Actual altruism:
Understanding another person's feelings and needs and selflessly helping them.
How many act when they believe the are being altruistic:
- Giving to someone what the giver believes is good for the receiver without bothering to learn about the receiver to see if this is actually what they want or need. It is done so the giver feels good about themselves. Frequently what is given is given by force of government and doesn't actually cost the "giver" anything.
I haven't worried too much about which oil I season with. I just use what I use for cooking: coconut oil, lard (or bacon fat), butter, and tallow.
Due to my food sensitivities, I've used almost exclusively beef tallow lately and my pans (cast iron and carbon steel) are fantastic. I've never done a side by side comparisons though.
This is the beef tallow I use and love. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0881XTCR3/ref=sns_myd_detail_page
Sounds about right.
I really don't understand why so many employers require college degrees for jobs that don't require the skills from the degrees. A college degree today basically means the person has been taught to be entitled, think they are too good for the job, and think they are a victim. I don't need any of those things for my positions.
I've done a bunch of boring little things, but the one good thing is I just completed another post for my blog (on the rainbow and all that entails). I haven't scheduled it to post yet. I usually have my husband read my posts before posting in case there are any grammatical or theological mistakes and to make sure everything is clear.
I can't make up my mind if I want to delay my two posts on prayer and post this one immediately, since it is the beginning of pride month, or just schedule this one for after the other two.
I spent my whole childhood on flashlight duty helping my Dad work on cars. Somehow he still doesn't believe I understand cars or engines at all.
I aced my engine test in Driver's Ed thanks to all of that flashlight duty.
I like it. In my state it is normal to have one establishment tyrant and a bunch of people trying to stop the tyrant. The 2-10 anti-establishment people divide the votes and the establishment tyrants win even though 60-80% of the voters don't want
Another of my posts on the end times.
https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/to-mark-or-not-to-mark-that-is-the
To Mark or Not to Mark? That is the Question.Left Behind, Part 6
MAY 31, 2024
Share
After the rapture of the church, things are going to get progressively worse, but the progression from normal to horror will start slow and build up to become worse than anyone could possibly imagine. As times get bad and the culture goes from bad to worse, everyone will have to make a choice, to choose Jesus or to choose Satan.“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.” (Mathew 6:24)We will obey Jesus or obey Satan. We will choose a hard life here on Earth and a marvelous, joyous, pain-free eternity in heaven or choose an easier life here on Earth and an eternity of pain and loneliness. This should be an easy choice, but most won’t find it so because they will have trouble seeing beyond the here and now. Just as Esau1 sold his birthright to his brother because he was hungry, most people will do what makes it easy to fill their hungry bellies rather than trusting their creator and making the choice that will lead to the best eternity. Most people aren’t good at looking a month or year in the future. They will find it impossible to see into eternity.There will be two kinds of mark during the tribulation. God will mark 144,000 Jews with His name to be his witnesses to the world.Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. (Revelation 14:1-5)Satan will also try to mark his followers. The False Prophet will force everyone to make a choice, to get the mark of the beast if they want to be able to buy and sell.Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:11-17) {emphasis mine}During the seven year tribulation, every person left on Earth will be given the choice: to receive the mark of the beast so they can buy and sell and function in society or to refuse the mark and submit to Jesus, but be unable to buy and sell and provide for themselves and their family. Most people will take the easy path and receive the mark, so they can go on with their lives. Unfortunately this will be a deadly choice that can never be undone or fixed.Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11) {emphasis mine}This choice to take the easier path will lead to eternal torment. This refusal to listen to our creator God and our savior God will mean eternal separation. These people will grieve their choice forever.
I am keeping this substack free so it is available to all. If you have found these posts helpful or interesting, please consider sharing with others who might benefit.
