12/01/2008 11:49:00 PM by Geppy
Our world has many things that can make us fear what is to come. Some people fear what Mr Obama will bring. Others fear that he will not bring the promised change. Others fear our collapsing economy and how we will survive. Others fear the increasing medical issues and the decreasing coverage of our health system and our health coverage. Others fear the terrorists and others still the wars that we wage to protect ourselves from the terrorists. Fear is everywhere.
This is not right!
Matthew 6:25-34, Romans 8:1-17
Our Lord Yhwh will care for us as his own beloved. He knows our needs and cares for our needs. We are our Lord's own children; we have an inheritance that he will one day give to us. But does he not give us his blessings each and every day - if only we "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
But it does not come for nothing. Salvation is by faith alone, but faith without works is not faith. Faith is an action; an understanding of our Lord's commands; and a turning to do what he would do. "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."
But, you say, I am a good person and go to church every Sunday and Wednesday (or Saturday, or Friday). Or, I obey all 613 commandments and keep the Sabbath. But, I tell you that this is not enough in and of themselves. The actions that we take must be a side affect of the change in our nature. We must truly love our Yhwh with our entire being (Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27). And if we truly follow thru with this - the greatest commandment - then by our very (new) nature we will love all of our neighbors and do the same for them that we would do for our own selves (Leviticus 19:18, Luke 10:27).
What does this mean though - to love our neighbor as ourselves? Well, if you are trying to define what it means - and thus set limits, then you are not doing it. Do you try to define what you would do or what you would eat, wear, or buy to please yourself? No? Then doing that to define what it is to love your neighbor is in essence not loving your neighbor as yourself.
But as an example I go back to my last post - whose words our Lord Yhwh is speaking to us today:
Jeremiah 7:5-6 (TNIV)
If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm,
Can you see how Yhwh has said that defining the limits is not loving your neighbor? It is not a new fault, but one as old as the Scriptures themselves. We are called to "really change [our] ways and [our] actions." Examples are given - and in fact most of the 613 commandments are just that; examples of how to change our ways and actions. But the ancient expert on the Law had the true words on how to inherit eternal life - even though he then showed that he didn't really understand as he immediately tried to define limits to feel righteous (Luke 10:25-37). And his true answer was:
Luke 10:27 (TNIV)
He answered, " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
Do you try to define limits on what you must do? Do you ever feel guilty about not being able to do something for someone else? Do you seek the Kingdom of Yhwh above all else?
In closing, please take a moment to read 1 Kings 3:1-16. This passage has been one of the founding passages of my life - and thus my "avatar" picture of Solomon. Solomon asked of God for the wisdom to truly love his neighbor as himself and Yhwh was well pleased.
12/01/2008 09:19:00 PM by Geppy
Jeremiah 7:2-29 (TNIV)
" ‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!" If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.
" ‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, "We are safe"—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.
" ‘Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. While you were doing all these things, declares the Lord, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your ancestors. I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your fellow Israelites, the people of Ephraim.’
"So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse my anger. But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame?
" ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: My anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place—on people and animals, on the trees of the field and on the crops of your land—and it will burn and not be quenched.
" ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go ahead, add your burnt offerings to your other sacrifices and eat the meat yourselves! For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’
"When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.
" ‘Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the Lord has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.
11/11/2008 12:18:00 PM by Geppy
So, I have heard statements such as "that is not at all what the lyrics mean" in the past when I have made statements about songs. In case any one might be thinking that I thought I would mention what I mean when I quote songs.
I don't really care what the original intent or meaning of a song was. All that matters is how God speaks to me thru any given song. Thus, I might post a song that some think is from the devil; but that's just ok. If you ever feel this way you can just ignore my post. :)
Anyway, the point is - what does God say to you when you listen to a song? What do you learn about how God wants us to be thru any given song?
Regarding these last two songs - I haven't listened to the group Live in well over 10 years. That only says that there is meaning when I all of a sudden want to listen to them, and then have a couple songs just drill into my inner most being.
So I know without a doubt that these two songs are saying something to me, now. If they don't say anything to you, that's ok. They may not have any meaning for God to use them to relay thoughts to you.
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11/10/2008 08:27:00 AM by Geppy
And the songs continue.
I think that this is speaking to us today, in that we have not been practicing the precepts of the Kingdom. We preach morality, but we lack the actions that our Lord Jesus told us to practice. We all sin, but we are quick to jump into the line of casting stones. We ignore the peace that we are told to be, because we are concerned that the peace is in fact the false peace of the deceiver. But instead of freezing us, it should spur us to show the peace and grace of our God. We need to show what true peace is so that people will see the false peace when it comes (very soon now).
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Artist: Live
Album: Mental Jewelry
Song: 10,000 Years
===================================================
The world is burning down
Can't you smell the smoke in the air?
War, disease and famine
This demon, she is everywhere
Poets and preachers and politicians
They've all had their say
And we've got 10,000 years
Devoted to nothing
But tommorow and yesterday
If all of the ignorance in the world
Passed a second ago
What would you say?
Who would you obey?
I am here to say that
Peace is now
Mr. President?
I hereby pardon you of all your crimes
For they are just as much mine
Selfishness and seperation have led me
To believe that the world is not my problem
The world is not my problem
I am the world
And you are the world
Peace is now
===================================================
Lyrics from http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/live/10000+years_10166667.html
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11/05/2008 10:45:00 AM by Geppy
I don't know why this song is moving me so much right now, but it is. And thus I needed to post it.
Artist: Live
Album: Mental Jewelry
Song: You are the World
If you've ever known love
If you've ever known peace
If you've ever known joy
Make sure that you are on time
If you've ever known war
If you've ever known pain
If you've ever said no
Make sure that you are on time
You are on time
You are on time
We are on time
For you are the world
Fighting, mating, waring
You are all this now
Be aware, not scared
Look at me now
Silence
I say
You are the world
Lyrics from http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/live/you+are+the+world_10166670.html
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