The more readable version is at this link, but I have included the text below.

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/the-carrot-or-the-stick

The Carrot or the StickLeft Behind Part 1
MAY 10, 2024

I have been feeling an urgency in my writing because I think our time left on Earth is short (although nobody knows the hour or the day). I am working on a series to help us all get ready for the rapture (when Christians, dead & alive, are sent to heaven with Jesus) and/or the tribulation (the final judgment for sin and the last chance for the unsaved). I don’t want anyone to be unaware. It may take some time for me to finish this series because it is a bit out of my comfort zone to talk about end-times prophecy, but I am doing it because I believe it is important and is getting more critical every day.

At the end of time we will all be put before God in judgment. We can face the Judgment seat of Christ or the Great White Throne Judgment. The judgment seat of Christ will judge Christians to determine their rewards (yes rewards!). The Great White Throne Judgment will determine our punishment for denying God and disobeying His clear commands. Every person will face one or the other judgment. The only question is whether we will be rewarded as children of God or punished as criminals against God.Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:15-18) {emphasis mine}If we have trusted Jesus as savior, we have nothing to fear. “We may have confidence in the day of judgment.” because God will see the perfection of Jesus in us instead of our filthy sins.Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) {emphasis mine}Many of us have a hard time thinking that we will receive rewards in heaven for our actions on Earth. We have known that “as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;” (Romans 3:10), so it is hard for us to consider that we will receive rewards for our actions, but there are many verses saying it is so. When we are children of God, we are judged differently than those who are outside the family of God, just like we, as parents, judge our children differently than those outside. We encourage, praise, and reward our children for earnest attempts to obey and please us. In the same way, God rewards us for what we do in obedience for Him.Our works here on Earth will be judged. Our focus on Earthly things will be burnt up like “wood, hay, straw.” All of our actions done in obedience and for the glory of God will be rewarded from the smallest action to the biggest accomplishment.“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)God does not judge us on how many souls accepted Him or how many people we got to attend church or any other end measure. He judges us solely on our willingness to obey Him and to share Him with others. Whether they accept Him or reject Him isn’t our concern. God determines the outcome.We should act as Paul does:To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)The end result is up to God. If He has called someone, they will come to Him whether we have obeyed His command to share the gospel or not. A weak and poorly worded call will not turn someone away if it is God’s will that they accept Him. Despite this, we are held accountable for whether we obey or refuse to obey His call to share the gospel.And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’ (Ezekiel 33:1-6)We are called to be the faithful watchmen. We are called to share the good news and to warn of the coming judgment. We are not responsible for the response of those we warn. They are responsible for their own wise or unwise actions.Unfortunately, not all people will get the benefit of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Not all will be judged generously to receive rewards. Many more will have to face the Great White Throne Judgment, which is the judgment of those who rejected their creator God and savior. They will face the omnipotent, holy God in all His glory and receive their just punishment.Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)There is a way for all to avoid this judgment, but the decision has to be made ahead of time. You can’t put it off till the end times. If you haven’t accepted Christ, I am including some verses to help you understand what you must do.But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; (Romans 3:21-24)

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 13:31)

That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:6-10) {emphasis mine}

You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. (Mark 13:13)

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, (Philippians 1:27-29)If you are a Christian who has trusted Jesus as savior, you have nothing to fear. If you have rejected Jesus, you have everything to fear. Don’t let another day go by without Jesus.And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ” (Job 28:28)Trust Jesus.

your sister in Christ,ChristyP.S. As we consider God’s judgment I do want to add an aside about us being judgmental because it effects our judgment.“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

#jesus  #Jesus  #Christian  #christian  #christianstr  #faith  #Bible  #bible  #rapture  #endtimes  #judgment


I'm enjoying this picture even more the second time because I read your response post about how much you hate cutting grass.


In 2020 when everyone was supposed to wear a mask, I didn't.  I happily smiled at everyone.  Most of the people were so happy to see a smiling face, it never crossed their minds to give me a hard time about not wearing a mask.


If I didn't have family on the opposite side of the country, I don't think I would fly anymore.  It definitely isn't worth it for vacation.


Every United flight my family has been on for the past 2+ years has been torture.  The only reason we still fly them sometimes is we have enough frequent flyer miles to fly free.  Sometimes I wonder if free is worth the time and torture.

My son was flying home from college today.  His flight was originally delayed several hours for mechanical problems.  First they tried to reschedule Him from Charlotte, NC to LA, CA to Denver, CO.  When it was delayed longer they were able to get him on a direct flight from Charlotte to Denver (why in the world did they originally route him to LA?). Everything seemed good, but then they had to land in some other city due to storms.  That must have been a terrible storm if they had to land elsewhere.  I sure hope we get to see him tonight.


I'd argue that sometimes the education makes them an idiot.  I've seen too many smart people go to college and come home an idiot who can do nothing but parrot authority.


Rich is a little richer than I am.
Old is a little older than I am.
Bad is a little worse than I am.

It is amazing how that works.


My son, who is a computer science major at college, at a club he attends did some work imbedding the entire Bible into an image to enable smuggling Bibles into nations where they are illegal.  I thought that was cool.


Some of the most important jobs are unpaid.  A person who can make things happen and get things done without requiring a paycheck to motivate them is a person of value.


I've learned more since graduating from college than I did during all of my formal education.  One of the best things about home schooling my kids, especially my extremely gifted, eldest, was learning with them.  Sometimes I relearned what I had forgotten.  Sometimes I learned that something I was taught was wrong. Sometimes I learned how diverse things I had learned were related and led to something new.  Sometimes I learned something completely new.  Never stop learning.


freeborn | ελεύθερος


This is my new post for my substack.  If you go to the substack page or view it from the substack app, I also have an audio recording of the post for those who like to listen while doing something else.  Feel free to comment.