Share
There will be a good number of people who will choose to follow Jesus and refuse the mark, but they will pay the price for putting off this decision until the time of the tribulation.Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4) {emphasis mine}Many may wonder, if they experience the tribulation, how can they stand firm on their faith when they know that doing so could (likely will) lead to them and their family either starving to death or being beheaded? The trick is to keep your eye on God and to keep your eye on the prize.I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:13)A perfect example to follow in times when our faith is challenged comes from Daniel (but my idea to use it here came from Dr. David Jeremiah’s book, The Book of Signs, Chapter 25)Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. … Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.” (Daniel 3:1, 4-6)Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were given a choice. They had to choose to obey God’s 1st and 2nd commandments:“You shall have no other gods before Me.“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God (Genesis 20:3-5a)and to risk being burn to death in a fiery furnace or they had to choose to disobey God and earn His wrath, but avoid the furnace. When exposed by others, who were jealous of their position, they stood firm and refused to worship the idol. Nebuchadnezzar even gave them a second chance to bow down when faced with the furnace. They chose faithfulness and I love their statement of faith.Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18) {emphasis mine}Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego had the faith to know that God was capable of rescuing them from the fiery furnace (which He did), but notice their faith did not depend on being miraculously rescued. “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” They served and obeyed God because He is God, not because of what He could do for them. We need to be the same. We need to stand with the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego when we are given the choice between faith and physical death. This is made easier because, if you are a true Christian, death on Earth means life in heaven. It means absolutely everything gets better. Dying in Christ is better than living without Him.As you can see, if you are left behind after the rapture, it is critical that you choose to trust Jesus and submit to His will and to NOT receive the mark of the beast no matter what it costs you.For those who trusted Jesus before the tribulation, we’ll all be celebrating at the marriage supper of Christ in heaven and have nothing to worry about. For those who didn’t trust Jesus until the tribulation, your remaining time on Earth will be exceedingly hard, but your reward will actually be great as stated in Revelation 20:4Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4) {emphasis mine}I hope you won’t put off trusting Jesus and you will live your life like He is coming back any moment. He is coming back soon.
Many may wonder what the mark is.For most of my life, I assumed the mark would be something like a tattoo, but I never understood how people could be prevented from buying and selling. How do you stop my neighbor and I buying and selling from each other using cash? It didn’t make sense.Now we have technology that enables the mark. Most of the countries in the world are working on CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies) and the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is working on a CBDC interface that will let all of the national CBDCs transact with each other. These CBDCs will allow programmable money. Whoever is in control can make your money expire, make it only good for certain purchases, make your money only work in a particular area. The CBDC can make your money completely go away if those in control don’t like what you do, say, or don’t do. If we are moved to a CBDC, all buying and selling could be controlled. As all of the world’s fiat currencies are destroyed by money creation causing massive inflation, it will be easier and easier to get people to switch to the CBDC to rescue them from losing all monetary value.We also have implantable microchips that can act as ID or credit card or bank account access and all a person has to do is scan their hand to buy or get admittance into a particular place. This technology already exists and is being used in small ways. I believe the mark will be a combination of a CBDC and an implantable microchip that will give you access to your “wallet”. The technology is here in a way that could not have been imagined just a decade or two ago. I believe our time is short. We need to live our lives with this understanding.Trust Jesus.
#trust #Jesus #Bible #Revelation #endtimes #faith #Christian #Christianity #grownostr #jesus #bible #themark
I liked my Buff Orphingtons. They were good layers, could handle long cold winters, and were gentle and friendly. I handled them a lot. They also were big enough to eat for meat (especially if you like dark meat).
Unfortunately, I developed a lung sensitivity and had to chose between breathing and eggs, so I don't have them anymore.
The three worst taxes are income taxes (spy and control), property taxes (rent payment for your own property), and inheritance taxes (pilfering those who can't take care of their dependents. Also double taxation.).
I don't like any taxes, but if we moved all taxes to sales taxes and required that every receipt showed how much money was taken by each taxing authority, there would be a much smaller compliance cost and people would realize how much was being stolen from them. They would be reminded every time they bought something and would be more likely to complain. You could also avoid/reduce taxes by working to produce your own stuff.
Of course those who live by stealing our stuff don't want this. They want to nickel and dime us to death and hide how much they are really stealing.
I was doing all of my businesses quarterly taxes. I hate licking envelopes, so frequently close envelopes with a glue stick. My state employment tax envelope seems to have stuck to my federal employment tax envelope. The Feds opened the envelope not addressed to them (should be mail fraud), stamped "Department of the Treasury" over the to line on the check changing who it was written to (should be check fraud) and cashed my check. A couple weeks later the state says I didn't pay my state taxes. I check and show them the cashed check. They caught that the Feds stole my check.
