Trusting God=not stealing

I was working with a  friend, he's not a Christian and we were talking about random things. Somewhere in the conversation came up the matter of the law and stealing. It was embarassing because he called me out on stealing. After praying about it, it turns out that what he said was a blessing because I prayed about it.  In the US, stealing is all the rage. If something is available, then we take it whether it's been at wor, at school, from family, or even online. You can rip music and videos off of youtube. You can torrent almost any book, artist, game, or software including PC STudy Bible. However, this is what Christ says....

"What comes out of a manis what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, <span class=" fbUnderline">out of men's hearts</span>, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft...."   Mark 7:20-21

Previous to this, Christ quotes Isaiah to the Pharisees (who were judging Christ and his disciples as 'unclean' by their tradition, not the Word of God aka the Law). 

These people honor me with their lips, 

but their hearts are far from me.

They worship me in vain;

therir teachings are but rules taught by men.

It is not hard to fall into Phariseeism, it's hard to get out. It's not hard to sin, but it's challenge to repent from sin. I encourage my brothers and sisters who call themselves to be a follower of Christ to check their hearts and ask God,

"Father, by taking (fill in the blank), am I honoring you? Am I living according to the holy (which means 'set apart') calling that You've given?" 

God established are US government. If you don't believe me look at Romans 13:1. If we are rebelling against that authority, we rebel against God. If you don't believe me look at Romans 13:2. As Christians, we can't justify our actions of rebellion by saying its for a good purpose, or that everyone else is doing it. We're called to serve God's purpose, not our own. We're called to follow Christ's example, and not that of our culture.

Lastly, please don't think in terms of how far can you go without "really doing anything wrong". God sees the heart.

I'm going to use this as an opportunity to honor one young lady who has encouraged me by the example she sets for being above reproach and in who's steps I aim to follow. Andrea Floro.

Life and Death [Jeremiah 21:8-10]

Background: Israel involved in idolatry, injustice, and in essence has broken their covenant with God. This results in consequences, submission to BAbylonian rule. The leadership, Zedekiah and others, will pay with their lives, however God made provision for the people.

8 "You shall also say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold,I set before you the way of life and the way of death>.

9 "He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.

10 "For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good," declares the LORD. "It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire."'

Jesus Christ prayed for Christians to be in the world but not of it (John 17). God has also set before us as well as the whole world the way of life (through Jesus Christ, John 14:6) and the way of death (the ways of the world=sin ==>death Romans 6:23, 5:12).

Because of our sinfulness, this world will pass away. Revelations and Jesus' prophecies about the end times discuss this matter. Unlike the Israelites, we don't have to surrender to a threatning army and worry about their intentions toward us. Many of us are not even under a "besieging" pressure. We have the opportunity to turn to Christ, and in doing so, we get more than our temporal lives as booty, but we get the power of God in our lives through the Holy Spirit and an eternal salvation that nothing on earth or in all of creation can take away. 

Life or death. Eternal or temporal. 

A not too long Easter Talk

Let me break it down: <span class=" fbUnderline">Rom 3:19-31, 1 Cor 5:6-8, </span>.

The Law is like an X-ray it shows our brokenness. The Law can do an autopsy, it tells why we die. <span class=" fbUnderline">The Law cannot heal brokenness, nor can the Law reanimate people dead in sin.</span> 

Unlike today's medical examinations and process of diagnosing problems where we pay the doctor, we don't have to pay a thing.

Praise God though for Christ. Our Passover Lamb. Christ paid all the debt for all the people, "for the joy set before him, He endured the cross!" <span class=" fbUnderline"><hebrews></hebrews></span>

<span class=" fbUnderline">Romans 6:1-14</span>

Christ does more than X-ray, he doesn't just set bones, he sets our souls! Christ does more than a medical examiner, he doesn't just identify our cause of death but he brings the dead to life!!

Not done yet!

 While Jesus was having dinner at MAtthew's house, many tax collectors and 'sinners' came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy [to show love, unconditional, forgiving], not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

<span class=" fbUnderline">Matthew 9:2-13</span>

<span class=" fbUnderline">Romans 3:23</span> We’re all sick, we all fall short.

Still not done!

 I’ll speak for myself. I don’t want someone to give me an X-ray and leave. I don’t want someone to give me an autopsy. And I don’t want to be a slave to the ways that go to death (<span class=" fbUnderline">Rom 5</span>).  I don’t want the Law. I can’t live up to the Law. I want a doctor. I have a doctor. I have Jesus.

Old Stuff

These are different excerpts from things that I am studying and listening to for the purpose of growth and maturity. I hope to share these with other people and hope that to those who see it, they gain some wisdom, and insight. These excerpts are not exclusive to quotes, but extend to parts of the message that I listened to and expanded on for my own growth.

March 2,2009

Dennis McCallum~ Romans 13: Real Love…….   

• Love is the most important thing we can do
  • for God
  • for others
  • for ourselves [happiness does not come from me attempting to promote me and trying to get things out of others (i.e. attention, favors, praise, respect), but when I give out to others… I will experience the happiness… or as X puts it, the joy of GOD.”