Micah 6:8 Message
"But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously -
take God seriously.
Seems pretty easy, so, why do we get so much religion and not just the simple facts of what God wants.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
What we do for the Lest we do for Jesus!
I believe in religion, especially today, we get caught up in the very fine points of what the Bible tells us. We analyze every verse and try to see what the deeper meaning of the words are telling us. But, we overlook what Jesus was really telling us in his words.
Everyone should pay attention to the RED words, but it seems we just skim over what Jesus actually said. He said the following when it comes to how we should live: (I will paraphrase)
Feed the hungry, help the homeless, help a prison ministry, help the needy, help the broken, etc. But, this is what the Apolostles did once Jesus was cruciifed, they sold everything and lived in common and helped the widows and the orphans.
I have never heard a church say that were given 60% of everything we take in to help the above causes. They usually give 10% of what they take in for these items and the rest for salaries and builidng cost. They always ask for the tithes and above the tithes for the new pet project like:
I do believe that spreading the gospel is extremely important, but I just feel that sometimes we need our actions (doing the things above) to spread the gospel and not just our preaching to do what is right.
I'm just as hypocritical as anyone and have been ignoring what Jesus so clearly tells us as important. I will pray for direction and the strength to take action on what I need to do to live, really live a life that matters to Jesus!
Everyone should pay attention to the RED words, but it seems we just skim over what Jesus actually said. He said the following when it comes to how we should live: (I will paraphrase)
- Love God
- Love Jesus
- Love your neighbor
- Feed the Hungry
- Give clothes to those in need
- Look after the sick
- Invite a Stranger in - be hospitable
- Visit those in prison - help them
- Tithe
- Spread the Gospel
- How we should get along with each other
- How we should break bad habits
- How we need to read the Bible
- How we need a one time donation for a pet project
Feed the hungry, help the homeless, help a prison ministry, help the needy, help the broken, etc. But, this is what the Apolostles did once Jesus was cruciifed, they sold everything and lived in common and helped the widows and the orphans.
I have never heard a church say that were given 60% of everything we take in to help the above causes. They usually give 10% of what they take in for these items and the rest for salaries and builidng cost. They always ask for the tithes and above the tithes for the new pet project like:
- Parking lot
- High Def Camera
- More space
- Better furniture
- Kids area
- etc.
I do believe that spreading the gospel is extremely important, but I just feel that sometimes we need our actions (doing the things above) to spread the gospel and not just our preaching to do what is right.
I'm just as hypocritical as anyone and have been ignoring what Jesus so clearly tells us as important. I will pray for direction and the strength to take action on what I need to do to live, really live a life that matters to Jesus!
Matthew 25:34-46 NIV
Matthew 25:34-46 NIV
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 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, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 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, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Sunday, February 6, 2011
"I am the way and the truth and the life."
John 14:6 NIV "I am the way and the truth and the life."
I have always been intrigued by this passage of scripture. The words seem easy, but what do they really mean?
Way, Truth, Life
The way:
Jesus is telling us the way to the Father and he is the way. He is telling us that if we love him and follow his commands then we will be with him and with the Father one day. He is the path to Heaven!
The truth:
Jesus spoke the truth, God's truth. He tells us parables to try and teach us what Heaven is like and how we should pray and live. Like in John 1:14, "The word became flesh". God's word was in Jesus and he spoke those words to us.
The life:
Jesus shows us the way, he does this by the way he lived his life. We can use his example of his life to try and emulate how we are suppose to live.
Why does this seem so simple, yet it becomes so hard to do. I will pray for the strength to do what is right in life - to love and to live.
I have always been intrigued by this passage of scripture. The words seem easy, but what do they really mean?
Way, Truth, Life
The way:
Jesus is telling us the way to the Father and he is the way. He is telling us that if we love him and follow his commands then we will be with him and with the Father one day. He is the path to Heaven!
The truth:
Jesus spoke the truth, God's truth. He tells us parables to try and teach us what Heaven is like and how we should pray and live. Like in John 1:14, "The word became flesh". God's word was in Jesus and he spoke those words to us.
The life:
Jesus shows us the way, he does this by the way he lived his life. We can use his example of his life to try and emulate how we are suppose to live.
Why does this seem so simple, yet it becomes so hard to do. I will pray for the strength to do what is right in life - to love and to live.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
It's who you are and the way you live that count before God.
John 4:21-24 Message
21-23"Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
23-24"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."
This passage is awesome, we just need to be ourselves and live a good life before God. Why is it that we always seem to care more about religion than what truly matters and that is our relationship with Jesus Christ.
21-23"Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
23-24"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."
This passage is awesome, we just need to be ourselves and live a good life before God. Why is it that we always seem to care more about religion than what truly matters and that is our relationship with Jesus Christ.
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