he is able to earn for us eternal life and favor with God. The divinity of Christ means that he is able to be raised from the dead (after conquering it) and therefore apply the benefits he has earned for us. He is God and also man through the whole process, from start to finish.

I don't click on the “see unread content” or “new content” and read every new post that gets posted since my last visit. If I see something on the home page that catches my eye and interest, and if I feel led to post... I will. Otherwise, I don't have the need to get in as many posts as possible in one day. Its just not that important. Sometimes I only respond once to a post, sometimes multiple if there is a need. In that way, I try to avoid sounding combative. I don't need it, and the other person I am conversing with, doesn't need it. Sometimes letting something go, is easier said, than done. Lets face it, we've all posted at times a post that wasn't very noble or edifying. We've all been there. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference Reinhold Niebuhr

You have spoken about your neighbor's not long ago in another thread. Please don't make this an “us vs them” issue to them. The thing to do is pray that God will open their hearts to not only hear the gospel message, but experience repentance and salvation. When sharing the gospel, share it in the same way you would anyone else. Don't make an issue about their lifestyle. In others words, when speaking to them; do NOT make comparisons between them and other people. Zeroing in on their lifestyle. They are humans in need of a Savior. For if you begin making comparisons, all you will have accomplished, is making them resent Christians and the gospel message. And will drive them further away from God and make it more difficult for other Christians to also minister to them. Everybody has sinned, so no one can claim they are better than your neighbor's across the street from you. The same gospel message is preached to all. Share with them what God has done for you, and how he has changed your life. Let the Holy Spirit do the convicting and convincing that the gospel message is true.

Did anyone notice the last verse in Ezekiel 1? Ezekiel 1:28 (NASB) Like the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Ezekiel 1:28 (LB) From his waist up, he seemed to be all glowing bronze, dazzling like fire; and from his waist down he seemed to be entirely flame, and there was a glowing halo like a rainbow all around him. That was the way the glory of the Lord appeared to me. And when I saw it, I fell face downward on the ground and heard the voice of someone speaking to me: The whole chapter is about the glory of God. His glory is beyond any human description, verbally and visually, God is above all creation, and nothing in all creation can even begin to compare to his glory. And the very reason we are not to make any images in his likeness. Ezekiel's vision shows that God's glory wasn't just in “the temple” in Jerusalem, but also everywhere. The description Ezekiel gives of heaven and of God's glory, is beyond our wildest imaginations and dreams. I think from the chapter itself, that Ezekiel also saw in his vision, our Savior. Perhaps a theophany, so to speak. The closest we come to seeing God is in the likeness and image of Jesus. But also perhaps a glimpse of the trinity. The vision of the cherubim, shows us the purity in heaven. There is no sin, in heaven. Hebrews 1:3 (NASB) And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3 (LB) God’s Son shines out with God’s glory, and all that God’s Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honor beside the great God of heaven.

Be careful, you don't step in a poodle when its raining

In the Matthew 25 passages, The wise virgins and the oil; is a representation of a person whose heart is truly regenerated and has the Holy Spirit within them. Without the Holy Spirit, no one is ready for the return of Jesus. Saving faith in Jesus Christ will manifest itself in every aspect of our lives. The fruit of the Spirit will begin to show. A desire for greater holiness and less sin will be apparent. The foolish virgins, is a representation of people who enjoy the benefits of the Christian community without true love for Christ. Such are people who have an outward profession and belief. But the necessary grace isn’t there. They have built a religious house, but they have no real relationship with God. They are not ready for Christ's return by their unbelief in the life, death and risen Savior. In other words, they are Christians in name only. The request of oil is something that none of us can transfer to other people. Salvation is non-transferable. You cannot transfer any part of your salvation to other people. Each person must make the choice for Christ on his or her own. The person who truly heeds the gospel message is a person who is exercising wisdom and is ready and waiting for he or she has a true love for Christ. They truly believe the gospel message, and have put their faith and trust in Christ. They have an appetite for God’s Word and God’s will in their lives. They exhibit genuine fruits of the Holy Spirit, that can be seen.

