Bible Bytes

 

Over the past number of weeks we  have seen a deterioration in the mental health capacity of my sister-in-law. She is a sufferer from alzheimers. To see her fall from a healthy, happy, fun loving lady to a sometimes restrained, shouting and one who shows no recognizable knowing of family members has been burdensome.

I mentioned to a few close friends that I now understand why some loved ones would consider mercy killing. Upfront, I disagree with taking another person’s life because of health issues. What I’m saying is that I see why people are challenged to consider mercy killing.

I have heard family members say that they would prefer, rather then see her suffer the deteriorating effects of alzheimers, that she would take a heart attack which would take away her pain, suffering and degrading mental capacity. Maybe those are my thoughts as well.

We love this lady and hopefully those thoughts are not selfish thinking that would ease our burdens and concerns.  Our faith is in our God. We have and will continue to pray for her healing as well as for ourselves that we will be loving, supportive, patient and faithful.

I’m reading the book “Second Forgetting” by

An article in progress

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger. Eph 4:26 Net

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Eph 4:26 Kjb

Are there things that make you angry? For me personally, there are many situations that cause me to be mad or angry. For example, being Canadian, I’m very angry with the way the President of the United States is behaving towards Canada and his uncontrolled tongue.  In my opinion he is pompous and dictatorial. My anger is hopefully a controlled anger and I have prayed for and will continue to pray for President Trump.

His Presidential style may be working for the employment of the American people but at what expense to the rest of the world.

I have traveled to the US on many occasions and have always been treated with the utmost respect. During 911 I had the privilege to bring, some of those who were stranded, into our home for a shower and to show them some of our local sight and interests.

It makes you wonder if he is envious of how Canada is viewed by the majority of people in the world.

Yes, this makes me angry and sad, however; I will not lose sleep over it and as mentioned I will continue to pray that God’s will be done in this situation.

I get angry at the following.

When I hear of children being molested or being mistreated.

When I see able bodied people on welfare and robbing the system

When I hear of women being raped, murdered and beaten.

When I see the neglect at some nursing homes

I get angry at cancer, alzheimers, dementia and other life threatening and mind related illnesses.

I get angry at genocide and other atrocities done in the name of religion.

I get angry who hid behind Facebook and other media.

I get angry at my local open line shows where you are unable to mention anything concerning Christianity. I suppose they have their reasons.

More to be added

I get angry with me when I make bad decisions or say something that may be misunderstood or deliberately to hurt those who are close to me.

Before I became a Born Again Christian I would get angry. This anger would be at my wife. I noticed that it usually happened when I was tired or stressed. Anger was toxic and it hurt me and others so I  knew that I had to deal with it. I laid it on the altar and asked God to take it away or to help me to deal with my anger outbursts.  It was not taken away, however; it is under control and when it starts to raise it’s ugly head, I stop to pray about the cause.

Have to run to bring the grand-children to school.

A number of years ago, I attended a men’s camp and the speaker used psalm 1 as his text. It was the first time that I had heard anybody preach and discuss the meaning of psalm 1. I was captivated by his teachings and so thankful and appreciative to know that I am counted with the blessed.

Psalm 1 from The KJV

1: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2: But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3: And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4: The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5: Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6: For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

You can read those verses from other translations. Link

Matthew Henry Commentary

It has helped me, personally, to meditate upon this psalm from a law and a grace perspective.

This is how I read verse two from a grace perspective. But his delight is in Jesus and in Him doth he meditate day and night.

We sing a chorus:

I’m not under law but under grace,

It is grace that rescued me.

It is grace that sets me free,

I was lost, I have found,

My hiding place

I’m not under law but under grace.

Paul was bound to the law but found grace. He wrote..

Romans 6:15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!

16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you.

18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

Are you among the blessed?

 

I never thought that I would write a post on the subject of what to wear to church. This is not a church fashion post as I cannot tell a person what to wear or not what to wear.

My main aim in going to a church is to worship and to please God in all my being. I look at it from the point of view, that if I knew that God would be physically present in the building, what would I wear to meet him? Spiritually, he is present and we go to church to meet with him. So, I dress in a respectful manner. That’s me.