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/where-is-your-citizenship

Where is Your Citizenship?
David Jeremiah said:Christians, rather than being distinct from the world around them and living in expectation of their Lord’s return, have become so much like the world that sometimes you can scarcely tell the difference between the two. Many churches reflect an apathetic, rather than serious, attitude toward the coming of the Lord.1As Christians we are citizens of Heaven, of the Kingdom of God, and not of this world or a particular country. We should live based on this fact. We should live differently than those of this world. We should eagerly look forward to going home to Heaven to be with Jesus. This should be our goal.But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)Our focus should be on things of God and not on our own plans or our own comfort. This doesn’t mean that life should be drudgery without any fun, but it means we should always be working towards the Goal of being Christ-like, doing the will of the Father, and working towards the goal of leading people to Jesus and to Heaven. Our focus should be setting up for our future home in Heaven, not optimizing our home here on Earth.Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)We should be building our treasure in heaven instead of our home on Earth. We need to have our focus on things of God instead of our own things.Focusing on God more than this world includes how we act regarding our actual needs.And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:25-32)Even though the Bible says:For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. (1 Thessalonians 3:10)We need to endeavor to find that perfect balance where we work to provide for the needs of ourselves, our families, and those around us, but also not spend all of our time and effort working to make lots of money, make ourselves perfectly comfortable, or worse to live extravagantly. We need to put in enough work to meet needs, but then need to focus on God’s plan for our lives and sharing the Gospel with others and to trust God to provide what is needed. This lack of worry will make us stand out in a world that is full of hurt and worry. It will help our witness and honor God.This also doesn’t mean that being rich is evil. God has used rich people throughout history to provide for his people. The problem is when a person focuses on those riches and hangs onto them too tightly. We should always be generous with what we have. Sometimes we have more money than time. Sometimes we have more time than money. Sometimes we don’t have much of either, but can share our faith. “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luke 12:48b)We also need to understand that God never promised easy lives. He has told us that we will have a hard time, that we will be hated, and that we will be persecuted if we live for Him. He not only doesn’t promise us ease and prosperity, but He actually promises hardship and difficulty. He also promises that we, if we submit to Him, will prevail in the end.But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:13-21)When we see evil in the world, we want to do something about it. We rightly want to make the world better, but frequently we put our efforts in the wrong place. We focus on politics instead of changing hearts and minds for Christ. We have a worldly focus instead of an eternal focus.I have always been a patriotic American. I have studied American History and the Constitution extensively, but I have learned that my hope is not in America or the Constitution. My hope is in Jesus Christ alone.In the earlier days of America, our nation was God centric. Our nation was founded on Biblical principles by Godly men. Our Declaration of Independence stated “We are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights…” because our founders believed in the Biblical creator and that all good things come from God. When they were writing our Constitution, Benjamin Franklin said:I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men! And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? —We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that, ‘except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe, that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests, our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a by-word down to future ages…I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business; and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.It is easy to see how God blessed America for many years as Americans lived by Biblical laws and honored God. Unfortunately, this is no longer true. The one good thing about this change is it makes the idolatry that many of us have more obvious. We “pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America” when we should be pledging allegiance to God alone. We think that the United States and Americans will always be under God’s blessings, when the US pushes ungodly policies, like abortion, gay marriage, transgender surgeries, free sexual encounters, birth control and more all around the globe. The US uses its military power and strong economy to force ungodly policies even on the nations that want to obey God. No nation that denies God and calls evil good and good evil will be blessed by God. It will be cursed by God.The question I have for my fellow Christians and my fellow Americans is this, “Which citizenship is more important to you — your American citizenship or your heavenly citizenship?” Also, if those around you were asked which is more important to you, would you hear the answer you want to hear? Are we acting like our Godly, heavenly citizenship is the most important thing to us? If not, then we are guilty of idolatry. Why do we more often act like our American citizenship is more important than our heavenly citizenship? Why don’t we work for our heavenly citizenship more?One question I’ve heard related to this question is “If someone was trying to convict you of being a Christian, could they look at your calendar (time) and checkbook (money) and convict you?”“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)Are you storing your treasure in heaven or here on Earth? This is a good indicator of your citizenship or at least how you view your citizenship.For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)It isn’t until the Rapture that we will be transformed physically into our new bodies, but the Holy Spirit is in the process of transforming us spiritually for our eternal, heavenly existence. Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to transform you or are you fighting, kicking, and screaming all the way?You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)In everything we do we are choosing between God and the world. It is so much easier to respond to the the things we can see instead of the things that we can’t see with our eyes. It is so much easier to go along with the cultural current instead of fighting that current to go where God has told us to go.There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 16:25)“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. (Colossians 3:23-25)Although it is definitely true that our salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone, if we are truly a child of God, there should be fruit. As James says “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” (James 2:18) If there is no evidence of a changed life, then you need to consider whether your salvation is real or not.Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)If you are a born again Christian, but not actively following Him, you need to turn back to Him and live a life honoring Him because you are thankful for what He has done for you. If you are not a born-again Christian, you need to confess your sins to Him and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)The good news is that Jesus will accept all who turn to Him. He will invite them like He invited the little children. You too can become a child of God if you submit your life to Him.But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” (Luke 18:16-17)It is so important that everyone truly obeys God the Father, trusts Jesus, and submits to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Once the tribulation comes, it may be too late. Sadly there are many who claim to be Christians, who haven’t submitted their lives to Him, who are not of the kingdom of God and who will not be joining Him in heaven.And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:23-30)God promises His blessing to those who are producing the fruit of the spirit, so don’t put off trusting Him and do not put off obeying Him.Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. (Matthew 21:43)The time is short and we need to act according to that truth. We need to be ready for our transformation and for joining God in heaven for eternity. We need to be the faithful servant who doesn’t waste his time because he thinks his master won’t be back for a long time, so he can do his chores later.Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11)I find particular hope in the bold part of this verse “For God has not destined us for wrath.” Those of us who have trusted Jesus as savior are not destined for the wrath that is to come, the tribulation. We will be raptured to heaven before the tribulation. We won’t have to experience the terror of the tribulation. We should live, grateful for what He has done for us instead of going along with the culture and dishonoring the One who died to take away our sins and to enable our eternal relationship with God. We should be sharing our faith faithfully as the judgement of God approaches.“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24)When we live like the worldly culture, we are serving our master, the Devil. When we live godly lives according to the will of God and the example set by Jesus, we are serving our master, God. How can we be so ungrateful as to ignore the God who died for us?Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; (Hebrews 12:28)We need to correct the focus of our hearts and minds and turn them towards God and eternity with Him. Not only is it pleasing to Him, but we will find joy in doing what God created us to do. Throughout the whole Bible, the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, He tells us of His coming and His blessing. We need to focus on Him and His coming and our every thoughts and actions should be focused on this.“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:31-34)We have a blessing coming and we have a choice. What will your choice be?If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)Trust Jesus.

your sister in Christ,ChristyBelow are some additional verses on the subject without any commentary because this post was getting long and losing organization if I added too many verses.Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” (John 18:36)To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel; with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods. (2 Kings 17:34-37)After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them. (Hebrews 8:10b-11)Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20-21)

#jesus  #bible  #biblestr  #christian  #christianostr  #faith  #citizen  #politics  #apologetics  #endtimes


The glyphosate destroys the gut biome including the Ackermansia that causes a thick mucus covering of the gut wall exposing it to damage and causing a leaky gut.  The glyphosate allows the gluten to cause more damage.  They are both important, but together they are so much worse than either alone.