When we speak of the police as being evil or bad people, who are judging people for no reason, we are in affect, speaking against scripture. It is NOT wrong for anyone to be a police officer whether he or she is a Christian or not. Romans 13:1- 6 (NASB) 1 Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a servant of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Romans 13:1-6 (LB) 1 Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. 2 So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow. 3 For the policeman does not frighten people who are doing right; but those doing evil will always fear him. So if you don’t want to be afraid, keep the laws and you will get along well. 4 The policeman is sent by God to help you. But if you are doing something wrong, of course you should be afraid, for he will have you punished. He is sent by God for that very purpose. 5 Obey the laws, then, for two reasons: first, to keep from being punished, and second, just because you know you should. 6 Pay your taxes too, for these same two reasons. For government workers need to be paid so that they can keep on doing God’s work, serving you.

Getting a speeding ticket in a school zone, is NOT a minor offense. And neither is a dui. And if a vehicle does not pass a smog test, it is not supposed to be driven till the problem is fixed, especially if your plates expired before the vehicle could pass the smog test. It is the law. And ALL are expected to abide by it. When tags expire before passing a smog test, one only need to go to dmv and obtain a temporary tag, so that you can drive it legally to a smog check. And if it still doesn't pass, and has been in the shop for repairs, all that needed to be done was show dmv that the vehicle was in the shop (receipt from repair shop) and they will give you an extension so that you could get it smog checked after repairs. Once the vehicle passes smog, get the tags updated. Hardship permits are common knowledge. As for people in person telling you not to drive. They likely feel they should not have to tell you what all of us told you online, and don't feel it is their place to tell you what to do or not do. Your an adult. For most people, having someone walk up to them whether the person is a friend or not, in person to tell them what they already know is wrong or illegal..... the information given is unwanted and unappreciated. When a person asks for an opinion, the answer becomes advice.... when an answer is unsolicited, it is then considered unwanted criticism even if it is constructive criticism, it is still unwanted criticism and the receiver of the advice is not likely to heed the speaker anyway. As some have already said, there are alternatives available to you. Take advantage of the alternatives, instead of risking the possibility of losing your driving privilege altogether.

You are the one who asked our opinions. And now your upset because we didn't tell you what you wanted to hear. No Christian should ever condone law breaking, no matter how minor. There is NO scripture that gives this a pass. Scripture says.... it is a serious matter to even tempt another person to sin. Let alone tell someone its ok to sin in any way they like at any time, for any reason.

City, state, and federal laws are NOT demanding you to renounce your faith and trust in Christ. Without laws, courts and the police to uphold honesty and civility in society, there would be chaos in society as a whole. The bible teaches us to obey our governments and all who are in authority, for God has put them in place for every one's benefit. The bible teaches that they are there to both serve and protect everybody and God will judge them on how well they do their job. When we obey the laws of the land, we are also obeying God. Obey government laws, and those in authority, first because you know you should, and second to keep from being punished. The person who is NOT doing wrong, has no need to fear the policeman or those in authority. For if a person is doing wrong, God sends the policeman to have them disciplined. Sin is any thought, deed, word, or action that goes against God's character and nature. The God who said “you shall not murder” is the same God who said “you shall not desire to have another person's possession”. As cars were becoming more numerous in the early part of the 1900's, so did automobile accidents. The major cause was lack of driving skills, knowledge of operation, speeding and recklessness that not only injured the occupants of a vehicle, but also innocent parties. Your driver's license then, is to certify, that you, as an automobile owner, has the ability to drive safely and in a courteous manner. This benefits not only you, but those around you as well. Someone else's driver's license doesn't just benefit him or her, but you also. Laws of the road, were put into place so that everyone drives in a safe and courteous manner. Yes, fines generate revenue for cities and states. However, fines are in place to help facilitate compliance from all. Without them people in general would be disregarding the rules of driving a whole lot more than they already do. Disregard for any and all driving laws is the number one reason for automobile injuries and death. Just last week in my area, a man plowed into multiple of vehicles, and killed 9 innocent people! And injuring 6 more... You know why? Because he didn't want to obey speed laws... He was pulled over previously for speeding. “officer, I'm not doing anything wrong, go catch a real criminal”. Speeding puts not only you, but everyone else around you at risk. Running red lights puts you and others around you at risk. Failing to use turn signals, when changing lanes puts others at risk. Your drivers license was NOT revoked for no reason. The courts do not have to allow you to have a “hardship permit”. The permit is a form of mercy so that you are able to meet the really important obligations of life and don't lose your job. The court was being very gracious and merciful to you. In closing, Drivers who are caught violating the conditions of their “hardship permit” will usually have it revoked. And in most states, there are no second chances.... meaning the driver can't reapply for another hardship license after losing it. The question I have to ask you is.... why would you want to risk losing the hardship permit? Don't do it !!! It is not worth the risk.