I then contact the Feds to ask about my money and they admit they stole my money and tell me I can miss some payroll taxes because I have a credit. I don't pay one payroll's taxes, which is about 2/3 of the amount they stole still leaving me a credit. Shortly after filing my quarterly employment taxes where I have a credit and they owe me money, I receive a notice that I didn't pay my taxes and threatening fines, interest, and seizing my business. I call and spend a couple hours on the phone. They misapplied the money so it showed unpaid even though I had overpaid. They said everything was fixed.
Three months later I get another nasty gram threatening to not only fine me but seize all of my assets because I didn't pay my taxes, even though they were over paid and stole my money. I called and spent several more hours on the phone. They finally said everything was fixed and I was fine.
A month later I get a really threatening letter threatening to seize my assets and throw me in jail. This time I went to the local IRS office and spent hours more. They admitted that everything was their mistake, but since their system showed me being so late, I now had to show proof of employment tax payments with every payroll for a year. I think it took over 2 years to get my over payment (stolen funds) back and get back to normal.
I can't even begin to tell how much I hate the IRS and taxes. They are thieves and brigands. The mafia and the mob seem like gentlemen in comparison.
One of the worst parts is capital gains taxes. They deflate our currency so the price of everything goes up and then call that increase capital gains and tax it even though sometimes the capital is worth less in real purchasing power than it was before. It is all phantom gains caused by the government.
Not only can he still run for President, I think a lot of people, that don't like Trump and don't like Republicans, are actually thinking about voting for Trump because they are fed up with the corruption and illegality of those currently in charge.
Democrats have managed to make a vote for Trump = a vote to end corruption
I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that the US is the biggest purveyor of evil around the world. It is still better to live in the US than in most of the world, but we push evil everywhere. It is sickening. It also seems like every time we get involved in an international dispute, we make things worse.
People today don't worship a stature as an idol, they worship themselves. Instead of accepting they are made in God's image, they try to make God into their image. They think they serve God while trying to force God to serve themselves.
I think this is why "And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7:23)
I'd recommend reading at least the 3rd section/article at this link, but I'll include a portion of the article as a teaser and then I'm commenting at the end.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-145065630?source=queue
"New research coming from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University indicates a dramatic transformation in the morality of the youngest generation of Americans compared to previous generations. Christian researcher Dr. George Barna identifies this as part of the influence of an increasingly secular Millennial and Gen X worldview—and those generations are teaching and parenting our youngest generations.
Data from the recent American Worldview Inventory 2024 indicates that younger generations have shifted their morality in discouraging ways:
-- A majority of adults accept lying, abortion, consensual intercourse between unmarried adults, gay marriage, and the rejection of absolute moral truth as morally acceptable.
-- Less than half of all adults embrace the Bible as their primary guide to morality.
-- A minority believes that every moral choice either honors or dishonors God.
-- A large minority of adults accept the notion that as long as you do no harm, you may do whatever you wish.
That’s not all. Other stats are just as alarming:
-- Nearly 7 out of 10 Millennials (age 22-40) and members of Gen Z (age 21 and younger) consider having an abortion to be acceptable behavior.
-- 69 percent of Millennials and 73 percent of Gen Zs consider sex between consenting, unmarried adults to be morally acceptable.
-- Only half of older adults say lying “to protect your personal best interests” is morally acceptable, but 6 out of 10 Gen Zs are just fine with lying."
MY TAKE:
How is a society supposed to function when the majority don't believe in objective truth but do believe lying for personal gain is acceptable? Nobody can contract with another or work together when you can't trust the other person to tell the truth.
#grownostr #truth #lies #Bible #christian #culture #polls #society
I understand why people are moving to small towns, but as someone who moved to this small town over 20 years ago, I wish they'd stop moving to my small town.
Some of the problem is the candidates. Some of the problem is the bureaucracy that is so big and uncontrollable that if you elected the most perfect candidates for every electable position, the bureaucracy would still make it nearly impossible to change most of the problems without removing >99% of the government agencies/employees.
