Riverwalker

It has always been so easy for me to take a scripture and run with it and try and create a doctrine from it. But that always leads us into trouble. Our focus gets too dialed in sometimes to see the big picture Like the above if we let our view narrow too far, we not only will miss the big picture, but we will miss how what we are focusing on fits into the big picture The bible is a living breathing thing, made up of many parts that are fitted neatly together, and if you start dissecting things from the whole, they soon become dead and rotten.

Very much agree. But we go forth is joy and a spirit to be victorious....not running from shadows:)

I am seeing a reading a lot of people saying that we should not "rile up" the lost. That we have to be socially responsible and allow people to be who they are. To love them, but don't offend them or tell them their choices are not viable or acceptable to God* Scenario 1 You see a person happily riding their bike towards a bridge that is out... Do you consider that they might be offended if you tell them they are making a mistake, and heading for disaster. Not wanted to cause a problem or step on anyone's toes, do you watch them them roll by to their destruction. There are signs posted warning of the problem but they are sailing by them in their blissful ignorance. Or do you try everything in your power to stop them? Telling them things they may not want to here? Destroying the illusion of their delusion. Yelling, screaming, standing in their way? Which is a greater disturbance, to hurt their feelings, offend their sensibilities or to watch them become a grease spot on the bottom of the cliff. Scenario 2 You see a person blissfully ignorant or perhaps in denial of a sinful lifestyle that will keep them from heaven. (1 Cor 6:9) Do you in an effort not to offend them, and simply let your love wash all over them as they and watch them fall into the abyss. Unsaved yet un-offended Or do you risk offending them and tell them God's truth that we will all be held accountable, knowing that it if you step on the toes, at worst that will slow them down on their head long plunge, and at best...if they turn aside you can pray for healing after. Do you want to save feelings? Or save souls. Jesus was the perfect model of how we should be. He never minced words, He never held back from saying what needed to be said. At the same time, He never condemned. Sometimes being very blunt, because He knew what was at stake. And He came down to die for all people and would that all would be saved. He would not want to lose a one of them because we were unwilling to ruffle a few feathers. Remember when people are complaining about us "shoving Jesus down their throat" all they really want is for you to shut up and let them continue in their ignorance. This is something we cannot do * the goal of those who would seek to turn away God, is to get us to stop talking and go away. Being inured with the narcissistic insistence that everyone's choice is valuable.

As useless as truth without love is, so is love without truth.

Well it can hardly be detrimental since it is the word of God ...right?

I just have to say pre-trib rapture is not Jesus coming back.....we meet him in the air. ::backing away:::

You need to separate the issue from the people. God loves the people, and hates the sin You also need to find a way so that they know tacitly or implicitly that you can never "accept the sin" but you are willing to accept them, as people. Like the woman caught in adultery....Jesus did not overlook her sin, he just did not pass judgment, but told her to go and sin no more.

And when anxiety comes as it always does, We go to God. We cannot let Anxiety get a foothold, for it is like rust it will grow and degrade our substance Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Indeed. It is simple, but not always easy

I think I might be over it already

While I think I know what you mean here....I do have to say none of us worthy of God's favor That is the nature of Grace....The unmerited favor of God.

Unlike any other religion in the world, Christianity is unique in that the reward of eternal life with God is front loaded. When you come to Jesus and take Him as your Lord and give Him your heart, you are made new, you are saved. There is no works, nothing that needs to be earned, nothing to achieve, because you already have it. Salvation. And there is a very good reason for this. God does not want you focusing on getting saved, but rather on being saved He also does not want us to be worried over life. What will happen, what will become of us, or any worry of fret that would take us away from our ultimate God given goal...to become mature, fulfilled Christians. Matthew 6 is a lovely chapter, with may good truths and our model prayer, the Lord's prayer, which in itself is a model of simplicity. but it ends with the following passage Matthew 6: 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [j]cubit to his [k]stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [l]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. One of my favorite sayings has always been "Don't sweat the small stuff, and its all small stuff" God has it hand, as the bible says 2nd Peter 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue So have faith that God will take care of what you need. Don't stress over it, but instead life the live He has given you. and be blessed.