I think the biggest problem with American grains is the glyphosate sprayed on it to ripen it all at the same time and to dry it out.  It messes up people's guts.


I have a terrible time making myself start yardwork, but once I start, I love it.  I feel so accomplished and my body feels so good after being active outside in the sun and the dirt.


Beautiful!


Your German food looks so much more natural than most American food that is so processed and packaged.  I don't think most Americans have any idea what real food looks like in its natural state.


Very cool.  I had a single hive, but it died.  I think it got foul brood, but never got it checked out to verify this was the cause.  A grass fire then wiped out my house, barn, and hive (Isn't burning the hive what you do with foul brood ?).  I keep thinking I need to get bees again, but haven't done it.  You are inspiring me again.


I'm more of aa dog person and like my dogs as big and fluffy as possible, but I will say that cats do some funny things and cat pictures are quite enjoyable.  Who'd have thought that a pizza box could look so cozy?


Homeschooling has always been good for kids because who loves the kids or knows the kids' strengths, weaknesses, and interests better than their parents?  Homeschooling allows a parent to optimize school for each kid helping them with their weaknesses, encouraging their strengths, and allowing them to pursue their interests.

Today homeschooling is also a defense mechanism to protect our kids from perverted indoctrination that could destroy our kids' lives.


When you responded to my first post, I almost didn't respond because I just assumed you were just another internet hater.  After thinking about it, I decided to answer you honestly, but it turns out you did respond with hate.

I won't bother your, but I will leave you with this prayer,

May the creator God, who created time & space, matter & energy, things seen & things unseen, who spoke the universe into existence, forgive you and call you into his glorious presence so that you may know the joy of his glory. Amen.


Most Christians today think idolatry was something practiced long ago, but there are so many idols and Gods that they worship today with the same foolishness practiced by those thousands of years ago.  They worship politicians and pledge allegiance to the flag when they should have allegiance to no one, but God alone.  How is taking a special posture (hand on heart) and reciting allegiance to a flag any different than bowing to a carved idol?


There are people, who call themselves Christians, who change their values.  A true Christian bases their values solely on the unchangeable Bible.  It is sad that there are people who call themselves Christians, but live lives so contrary to the Bible.  The Bible warns against those people.

" “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"  (Matthew 7:21-23)


I used to support the death penalty for murderers and potentially even for a rapist, especially a child rapist, but I have since seen how often innocent people are charged and exculpatory evidence is hidden.  I would rather a 1,000 guilty people not get the punishment they deserve if  it means 1 innocent person is not punished for a crime they didn't commit.  Jail time can be somewhat reversed and a person made near whole.  Death cannot be reversed when evidence of innocence is proven.


I've realized I don't like sports anymore.  It seems so petty and unimportant with all of the stuff going on in the world.  I used to follow most of them, but especially college football.  Now I don't even have an interest in playoffs or national championship games or the Super Bowl.  None.


Wyoming is great if you can handle the wind.


FYI, I'm not calling for revolution, but I can see it potentially coming due to people getting so upset and feeling like they have no peaceful options.  When the elections and courts are 100% corrupt, people get desperate.


That kind of takes the pressure off, doesn't it?


There are so many signs, predicted in end times prophecy, happening right now.  So many predictions, that didn't make sense, make total sense now.  We have the technology and the world system to make them a reality quickly.


Their never ending hate shows they know God exists.  Nobody puts that much effort into disproving a fairy tale, but someone who dislikes the truth and the consequences of that truth, will spend a lot of energy trying to disprove the truth to themselves and others.


,,, or revolution.

I don't like any of my choices.


I'm just happy that it dipped before my paycheck autobuy.


Less because I've been distracted by other things and got out of the habit.  I need to start zapping more again.


Or by people who make more money from the advanced features mandated.

Slowly adding more and more smart features makes it easier for the government to track our movement and will make it easy for the government to eventually control our cars and therefore our freedom to travel.


If nothing else, they almost never failed.


Those lizards and the little green grass snakes were the two best wild animals to handle.  They were chill if you were gentle with them and they would just crawl or slither around my hands and arms.

I caught a tiny, earth worm sized grass snake once and brought it into the house when my grandmother was visiting.  I showed it to her.  She went ballistic on my Mom for not teaching me to stay away from snakes because of the poisonous ones.  I knew all of the poisonous ones that I needed to stay away from.  There were only 4 where I lived:  diamond back rattle snake, water moccasin, copper head, and coral snake.  I could touch anything else.  It was only the bright green grass snakes that I picked up because they were so chill.


freeborn | ελεύθερος


Conscription and the draft are slavery.


I'm hoping it goes down a bit more in time for my paycheck tomorrow.


I used to play with those as a kid.  I did have one bite me pretty good once, but usually they were very chill even when being handled.


I wish it was possible to get a new car that didn't have all of the automatic controls.  Things like backup cameras and audible lane change warnings can be handy, but I don't want anyone else controlling my car.  Not AI.  Not the government.  Not a hacker.


The government calculates the annual rate monthly.  They calculate the inflation for the month and then adjust that to the annual rate that would exist if that monthly inflation went on for an entire year.


I've gone through the same transition of belief.  It is jarring and unpleasant, but necessary.


Definitely not positive, but it reminds me of a Magnolia.


So he is going to punish the only sector that is still doing well.  That sounds like a sure fire way to destroy what is left of the economy.  Is he stupid?  Is that his intention?  Is it some of both?


Hiding known harms seems like should override their immunity and they should now be liable for all of the harm they have caused.  (Should, not what I think will happen).


Klean Kanteen


We want to think for ourselves and not blindly follow or blindly react, but using the opposite of what the government says seems to be a good starting point.


Cholesterol is your body trying to heal damage caused by other things, such as  too high of blood sugar or PUFAs (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids), and not the cause of the damage itself.  It is a side effect.

Also our brains are partially made of cholesterol.  If we don't have enough cholesterol, our brains suffer.  We definitely don't need that.  Could there be a correlation between pushed low cholesterol and people not thinking for themselves?  I don't know.