Most people are considered experts because they were schooled and/or have a position. I have learned more since graduating college than I did during all of my formal schooling and I have unlearned some lies I was taught. Continual learning has made me more open to new ideas.
Today, most of the experts are more concerned with their credentials than staying experts in the subject. They hold onto past learning (or indoctrination) rather than learning more and moving beyond their formal education. They have forgotten how to learn and discover and think for themselves. They are so determined to not be proven wrong that they refuse to even look at any evidence that contradicts their schooling.
Of course there are also those who only believe what is best for their paycheck.
With the new Coracle update, my feed is full of comments in the middle of a conversation. It takes a ton of work to work my way to the top of the conversation to figure out what is being discussed. Sometimes, I work my way to the top and I'm not interested in the subject at all, so it is a total waste of time. Is there a way to organize the feed, so I can start at the top of a conversation and follow down instead of starting at the end of the conversation and working my way up?
Sorry, my brain just can't work well that way.
I'm a huge Coracle fan. Anytime I've had problems, they have responded quickly with either something I was missing or a fix to the software. No other client has worked as well and had such quick response to problems. They are my favorite.
Not only are they reusable, they are also stronger. We tried using the throw-away ones to hang some Christmas lights in the winter. They broke due to the cold which made them brittle. These stayed strong and flexible even in sub-zero Fahrenheit temperatures. I highly recommend as well.
When it comes to the Germ Theory vs Terrain Theory, I'm not convinced it has to be one or the other. I tend to think that if we take proper care of our bodies, then the opportunistic germs are not a problem, but that they do exist and can cause problems in a body that isn't working right.
That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if sometimes terrain problems (toxic foods, medicine, personal care items, EMF, etc.) get blamed on a virus that either doesn't exist or just doesn't cause the problem. I've read some stuff relating to AIDs that makes me think that HIV isn't the actual cause of AIDs and that it either has very little or nothing to do with it. I'm not positive about it though.
Exactly. It prices out the young people who need their first job to prove themselves. Those people can't ever get their first job and therefore can't ever become productive members of society. It hurts those they claim to help the most.
I don't like any taxes, but If we are going to have taxes, I'd like to replace 100% of taxes with a sales tax and that tax must be broken out showing how much is paid to each level of government. If everyone time someone bought something, they saw how much is being stolen from them they'd be a lot more likely to complain and realize they aren't getting anything for free. Right now, because income taxes are taken out before they receive a penny, lots of people don't think they pay any taxes so they truly believe they get lots of free stuff.
I got busy and missed harvest time for my asparagus. Due to my climate, mine haven't gone full bore fern, but many are over 3 foot tall (one about 4 foot tall) and bigger around than my thumb (some very significantly so). I'm so bummed I missed fresh asparagus this year. My garden went from dormant with no sign of life, to crazy (for my few perennials) seemingly overnight.
We decided to play games again, kind of like we did on Mother's Day. I think I used up all of my luck for the year. On Mother's Day I couldn't lose. Today, I couldn't win.