God is a very complex being, but our relationship with Him is very simple. He is our Father. Our Lord and Our Helper We are told that if we had the faith as a mustard seed we could move mountains, But what is that faith The promise of the mustard plant is in that seed. It will not be a rose bush or a weed. If properly planted and tended will grow into a large bush, to give shade, food and spice. So too is our faith. If we plant the seed of faith in our heart, tend it, give it room to grow, it will produce in the course of time a mature Christian. We don't have to accomplish 27 goals in a 15 step program and mark a log book of activities to make this happen and we cannot earn it. To grow into the Christian we will become we only have to to do a few simple things. We have to keep ourselves planted and rooted in Christ, keep ourselves weed free, and apply liberal dose of the Living Water (The Word) to our hearts, and then all we have to do is live and these things will happen in our lives. Just live as it is in your nature as a Christian to do and you will accomplish His will, be the Christian who are supposed to be and at the end of all things, be dancing on streets of gold

You made a promise....now make it happen Stop looking for the exit, Start looking to make it right 30 years of marriage and I know my greatest attribute is stubbornness

I see no purpose in watering down or compromising the truth to save feelings. We are not to save feelings, we are to save souls! And a person who is in sin should be told the complete unvarnished truth Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. Our perspective is that God created marriage to be between a man and a woman, and same sex marriage does not exist Hard yes......Truth is often hard, but love without truth is as useless as truth without love. Do no condemn them, but also do not make them comfy on the road to hell. Present the truth without condemnation. If they get offended, it is God who offended them

Amen! Matthew 1624 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

And like the bush Moses saw Engulfed with fire, the Babylonian fire did not consume the people of God, for He was there in the midst of them,

Well, welcome to the human condition. We are all of us flawed. from your recent posts it seems as if you are going through quite a bit, so I would encourage you to be a little circumspect in posts....in the terms of carpentry, measure twice cut once. Once you have sent it off...its out there. so re-read what you have typed and make sure it says everything you want to say and nothing that you don't

Thank you for posting as a side note the random use of capital letters makes this hard to read.

Hebrews 11: 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith seems to be broadly the ability to perceive that which we cannot perceive with our 5 Senses Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the [c]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. To answer your question, this scripture indicates that Faith is the substance of things hoped for. And it is that HOPE in the promises of God which is the key to faith Because He promises that we will be Saved from Sin Saved from Trial Provided with enough With Him In eternity I can have faith in these things. Col 1:27 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. God does not promise me a Lamborghini so I have no supernatural hope in which to place my faith for that

Wow thank you....that has cleared up a blank spot in my understanding that has been there for years! As for salt....there is a difference between being preserved and being mummified

Yes it is required, but lack of it is also forgiven Paul doesn't take quite such a hard line in His writings. We should do ALL that we can with every effort, but for those things that we can't...he gives grace. And grace bridges the gap between what we should do and and what we can do. 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Being the light means that we , with the the light of Jesus dispel the darkness if we will just shine. As Darkness has no other definition than the absence of light And Cold has no other definition than the absence of heat Evil has no other definition than the absence of good (And there is none good but God) Jesus talks about us being a light on the hill. That even in the darkest of hearts we can shine a beacon of light and love in Christ Jesus that they can follow to be saved Darkness seems enveloping and all encompassing, but it can be dispelled with a single candle As for being the salt of the earth...My first thought was that salt was used to preserve things, especially meat... and that the presence of the Holy Spirit in us preserves the world from judgment (which is kind why I am pretrib, because when believers with the Holy Spirit are bopping around the devil is not free...but that's a WHOLE different subject) But Jesus specifically tells us about salt losing its flavor.....which I do not really understand. does salt lose it's flavor? I just lack the cultural reference Jesus is making here

A word in time, thank you

I relate this to what used to be my least favorite verse of the bible, until I began to understand it James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. For us to grow and mature in Christ our faith must be tested. Like an ore that has to be refined, it is put through the crucible of the refiners fire. And while being in that fire is never comfortable, it is always needful. 1 Cor 10 tells us that, that fire is controlled and will never be hot enough to destroy us, only to make us "Perfect, complete and lacking nothing"