| 個人檔案Just a christian.相片部落格清單 |  工具  說明 |
|
|
8月2日 It's All about LOVEAnd we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1. John. 4:16.
"Love is not a feeling, it's an of act of your will" - Don Francisco.
I don't suppose I'll truly get across whats on my heart to write in this blog as it is deep personal revelation to me. I know I have least written about "Love" a couple of times but it always comes back to "Love" when you write about God.
The one thing that really strikes me as I grow in the Lord is the awesome simplicity that it's ALL about LOVE. It astounds me in it's Simplicity & yet at the same the more I grow in revelation and as a son of God, I find the depth of it unfathomable. Here is where it gets hard for me to put across whats in my heart.... The Word says God is Love & as a christian I accept that simple truth in my heart. I love The Lord for what He did for me on the cross. To show my love to Him I keep His commandments. I love my neighbours & pray for them. I don't really have any enemies that hate me etc for me to love. These are simple Truths that when I meditate on Love it just astounds me & the more I meditate on them they get bigger & then I need to get on my knees to pray for more revelation to keep up with where my thoughts take me.
Paul beautifully writes about Love in 1. Corinthians 13, A well known chapter of the bible. To basically sum up what Paul so eloquently wrote.. Whatever we do or say.. Without Love it is All a waste of time & effort.
When The Lord used Paul (who is the angel of the church of Ephesus) to write to the backslidden Ephesian church, Paul, writes.... Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Rev. 2:4-5. As a christian I recognise when I backslide, which to my shame I do all to often, The first thing thats happens is to me is that I lose that Love I originally have for the Lord to things my flesh loves. Then to start to get back on the narrow way of my walk, I first have to repent & go back to my first works.. Love the Lord & put Him first in my life again & regain that Faith which turned to unbelief.
I Believe The Word tells me as a son of God & as I live in the Spirit.. I will go through many trials & tribulations for the development of my character to become more Christ like & ultimately as Christ was on earth with the Spoken Word, so Will I be. If I then am to become as Christ was, I will become Love. As Jesus was God and God IS LOVE. That may sound like a grand boasting but thats what the Word declares.
There are some many Scriptures I could use in writing this blog entry about love. I really wouldn't know to start or to end & it probably be the worlds longest blog if I put them all down. Once again I don't really feel I have truly put across that was on my heart to write but if you read this blog I pray somehow it will inspire you & make you think about how truly amazing the Love of God is.
To end this blog I just want to finish up with this thought that often shames me when I think about it... When we met that someone special in our lives & fall in love with them. We want to spend all our time with that person & find ourselves pining for that person if they are away for even the shortest of time & longing for thier return. If that is the case for loved ones we have. What should we be like with The Lord? I know myself I don't spend as much time with Him as I should, I say that very shamefully. I should be wanting to spending every minute I'm awake with Him but instead I find myself wanting to other things, which are not always profitable. The Word says to Pray without ceasing. 1. Thessalonians 5:17. I try to think of this scripture not just to remember to ask God for something etc but to talk to my Heavenly Father constantly. For when I Pray I am talking intimately not only with My Heavenly Father but with My God, My Lord, My Saviour & The Love of my Life. Amen.
7月5日 Speed LimitsPut them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, Titus 3:1
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Philippians 2:15
As a christian I have many daily struggles with my fleshly old nature that constantly tries to resurrect & cause me to backslide. One of the greatest struggles I have with my flesh is to keep the speed limit while I am driving. This is a real battle for me & I wonder how many other christians have the same battle. I'm not saying that I am a speed freak that goes way over the speed limits every oppotunity but just to drive at 30mph in a 30mph zone etc. I really struggle with this. I find myself driving at 35mph -40mph in 30mph Zones, on the motorway I'm supposed to drive at 70mph but my speedometer often reads 75mph & sometimes 80mph. Even though I'm not vastly breaking the speed limit I know I am in the wrong. It seems a large part of my driving is to keep my eye on the speedometer & keep within the limit. I have what I call LFS - Lead Foot Syndrome at times or another way to think of it is what an sister once said that she has an uncircumsised right foot. I try to be a careful conscientious driver not as just a christain but to be safe as I can beacause some people are just bad drivers and we have to think for them. This all might seem kinda trivial on 1st reading but if your a christian reading this it is not trivial at all but very important. Christians have to live by the laws of the lands and be good law abiding people. Lord forbid, but what if a christian was speeding just a little over the limit & was involved in an accident? It would be an awful witness, wouldn't it? how could they testify or witness being in the wrong, even if the accident wasn't thier fault but they was still over the limit when it happened. Also getting a speeding ticket & points on a licence is such a bad witness. But most important of all is how can God protect us on the roads if we live outside of His Word, He cannot honour our prayers for travelling Grace & Mercy when we drive like the people in the world do. So, if your my brother or sister reading this please pray that I keep to the speed limit & not tempted to do that extra 5mph over the speed limit, thinking to myself I can do 5miles over because 5 is the number of grace & the police allow 5% over the limit speeding (which in fact is if your driving over the speed limit & your speedometers says 70mph say, the police allow that 5% error because of the accuracy of the speedometer).
4月10日 The Old Fashioned Way.while I was trying to find to find the song lyrics for a song called 'Old fashioned meeting' for yesterdays blog I came across this song that I've never heard or heard of before. I loved the message of the song and I feel it captures a major aspect I was trying to put across in yesterdays blog entry.
The Old Fashioned Way.
