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ksazma posted:

For someone who was such an abject failure when he walked the earth, why would anyone care for him to return?

I do care for Him to return. I am certain Keith also looks forward to His return.

You can personally wish all you want that He doan show up, but he will showup. He more powerful than the expected Madhi and the Muslim Christ.

S
cain posted:
ksazma posted:

For someone who was such an abject failure when he walked the earth, why would anyone care for him to return?

So he could walk some more. That banna could be a professional picketter.

Y u looking 4 attention. Do u know that a Muslim Christ is expected show up. Suh to give credibility to this person, first the real Christ has to be shamed. Din know that a Guyanese would be champion of the cause. Guyana indeed is a special place. From what I am reading here, the country has alot anti-Christ sympathizers.

S
Last edited by seignet

How to Handle Pride

1 Samuel 24

Pride causes us to think that we can manage life’s situations ourselves and make our own plans. The first two kings of Israelβ€”Saul and Davidβ€”illustrate different approaches to handling pride.

Saul’s high opinion of himself resulted in decisions that were contrary to the Lord’s commands. For example, having defeated the Philistines, the king reasoned that he should take some spoils of war, even though God had said otherwise. When confronted by Samuel, he replied that his plan was β€œto sacrifice [the animals] to the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:15). God saw through his words to a heart of pride. If self-centeredness controls our thinking, we’ll seek ways around divine commands in order to serve ourselves. When caught, we may try to justify our disobedience, as Saul did.

Davidβ€”Israel’s second king, chosen while Saul was still on the throneβ€”didn’t try to initiate his own reign. Instead, he waited for God’s timing. That meant enduring Saul’s jealous rages and murder attempts, but still he wouldn’t retaliate. In fact, even when he had the opportunity, David refused to seize the throne; he didn’t allow pride to dominate his thinking. Later on, he coveted another man’s wife and committed adultery, but when he was challenged, his humble heart prompted repentance (2 Samuel 12:13).

To prevent prideful behavior, we must refuse to act independently of the Lord. Like David, we should handle self-centeredness by turning to God in confession. David’s sins were forgiven. Saul, on the other hand, never admitted he’d made any mistakes, and that led to his downfall.

Keith
seignet posted:
ksazma posted:

For someone who was such an abject failure when he walked the earth, why would anyone care for him to return?

Christ must have done a terrible thing to you. 

 

Finally you are coming around to my argument that Jesus did terrible things. I can't think of another religious personality that called people dogs, pigs, swine, etc.

FM
seignet posted:
ksazma posted:

For someone who was such an abject failure when he walked the earth, why would anyone care for him to return?

I do care for Him to return. I am certain Keith also looks forward to His return.

You can personally wish all you want that He doan show up, but he will showup. He more powerful than the expected Madhi and the Muslim Christ.

He ain't showing up again dude. He squandered his opportunity when he was here way back when. He has nothing concrete to show for the 33 years that he was given then. So you and Keith can continue waiting. People been waiting now for 2000 years and they too thought he would come while they were still alive.

FM
ksazma posted:
seignet posted:
ksazma posted:

For someone who was such an abject failure when he walked the earth, why would anyone care for him to return?

Christ must have done a terrible thing to you. 

 

Finally you are coming around to my argument that Jesus did terrible things. I can't think of another religious personality that called people dogs, pigs, swine, etc.

 

S

Yesterday on Fox & Friends, this pastor came on carrying a dried palm leaf signifying Palm Sunday. He went on to explain the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and suggested he may ride a donkey in Brooklyn to commemorate Palm Sunday. He lied about the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey though because what Jesus actually did was rode in on a donkey and an ass. Now picture that image for a moment. That would be like in the movies where someone is straddling two animals. The fantasy of Biblical writers.

FM

Through Troubled Waters

Psalm 25

In a blizzard, the familiar disappears because swirling snow obscures our vision. Difficulties bring about the same effect in our minds. They create strong emotions that cloud our ability to think. Thankfully, God has given us some promises to help us find our way through trials.

1. The Lord has committed Himself to instructing us. When we wait on Him, He will give us insight into our situationβ€”since He sees all things, He knows what steps we are to take. We may be surprised at the instruction, though, since His ways are not like our human ones (Isa. 55:8-9). For example, when people hurt us badly, God’s Spirit will remind us that vengeance is the Lord’s; our part is to live at peace with them (Rom. 12:17-19).