Christ on the cross is offensive because it convicts the world of its immorality. People like their immorality and they don't want it exposed. People fight really hard to keep their sins from being exposed. They have all kinds of excuses of why they can't believe; even so, Christ on the cross sees the sins deep down in the heart an exposes the sins and causes a person to acknowledge that he or she is a sinner. Even if they don't admit that to another human. Deep down they know it is true. The person who truly wants to see God and know him must do it through belief. Without believing he is who he says he is. . . no one will find him. It is only through faith that we will find him. How we present the gospel is important. It is true that as believers, we carry an offensive message; no doubt about that. But we do NOT need to carry our offensive message “offensively”. Yes, unbeliever's need to know what sin is and what it is not, but our “message” should not be all law, judgment, and condemnation before they can see and taste God's goodness and what God has in store for them. It is important to choose our words and actions with care and compassion, well seasoned with tact and grace, so that they can see a side of Christianity they've never experienced. Colossians 4:2-3 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, Colossians 4:4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

In short, they know that if they do believe, it will require change. They fight against a creator that demands morality from his creation.

First, the question itself, can salt lose that salty flavor. If it remains pure, no..... but when additives or other impurities have been added to it, those additives and/or impurities degrade over time causing the salt to also degrade or change. Salt cannot lose its flavor unless exposed to certain conditions or contains additives/impurities. When it becomes polluted it loses it flavor through change. I think the passage from James is helpful with the analogy in Matthew. The worlds thoughts, and philosophies should not be mixed into our lives as Christians, as these things taint our witness, making it worthless in the eyes of the world. We are to be an influence upon the world, not the other way around. James 1:27 (LB) The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world. James 1:27 (NASB) Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27 (NIV) Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

have not heard of mev, but have read net. the net bible is good

This website below, has many, many hymns listed, locate "titles" and it will bring up thousands of songs all copy right free. The site does not publish copyrighted songs without permission. If you like the song you are looking for, you might also like "Our God reigns". oops, forgot to give you the links http://www.hymntime.com/tch/ http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/o/u/r/g/ourgodrn.htm

What I posted Hartono is scripture, not my personal thoughts or opinion.

Sorry, but the above quotes, raised red flags for me. If this is what the book of Enoch is about... I want NO part of it.

All humans have other needs, besides food in the belly. Let me ask you, does your boss, pay you in groceries? Or would you rather be paid with money? Don't you, yourself have other needs besides food? Can you, yourself use food, to pay your rent or mortgage? Can you use food to pay other bills? Did you buy your cell phone/lap top/computer with food as payment? Do you see the absurdity in this? Then why would you think that pastor's or churches should be paid in food only?