They call me old-fashioned because I believe Refrain My sin was old-fashioned, Old-fashioned, because I believe and accept Refrain Old-fashioned, because I am bound to do right, Refrain Old-fashioned, because I am looking above Refrain Words by Cevilla D. Martin. Music by W. Stillman. Martin. 4月8日 Glad to be an old fashioned peculiar believer.This blog was inspired as I was listening to a song called 'I'd rather be an old time Christian' sung by Carroll Roberson. One of the verses goes like this...
In this world, I've tried almost everything;
And I'm happy now to say;
There is nothing like religion in the old fashioned way;
I'm walking in the old fashioned way;
I want to the world to know that...
I'd rather be an old time christian than anything I know!
This got me thinking & I started to sing to the Lord some other songs that I love to sing like 'Old Fashioned Meeting' & 'Old Time Religion'. As I sung those songs I felt in my heart that I'm so glad to be old fashioned in this so called modern world that I live in.
When I started to think of a scripture for this blog. I believe the Holy Spirit led me to this one.. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:13-14.
As soon as I read it I caught the inspiration God had given me for this blog. The word Peculiar in a modern meaning or translation means.. Unusual or eccentric; odd. But in the original greek the word means.. that which is one's own, belonging to one's possessions: a people selected by God from the other nations for his own possession. Which from a certain point of view can both mean the same thing. Being a Holy Spirit filled Christian in the world today does indeed seem to make us unusual or odd. In fact christians stick out like a sore thumb. So, how does this tie in with being old fashioned? Well, the answer is simple... Christians living by The Word of God are considered old fashioned in this modern world. In fact in a old work place I was called that several times as I was mocked & teased about my beliefs on certain issues like courtship, marrage etc, which I'll go into in a lil while.
I believe God has called me out of the world like the scripture says & that I'm to be His & not of the world. That means I uphold & believe everything in the Bible is Right and Absolute. Todays modern so called standards are totally against The Word of God. In my own opinion the modern world has only one standard which is You can do what you like as long as it don't hurt or harm another person. The morals and standards that once christian nations like England & America once upheld have now become old fashioned & obsolete. They just don't fit in with this age of peoples rights. True, people do need some rights to stop total exploitation & corruption but the world has gone silly with people's rights. Now at this point I'm not gonna pussyfoot about in case I offend someone but rather stand firm on what I believe. We now live in a society where now homosexuals & lesbians can legally marry, contraception pills etc are freely handed out & therefore promote sexual immorality & promiscuity. We all know this leads to sexually transmitted diseases & unwanted pregnancys which can lead to abortion. Women now have rights to act & be like men etc etc etc. All these things are against the Word of God. The Bible talks clearly on morality, sex is permitted only within marrage, family values, the value of human life and that God made men & women to be different.
Sin had always been with us ever since Adam & Eve fell in the garden of Edan & satan took control of the world. But once there was some moral values in society. Nations like England & America as so called modern civilisations was founded on godly biblical principles. As mankind has progressed these principals have eroded by the continual desire in mankind to do as he wants no matter what. What a vile and wicked world we now live in. It is also another sad fact that what we consider godless and heathen nations have more morals than we do. Here is a good example. In the early 60s when there was a miss world or universe event going on all the world picked thier most beautiful women to put on show except Russia. When Khrushchev, the leader of Russia at the time, was asked why Russia never entered he replied "Russia don't strip their women down to walk before men." A godless nation like Russia puts so called christian nations to shame. While I'm on the subject of women... Women now dress like men! act like men & yet at the same time women want to strip of for men, wear sexy clothing to make men attracted to them. Woman have became famous for just being seen naked! How mixed up is that? First of all God made women to be different from men. God sees men and women as equals but they are different. It is only in recent times that women began to dress like men by the modern thinking of women like Mrs. Ameilia Bloomer, a woman rights activist & inventer of 'bloomers' She is basically noted for saying something like this " If women want to have equal rights as men they will have to dress like men" Now I'm not sure thats a 100% accurately stated quote but she said something to the same effect. Woman are equal to men in God's way. It is only man's ways of treating women less than equally. Men and women do have thier different places in society and it wrong for women to take the place of a man. Now, this Mrs Bloomer is noted for inventing 'bloomers' which are basically eastern trousers/pants originally worn by women in pagen & heathen civilizations. What does God say about this?.. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 22:5. Yet how many women wear long modest skirts or dresses like they used to in old fashioned days? Notice I said modest in there. Yes, women are supposed to dress modestly & not all sexy like they do today with revealing tight fitting clothes. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 1 Tim. 2:9 Jesus said " But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matt 5:28. So, if a woman dresses sexy she is judged by God as a harlot just by the way she dresses evan though she might be faithful to her husband. It is no wonder so many women are raped by sexual deviants by the way they present themselves. I am in no way saying women deserve to be raped but women know when they dress all sexy it causes men to be sexually aroused. To me it's all madness. And to top it all off women today don't even know they are half naked in thier dress. I've seen young women wearing basically just underwear going out in town at night during winter! Tell me thats not madness. Christian sisters wear long modest dresses or skirts & look very old fashioned to the world. Watch any old fashioned tv show & see how ladies of that day dressed. OK, as not to be seen to be just pickin' on women. Men today as just as bad in thier behaviour & how they conduct themselves. with women it is very much an outward expression but with men it is inward. Men have no respect for women or in fact anything it seems. What does the Word of God