2. God has promised to teach us how to apply the truth He has given us. As we meditate on the Word of God, His Spirit will reveal the relevance of Scripture to our problem. For example, let’s imagine we are faced with someone making a financial request that strikes us as unreasonable. How are we to respond? God may tell us to meet the need or even to give extra in order to bless that person (Matt. 5:40-41).

3. The Lord provides guidance as He keeps watch over us. When company is present, a parent may use a series of looks to quietly guide a child’s behavior, encourage, instruct, or warn. In a similar way, the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual promptings to guide our actions and decisions.

What troubled waters are you trying to navigate? Find your way by using these promises as guiding lights through dark circumstances.

Keith

Learning in Troubled Waters

Psalm 34:1-19

God promises that when we face challenging times, He will keep His divine eye upon us. He wants to be our teacher and guide through the difficulty, but we must position ourselves to respond to His signals. That is, we need to:

Have a longing to follow God’s way and His way only. Scripture compares such yearning to a deer panting for water (Psalm 42:1). The same should be true of us each time we wait for God’s direction instead of acting on our own.

Be willing to be taught by God. He will transform trials into times of learning when we look to Him for guidance. Such was the case with Hannah as she pleaded for a child (1 Samuel 1:1-20, 1 Samuel 2:1-10). It was also true for Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died (John 11:17-27). We need willing spirits if we are to learn what God wants to teach us in the β€œclassroom” of His choice. Most of us would opt for a comfortable, pleasurable setting in which to gain understanding. But God knows the best way to instill wisdom and may choose pain and trouble as the place of instruction.

Yield to His will. Before we know God’s solution, He asks us to commit ourselves to His way. The Lord calls us to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) and to acknowledge that we are helpless without Him (John 15:5). To declare commitment to His way is always best.

Troubles are an unwelcome fact of life, but they can have value. Often what we wanted to avoid turns out to be the very thing we needed. God asks that we have a tender heart, a teachable spirit, and a yielded will. Does this describe you?

Keith

Recognize Your Vulnerability

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Some Christians see a fellow believer fall into sin but fail to acknowledge that they, too, could stumble. That’s dangerous. Satan has them right where he wants them: deceived by a false sense of confidence. Three enemies are constantly at work trying to bring us downβ€”namely, the devil, his world system, and our own treacherous flesh.

Even though believers have a righteous standing before God, we must each, like Paul, acknowledge an internal problem: β€œsin which dwells in me” (Rom. 7:20). Satan takes full advantage of this weakness, luring us with fleshly and worldly temptations. He stokes our pride so we become unaware of our own vulnerability.

Christians need to be continually on guard. Since ignoranceβ€”of the nature of sin, the strategies of the enemy, and our own areas of weaknessβ€”sets us up for failure, we cannot afford to be careless in our thinking. Anytime we find ourselves excusing, redefining, or rationalizing sin, we’ve lost our sensitivity to God. His Word must always fill our minds and direct our steps.

If you’ve drifted from the Lord, turn back to Him by acknowledging your sin and accepting responsibility for it. Repentance means changing your mind and going in a different directionβ€”toward God instead of away from Him.

The next step is harder: Respond with gratitude for God’s chastisement. Every time we fall into sin, our Father lovingly works to bring us back into fellowship with Him. His discipline may be painful, but it’s always good because it brings us to our senses and reconnects us with God.

Keith

The phrase "blind faith" means different things to different people, and, sadly, many people use it as a negative, disparaging term to describe anyone who believes in God. A dictionary definition of blind faith is "belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination." But is this the kind of faith God desires us to have? More to the point, is the kind of faith God gives us a blind faith lets look at: Ephesians 2:8-9.

"8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Is our faith really to be blind, without true understanding?

To answer the question above, looking at one of the greatest examples of faith found in the Old Testament. God told Abraham that Abraham would be a father of many nations and that his wife Sarah would bear him a child even though they were very old. Indeed, Sarah was 90, and Abraham was around 100 when Isaac was finally born to them. Then God told Abraham to do the unthinkable, to kill Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). Upon receiving the order, Abraham did not question God. He blindly followed God’s orders and traveled quite a distance to a mountain with the intention of killing his son. In the end, God stopped him and said, "Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son", Genesis 22:12.

This account makes it seem that God was rewarding and complimenting Abraham for blind faith, and since Abraham is one of the models given to us to follow, it would seem that blind faith is the ideal. That, however, is not the whole story.