I was just reading a Bob Livingston email about inflation devaluing our dollar.  The official inflation rate is 5.4%. It peaked at 10.7% in October 2022.  I know the official inflation rates are manipulated so the real rate is higher than reported.  That made me think, "how exactly do different rates effect the devaluation of my money?"

I created a spreadsheet for different inflation rates to see.  I used $100 so you can easily see what percentage is left after each year.

At 2%, you will have lost a third of the value of your money after 20 years.  That's bad, but doesn't compare to the bigger rates.  At 5% you've lost 75% of the purchasing power of your money after 20 years.  At 10% you've lost 85% of your value after 20 years (~75% after 14.5 years).  At 15% inflation you've lost 94% of the purchasing power of your money after 20 years (it only takes ~9.5 years to lose 75%)

Historically saving your money is the best plan, but now your money must be invested in assets that retain value or in the rare thing, like BTC, that actually appreciates, otherwise you are losing everything you have worked for.  See attached screen capture of my spreadsheet for more details.

#grownostr  #inflation    #devaluation  #money  #usd  #stopthefed

 https://image.nostr.build/0afea6a9ccd589dc1d4e32d28d2d05a784952559087cdfd83273804ee080cfec.jpg


Most of the time, if you take into account buying work clothes, eating out lunch, transportation, and child care, especially when a family has multiple kids, the financial benefit of the 2nd income  is very small and sometimes even negative (depends on # of kids and income of 2nd parent).

I've never thought of the effect on pay in the workforce because I've normally only looked at it from the point of view of a single family.  If many families make this choice, you are correct.


It is easier to predict spending.  It is hard to predict interest rates.  When nobody is willing to buy our debt, the rate will skyrocket and therefore, so will our total debt and interest payments.  I suspect, the Fed will print and buy to try to avoid that, but then the US dollar will plummet in purchasing power making everything worse.  It will be ugly.  It will be so important to have things of value, ie. paid off house, tools, garden skills, BTC, gold/silver, etc.


The beginning of the end.


Glad to be of help.

Consider subscribing so you don't miss a post.  I'm working on several new posts, but have gotten distracted from the blog working to actually get my book published.


Job 41 (especially the 2nd half) also sounds like Smaug.  I believe Leviathan is the animal that the dragon stories around the world are based on.

1“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook?
Or press down his tongue with a cord?
2Can you put a rope in his nose
Or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3Will he make many supplications to you,
Or will he speak to you soft words?
4Will he make a covenant with you?
Will you take him for a servant forever?
5Will you play with him as with a bird,
Or will you bind him for your maidens?
6Will the traders bargain over him?
Will they divide him among the merchants?
7Can you fill his skin with harpoons,
Or his head with fishing spears?
8Lay your hand on him;
Remember the battle; you will not do it again!
9Behold, your expectation is false;
Will you be laid low even at the sight of him?
10No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him;
Who then is he that can stand before Me?
11Who has given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.
12“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame.
13Who can strip off his outer armor?
Who can come within his double mail?
14Who can open the doors of his face?
Around his teeth there is terror.
15 His strong scales are his pride,
Shut up as with a tight seal.
16One is so near to another
That no air can come between them.
17They are joined one to another;
They clasp each other and cannot be separated.
18His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19Out of his mouth go burning torches;
Sparks of fire leap forth.
20Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth
As from a boiling pot and burning rushes.
21His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22In his neck lodges strength,
And dismay leaps before him.
23The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm on him and immovable.
24His heart is as hard as a stone,
Even as hard as a lower millstone.
25When he raises himself up, the mighty fear;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
26The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.
27He regards iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
28The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.
29Clubs are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.
30His underparts are like sharp potsherds;
He spreads out like a threshing sledge on the mire.
31He makes the depths boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.
32Behind him he makes a wake to shine;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired.
33Nothing on earth is like him,
One made without fear.
34He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the sons of pride.”


That is a very difficult realization.

Now that I've gotten arguably old, I've noticed that old is always a little bit older than I am.


I'm also being temporarily distracted from my substack blog because I am working on final editing, formatting, and publishing my new book.


I actually did 6 posts on the subject and all have been posted on NOSTR.

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/why-is-a-literal-interpretation-of-f18

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/why-is-a-literal-interpretation-of-7a7

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/why-is-a-literal-interpretation-of-873

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/why-is-a-literal-interpretation-of-f10

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/why-is-a-literal-interpretation-of-e36


We already have the implantable chips and almost every nation is working on a CBDC to roll out within a year or two and the IMF is testing an international interoperability platform at this moment.  It wouldn't surprise me to see them rolled out in no more than a year or two.  It definitely could be soon.

The only real question is whether it will be a slow roll out starting with very optional or if it will be forced on us quickly after an "emergency"/


Government rules against child labor make it so much worse.  They don't learn any skills or a work ethic while they are kids and wanting to learn.


freeborn | ελεύθερος


Does every delivery ward use the same blankets to  wrap newborns?  My sons were wrapped in that same blanket and I have seen pictures of many others.


All giving Ukraine billions of dollars does is helps more Ukrainians die.  If the aid stopped, Ukraine would negotiate a peace treaty immediately.


I'm glad you liked it.  If you are interested, subscribe on substack so you don't miss a post.


I've added an audio recitation of this article to the substack for those who don't have time to read it but can listen while doing something else.  Let me know if this is useful.

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/sufferings-of-this-present-time-are

Sufferings of This Present Time Are Not Worthy to be Compared with God's Glory

#grownostr  #bible  #jesus  #christian  #christianity  #suffering  #faith


Some conversations on NOSTR inspired me to write this post.  I have also included an audio recording of the post for those who want to listen while doing something else.  I think you will have to either go to substack on the web or use the substack app to listen to the audio.