say about men in this age? This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 2 Tim 3:1-4. Men are not gentlemen anymore really. I was always brought up to be a gentleman by my mum & even when I was in the world. I'd open a door for a woman or give up my seat on a train or bus. Admittedly with my long hair & all black clothing, women was surprised when I did these things but even when I'd cut my hair & lost the all black clothing I'd get surprised looks on faces as I held a door open for them. It seems to be old fashioned to be a gentleman & chivalry is certainly deemed old fashioned now. Men are also becoming more sissified in the way they dress & act. Also there's never been a time when there are more homosexuals about than there is now. Homosexuals want thier rights to flaunt thier sexuality. They go on parades & openly flaunt thier sexual ways. I'm a hetrosexual man & don't have to march for my rights to be openly hetrosexual. In the old fashioned days. what went on sexually was private & not openly talked about or displayed. What gives homosexuals the right to do thier disgusting perversion acts in public places? O, I know I'm gonna get it for that as well but if they wanna do that stuff I don't wanna know about it or see them kiss etc in public. Let them do in thier own privacy. not that hetrosexual couples in the world contain thier sexual acts in privacy anymore than homosexuals. Homosexuality is an abomination in the sight of God. If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. Levitcus 20:13. Under the Law men practicing homosexuality was put to death. Thats how much God hates it. Today We are under Grace & Jesus died for all mankind so we all can be saved. Again, Thats gonna ruffle feathers but. Hey, God made a law for a reason & it is to judge sin. People are gonna come against that and say Thats not a God of Love to want people dead but they look at it with human reasoning & intellect. Sin is sin but by the Grace of God we all deserve to die by our wicked sinful nature thats in us. I'm just a sinner Saved by Grace. I'm no better than any man but my Faith I believe God has saved me & cleansed me from my old sinful nature. If it wasn't for God's Grace I could of ended up a homosexual or anything. I'm not judging any person but as a christian I am judging sinful acts that mankind does. God calls christians to love everyone. I sure don't hate anyone but hate all that man does against the word of God.
Family values... Are there any today? Men let thier wifes go out to work & leave thier duty as homemakers. Now this is another controversal one sure to ruffle some feathers. A wifes/mothers place in in the home. Her duty is a homemaker. A mother at looking after her children. Today women have kids & as soon as the kid is old enough is placed in a creche so thier mums can get back to work. I believe in today's society it's hard for a man to be the sole money earner. There is nothing wrong with the wife taking up some part time job that fits around the family to bring in some extra income. But not to go out full time working in a man's workplace neglecting her duty as a homemaker etc. In the old fashioned days the wife/mother kept the home. Worked at making the home a nice place for her family. The husband/father is the head of a family but the mother is the heart of the family. Take away that & the family unity will die. Kids look to thier perents as role models & if all they see is thier perents fighting for thier corners & rights the children will follow suit exactly & where does that leave any future families? The result of 'teenage delinquency' is actually from perent or adult delinquency. There is no cencorship in the home anymore. When I was a kid i wasn't allowed to watch a lot of stuff until I was a lot older but now it seems that perents don't censor what thier kids listen to, watch or computer games they play on. Kids grow up on gratuitous violence, sexual imagery that degrades women, filthy langauge & no respect to others by almost every form of entertainment. Modern laws that forbid perents to correct thier chidren scriptually. There is a proverb that is often misquoted that says..He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. Proverbs 13:24. Now that is not at all promoting child abuse but merely saying that a child needs to be properly corrected. Modern laws prevent perents, teachers, police etc exercising any proper correction to kids. Even in my generation as a kid a smack across the back of the legs never hurt me or caused me long term mental issues. What it taught me was that if I was naughty It would hurt me. As I grew into a young man I understood it was for my good that I smacked & learned not to do things that would/could harm me. Again this brings me back to "The Good Old Book" as it sometimes called. For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Proverbs 3:12. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Hebrews 12:6-11.
The old ways in life weren't certainly the best of times but at least they had some moral values that this modern world has seemed to have lost. I believe even if we applied some of these old fashioned ways society would be a little better to live in. There I've said it. I never intended to write such a long blog entry but once I got started it was hard to know where to stop. I am glad to be old fashioned, a peculiar person & stand true to God's Word. I don't care what the world says. I'll always stand firm on my beliefs & old fashioned principals. I could of simple stated that by not regarding old fashioned godly morals & values we wouldn't live in such a wicked & corrupt world that even non christians can't deny the the society we live in is sick & evil. But I choose to go into details. To bring out how modern thinking isn't better than old fashioned way as the world likes to believe it is. Modern psychologys & ideology's will not cure todays social ills. Modern society has gotten to be so soft in fear of upsetting people. Sociry needs to toughen up & get out of it's sissified state.Go back to God's Word. There is your cure. Go back to old fashioned values our grandperents had. I do wonder if anyone will actually read this blog & wonder what thier reaction to be. 2月14日 Happy 'True Love ' Day!
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth
not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward
us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man
hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us,
and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 7:12
O love of God, how rich and pure! Could we with ink the ocean fill, Today
the world celebrates one of the most crassly over commercialised
celebrations that is called valentines day. A day in which the world
celebrates it's version of love i.e lust. Tonight all over the world
couples will celebrate thier own fleshly lust for each other &
indulge in all sorts of carnal desires to satisfy thier lust. That is
just a wordly corrupt version of the real thing.