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the hall of fame of faith. In it we find many of the greatest people of the Bible and their accomplishments through faith. Abraham is listed more than once, but verses 18-19 tell us Abraham "reasoned" that God had promised a great nation through Isaac and that even if Isaac were killed, God could bring Isaac back from the dead, and because of that reasoning not blind faith Abraham followed through with the command. Abraham did not act blindly. Instead, he used his powers of reason, based on what he knew about God, to think it through. He knew God’s nature as a faithful God, and he remembered God’s promise regarding Isaac. Then he acted accordingly.

Throughout Scripture we find that reason, wisdom, and logic are lifted up as good traits. For example, Proverbs 3:13 says we are blessed when we find knowledge and understanding. Hebrews 5:12-14 reproves teachers for not learning and growing in understanding.

We are expected to act in faith on God’s promises just as Abraham did, but we do that from a position of trust based on all the knowledge we have of God. Abraham followed God’s order based on his faith that God would keep His promise to raise up a nation through Isaac. Abraham had learned that God would keep His promises through a lifetime of walking with God, so this was a reasoned and informed faith.

There will be times in our walk with God that we will act purely on faith because we do not have the whole picture, as in the case of Abraham. However this faith is not blind; it is based on knowledge of God’s nature and character, His promises in the Scriptures, and our personal experience walking with God every day.

Keith

Now we are back to the already debunked notion that Isaac was at anytime during Abraham's life, his ONLY son. God still making the same stupid mistake in Genesis 22 as he made earlier in Genesis. So somehow Abraham shows wonderful examples of blind faith here but not before Ishmael was born. Blind faith is one thing. Stupid beliefs are another. Willingly drinking the kool aid is inexcusable.

FM

What Really Happened at Calvary

Hebrews 10:10-14

If asked what took place on Good Friday, many people could list the events of Calvary. Some might explain that Christ was nailed to the cross, Roman soldiers gambled for His garments, and darkness covered the land. Others would mention the crown of thorns, an earthquake, and Jesus’ mother watching with what must have been heartbreak and horror.

But no matter how many visible details one could mention, far more was going on than the eye could see: At the cross, sin was judged.

In giving His very first command in the garden of Eden, God warned that disobedience carried the death penalty (Gen. 2:17). So from the start, His judgment of sin was prophesied, and later it was also pictured in the elaborate sacrificial system He established. Under this system, each transgression required an animal’s blood to be sprinkled on the altar. The severity of the penaltyβ€”payment of a lifeβ€”was a graphic way for our holy God to communicate how offensive and grievous sin actually is. It was also a foreshadowing of the Lamb of God, who would come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Jesus Christ was, on the cross, what that lamb was on the altarβ€”but with a significant difference: Under the old covenant, every time sin was committed, another animal had to die. Jesus, however, willingly offered Himself once for all to atone for the sin of the entire world (Heb. 7:27).

Refusing to personally accept Christ’s substitutionary atonement leaves a person with the responsibility of paying his or her own sin debt. Won’t you thank the Savior for your amazing free giftβ€”or receive it from Him now?

Keith

So at first God demanded an animal sacrifice for the atonement of every sin. Later he suddenly changed his mind that that was not necessary because Jesus' death was enough to atone for every sin. Seems like God is quite schizophrenic. And to demonstrate how well his judgement is, he picked a man who don't even know who is father is as Mary wouldn't divulge who she had sex with. That kind of kid was called a bastard back then and is still called a bastard now. The wise Jews of that time properly recognized that and labeled Jesus a bastard suggesting that his father was a Roman soldier.

If one peruse throughout history surrounding people of religious influence, one would quickly recognize that all of those people of religious influence had amassed a solid following while they were still alive. This is not the case with Jesus. He had to wait until some 300 years after his death to gain any traction which came on the backing of the Roman empire. Those who lived when Jesus was alive and who had the frontest row seat to study him did not see anything special in him. Even those who used to goof off with him forsook him and fled when the Roman soldiers arrested him. Peter claimed he didn't know Jesus when he needed to save his own skin. Followers of other religious personalities lived amongst, fought and even died for and with their leaders.