Another post on Jesus and the End Times
https://trustjesus.substack.com/p/walk-in-the-light
I was recently reading in Revelation about how there is no sun, moon, or stars but all light comes from God/Jesus. It made me think of all of the references to God and light, so I decided to do a study on the subject. I’ll start with the Old Testament. Then I’ll investigate the New Testament. Lastly I’ll investigate Revelation in particular. I won’t post every verse, but those that seem to have the deepest meaning and relevance.Old Testament:
Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)Studying God’s word leads us to the truth. When we don’t know God’s word (and John refers to Jesus as the word of God), we will have a wrong understanding of everything around us: relationships, religion, science, beginnings, ethics, etc. Belief in Jesus and knowledge of the Bible helps us to understand things properly. If we don’t have the right foundation, we can’t understand the things around us.For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. (Psalm 36:9)Faith in Jesus helps us to see things as they really are. It helps us see the truth. It helps us see the good that God does through everything, including what we would consider the bad things in life.When we don’t know Jesus and don’t have the Holy Spirit in us, all of the sin in the world is only seen as bad. When we do have them, we can be grateful for all of the good in our lives and the good things that God is doing even through the bad decisions of others and the other bad things that happen. We know that everything will end with the righteous judgment of God and an eternity of joy in heaven with Him. All darkness becomes light in Jesus.Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. (Isaiah 2:5)Although this verse specifically calls Jews to “walk in the light of the Lord,” other verses show that this call is given to all of the world. We can chose to walk in our own strength and knowledge or we can chose to walk in “the light of the Lord.” We can chose the darkness and despair and failure of walking according to our own desires or we can chose the light of walking the path designed for us by Jesus from the beginning of creation. When we walk the path we were designed to walk, we will find joy and fulfillment. We will make right decisions. We will make a difference in the world for good. We will honor our God.New Testament:
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)It is amazing the clarity that comes from believing in Jesus and submitting to His will. Everything is better (though not necessarily easier). We can know what we should do and how we should do it. The light of Jesus not only affects the life of His followers, but also shines on those who don’t know Him. Some of these will eventually come to trust in Him as well. Others will run from Him or try to attack Him through His believers because of the guilt they feel when the light is shined on their sins.This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 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. (1 John 1:5-7)Because Jesus is light, we cannot have fellowship with Him and live a life of sin and darkness. He has blessed us by covering our sins and giving us the Advocate (Holy Spirit) to guide us and to help us live according to His will in a way that we could never do without His help.It is amazing how being a follower of Jesus can help us have fellowship/friendship with those with whom we might never have a close relationship. When I was in high school, we went on a boat down the St. John’s River with my parents and my Dad’s cousin. My parents aren’t Christians, but my Dad’s cousin is a Christian and a pastor of music. We talked nonstop as if we had been friends our whole life. After the trip, my Mom asked what in the world a high school girl and a married, middle aged man had in common. I told her we were both Christians. Although my Dad’s cousin and I have always lived states away from each other and have never seen each other face to face since that time over 3 decades ago, we still stay in touch. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and that makes close, just as 1 John says “if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another.” Faith in Jesus really makes our lives different, or at least it should.Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:7-10)The light of Jesus should change our lives. No matter how dark and evil are past lives were, we should continually grow closer to Jesus and more like Him. We should convert from darkness to light, from evil to righteousness, and from hate to love. A true believer should have “the fruit of the Light.”This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:19-21)When I was a young Christian in college, I attended a Sunday School class with a teacher who I would describe as an expert at exhortation. He would talk and ask question, to help lead you to the truth instead of just telling you what to do or what to think. Frequently these questions were uncomfortable to me as a new Christian who had not grown up doing “Christian” kind of things. In the beginning, I’ll admit I did my best to hide from him because I didn’t want to be asked the questions because I didn’t like the answers that I knew were right. You could say I hid from the light or that I “loved the darkness rather than the light.”Thanks to the grace of God, I learned to love the light. I learned to seek the truth. I learned to expose myself to the truth so I could grow in Jesus. I spent more and more time around him, so I could learn from his wise questions. Now I love that kind of relationship. I learned to prefer the light instead of the darkness as I grew closer to Jesus. We all need to expose our sins to the light, so we can grow in the light.So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” (John 12:35-36)Our desire in life should be to “become sons of Light.” We need to trust and obey Jesus, so “darkness will not overtake you.” Although Jesus no longer walks among us, we do have the Holy Spirit with us to guide us. We can also surround ourselves with mature Christians to help guide and teach us, always comparing this advice to the Bible to insure that it is truth.Revelation:
The passage below is the passage that inspired this whole post.The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation stone was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; (Revelation 21:19-26) {emphasis mine}Notice that this description of the New Jerusalem in Heaven is described as “the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” This whole city, and presumably the whole universe, will be lit by the glory of Jesus. It will be a light brighter than the Sun, but not harsh like the Sun. It won’t blind us. It won’t beat down on us. It will expose us all to the joy of His glory and the beauty of His new creation. As I read about heaven, I don’t think there will be shadows. Every inch of Heaven will be fully lit by His glory.The city is made of precious jewels which will transmit the light of His glory throughout the city and glow in beauty only surpassed by the glory of God. John describes the streets as “the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” On Earth gold doesn’t look like transparent glass. It is opaque, but in heaven it looks transparent. I think this might be more due to the quality of light of the glory of the Lamb rather than the quality of the gold. His light will shine upon and through everything bringing out the beauty in everything.And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:5)There will no longer be night and there will no longer be darkness. Without sin in heaven, we don’t need to hide. We can revel in the glory of God. We will be illumined by God.Trust Jesus.#faith #grownostr #bible #christian #christiannostr #biblestudy #jesus #Jesus #God #light #Revelation #endtimes #NewJerusalem #heaven #prophecy
I love pecans, but seem to have developed a sensitivity to them. I get achy and can't sleep. Hopefully I can heal my gut and at least eat them occasionally. I really miss eating pecans. I used to eat a handful almost every day.