So,
I thought I'd just write a lil blog entry about God's Love &
Christian Brotherly Love. First of all I wanna define what I believe
'Real Love' is.. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity
envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not
behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things. Charity never faileth: 1 corinthians 4:8a. I
believe that is pretty big contrast to whats celebrated by the world
today. God's Love is all about giving & not selfish. To prove His
Love to us. God gave us a sign that is known all over the world and
that evan non believers know.. For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. That
scripture is probably the best known verse in the whole Bible. When we
embrace & believe that sign of God's Love for us we then want to
reflect that Love in our own lifes to others. But how to get into that
Love? Jesus tells us how... "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love". John 15:10. Jesus then goes on to say... "This
is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends." John 15:12-13. Now, When I fell in Love with my Lord and Savior, I wanted with all my heart to please Him. And Jesus said to me..."if ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15. I find it interesting that John writes in 1 John 3:16 a reflection of God's Love in John 3:16. Where we are to take that Love and reflect that original Love in our own lifes... Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of
God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in
tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18. Christians are not only called to Love thier brothers & sisters but also people that come against them... But
I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which
hate you, Luke 6:27. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall
be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and
to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Luke 6:35-36.
Now, having written all that I am not saying that I'm perfect in that Love, I wish that I was but I am constantly striving to achieve to be perfected in that Love. I also still recognise that I still have a long way to go but with God's Help & His Spirit dwelling in me I know that one day that I will have that Love in Full & that it shall be manifested in me also. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: 1 John 3:1-2a For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Romans 8:19
2月8日 I am weak but thou art strong...I don't really have much to say other than I am feeling a lil down at the moment... I feel like a failure but I am putting my Faith in God's Word to take comfort & to lift me outta the blues. I can totally understand where st. Paul was coming from when he wrote "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. " Romans 7:24 But then immediately after he cries out that he takes comfort and confesses There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:1-7 That is also where I take my comfort when I so often fail misrably & backslide. I can take comfort that I am not or will be condemned for failing but rather know that because in my heart I strive to live in The Spirit & because that in my mind I serve The Lord I can find a peace. Even when I fail Him. O, How I Thank My God For His Mercy and Grace.
There is this one Hymn that my heart continually sings to My Lord that truly sums up my hearts desire.
Just a Closer Walk.. I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. Chorus Just a closer walk with Thee, Through this world of toil and snares, Just a closer walk with Thee, When my feeble life is o’er, Just a closer walk with Thee, 10月5日 More thoughts on Spiritual combat & tactics. I' ve recently been meditating on how the devil uses his craftiness & cunning to try & trap us 3 ways and how God in His Word shows us simply to avoid the traps of the devil. I was especially thinking on when the devil tempted Eve & My Lord Jesus Christ.
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:6
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Matthew 4:3-11.
The devil, ruler of this world is the same as God in a way in that when he does something once he sticks with the same method because it seems to work for him. Just like when God does something once it stays that way because God is perfect & God does everything perfect so, He need not change a thing. By those 2 scriptures we see that satan uses 3 same tacics when he tempted Eve & Jesus . Can you catch the revelation of what I'm saying? We see what they are in 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. The devil used the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes & the pride of live on Eve, Jesus & he uses it on any one he can. But Thank God, not only does God show us how to combat the devil with His Word. He evan shows us very clearly what the devils tactics are when tempting us. Solomon in his Great wisdom wrote... Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. Proverbs 1:17. What a wonderful Truth that is. Speaking for myself, I believe I'm called to be like a eagle & eagles have the most powerful eyesight of any bird (a eagle can spot it's prey up to 3 miles away in the distance). I feel I am now without any excuse really if I get tempted by the devil. I pray The Lord will keep me because I'm sure to be tested now on this, like I've mentioned in a previous blog that testing comes after meditation & revelation for me! So, pray for me. 8月6日 just a comment on...I made a conscious decision when starting this blog not to get into current news & politics etc because I felt if one goes down that road you'll only get sucked into a big ole pile of trouble because does religion & politics mix? methinks not. Being a christian I have a conservative leaning on moral issues & it ends there. Also Paul writes in his 2nd letter to Timothy... No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:4. So, being a soldier of The Cross, fighting The Good Fight. I stay clear of politics etc. Thats not to say I don't care about what goes on & that I don't pray for our government etc cos I'm called to do that. Also I respect Mr Blair as prime minister & the queen as I am to also called to respect my heads of state.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Romans 13:1-2
I also pray that Mr Blair makes some good decisions running this little island I call home. I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 1 Timothy 2:1-3 I also pray when things like the tube bombings on the 7th July and other such major tragic events happen. So, don't think just because I don't mention things on my blogs about such events doesn't mean I don't care or not interested & besides theres enough blogs, webspace to cover all that. 8月3日 His Blood sets us Free.It's amazing I've had people actually ask me when I'm gonna update this blog! I know at least 2-3 people read it, so thats something! I admit I've become very slack recently. I've still got people waiting to see my Zimbabwe photos & to read my journal of your trip but all good things come to those who wait! I'll get around to it one of these days. Actually I believe I'll do it sooner than later after whats happened to me recently & what this blog was actually going to be about so it all ties in very nicely methinks.
Last friday night I was laying in bed meditating on some scriptures the Lord had placed on my mind. I was thinking about what The Lord was saying in the Gospel of St. John about being free... Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.John 8:32-33, If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36. There had been somethings in my life that the Lord had shown me recently that I had become a slave to & that it was really hindering me from doing what I really wanted. I can't say I got a new revelation but I'd say The Lord had Expanded a revelation I'd had already. I confessed with my mouth that I was no longer in bondage to these things because Jesus had set me free from them. Another scripture came on my mind... Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1. I quickly repented for allowing myself to be once again entangled in bondage. I fell asleep at some point whilst meditating on these things and when I awoke I felt such a freedom & felt totally free. I was rejoicing all that saturday.