The passage above stated that "Jesus, however, willingly offered Himself once for all to atone for the sin of the entire world". This is pure lies and fantasies by the church as the Bible does not portray Jesus as willingly offering himself up for anything. Instead, it shows a man trying desperately trying to avoid being caught by the Romans. He tried to hide in the garden of Gethsemane telling his compadres to stand guard outside the garden but they couldn't care any less as they too fell asleep and failing to alert Jesus of the approach of the soldiers. Then when he was on the cross, he doesn't seem to know that being there was part of God's grand plan as he is crying out for pain and eventually showed how weak his faith was when he yelled out that God has forsaken him. He could have learned a thing or two from Job on what unyielding faith is.

I have no problem accepting that you have a right to post your fantasies. I do have an equal right to show where they are inconsistent with the written words. Your hope is that I subscribe to drinking the kool aid which I cannot in good conscience do. Now while I can acknowledge that you have the right to post your unsubstantiated fantasies, are you willing to acknowledge that I reference actual passages from the written book in my argument?

FM

The Secret of Being an Overcomer

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Paul learned the secret of being an overcomer: Maintain God’s perspective on the ups and downs of life, and access His power. The apostle was firmly convinced that having the person of the Holy Spirit living in him meant that God’s power was available to him.

We, too, can learn to be at peace while the storms of life rage around us. The first step is to believe that the power of God is within us through the presence of His Spirit. We then must accept that God’s priority for us is transformation into Christ’s image, and not necessarily comfortable circumstances. Diligently seeking to maintain Jesus’ perspective on trials (John 16:33) is also important. Until we settle such matters of faith, true contentment will evade us.

Having embraced these truths, we can learn to use the divine power of the risen Christ. The key lies in submitting our will to His. Then, instead of reacting to life based on our own weaknesses and desires, we will switch to responding on the basis of God’s will and the fact that we belong to Christ. We will be able to consciously surrender ourselves to the Lord and His pattern for living. Yielding control to the Holy Spirit allows God’s will to be done and enables us to accept it. When we can say, β€œLord, whatever You choose to send will be all right with me,” then we will experience the inner peace promised to us. (See John 14:27.)

Divine perspective, surrender, and firm faithβ€”these are the ingredients for the victorious life. Now you know the secret, too.

Keith

Seeking Guidance: The Pattern

Matthew 7:7-8

As we’ve seen, there is a pattern to seeking God’s guidance. The first stepβ€”cleansingβ€”is actually important throughout the entire process. In fact, all but one of the remaining steps have no particular order and can fit together in many ways.

The exception is surrender. The Lord cannot share His plans for our life until we are committed to following Him no matter what. He certainly knows whether we are seeking direction in order to obey or merely to consider what He suggests. Therefore, surrender must precede even our prayers for guidance. First John 5:14-15 says that the Lord hears and grants our petitions when we ask according to His will. It’s possible to make requests that are not of God, but believers who yield themselves will find their way to the right request and the best possible answer.

Most of the time, God guides believers to an answer through His Word, which is why I encourage people to meditate upon it (Psalm 1:2-3). Our reading can take us to the very passage that deals with our situation or reveals a principle that applies. Sometimes God speaks a crystal-clear message to a person’s heart that nobody else would glean from those particular verses. The key is to believe that the Lord is going to guide you, and to live out that faith (Mark 11:24).

The process of seeking guidance is often slow, so we must wait. Running ahead or manipulating circumstances can be a costly mistake. Our omniscient, sovereign God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him (Isa. 64:4). Those who seek direction will receiveβ€”that’s a promise (Matt. 7:7-8).

Keith

Our Predestined Appointment

Revelation 20:11-15

The moment we were born, a countdown began on our life. Every tick of the clock brings us one step closer to our inescapable appointment with the Lord. Each of us will stand before Him as we approach our eternal destination.

Tragically, there will be shocking disappointment for some. Jesus Himself warned, β€œMany will say to Me on that day, β€˜Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name ... ?’ And then I will declare to them, β€˜I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matt. 7:22-23).

The only way to eternal life is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, our sin has separated us from the Father. But God’s Son provided the solution to this universal problem: Christ lived a perfect life and then died a sinner’s death on the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty each of us owed (Rom. 6:23). After three days, He rose from the grave, defeating death and evil. By accepting His sacrifice on our behalf, we no longer have to live apart from God.

To receive this amazing gift, we must simply believe in Jesus and what He did. As a result, we become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), are adopted as God’s children (Eph. 1:5), and enter into a never-ending personal relationship with our Father.