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-righteousness-and-the

Thoughts on Righteousness and The Total Depravity of Man
APR 23, 2024
1
Share
ARTICLE VOICEOVER
1×
0:00
-19:20
Lately I’ve had several discussions with several groups of people on subjects related to righteousness and the total depravity of man in an attempt for all of us to understand the reality of these related subjects. I do not think I have a perfect understanding of either, but I am gaining insight.In physics, Newton discovered Newtonian physics. He did a really good job of explaining how things work physically in the world we live. Then Einstein discovered relativistic physics which not only explained how things worked at slow speeds, but also explained how things worked at high speeds approaching the speed of light. He explained things that nobody else had ever understood about how the universe works. Einstein had a more complete view. I hope to give at least a Newtonian level of explanation, but I doubt I have reached the Einstein level of understanding. Hopefully, by quoting the Bible, I can help you understand these issues more fully. I am open to suggestions, corrections, and questions, so feel free to comment or message me.When we start looking at the depravity of man and whether he can have any righteousness within him, we can start with these verses that either say explicitly, or strongly imply that man has no righteousness in himself, but is totally depraved.as it is written, “There is none righteous , not even one; (Romans 3:10)For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. (Genesis 6:12)“But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. (Ezekiel 18:24)Scripture definitely tells us that man is very sinful, but is he totally depraved? Is he incapable of righteousness? We’ve all seen people do what we would consider “good deeds.” Do we have no righteousness or only less righteousness than God? This verse helps us answer these questions.A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. (Luke 18:18-19)Jesus explicitly says that there is no one “good except God alone.” This means, although we can do things that seem good, we cannot be good in ourselves. Why is it that we can’t be righteous no matter how hard we try?If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-4)Beyond what we do, we also have to have completely perfect motives. Are we doing good to obey God because of His awesome holiness or are we doing good to get praise or so those around us will think we are a good person? Are we doing good to make ourselves feel better about ourselves?“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)Even our thoughts are sin. It isn’t just acting on those thoughts, but any time we dwell on a sinful action, we are guilty.“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:2)“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:5)“Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:12)So often what we do is for totally selfish motives which is sin even if the action is good. For true righteousness we must do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, for the right reason. Anything else is sin.If it is so hard to do what is right, should we just give up since we can’t be righteous ourselves? Of course not. God calls us to righteousness.Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:11)God calls us to imitate Him. He calls us to do good. As believers, we should be growing to be more and more like Him. For many years, my goal in life has been to be able to say, like Paul:Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)Of course I am still a long way from this goal, but I am slowly making progress. Interestingly though, as I get closer to Jesus and as I get more like Him, the farther I see the gulf between us. The better I know Jesus; the more I see how far I am from His righteousness. It is kind of like hiking in the mountains and trying to reach the peak. You see a high spot ahead and climb hard to reach it. When you reach the high spot, you see beyond a much higher peak that is even farther away. When you reach that peak, there is another higher and farther away. You might think that this would be disheartening, but it isn’t. All you have to do is turn around and see how far you’ve come and it is an encouragement. None of us can really comprehend the absolute awesome righteousness of God. We will never reach it, nor even approach it, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can continue moving towards the goal.I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5)Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. (1 Corinthians 9:24)There are so many verses encouraging us to seek the goal of obedience and righteousness even though we will never reach it this side of heaven. If we belong to God, He will aid us in obeying Him because it is for His glory and our wellbeing.Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. (John 15:4)My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:8)Although we can do nothing good ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit, God enables us to do good, even if not in the perfect righteousness of Jesus.In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (Romans 8:26)For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. (Galatians 5:5)But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:11)When we seek to obey God and to do good, we need to work through Him and follow Him and not of ourselves. God doesn’t need our help, but allows us to be part of His good work and good plan.God also looks at the “good” deeds of people differently based on His relationship with them. Those who have repented of their sins and trusted Him, are considered children of God. Those who stand on their own are strangers to whom He will say “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23b).I can see how this works with my special needs son. One of his chores is to help unload the dishwasher. Especially in the beginning he made a lot of mistakes. He would decide to “help” and unload all of the dirty dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away in the cabinets and drawers. I then had to try to find all of the dirty dishes and frequently had to clean a lot more dishes than he unloaded to make sure everything was clean. His “help” made the situation worse. He was trying to do what was good and helpful, but failed miserably. I could have just told him to go away and let me do it the right way, but I didn’t. I let him continue unloading the dishwasher and learning how to do it closer and closer to the right way. Still sometimes I can’t find something because he put it in the wrong place, but I care about him and want him to learn, grow, and do good.In the same way, God includes us in His work even when our “help” makes His job harder because we mess it up so badly. Much of the time, we have no idea what we did wrong or even that we did wrong. Because, as believers, we are considered children of God, he is forgiving and continues teaching us. He counts our failed efforts as good even if the details are total failures. Just as I would get upset with a stranger coming into my house and putting dirty dishes in my cabinets, God justly punishes those that are not His followers when they do wrong.When I am weeding in my garden, sometimes I invite my son to help me pull weeds. I know he can’t tell the difference between all of the different weeds and all of the different plants that I intend to grow, so I will give him a single kind of weed to pull. All he has to do is remember what the one weed looks like. Invariably, he will end up pulling up one or more of the plants that I want growing in my garden and that I’ve put a bunch of effort into growing. Including him in my work makes the work harder, not easier, but I still include him because I love him and I want him to learn. In the same way, God includes us in His work because He loves us and wants to teach us to be more like Him. He not only forgives those who trust in Him, but He also counts our weak attempts at goodness and our poor attempts to help or please Him as He would His righteousness.Although we will never pull off perfect righteousness, we need to submit ourselves to God and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to produce righteousness. Our only true righteousness is that which is created in us by the Holy Spirit in us.Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. (Romans 6:16-19)We need to wholly and completely submit ourselves to His will and to His plan. We won’t understand it, like Abraham being told to leave Ur and go to a land he did not know, nor will it be what we probably want, like Jesus before the cross, but like Jesus, we need to say “not my will, but yours be done”.If we seek to produce works of righteousness on our own, we will fail. Only when we put our faith in Jesus will our works be considered righteous because God the Father sees the righteousness of Jesus covering us and the work of the Holy Spirit working through us.What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, (Romans 9:30-32)When we try to do good works by our own effort and power, we always fail. When we lean on God and allow Him to work through us, we can make a positive difference.So often we think our actions (or the actions of others) are good. This is because we use the wrong measure. We should be measuring our actions by the perfect life lived by Jesus and by the Word of God, the Bible. Instead we mostly compare our actions to someone who didn’t do as well. We compare ourselves to the worst humans instead of the one and only perfect God-man, Jesus.For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. (2 Corinthians 10:12-13)When we hear the term “total depravity of man,” most of us think this means that all people are as bad as they could possibly be and therefore deny total depravity. This definition isn’t accurate. Total depravity means no person can live life the way God demands and expects. I was recently reading a book (I think it was “The Book of Signs” by Dr. David Jeremiah) who quoted Swindoll about total depravity. Swindoll was referring to depravity as the color blue and that we are all blue. Extending this analogy, we are all blue because we all fail. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10). That doesn’t mean we are all the same shade of blue. Some may be a pale blue. Some may be a bright blue. Some may be a deep blue. One may be mostly pale blue, but have a right hand that is deep blue. Some may fluctuate and vary in shade from day to day. We all do wrong, but we aren’t all as bad as we could be nor are we always bad in all ways, but we always “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23b). We have total depravity because we can never live up to the standard we are held to. Because of our sin nature, received through the sin of Adam and Eve, we will always fail to live the life we should.Fortunately, God provided an answer.“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)Although we will never live up to God’s standard, we can have righteousness through Jesus Christ. By trusting Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can live a life that is more pleasing to God and grow to be more and more like Him.Trust Jesus.