The Amazing thing about spiritual bondage is that although it is not in this natural physical world you do actually feel the chains & fetters of bondage. You do truly feel bound by things. You can feel restricted. I remember once as a young christian again I was laying on my bed & I think I must of been meditating on The Word or in prayer when I felt something slip off both my wrists. It felt like my ID chain that I used to wear on my wrist had slipped because it had before & felt exactly the same but I only wore it on my left wrist. I was really puzzled at the sensation because I had stopped wearin my chain & I had it the sensation on both wrists. As I pondered on this the thought came into my mind that it was chains of bondage slipping off me. I know I didn't think that thought & I knew it must have been from the Lord. I have no idea what I was actually loosed from but at that time in my life The Lord was working on me & bringing me into the message of the hour.
Going back to my original meditation on being free I forgot to add one very important thing. How does The Lord Jesus Christ set us free from the bondage of sin and death? By His Blood. Praise God. In the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ, St John writes... And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Revelation 1:5. In the greek the word 'Washed' is Lou which means to loose.
So, to conclude this blog entry I'm now free of some things that was holding me back from getting on with some stuff. I also found in my new found liberty in The Holy Spirit more inspiration for my photography, writing & finally gettin around to sorting out some photos etc. 7月28日 How to avoid hard labour with a rotten wage....Live in the Spirit.I had a striking thought the other day, well, I thought it was. I've been meditating much on the battle between Spirit vs flesh & Samuel preached a very Blessed inspired message on the subject in last sundays meeting. So, God's been talking to me much about this recently.
OK, my thought was as a christian I am to live in the Spirit & rest in The Holy Spirit, for it is God that does all the work in me if I just allow myself to yield to Him & allow Him to mould & shape my character. Now, If I go out of the spirit & backslide back into my fleshly old man. It is I that has to work hard against the Spirit & do the works of the flesh. The main point of my thought is when we work we recieve a wage at the end of the working week or month etc. This applies spiritually as well according to God's Word.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
So, If do the works of the flesh I'll collect my wages.... For the wages of sin is death;..... Romans 6:23 Working in the natural is hard enough without doin any extra work & I sure don't like the wages of sin. Thank God, that I can just rest in Him & let Him do all the Hard work & reap the fruits of the Spirit & Eternal Life. Amen. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 I also want to please my Lord & I can't if I'm in the flesh...... So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:8 7月19日 Are YOU Ready & Prepared.A lot of my blogs get inspired by conversations with other christians & 2 things have struck & inspired me lately. One is the subject of music, another controversial blog coming on that soon. The other subject has been a responce I've heard from some christians that was troubling to me & I have got into some deep conversations because of it. It is also is something the Lord has been talking to me about personally as He's been encouraging me & correcting me when I've slipped up along the way. The subject is.. Are YOU preparing for the Lords return?
The thing that troubled me talking to some christians was on another controversial subject of "Judging" Now thats another subject & future blog possibly. Anyways, I kept hearing "oh, God Will Judge me" & to me thats not good. We don't want God to judge us. To be judged of God is to go before the Great White Throne & to be answerable & to give account of your sins before God. As a christian I don't want that & by Faith I believe I'm part of the Bride who is not judged but judges. All Christians desires should be part of the Elected Bride of Christ to make the catching away & to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thess 4:16-17) Hows this connected to preparing for the Lords return? I believe this is a time of repentence... As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:17. We are called to make ourselves ready & to have the right Faith (read blog about latter rain) for the Lords coming ...and his wife hath made herself ready. Revelation 19:7b, ...when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8b. The Bride must be ready & prepared for her Bridegroom. Paul writing to the Ephesians typing a husband & his wife with Christ & His Church writes...That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. How can His Bride be without spot or wrinkle if she doesn't judge herself, repent of her sins & cleanse herself here on earth? Again Paul writing this time to the Corinthians about how serious taking communion is writes... For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 1 Cor.11:31-32. Again to the Corinthians. Paul writes... Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? 1 Cor. 6:2. The very reason why the Bride is caught away at the end of the rapture is because God can't judge the world when His Church is on the earth because she judged herself already.
(As a side topic & just a personal opinion & thought.I think it's sad that the hugely popular christian serious of books, films, games etc etc of ' Left Behind' is so popular within the churches is that it's actually preparing them for the great tribulation. They don't seem to realise this. God calls His Bride out of the church denominational systems so that they can't be judged with the mother of all church systems Mystery Babylon herself the Roman Catholic Church. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues Revelation 18:4, Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. Revelation 2:20-23.)
I truly believe these are the last days & it is not a time to be caught short & to be playing at christianity. We need to make sure we are living the Life we're called to. Completely separated from the world and things of the world. God is calling His Beloved Bride out of babylon. I personally am making sure I'm gonna be ready. God has warned me & so I'll be without excuse now if I'm not ready for His return. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Peter 4:7
OK, I feel this blog is a shamble of thoughts poorly put together but I can't bothered to re-write the thing again & pray that the thought ( I believe to be inspired) came across in a way, you the reader can read & understand!.
7月14日 only ONE "I AM"while I was Amening my friends Roni's comment about Faith is the key I remembered Jesus said " I AM the door" John 10:9 And that got me thinking about a couple of things firstly about Faith is the key that unlocks the Word (Jesus) & the whole Bible opens up. There is only ONE Key & ONE Door... One Lord (Door), one faith (key), one baptism (one way to The Door - ..... Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost) Ephesians 4:5 & Acts 2:38.