Also, parents know their kids. What is appropriate varies a lot by kid. My eldest is mature and trustworthy early. My youngest is immature and needs to be so much older. There is at least a decade difference in when they are mature enough for most things.
Especially since there are no great candidates. Any vote is for the least bad choice. Little things like (little for the nation, but huge for Ross) this make a difference.
True to a point.
"and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The Bible does say we are to assemble together, to disciple others, etc. "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." (Ecclesiastes 4:12) We are not to be lone wolves.
It is true; however, that many organized churches have become corrupted and that we shouldn't blindly trust any man that says we have to follow or obey them. No matter how "good" a man seems, his words and actions should be tested by the Bible.
Just because some church leaders have ben corrupted doesn't mean we should avoid the church altogether.
I am not Catholic and I think the current pope is a little "a" antichrist, not even a Christian. I don't know what you are arguing against. You are arguing against a point I didn't make and a belief I don't have.
I know my relationship with Jesus and my going to heaven has nothing to do with `another person or any human organization. That doesn't mean that we should "forsake assembling together" or that attending church is a bad thing. It does mean we need to know our Bible well so we can wisely judge what we are told by people.
True to a point.
"and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
The Bible does say we are to assemble together, to disciple others, etc. "And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." (Ecclesiastes 4:12) We are not to be lone wolves.
It is true; however, that many organized churches have become corrupted and that we shouldn't blindly trust any man that says we have to follow or obey them. No matter how "good" a man seems, his words and actions should be tested by the Bible.
Just because some church leaders have ben corrupted doesn't mean we should avoid the church altogether.
Most likely.
There are some departments, like the Department of Education or Energy or HUD, that never served a purpose and should never have existed. There are some departments, like the FBI, that you could make an argument for a limited version, but they've become so corrupt that they are worse than the criminals they are supposed to stop (not that there aren't some agents that are decent people, but it seems like 100% of management are criminals). (FYI, I'm not saying I think we should have even a very limited FBI for cross-state crimes, but you can make a logical argument that it is helpful. Of course if you give them an inch, they always take a mile, so better to just say "NO". )
Those in positions of power will always try to increase their power, but things really got bad when Senators went from representing the states (who also want power so kept the Feds in check) to representing the people (who just want "free" stuff). It sounds so "nice" to have Senators elected, but it upset the carefully created balance of power.
When I was in high school, my Dad's cousin came to visit. My parents are not Christians, but my Dad's cousin is a music pastor at a church. We had never met before, but talked for hours. Afterwards, my Mom asked what in the world a single teenage girl had in common with a married, older man. I told her, we were both Christians. She didn't understand, but it was true. We related because we were both part of the body of Christ.
I haven't seen him face-to-face since, but we still keep in touch now and again. Being part of the body of Christ can make you close to someone you would never otherwise be close to.
My eyes have failed me. I've seen your icon for weeks and thought I was looking at a photo of an old guy with a beard. I just clicked on your post to see your whole feed and it is a cat. Now all I can see is a cat. I can't believe my eyes were seeing an old man with a beard. I think I am the one getting old.
I figured out the one thing I didn't like which was just a setting change.
I also like that you are so responsive to questions and requests. Hands down the best desktop app.
Oddbean new post about login | logout
Notes by LibertyGal | export