Definite downward spiral.  In long run it is hard to say what will happen.  I honestly think the best thing that could happen is the US breaks up into multiple smaller countries so we stay out of other country's business and each country can have a common culture.


When my eldest was younger, I'd tell him to go outside while the weather was nice.  He'd reply, "I'll go outside once it's winter."


4 "sympathetic solar flares." today.

To learn more go to https://www.spaceweather.com/ .  If it is past 4/23/24, you will have to change the date.
#grownostr  #solarflare


Most of the student protests are stupid and based on lies, but it isn't illegal to be stupid (and shouldn't be).  That being said, lock them up if the damage property or hurt people.


We've been having nice weather during the week and either snow or rain on weekends.


Finally had free time and good weather line up, so I got some weeds/grass pulled out of one of my beds, got it re-covered in cardboard and mulch, and got my timers and hoses back out.  It felt good to get outside.

I always have trouble motivating myself to start on yardwork, but then feel so good physically and mentally when I do.


I'd argue waiving a foreign flag in Congress is akin to treason.


nostr:nprofile1qydhwumn8ghj7argv4nx7un9wd6zumn0wd68yvfwvdhk6tcprpmhxue69uhkv6tvw3jhytnwdaehgu3wwa5kuef0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qguwaehxw309a2xse2xdae8yetnwshxummnw3erztnrdakj7qpqm4ny6hjqzepn4rxknuq94c2gpqzr29ufkkw7ttcxyak7v43n6vvsraneys   could tell you more about the plans for Alexandria.  She might have an idea how long till it is finished, but all of the people working on it also have other jobs and they are perfectionists that won't release it till it is ready.;


Clearly neither one of us is going to convince the other.


I finally got around to reading your story.  I like it very much.  I'll be interested in reading the whole thing when it is finished.  The GitCitadel group is working on a library app/relay/thing that will allow easy publishing of books on NOSTR.  You could post when they finish it.  I believe it will be called GC-Alexandria.


Sometimes we just learn what not to do.


Someone should go to jail.


Maybe it is because only idiots would want to be in Congress, but we seem to elect the dumbest people who have zero idea how things work in the real world.  They aren't just corrupt, but also totally incompetent.


You sound like an excellent parent.


Me, too.

The only mainstream social media I ever used was facebook.  A long time ago I got fed up with it, but had some international friends where it was the only easy way to keep in touch, so I'd log on once on the weekend.  I haven't even done that for  a bunch of years.


Also get away from the big cities.


There are a lot of people, like my parents, who are so appalled by things like this, that their minds can't accept it.  They will deny it till their last breath because the truth is so unpleasant.  It wouldn't matter if the government sent them a certified letter saying that every single thing they do will be tracked and controlled, they still wouldn't believe it.


I think they have used Australia as a testing ground. Since it is separated from all of the other nations, it was easier to prevent people coming and going.  If they crack down and people can't leave, how will people react?  Sadly, I think enough complied that the tyranny committed in Australia is spreading to the rest of the west.


Speak the truth in love.

nostr:nevent1qyghwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnhd9hx2tcpremhxue69uhkummnw3ez6ur4vgh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet59uq36amnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wvf5hgcm0d9hx2u3wwdhkx6tpdshsqgr590svjvn2qyu0a0u63j685z0v3j02rf3wcl9mxue88nt233f60vt7d4hd


A group, several years ago, tested lots of foods for glyphosate content.  Breakfast cereals were particularly high, but the highest of all was Cheerios.  It was heartbreaking because so many people feed their kids Cheerios and are poisoning their kids.  The levels were way above the FDA's safe level, but of course nothing was done about it.  Why do we even have regulatory agencies if they refuse to enforce their rules and allow us to be poisoned?  #abolishFDA


I always find it interesting seeing what different cultures eat for breakfast.  It varies so much.  That looks more like what my son would eat for lunch.


Congratulations and good work.


Beautiful.  I love blue flowers.


I wouldn't describe 1st Wave Feminism as "We want to be equal to men", but "we want equal rights to men".  They were fighting for the right to own property and the right to vote.  The First Wave Feminists were still very feminine.  It was 2nd wave when they started to go crazy.


Why are more feminist not throwing a fit?  This is the true attack on women.


LOL


If most can't/won't move due to high fees, we have reduced creation, and we have more demand, that suggests prices should surge, because we have more money chasing fewer BTC.  Once the price elevates enough, the fees should then come down because each sat is worth more.  Problem solved and HODLers win.


I'd argue that the US has already started its collapse, it just isn't recognized for two reasons:

1.  Because the USD is the world reserve currency, there are people all over the world holding dollars in savings.  The true inflation and devaluation happens once those dollars start being spent.  The US government has been able to overspend because of this.  Unfortunately, there is currently a move away from the dollar, particular the BRICS countries that are trading without using dollars.  As more and more countries move away from using USD, those dollars will come back home and cause rampant inflation.

2.  Because all of the major countries are guilty of the same print and spend mentality, there is a race to the bottom.  At the moment, many of those county's currencies are plummeting faster than the USD which makes the USD look stronger than it really is.

I expect those two issues to merge and things will get really bad.  The only question is how much longer they can keep things limping along.  I also think as soon as the sharp dive starts, they will roll out a CBDC to "save the day" and most people will fall for it out of desperation.


The majority don't think for themselves.  They follow the crowd.  At our founding, there were not enough who would accept this, so the crowd would refuse.  Now there are more people who  don't value freedom, informed consent, and independence and that have been taught to blindly follow authority by the government indoctrination centers (public schools).  Those fully indoctrinated obey authority and those who don't think follow the crowd.