Do you have confidence about where you will spend eternity? You may assume you have time to figure out this important issue, but let me give you some wise advice: Don’t wait another minute to settle the matter, because later may never come. Repent of your sin today, and follow Jesus.

Keith

What Is Your True Purpose?

1 Samuel 16:6-13

What do you live for each day? A pay raise? Retirement? Then perhaps you’ve discovered the reality that basing aspirations on getting ahead in this world typically ends in disappointment. People with a misguided sense of direction often wonder why they feel unfulfilled.

Maybe you’ve already achieved a goal of saving for the future or moving up the corporate ladder. You give to charity and volunteer at church, but somehow still feel a sense of insignificance or aimlessness. If so, there is a truth you need to hear: God gives each of us life for a very specific reasonβ€”namely, to serve Him. Nobody finds inner peace without reconciling this fact. Our society teaches us that pleasure, prosperity, position, and popularity will make us happy. But living in the service of self always leaves an emptiness no earthly reward can fill.

Besides, worldly philosophy won’t stand the test of time. Few of us are going to live even 100 years. So whatever we’ll become in this life, we are in the process of becoming that right now. Consider David: He was anointed king long before actually assuming the role (1 Sam. 16:12). He spent many years serving the purpose of God in insignificant places while developing into a great man. As his story shows, discovering God’s purpose for your life is the surest path to success.

Our Father’s purpose for us comes from His heart of loveβ€”which is perfect. None of us can know the things He has in store for us, but we can trust His plan. Surrender to Him and say, β€œNot my will, Lord, but Yours be done.”

Keith
Keith posted:

What Is Your True Purpose?

1 Samuel 16:6-13

What do you live for each day? A pay raise? Retirement? Then perhaps you’ve discovered the reality that basing aspirations on getting ahead in this world typically ends in disappointment. People with a misguided sense of direction often wonder why they feel unfulfilled.

Maybe you’ve already achieved a goal of saving for the future or moving up the corporate ladder. You give to charity and volunteer at church, but somehow still feel a sense of insignificance or aimlessness. If so, there is a truth you need to hear: God gives each of us life for a very specific reasonβ€”namely, to serve Him. Nobody finds inner peace without reconciling this fact. Our society teaches us that pleasure, prosperity, position, and popularity will make us happy. But living in the service of self always leaves an emptiness no earthly reward can fill.

Besides, worldly philosophy won’t stand the test of time. Few of us are going to live even 100 years. So whatever we’ll become in this life, we are in the process of becoming that right now. Consider David: He was anointed king long before actually assuming the role (1 Sam. 16:12). He spent many years serving the purpose of God in insignificant places while developing into a great man. As his story shows, discovering God’s purpose for your life is the surest path to success.

Our Father’s purpose for us comes from His heart of loveβ€”which is perfect. None of us can know the things He has in store for us, but we can trust His plan. Surrender to Him and say, β€œNot my will, Lord, but Yours be done.”

This is the con. The people who belligerently denigrate your worldly worth are the same people who are actually preying on you to pry it out of your hands. Brother Keith promotes this organization. Now check out their business activities even though they produce no material worth. There are poor people and small companies busting their asses every day and can't EARN the kind of money that an organization like In Touch Ministries screws out of those poor hard working people. There is a reason they list their tax ID number. It is for you to get a 15% tax deduction on the 100% real cash that you give to these blood suckers. And while they greedily take your hard earned money, they still belittle everything you do to earn that money. Take a look at the second image that I posted. See how the link for DONATE is highlighted while the others are not. That means that that activity is most important to the organization. Now look at how crooked that pastor look. Now ask yourself again. What is your true purpose and then ask yourself. What is organizations like In Touch Ministries true purpose. Brother Keith has to be looking for more DONERS.

Here is their website

Even when you pass the mouse over the other categories, they still don't become highlighted like how the link DONATE is even when not being selected.

 

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FM
Last edited by Former Member

The Enemy of Security

1 John 5:1-9

Sin can shake our faith in eternal security. God promised that anyone who believes Jesus Christ died on the cross for his or her sin will live forever in heaven (John 6:40). But because unconfessed sin creates a barrier between the Lord and the believer, it short-circuits faith and assurance.

