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If we as the church would fulfil the great commission as we should, things would be different. We would see more people transformed into disciples of Christ, who are making more disciples of Christ, who are affecting those in our communities. God transforms people, who transform communities, who transform societies by way of the preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom of God. Our responsibility is to view all people, regardless of their sinfulness, as people for whom Christ died. Gary

Amen! This is something that is hardly ever heard during a salvation message. The church needs to get back to this. Gary

He who rattles wife's cage, will sleep in cage alone.

God is omnipotent.

For some reason this did not post properly the first time. I like your illustration/parable. To be honest, I think all of us have to battle the wild horse mindset. It is part of the carnal man that we need to reckon as dead to sin. I also like your life scripture. I on many occasions meditate on, and pray this passage, especially when the wild horse gets a little restless. I would have to say that John 15:7 "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you," would be my life scripture. Thanks for the parable, and have a blessed week. Gary

This scripture reference defines exactly what is going on in our nation and around the world. Jesus is coming! Gary

I like your illustration/parable. To be honest, I think all of us have to battle the wild horse mindset. It is part of the carnal man that we need to reckon as dead to sin. I also like your life scripture. I on many occasions meditate on, and pray this passage, especially when the wild horse gets a little restless. I would have to say that John 15:7 "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you," would be my life scripture. Thanks for the parable, and have a blessed week. Gary

This is an amazing testimony of faithful endurance. I'm sure this will inspire others even though they don't know you. Would it be okay with you if I shared this with a group of people in my church? Gary

I was born in Longview Washington, but I have lived in Kansas City Missouri most of my life. Gary

That is very interesting. I'm sure this was quite an experience. Have you seen a need to repeat this exercise, especially amid all that is going on in our world today? Gary

What I believe God would have us to do is listed below. Luke 9:23 (KJV) 23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Paul in the 1st chapter of Philippians stated that his earnest expectation and hope was to magnify Christ in his body. May this become every believer's desire and pursuit. Gary

As this goes along with the OP, I hope it is okay to post this link. Even when we fall, we are not to quit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9rUUz8cMDM Gary

And don't forget Judas Iscariot. He went to church/synagogue with Jesus every Sabbath day. Gary

Psalm 139:13-16 (NASB) 13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. Although scripture may not deal specifically with the issue of abortion, it does point to the fact that life was created in the womb, “You (God) wove me in my mother’s womb.” As you read the rest of the passage, it explains that God was the one creating every detail of the life and body in the womb. With this in mind, would it be right for man to step in and interrupt/abort God’s creative work. If we do interrupt/abort His creation of the person in the womb, how does God view this? Are we going to judge this action through the lens of scripture, or through human logic? Just some things to think about. Gary

I think you covered this subject quite well. We are to declare and live by the whole counsel of God, not the counsel of man or our own hearts. Thanks for the post. Gary

Happy Resurrection Day to you too. Gary

Good post. According to the verse below, we are to be in cooperation with God in order to experience success and prosperity. As we meditate on His word day and night with the intent to learn how to observe and obey it, prosperity and success will follow. God’s idea of prosperity and success, not mans. Joshua 1:8 (NASB) 8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have a blessed Resurrection Day. Gary

Matthew 18:15-17 (KJV) 15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. The above passage of scripture provides the Lord’s way in which to address such issues. If we are offended by what is being taught in a church by it’s leaders (and what you shared is reason to be offended), the process that Jesus gives is designed by Him to bring a person/s to the realization of his/their offence so that he/they may make things right and redeem himself/themselves. The whole idea of this process is to restore doctrinal purity to the church, and to redeem/restore a brother/sister who has erred from the truth. Confronting someone concerning their sin is never a pleasant task, but a needful one. Many years ago there was a man in our church that was living with a woman in the church. She wanted him to move out, but he was resisting her. I had the unpleasant task of confronting him concerning his sin, and what the Lord and the church expected him to do. I won’t go into all the details of that conversation, but he listened to what I said, and came to me that Sunday at church and told me he had moved out and broke it off with the woman. He renewed his walk with the Lord and became a worker in the church, marrying a woman some time later. That unpleasant task served as a wake-up call for this brother, and a reminder to those who may have known about it in the church, as to what we as a body of believers stand for. This brother may have been lost forever if the church had not responded to his need to be corrected. Not all confrontations play out this way. Those who refuse to turn from their sin after going through all the steps in the process Jesus laid down in Matt. 18, will be removed from membership in order to maintain Christ’s integrity. If you choose to act on Matt. 18 and the leadership does nothing to correct the situation, that would be the time to remove yourself from that church. There is the hope, however, that when you follow this process, that the issues will be addressed and taken care of in the right manner, restoring order in the church. I hope this helps in some way. Have a blessed day. Gary

Hope you had a Happy Birthday. 29 right? Gary

I may have shared this in another thread, but Paul stated in Galatians 5 that if we walk in the Spirit we would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and in Romans 8 he declared that to be spiritually minded brings peace, as opposed to the carnal mind that brings death. And you are right about avoiding the circumstances that lead to temptation. To this Paul stated that we are to abstain from all appearance of evil. I know it is difficult to do, but God never implied that the Christian life would be easy. But even though it is not easy, God gives us the grace that will empower us to go through anything we encounter victoriously. Have a great weekend. Gary

Biblical faith will reveal itself in good works. But even then, it is God that works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. Our responsibility is to "work out (apply ourselves) our salvation with fear and trembling. Gary

I am presently going through testing that has been trying my faith and patience with a family member. It has been going on for quite some time and is, as you say, a long drawn out battle. However, I have experienced the gracious hand of God developing in me many things that have been lacking such as, faith, endurance, love, and most of all Christ-like character. To see how God has been changing me through all of this is quite amazing to me. And not only in this situation, but in others that I have encountered along the way. I am learning that when I begin going through a trial, to see it as an opportunity to fall into the master's hands, knowing that He will use this to mold and shape me into who He wants me to become, so that I will be ready to do what He wants me to do. The testing is difficult, but the rewards are worth it. Thanks for posting this. Gary

Maybe the reason the teacher did not have the wisdom to take apart a motor and put it back together again, is because he did not have the knowledge to do so. Have a blessed evening. Gary

Amen! I also heard a teacher say that wisdom is the proper use of knowledge. Gary

I believe the verses below about sums it up. Psalm 139:7-10 (NASB) 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. But again, as has already been mentioned, the child of God does not ask this question. They already know. Gary