We had our snow 3 days ago.


I read at bedtime, but I use a red light so it doesn't effect my sleep.  I also sometimes highlight passages, but I can't see the highlight with the red light.  I have to wait till morning to see what I highlighted.


I think it comes down to 2 things:  miners receive half as much bitcoin for mining and half as much bitcoin is created every day/week/month/year for the next 4 years.  Since most people with bitcoin are holding long-term, that means there is less and less bitcoin available for People to buy even though there are more and more people interested in buying.  Less supply + more demand = higher prices.


I'm kind of jealous.  My currants still look like dead sticks, but should start sending out leaf buds soon.


God is not a superhero person.  He is so much more.  He is outside time and space, knows all things, can do all things, is and incomprehensible 3-in-1, and is more and better than anything the smartest people combined can comprehend.  I think eternity will be spent trying to comprehend our awesome God.  There is nothing and nobody other than God who deserves the term awesome.


He does say he is God when he says they are one.  There is another verse (can't remember location right now and don't have time to search) where he refers to himself as "I am" which is the name God gave Moses when Moses asked who was sending him.

When Jesus says "I and the Father are one," how can this mean anything other than that they are one God?


Yummmm.


I'd argue it is worse than that.  The right and the center people have all moved left.  The left has just moved farther left.  JFK was a liberal super star in the 60s.  He would be right of at least 60% of Republican Congressmen and maybe 90% of them, today.  People don't realize how far we've moved.  Maybe I can see it more because I've been around longer.


Is that just general knowledge or did you find out the hard way?


So sad.  This is what happens when you tell everyone they are descendants of pond scum and a chemical accident.  They don't see their value.  When people are told they are made in the image of the awesome creator God and that there is a plan for their lives, they don't get discouraged so easily and destroy their lives.


You are ignoring  "I and the Father are one.” is the same as "The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”  They are both referring to the one God.  They both claim one God even though the first statement by Jesus claims that He and the Father are one.  The second statement doesn't undo the first.  The first clarifies the 2nd.


Israel has muslims and Christians in their government.    Iran arrests famous people who say good things about Israel.  Which countries are really guilty of genocide and oppression?

Israel is far from perfect (it is run by politicians, need I say more?), but the things it is accused of are insane.  Hamas attacks innocent, unarmed women and children and then goes and hides under hospitals and schools, but Israel is guilty of genocide when they attack the terrorists and innocents are killed.  Shouldn't people complain about Hamas using innocents as human shields?  Israel has the unenviable choice of allowing terrorists to continue killing their civilians or taking out the terrorists, but likely having collateral damage.  I'm glad I'm not the one having to make that choice, but I understand that when choosing between the death of their own innocents vs the enemy's innocents, that they favored their own.


I just thought his love of Christian culture as contrasted with his hate of true Christian belief was interesting and a sign of the times.  I see similar cognitive dissonance everywhere.  It also shows why atheism doesn't work.  Everything good comes form God and even those who hate God and/or deny God want God's good things.


Sounds interesting.  Hopefully I can find time to take a look this weekend.  I've also wondered about possible advanced technology in the antediluvian world.  Of course their advances may have gone in a completely different direction than our own.

I do like Russel Humphrey's work.  His prediction of the magnetic field of Uranus was epic.  He has an interesting theory on starlight, but although I liked it when I first heard it, I think Dr. Harnett's theory is more likely the right answer.

I'm always open to considering new ideas, but the Bible is always my firm foundation.


When debating the Pharisees, Jesus said, "I and the Father are one.” (Matthew 10:30).  They are one God.  Jesus clearly claimed to be God.  The pharisees tried to stone him because they knew he claimed to be God.  He either is God or he is a liar or he is insane.  He doesn't give us another option.


I live in such a place and my quality of life is fantastic.


I'm noticing bad times causing people to either turn away or turn to God.

https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/cultural-christian-or-child-of-god

I was listening to a podcast recently and the subject of renown atheist and Christian hater, Richard Dawkins’s came up. He is now claiming to be a “cultural Christian” even though he doesn’t believe anything about Christianity. He wants a Christian culture without having to believe or do anything towards that end. He likes that fewer people are believing the Bible, but doesn’t want to lose the Christian culture, architecture, morality, Hymns/Carols, etc. I wanted to address the difference between a culture Christian and a true Christian (saved, child of God, believer, etc. whichever name you prefer.) I’m hoping to answer this both from the point of view of helping people understand if they are saved and from the point of view of how believers should react to those that are solely cultural Christians.Because I try to avoid Youtube and all things Google, I went on to Odysee to try to find the video of Richard Dawkins’s statements to get to the original source. I couldn’t find a video that was solely Dawkins’s statement. This video has the original video from Samaritan’s Purse starting at the 30 second mark (with additional commentary which I have not watched) You can also see the video here on Fox News.The first thing we need to understand is that acting Christian is not enough to make one a Christian. The Bible says there are many people who claim to be Christians who will be shocked to find this is not so.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)
Being a true Christian is based on confession of sins, faith in Jesus, and submission to His will. The most critical component is faith. Although faith in Jesus leads to “good” works, the works themselves do not cause salvation. They should, however, be present as a sign of God’s work in us.
They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (Romans 10:9)“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:23-24)
Although works never lead to salvation, we should see signs of our salvation in the way we think, speak, and act. There should be evidence of our salvation if it is real.
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? (James 2:14-20)
Christians should be obviously different than those who are not Christians. The way we interact with others should be different. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) and “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16). We should obey God and be Christ like. We will never be perfect, but there should be a difference in our lives and we should be continually growing more Christ like (acknowledging that we may have some ups and downs, but the general direction should be obedience).The Bible does talk about some that may at first seem saved, but after a time turn away. We know that they were never really children of God. They never had saving faith in Jesus.
“Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.” (Mark 4:5-6)
These people had an initial turning towards God, but because it wasn’t saving faith, they turn away after being distracted by the world or coming under persecution.
But for all this, you did not trust the Lord your God, who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.“Then the Lord heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, ‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, (Deuteronomy 1:32-35)
This example is from the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt. Instead of trusting God, the majority of the Israelites turned from God, refused to trust or obey, and died in the wilderness. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the promised land. I know there will be many who thought they would see heaven who will not. I don’t know if it will be to the extent described of Israel where hundreds of thousands died in the wilderness and only 2 made it to the promised land. Have you really trusted in Jesus as your savior or do you just think you are a Christian because your parents or friends are Christians or because you attend church? Can people see the fruit of this transformation? Is your Christian faith seen beyond the church walls?Now the question is “how should Christians react to cultural Christians who are clearly not real Christians, especially when they do not claim to be faith-filled Christians?”On the one hand, when the disciples wanted to stop a man from casting out demons in Jesus’s name:
But Jesus said to him, “Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:50)
We can work with cultural Christians to do good, to help people, and to help society. We do not, however, want to be yoked to them. “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). Although we can work together for good, we do not want to work so closely together that unbelievers are thought to be believers or that we are thought to be no different than unbelievers. No Christian should allow people to believe that faith in God makes no difference because it makes all of the difference. All of the good that comes from Christian culture ultimately comes from the goodness of God and faith in Jesus. Without a true God and without a true savior who lived a perfect life and died on the cross to take away our sins, none of the nice culture would matter.Shortly after the US Constitutional convention, John Adams wrote to the Massachusetts Militia about morality in America and the Constitution. He stated, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Benjamin Franklin said something similar, “ that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other.” In the same way the Christian culture only works if there are enough faithful Christians who truly believe the Bible, believe in the creator God, and have submitted themselves to the savior. That same culture is inadequate for any other. If people like Dawkins get their desire and have the people lose their faith in God, then they will lose the very culture that is so important to them.On the other hand, Jesus also says the following:
He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. (Luke 11:23)
We should not expect unbelievers, even if they are devoted cultural Christians, to stand with us to defend righteousness. They will scatter. They are not to be trusted allies. This doesn’t mean we should hate them or demean them, but that we cannot count on them to be faithful because they have no faith.It is nice to see Dawkins, who is in his 80s, longing for certain things of God. Maybe his age and seeing what his atheist religion has brought upon the world will open his eyes to the true creator God and savior of the world. As Christians, this should be our prayer. If God was able to turn Saul/Paul from a persecutor of the church to the most prolific apostle, He can turn Dawkins from a leader of the atheists to a follower of God and use him for God’s glory. That is my prayer.Trust Jesus.