This led me to a another thought that will offend any trinitarian that happens to read this. There is only One "I AM " & that is God, Himself. God 1st declares this to Moses, when Moses Asked God His name... And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Exodus 3:13-14. If there is only one God & He said He is the "I AM" then Jesus must be God as well because many times in the New Testament He is the "I AM".....
I AM the bread of life: John 6:35
I AM the light of the world: John 8:12
I AM the good shepherd:John 10:11
I am the resurrection, and the life: John 11:25
I AM the true vine, John 15:1
I AM the way, the truth, and the life: John 14:6
Before Abraham was, I AM. John 8:58
So, if God was the "I AM" in the Old Testament & Jesus was the "I AM" in the New Testament that means Jesus is God. My pastor bro Samuel wrote a song about this very subject & I shall use the lyrics of the song to end this blog entry.
Jesus is Jehovah.
If you want to see the Father, All you do is look at me, said Jesus in the Good old book, So that everyone would see.
Chorus.
Jesus is Jehovah, this we know is true,Jehovah in the Old, is Jesus in the New.
When asked about the miracles, He mentioned publicly, It's not I that do these things, But Him that dwells in me.
Chorus.
Jesus is Jehovah, this we know is true, Jehovah in the Old, is Jesus in the New.
Now Jesus said so long ago "I come in my Fathers Name" Jehovah Saviour He is called, This Jesus is the same.
Words & Music by Samuel Field.
7月11日 FAITHFaith, what is it?
I believe the answer is found in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1 where it says... Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
What does that mean?
It means Faith is the sold tangible foundation of a desire of a good thing with expectations of recieving it, the thing that proves & enables the sences to know that it is real and evan though it cannot be seen your senses know it is there. (I am sorry if that seem poorly worded but that is my way of explaing it )
How do I get Faith?
The answer is very simply told to me in the book of Romans, chapter 10, verse 17 where Paul writes... So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Nothing is hard with God. All you have to do is listen to God's word & believe it.
OK, it comes by hearing but isn't there a catch or price to pay?
This is a easy question to answer in 1 word No! Why? because Paul also writes in his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 8 that... For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: & also futher on chatpter 3, verse 7 Paul also writes these words... Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
What do I use Faith for & Why do I need Faith?
To believe every word of God promises me & tells me in all that Hes going to in every aspect of my life from my everyday life things to the supernatural transformation of a sinner saved by grace to the fullness & stature of Lord Christ Jesus. No matter what, Period.
I need Faith because again in the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6 it is written...
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. I LOVE My Lord with ALL my heart & my One True Desire is to Please Him and offer but a tiny token of my gratitude for saving the wretch that I was.
Why then do I allow doubts & unbelief to come into the picture & fail God all far too often?
I couldn't even begin to explain the stupity of my human condition & that of myself being so dumb enough to believe a lie of the devil & with the knowledge to defeat him with the Word of God when he tempts me into things I know better not to do!!!
But..
God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from me, if I return unto him. 2 Chronicles 30:9 and My Lord is a God of patience and consolation Romans 15:5. And for This... I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30
7月8日 Why I am Just a Christian.One of my problems is that I get so many ideas & thoughts for blogs, I think things through & meditate on scriptures then get nothing actually down. I find that a very annoying trait of mine because I've written so many blogs in my mind & it ends there. I plan to change that starting with this blog, I've been meaning to address a question I've been asked several times on my blog, some comments I hope I deleted before people got to read them because they have been offensive & the others I've left. "paul u r freakingly wierd mate. sorry bt the whole god thing is a lil off puttin..." - baby-gurl_100 "okay so ur a mad christian hmmmm not sure about the hole praise the lord thing as a space hmmm....- "MissSexy8123 "Do you believe all the good that happens in your life come from God? Dont you believe it's because of how you are? The way you choose to live; or do you think god detremins everything for you? " - RainbowFairyinConverse "I dnt see how u can believe tht all ur life is down to **christ** tht u have no control ova ur life, ur not just a christian. ur a person wif a life tht yes u csan choose to follow god in but ur not just a christian. thts onli one aspect of urself, nd if thts all u r, then thts just sad." - RainbowFairyinConverse "Instesd of reading parrot fashion scriptures (which may or may not have been altered over the years to suit) follow whats in your heart, thats where truth is to be found." - pollyslog "I Think Thats its Good you Have Faith But I think ur sound as if ur gettin sucked into it. it sounds as if in a few years ull end up hunting heathens with furious zeal." - IBreakLegsForWineGums
I find it strange that as a Christian I get asked some strange questions on here or by people I meet & called names etc. See being a christian isn't just believing something (well, it is but I'll get into that later when I go into Faith), it's not being in a club or social club it's a way of LIFE. It has a reality to it. When I got saved I just didn't decide to become a christian because it sounded good or just decide to believe in God for some reason. I became a christian because something happend to me, changed me & my life. It was something very real & not just a change of mind. God had revealed to me He is a very real Living God. I'll share part of my testimony of how I got saved.. I'd been asked to go to church by a close friend of mine and I reluctantly said yes & after putting the event off a number of weeks I finally made good my commitment to go with him. It was a wednesday prayer meeting at a small penticostal church. My friend walked over to me & asked if he could pray for me. I replied "sure, if you want!" not expecting anything. As soon as my friend started to pray for me I fell to the floor & don't evan how I got there. As soon as I was laying on the floor the Holy Spirit started to wash over me with like wave after wave of this cleansing powerful force. I cannot recall how long I was on the floor. I don't evan know what I was feeling, if I was laughing or crying. I evently seemed to come to my sences & was aware of people around me praying. I got up & felt so different, I felt so clean, refreshed. It felt like some sort of scales had fallen from my eyes.. I could see clearly for the 1st time in my life. Everything made perfect sense and lastly & most importantly something in my heart told me God had touched me & I confessed to everyone there that Jesus had