When a believer confesses wrongdoing, the Father forgives and cleanses His child (1 John 1:9). But by failing to admit to sin, a Christian will experience estrangement from God. He or she may feel unworthy of the Father’s love and can even struggle with a sense of rejection. Ask people in this situation if they are certain about their eternal future, and you’ll probably hear, β€œI used to be.” Sometimes they will go so far as to tell me that they are no longer savedβ€”but that is impossible. While we can lose our assurance, we can never lose our salvation or our place in heaven.

Too often, people mistake the Lord’s chastening hand for confirmation of their lost condition. β€œGod wouldn’t put me through this if I were saved,” they’ll say. Actually, the opposite is true. The heavenly Father disciplines those He loves, so correction is proof that we are His children (Heb. 12:6-7). Chastisement is His way of guiding the wayward believer back into fellowship with Him.

Jesus is our advocate before God. Like ancient Israel’s high priests who offered blood sacrifices, He atoned for our sins by His own death on the cross. We can’t sin our way out of His grace. The minute we confess our wrongdoing, estrangement dissipates and assurance comes flooding back into our hearts.

Keith
cain posted:

Ssshhh! I'm thinking of opening a "Touching" branch in my neighbourhood.

Cainsta, admittedly it is an excellent way to raise 80 million bucks when you don't have to fulfill any promises. The dude can promise that God will do certain things and if they don't happen he can get away with saying that God ain't ready yet. Some folks have gone to their graves even before God got ready and my guess is they probably realized there that the preacher was only screwing them. Oh, that's it. One of the benefits is you get to use other peoples' money to pay for your b itches.

FM

God’s Purpose for Intimacy

Psalm 103

For most of my life, I believed that the heavenly Father and I shared a relationship for my benefit. However, His primary purpose for creating intimacy with believers is to reveal Himself.

In a truly loving relationship, each person wants to continually know more about the other. As believers, we are sometimes guilty of taking a more self-interested approach and forget that God is the rightful center of attention. When that is the case, we may head to church or into quiet time looking for something to inspire us, motivate us, or help us.

Part of the problem is that we would like to practice our faith in the safest way possible. Bible study, prayer, and church are relatively easy, compared to stepping out in faith or enduring persecution. But to know God intimately is not a purely intellectual pursuit. A truth about the Lord is not really ours until He works it into our daily experience.

Our Father wants His children to understand how He operates. The only way to gain such knowledge is by allowing God to unveil Himself in our life. This means we must be willing to go through difficulty and pain as well as happiness and peace. A man can read that the Holy Spirit is the believer’s Comforter, but he does not know this truth until he has need of solace.

The Christian life is not about feeling good and deriving the greatest personal benefit from our connection to God. Rather, the Lord builds an intimate relationship with each of His followers. In this way, He can reveal more about Himselfβ€”truth by truthβ€”as a believer needs that knowledge. What a privilege!

Keith

I feel sorry for Adam. He used to walk with God in the shade in the garden and he still didn't know God enough to have an intimate relationship with him. Had God been living in these times he would be able to have that relationship even if it is all make believe like how it is today. I now feel like Adam got screwed when all this time I felt that it was Adam who was screwing Eve.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

A Call to Godly Living

Romans 12:1

The apostle Paul lived in an age when sensuality, the pursuit of pleasure, and rebellion against the Lord were prevalent. In response, he wrote letters urging Christians not to follow in the ways of the world. Like those early believers, we are to pursue godliness by...

Presenting our bodies to God. Our total beingβ€”mind, will, physical body, personality, and emotionsβ€”are to be turned over to our heavenly Father (James 4:7). Submitting ourselves to the Lord requires both a definite decision to give Him control and a daily commitment to remain under His authority. By surrendering to Him, we position ourselves for godly living.

Becoming living sacrifices. The Christian life is built around the concept of sacrifice. Jesus left the perfection of heaven to dwell among a sinful people so He might reconcile us to God. He offered up His life for our sakeβ€”to make payment for our sins (1 John 3:16) and to bring us into His family. And as believers, we are to follow His example. Paul called it a living sacrifice, because it is ongoing and repeated daily.

Life is full of options. Many decisions involve a choice between following God’s way or our own. Maturing Christians will increasingly sacrifice their own desires and embrace His will.

A life of godliness is characterized by a heart and mind bent toward the things of God. Although we will live imperfectly, our aim should be to obey His will and please Him. Let’s commit to becoming more like Jesus, the one who willingly gave Himself as a sacrifice for us.

Keith

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