Asides

December 3, 2015 Aside

What A Wonderful World It Could Be!

even-smaller-bug-light111 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? — James 4:11, 12 NIV

​If there is an area in the life of a Christian where we sin daily, and shall I dare say it, deliberately, it is in our thoughts and our words.  It is hard to look at someone and not immediately form some sort of opinion of that person before we even get to know them.  We are told over and over how important first impressions are in this world.  As Chritsians, we need to pray for discernment and patience before forming opinions of others.  We need to predetermine that we are going to love the people we meet every day. When we love someone, we usually give them the advantage of any doubts we have about their goodness.  We need to assume that they are good and show them the same respect we want them to show to us. We should look at every person, regardless of their station or situation, with the assumption that they are innocent until proven guilty. We should assume everyone is worthy of our love and affection until they prove by their words and actions that they are not.  We need to pray that we will see others with the eyes of Jesus, hear their words with the ears of Jesus and above all, filter every thought through the love of Jesus. 
 

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.  5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: — Phil. 2:3, 4 NIV

What a wonderful world it could be, if each of us, each day, strived to have the same attitude toward others that Jesus has for us.

Post 12-03-2015
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October 12, 2013 Aside

Listen Carefully

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.


Hebrews 2:1-4 (NLT) 1. So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
We must not only listen to the truth we have heard and read in God’s Word. We must accept it and believe that it is true. Once we do this, it requires that we ask for and receive God’s free gift of salvation. This message will never change and there are dire consequences to not accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord. There are false teachers who will tell you there are different paths to heaven. Do not be deceived by these people. God will punish them in due time. Over and over, God has confirmed that His Word is true and that He is faithful. His great love for us requires that we accept it. Anything less than a full acceptance of His love and salvation is an affront to the Creator of the universe. He is still showing His unending love for us by providing for us, guiding us in paths of righteousness and hiding us in the palm of His hand. Is there any reason that a person would not accept such a wonderful, free gift right now? If you say later, you have made a decision and you may never have another opportunity. Do not ignore this great salvation.
Post 10/12

August 25, 2013 Aside

How Much Do We Love Our Neighbor?

How Much Do We Love Our Neighbor?

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.


Even though, the Biblical concept of neighbor is worldwide and not just locally, a better question to start with, would be, do you know your neighbor? In today’s high tech, fast paced world, we just don’t seem to make the time to see our neighbors, much less get to know them. If your are reading this blog, I am sure that this is not news to you. We have been commanded to “love our neighbors”. How do we do that?
Let’s consider this fact: If you are a Christian, you have a free gift that your neighbor needs. If you love your neighbor, why don’t you talk to them and offer them that gift. After all, as an anonymous person once said: “The Gospel has come to you because it is on its way to someone else.” Since that is true, we need to keep it going until it circles the globe. This thought is also given to us in the Bible when Paul says to Timothy:

 

2 Timothy 4:1-3–The Voice (VOICE)

4 And now I bring you this charge before God and Jesus the Anointed, the one destined to judge the living and the dead, at His glorious appearance and His kingdom: 2 go out and preach the word! Go whether it’s an opportune time or not! Reprove, warn, and encourage; but do so with all the patience and instruction needed to fulfill your calling 3 because a time will come when some will no longer tolerate sound teaching. Instead, they will live by their own desires; they’ll scratch their itching ears by surrounding themselves with teachers who approve of their lifestyles and tell them what they want to hear. 

Since it is free to you and to them, this should be an easy task. The reason it is sometimes so awkward is that our neighbors don’t know that we care about them. And as it has been said, many times, “They don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.” So, let them know you care and share a free gift with them. The Good News of Jesus Christ and His love for them. And, as Paul told Timothy: “go, whether, it is an opportune time or not”. In simpler terms, make time to care and the returns on your time will be worth much more than the anything else you could have done.
Published for Aug 26th