just come into my life. I said right there & then that I've given my life over to Christ & that I was now gonna spend the rest of my days serving the Lord or words to that effect. To be honest I don't think I really knew what I was saying because it all seemed to happen so fast. I was just sooo Happy & Filled with this new Joy. I've never experienced a high like that to this day ( & being a ex hedonist druggy I'd had experienced many highs in my time). Some thing real had happened to me. Something supernatural. Something that no one can explain or reason away. I remember clearly one of my first thoughts as a christian was.. Now I know God and Heaven is real then so is the devil & hell. That scared me to my very core & shook me all up & gave me a reverant fear of God thats kept me until this day. I've never looked back since & despite many trials & ups n downs that reality has kept me. The realisation that Jesus died for me on the cross & took all my sins upon Him made me Love Him With All My Heart. Jesus said " If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Also to quote Peter when Jesus asked his 12 disciples if they will leave him after the others had done Peter replied " Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." ( Read John 6:53-71) So, I'm just a christian because of a life changing event. God became very real in my life & because He is Very Real I want to live the way that is right & pleasing to Him. I want to have Eternal Life through Lord Jesus Christ my Saviour. I desire ALL the Blessings God wants to give me more than I desire them. I truly want my Heavenly Father to show me & guide my through the time I have on this earth because He knows better than me whats right for me. Like a child I want to please my Father & keep in His Perfect Will for me.
The reason born again christians can be called names like "Bible bashers" "Holy rollers" etc is because like me they have found something more wonderful than words can discribe with a genuine desire to want to share this with everyone. True some can become over zealous as I was & went a bit over the top as a young christian but mellowed & became more balanced as I matured as I grew in Christ & in my Faith but it was only because of the joy I had found and wanted to tell the whole world they was crazy not to give thier lives to the Lord. Again why is this? We've found a new reality not some fairy tale or just believed some story because it sounded good. It is a genuine zeal that inspires.Another thing is it is a dramatic change of life/ lifestyle (well, it was for me). All the old things lose thier hold & appeal. Things I onced loved I now hated & vice versa. All my friends & family couldn't understand the change at first. It all seems to alien to the world & is so against the things of the world that as a christian you find the world coming against you. All this does to a new christian is just evan more confirm the Word in them being true. It is also true some become fanatical rather than being over zealous but I believe thats because being unbalanced in the Faith or caught up in something that is not 100% scriptual. Anyways, thats going off on a tangent. I think I've made my point, long winded as it may be but the fact is it is Very Real & a Way of Life. That is why I am just a christian.
5月23日 Keep Me True.Keep Me True is a song my pastor while under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit & this song for me is a real song/prayer from the heart. Keep Me True. Keep me true in all I do, Jesus I need you, to keep me true to you. Lord, I see some around me become quite wordly. Lord keep your Word in me. Chorus. I need the hand of God to do a keeping work in me. I pray to God, He'll keep me true, To live Eternally. Lord, I know my Faith will grow, And my life wil show, God, keeps me where I go. Keep me true in all I do. Jesus, I need You to keep me true to you. Chorus. So keep me true in all I do, Jesus, I need You to keep me true in you. Words: Samuel Field, Music: Tony McCarthy. 5月22日 Why?I feel inspired to answer a question that IBreakLegsForWineGums asked "If there truly was a God why does he let bad things happen? if he is supposed to be all lovin and kind he shouldn't let bad things happen?" I've had a few similar questions left in my blog comments & it is a often asked question to christians by non believers. The Answer is simple really.. since the fall in the garden of Eden where Eve was decieved & Adam willfully went into sin. Sin came into this world & satan took control. Ever since then we are Born in sin, shaped in iniquity, come to the world speaking lies, sinners by nature. A good example of this is as a small child we are taught by good perents to be good, not to lie, steal, be selfish etc. As we grow we are taught to honour & respect our perents & elders, taught it is better to give than recieve etc. Our own human nature is that of a natural desire to that what we are taught is wrong. God created us to be free moral agents, He wants us to worship Him of our own free will. He didn't design us to be robots at the push of a button we'd all say "Praise The Lord". So, mankind has a free will & can choose what we want to do. This proves that God is not some big bad controlling god as some people believe Him to be. He loved us & made us to be free. We all can choose our destiny & fate. Now, going back to after the fall in the garden of Eden. God showed us how we can get back to being in union with Him again. He's also given us a set of commandments that if we all followed we'd all live in a perfect society but man being man decided to go his own way & do his own thing & to complete seperate himself from his creator & God. If we all went back to God by His Son, Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins that we could become one again with God. We ALL could have a relationship with our heavenly Father & God again. Believing what God has taught us by Faith we could then claim every promise in His Word & be healed of our diseases, have our fears & worries taken from us, never to know want again for the necessities in life we need. but like I said man being true to his nature still rejects all this & goes after his wants by greed. They say religion starts wars, thats a lie. Mans greed & lusts starts wars. God desires that none should perish & desires what we ALL be saved but alas man has rejected God & gone his own way. God desires to heal the sick, feed the hungry, comfort the needy, love the unloved But it is we who have to come to Him & only ask these things of Him in FAITH Believing He'll do it. Satan is the god of this earth. This is satans eden.. a world of wickeness & evil. There are too many scriptures to back all this up. It is hard to answer this question without sounding all preachy but I can't help that as The answer is to be found in God's Word. I really feel I haven't answered the question well & have rewritten this blog a few times with scriptures to back all I've said but the blog was growing & growing & I was no where near the end of my answer. I think I shall end this blog with a question to those who ask Why? and with the Word of God. What would happen & what would this world be like IF EVERYONE followed these 10 simple commandments? And God spake all these words, I AM The Lord Thy God.....
