Isn't that just another way of saying "glory in your tribulations?"

Many of you know that Romans 5:3-5 is one of my foundational verses.  It's God's success formula.  I have also written about my belief that it is preferable to find multiple Scriptures to back up a point of view.  Well here is one that affirms Romans.
 

James 1:2-4(NKJV)

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 

knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 

Isn't that just another way of saying "glory in your tribulations"?

Too cool!

Covetousness

Hebrews 13:5-6(NKJV)

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

So we may boldly say:      “The Lord is my helper;     I will not fear.     What can man do to me?” 

1 Timothy 5:21(NKJV)

I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. 

And yet isn't that exactly what the whole Social Justice and Socialist Christian movement is all about?  Favoring one group over another is showing partiality and wanting to take money from the rich who earned it and give it to the poor who didn't is nothing if not covetous and it certainly isn't being content in what you have.

The rich giving to the poor of their own free will is a good thing.  Christians who demand that government take from those who have and give it to those who don't in the name of social justice are is an entirely different situation and which I don't believe is backed up by Scripture. 

"And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, ..." Wow, did God really say that?

I've written in the past that we should look to God for our examples of how we should react to different situations.  One of the areas we fall short of as a country in my opinion is the way we fight wars.  We are way too cautious.  Look how God does it!

Ezekiel 6:3-5(NKJV)

and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 

Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 

And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. 

And what did they do to make God so mad that He was even willing to personally kill the Israeli children?

They worshiped other Gods. 

Hmm…….Seems to me that there is a lot of that going on in this country today!

By faith a young adult proudly declared "I am a Christian"...and died!

I think everyone has heard Hebrews 11:1 before but it is just the beginning of what I call the faith chapter.  Here is a little bigger excerpt for your reading pleasure.

Hebrews 11:1-10(NKJV)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 

By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 

for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

God places a premium on faith.  It is the key to His plan of salvation.  This chapter goes through and takes note of many in the Bible who have demonstrated exceptional faith.  I would like to ad a few more to that list.

Last week a mentally ill  gunman killed several people at a college in Oregon.  It is reported that he went down the line and asked people what religion they were.  If they answered Christian they were killed.  If they answered any other faith they were allowed to live.

Imagine the faith that would have taken to stand there and proudly proclaim your faith knowing that it will cost you your life.  Jesus warned that we would be required to give up our lives to keep them but I doubt if many thought that He meant that literally.

I commend those young people for demonstrating such Biblical size faith and testimony.  Thank you!

Satan loves to twist Scripture!

I ran across a few verses that I found interesting.  It is amazing how easily Christians are misled because they don't know Scripture.  And the sad thing is, Scripture tells us that they will be held accountable by God for allowing themselves to be led astray.

One of the memes that makes the rounds on Facebook goes something like this.  "If you are using the Bible to hurt people you are using it wrong.".  It certainly has a forgiving Christian ring to it doesn't it?  But is it Scriptural?

The people throwing that meme around are usually doing something that the Bible calls sinful and they don’t' like that being pointed out so they throw up the "using the Bible wrong" meme to deflect that criticism.    
 

Now as I have written in the past, the Bible quite clearly tells us that one of the uses of Scripture is for correction.  People don't like being corrected and they may even be hurt by it but as you can see, that is not "using the Bible wrong" as they would try to get you to believe. 

But after the Scripture I found today I see that it is even more insidious than that.  Take a look.

Ezekiel 3:16-19(NKJV)

Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 

When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 

Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

See what that is saying?  When we are aware of something and we don't bring it to their attention and then they are later condemned to hell, this Scripture says their blood is on our hands and we will be called to account.  If however they do warn the other party then we are in the clear.

See how diabolical that meme really is?  If Satan can silence Christians by getting them to believe that meme then Satan gets two sinners for the price of one. 

Eww, that's gross!

I've often said that inside every man there lives a 12 year old boy trying to get out.  How else do you explain some of the silly stuff that us guys do?  The Bible tells us that we are made in God's image so maybe that is where that trait comes from.  Maybe there is just a bit of the 12 year old silliness in God too!

Ezekiel 4:9-12(NKJV)

“Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. 

And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. 

You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. 

And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”

I mean come on!  We're talking about the God of the known universe here, maker of heaven and earth!  Threatening people that they are going to have to cook their food over people poop?!!!!!  Really???  :)

And then a couple of verses later God relents...a little.

Ezekiel 4:15(NKJV)

Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”

OK you can cook your food over cow poop instead of human poop, that makes it better doesn't it?  Can't you just see God's inner 12 year old snickering about that!  (And please don't think I am being sacrilegious.  I believe God has a great sense of humor.)

Man, Paul drives me nuts!!!

I have such a hard time with Paul.  So much of what he says seems to be in contradiction to what God and Jesus Himself said.  Here is an example

Hebrews 8:7-13(NKJV)

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 

Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 

None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

As I recall one of the tenants of the Christian faith is that of an infallible God.  Yet Paul's first question calls that belief into question does it not?  Isn't Paul in essence saying that the first covenant from God was faulty?  If so then doesn't that call into question whether God is infallible or not?