your sister in Christ,ChristyP.S. I was reading a blog I follow, and they included a link to this Tucker Carlson interview with Naomi Wolf. I found it interesting because it turned into an hour long spiritual discussion between the two. Both admitted they hadn’t read the Bible before covid, but were reading a lot recently. (Tucker was an Episcopalian and Naomi was Jewish) Both admitted to seeing evil in the world and that it was due to turning away from God. Although there were numerous theological errors spoken by both, I really found it interesting seeing these people turning to God in these hard times. It really seems like God is working in the lives of people and drawing people to Him. We are truly being separated into the sheep and the goats, those who follow God and those who deny Him and/or actively defy Him. Here is the video for you viewing.

#god  #faith  #culture  #bible  #christian  #christianity  #church


I miss my chickens, but I developed a lung allergy and had the choice of chickens or breathing.  I had to go with breathing.


Pragmatically though, we have to be careful how we act because the contract breakers have more and bigger weapons and control the media and therefore how the majority will interpret everyone's actions.


A God that is one God in three persons can be referred to as singlular (one God) or plural (three persons).  This matches the way God is referred to in the Bible.  If you disagree (I've been confused at what you are trying to tell me in many of your posts, so I'm not positive what your position is) and say that only God the Father is God, then the passages in the old testament where plurals are used to refer to God make no sense.  Also, what do you think Jesus and the Holy Spirit are?


When one side breaks a contract, the other side is no longer held by it.


freeborn | ελεύθερος


In my younger years, I was excited to Join Jesus in heaven, but thought, "not yet."  As I've matured in my faith and as the world has turned more and more to evil, joining Jesus in heaven is sounding really good.  If a few friends and family members would turn to Him, I'd say it's time for the rapture today.


Sadly so true.  People claim to follow Christ, but instead follow their own desires and opinions.  They take the parts they like. They throw out the parts they don't.  In reality they are worshipping self.

"“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.   Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’   And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"  (Matthew 7:21-23)


beautiful


Even more wildflowers

https://image.nostr.build/5dfb3fe2d67f0160f7ee6a7f2ee57ac672328dd02fae6aabc8a1d2198e00f24d.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/490d6e2a0c877f27dafa0d47cb5bea0bbb1628e786c3dc8c03f8655ea13f8e99.jpg


More wild flowers

https://image.nostr.build/ff45e94904126734210036fc758d3634d57cfc17b496faa892c8caab5870db45.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/b939bf574a33c2a89b9cd816b64b55251bfcb2882b6e1c90a3c327325047ed5e.jpg


My friend thought I was crazy when I took the picture of the Iris with the mountain in the background because I laid down flat on the ground to get the right perspective.  I took this last summer
https://image.nostr.build/38ef9cb773e6a278e1f4751faa1b53f288a136699f6eff070b476f6549b12b13.jpg


As a kid, I spent many hours splaying under some giant azalea bushes.


Is the top one an Azealia ?


Historically I've liked purple flowers like the columbine and irises, but ever since I got a yellow kitchen, I've kind of gotten into sunflowers.  They are pretty and produce edible seeds (that I can eat or can feed to my bunnies and eat the bunnies).  I get a pretty garden and productivity.


This article is about drug shortages.  There are political implications based on parties and countries, but this quote stuck out to me.

“Current shortages include important drugs commonly used to treat infections, respiratory illnesses, heart failure, psychiatric conditions, and cancer, and include drugs such as amoxicillin, penicillin, albuterol, Adderall, and cisplatin/carboplatin,” Reps. James Comer.

I've been reading about the side effects of covid shots.  They include infections, heart failure, psychiatric conditions, and cancer.  I believe the biggest reason for the shortage is we are needing much more of these drugs due to adverse side-effects of the covid shots.  There seems to be a strong correlation.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/us-pharmaceutical-drug-shortages-reach-record-high-5627738?

This is one article on some of the vaccine side effects:
https://kirschsubstack.com/p/college-math-professor-validates


The sunflower in my profile is a picture I took of a sunflower I grew in my garden.  I was pretty proud of it.  I've used it in a number of things.


Why would I want to hang with those psychopaths?


If you aren't thinking, you aren't truly living.


I'm wondering if it isn't valid because it has already been used by others who hate the IRS.


Beautiful!


Great quote.


Having been involved with a lot of science that uses the metric system, I wish we had continued using both and learning the metric system.  Some things I relate well to the metric system.  Some I don't.