(I believe that when one has accepted Lord Jesus Christ as thier saviour & desires to follow The Word of God those 10 commandments become 10 promises & when said "thou shalt.." is a promise from the believers heart to God.) 5月20日 Contentment.Are you trying to keep up with the Jones or content with Jesus? Are your treasures on earth or in Heaven? And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. II Timothy 6:8 One of the things that I've had on my mind recently is about being content with what I have. Really I live very well... I have a nice apartment I can call home, a comfy bed to sleep in, food in my kitchen, a job, a lil money in the bank, a lil reliable car etc on top of that I have a pc, a laptop, a awesome stereo system, 2 digital cameras, various gadgets etc. So, how can I complain? I still want a wide angle & fisheye lenses for my camera, a PT Cruiser as my 3rd car but really I am content. Which you could say is very easy for me to be with all that stuff & I'd agree. We all can be very content with our nice homes, our fave things like computers & other luxary items. But If I or you lost all we had would we still be content? I'd like to believe I would be & hope I never experience losing all my nice stuff to find out. At the end of the day though it's only just material stuff & not important to our spiritual life. Also I've been meditating much on Heavenly Treasures. I don't know what my Heavenly Treasures can be & awaiting on The Lord for revelation about this. To me just spending eternity in Heaven with my Lord is reward enough but The Word says we are to lay up treasures in Heaven & to look to those treasures & not ones on earth. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19-21. In another place in The Word Paul writes "....for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content". Philippians 4:11 Can I as a christian say that? again I'd like to believe I could. I don't really know what I'm trying to get across in this blog really. I think I'm tryin to say as long as I have my Lord Jesus Christ I'm contented & happy. The Lord has blessed me with much more than just food & rainment. One thing I can positively say I have understanding & revelation on is "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness..." For it is by me doing exactly this, that God has Blessed me & rewarded me with all that I have. Amen. And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:28-33 5月14日 The Praying Hands.The Praying hands is a very famous painting by Albrecht Durer. Below is 2 versions of the how the painting came about. I don't know which version is the correct one or evan if they are both fictional. Whatever the case both versions of the story carrie the same message of Love, Faith, Sacrifice & of Gratitude. Friends Version. "The Praying Hands" was created as a result of a remarkable friendship between 2 artists, Albrecht duer & his friend Franz Knigstien. As students they both worked as part-time labourers to try earn enough money to carry on thier studies. However in the economic climate of the time there was no way that either both study and have time to earn enough with casual part-time jobs to survive in this way. They decided to draw lots to decide which of them should find fulll time employment, and support them both, while the winner would then devote all his time & energies to his studies. Albrecht won, and agreed when his studies was complete he would return and finance his friends studies. However when Albrecht, having become a great success in his field, eventually came back to fulfil his promise, he discovered the sacrifice that Franz had made was far greater than either had forseen. Through hard labour Franz's fingers had become twisted & bent. they could no longer delicately control an artist's brushes and he could never hope to become a great painter. however Franz displayed no bitterness. He was glad to have played his part in his friends success. One day, Albrecht, found Franz at prayer and was so struck by his hands that he sketched them and later completed one of the great masterpieces of the early Rennaissance period that we know now as the "The Praying Hands". Brothers Version. Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood. Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy. After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines. They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works. When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you." All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no." Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late." One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands." "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;Where there is hate that I may bring love, Where there is offence that I may bring pardon, where there is discord that I may bring union, Where there is error that I may bring truth, Where there is doubt that I may bring Faith, Where there is despair that I may bring Hope, where there is darkness that I may bring light, Where there is sadness that I may bring joy, O Master make me not so much to be consoled but to console; not so much to be loved as to love; not so much to be understood as to understand; For it is giving that one recieves; it is in pardoning that one is pardoned; it is in dying that one finds Eternal Life". Prayer of st Francis of Assisi. What a wonderful prayer. I, Amen that. Help me too Lord, to be an instrument of thy Love & Peace. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Matthew 5:9 5月12日 Revelation."The importance of revelation by the Spirit to a true believer can never be over emphasized. Revelation means more to you than perhaps you realize. Now I am not talking about this Book of Revelation and you. I am talking about ALL revelation. It is tremendously important to the church. Do you remember in Matthew 16 where Jesus asked the disciples this question, How did Abel know what to do in order to offer a proper sacrifice to God? By faith he received the revelation of the blood. Cain didn't get such a revelation (even though he had a commandment) so he couldn't offer the right sacrifice. It was a revelation from God that made the difference and gave Abel eternal life. Now you might take what the pastor says, or what the seminary teaches, and though it might be taught to you with eloquence, until God reveals to you that Jesus is the Christ, and that it is the blood that cleanses you, and that God is your Saviour, you will never have eternal life. It is the Spiritual revelation that does it." Bro William Branham.- from An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages. All I can Add to that is.. Revelation = LIFE, knowledge = Death.
|
|
|