First of all, only Muslim belief declares the above, NOT Christianity. I found Wikipedia, Britannica and many, many other web sites quite helpful in explaining the above quote. There is not enough space here to give a full explanation of all that I read and learned, so in Summary. Muslim ruled countries assesses a form of religious contribution which is a religious tax of sorts so to speak. An audit is performed and an assessment is made upon on a person's overall income. Possessions in and outside the home are considered a form of income and is taxed. In most Muslim-majority countries, contributions are voluntary, while in Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen a contribution of 2% from the total income is regulated by the state, NOT by Christian churches. The following are the only countries outside of Muslim run countries in which the governing authorities mandate a “church tax” collection that is based on a person's “overall” income which is assessed at 2% NOT 10% as you have claimed Hartono. Collection of a “church tax” is used to cover any church-related expenses such as funding institutions and foundations or paying ministers. Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland No other countries around the world assesses a “church tax” other than the one's I've listed above. It most certainly is NOT done in the United States. Churches can not survive without income Hartono. A church with no income can not do their job of serving others. Money is a necessity, which is why the Countries listed above have a “church tax” in place. Sure, pastor's can preach for nothing, but they can't do this so well, if the majority of their time or all of their time is spent on working a second or third job to meet their own household expenses. Or trying to keep the doors of a church open.

I don't know if the following has already been broached or not. But.... If we look to people and things to make us happy, then we will find disappointment. For when these things fail, we personally feel let down and wounded. But if we look to Jesus, then we will never be disappointed. He will never let us down.

Some people are truly in need and are grateful for help given. But then there are people that leave you shaking your head. Yrs ago, a church I did not attend, reached out to a young woman that needed a place to stay. Since she did not have a job, she was asked if she would be willing to do housework for an elderly lady plus stick around the house at night in case there was an emergency during the night. In return, she would have a roof over her head, food in her belly and a warm place to sleep for free. The agreement on her part, lasted 3 weeks. The same church went through almost a dozen people before they said, no more. These “needy” people ate this poor woman out of house and home, ran up her phone bill through talking to people long distance for hours, stole money from her, etc... Not one of these people stuck around as agreed to, plus took advantage of the hospitality in the worst way. The last people to be given a place to stay was an older married couple, who were in financial trouble and unable to come up with rent money. They went out often without telling anyone. The elderly lady fell in her home and broke her hip and laid there on the floor for a long time, with no way to call for help. None of the neighbor's knew the couple had even left the house. So there was no one to check up on her. My mom, opened up her home to a homeless woman, that we had met at a doctor's office. And the first thing this woman did, was make over a 100 hundred dollars worth of long distance phone calls the first night of her stay. What kind of person does this to an elderly person who has given them not only food, but clothes, and a bed... plus shower when she wanted to? The woman left on her own after a week of this, for what she thought was a bigger catch. I told my mom, don't let her come back. I was truly concerned for my mom's safety and well being. When people in general speaking have experiences like the one's I've just spoken of, we can't blame them for exercising some caution where their homes and families are concerned. There are multiple ways in which we can help the needy get the help they need.

One of the things about the internet, is that we really don't know who we are talking to online or if their situation is the real McCoy. There are no shortage of scammers. The best we can do online is pray for them and to direct them to help groups and help centers where the individual resides. As other one said, there are a plethora of churches and charities helping people in a variety of ways in every city and town. It is already being done. And has been done for a long, long, long time. There is also government programs nation wide, available to help people find medical help, financial help, jobs, places to stay, and much more. But all of this takes money to set up and distribute. Our local cities, states, and federal taxes help with a lot of it, along with donations to churches and a plethora of organized charities. There are a plethora of doctors, nurses and dentists donating their time, and resources within charities to help the poor and destitute. All of these are working together to help those in need. And have been doing so for a really long time. People can certainly become participants and provide help, when they tithe and give offerings in their local churches and / or to their favorite charities; so that they in turn can provide for those in need. In order to help people, those that need help, have to want help to begin with. You can't help someone who doesn't want it. And won't help themselves, even though they desperately need a helping hand.