A few days ago, I spoke to a friend who was visibly upset because a church member commented negatively on the  clothing that he was wearing. He was a greeter at the door and he was dressed in casual clothes which was a fashionable tee shirt and pants. This is the type of clothing that he is comfortable wearing and for him it is like wearing a suit. He is a very sensitive and caring Christian. He was upset to the point where he considered going home. I might add that this person is good at greeting people.

I personally believe that if a person is in the right relationship with God, he or she will  be encouraged, by their relationship, in what they should wear.

I’m  a male and I do have a problem with females who wear revealing clothes, leaving nothing to be desired. Men are men and it doesn’t matter whether we are teenagers or elderly, the mind and the eyes work together with desires that have to be controlled.

So, the question is, what to wear to church?

Ask God! Don’t dress to please yourself or people, dress to please God.

Please feel free to comment.

I have been a Born Again Christian for over forty five years and one of the main questions that I hear is how to please God? The following verse from Hebrews is a good starting point.

note: I will be quoting from The King James (KJV) version and the New Living Translation (NLT)

Hebrews 1:6 

KJV: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

NLT: And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

From my understanding,  we start with accepting the fact that God exists. It starts with the beginning of the bible.

In Genesis1 1:1 we read,

kjv: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. KJV

NLT: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

You would be wise to read the complete creation story down to and including chapter 2.

You can click on the text hilited in blue to read the scripture verses.

  Genesis 1 

 Genesis 2: 

 Genesis 2:4

KJV: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

NLT: This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.

We would not be asking the question, how to please God, if God had not created the heavens and the earth and all things that exists and have existed. We would not exist!

The starting point in pleasing God is to acknowledge God and to believe in God.

Under Spiritual Construction

Recently, I have been doing a study, for a class, on making decisions as a Christian. The bible speaks about a renewed mind so I decided to make my topic, renewing your mind in Christ.

I have taken a Dale Carnegie course and have read many books on the subject of having a positive mental attitude. The one flaw, I found was that I wasn’t being my natural self. I wanted to be me, that is the person whom God meant for me to be.

There is one scripture, which comes to mind as I’m writing this article: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5. Paul is writing to the church at Philippi. When I read scripture, I normally put my name in the verse as if it is written to me or for me. Steve, “let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Now, the verse has meaning. For  me, it means that my mind has to be changed or renewed.

Isa: 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways  and my thoughts than your thoughts.” When, I insert my name: “Steve, my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Proverbs: 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight.

While driving down from my sons, a verse ran through my mind and now I’m having trouble remembering it. This happens to us seniors. They are called seniors moments. I know it was words that Jesus spoke..I’ll be back..this is not the verse, however; this is one verse where Jesus speaks about the mind… Mark 12:30  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Meditation time….Phillipians: 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I found This Christian Thought Life article very enlightening:

 

note: this is a work in progress

 

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The following scripture reading can be extremely helpful in determining whether a word spoken or written is a message from God. John had been speaking about false teachers in the previous verses and as you and I know there are many false teachers today. They are on television, on the internet,they may be our neighbors, family members , co-workers or it might be the pastor at our home church.

How are we to know whether the truth is being spoken or written? Read the following verses prayerfully and meditatively.

1 john 4,1-6 Living Bible. Below is the King James translation.

4 Dearly loved friends, don’t always believe everything you hear just because someone says it is a message from God: test it first to see if it really is. For there are many false teachers around, ² and the way to find out if their message is from the Holy Spirit is to ask: Does it really agree that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, actually became man with a human body? If so, then the message is from God. ³ If not, the message is not from God but from one who is against Christ, like the “Antichrist” you have heard about who is going to come, and his attitude of enmity against Christ is already abroad in the world.

⁴ Dear young friends, you belong to God and have already won your fight with those who are against Christ because there is someone in your hearts who is stronger than any evil teacher in this wicked world. ⁵ These men belong to this world, so, quite naturally, they are concerned about worldly affairs and the world pays attention to them. ⁶ But we are children of God; that is why only those who have walked and talked with God will listen to us. Others won’t. That is another way to know whether a message is really from God; for if it is, the world won’t listen to it.

1 John 4 King James Version (KJV)

4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

² Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

³ And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

⁴ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

⁵ They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

⁶ We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Many of us will read the above and not put the teaching into practice. My commitment is to try and memorize those verses and apply the following test. ” and the way to find out if their message is from the Holy Spirit is to ask: Does it really agree that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, actually became man with a human body? If so, then the message is from God. ³ If not, the message is not from God but from one who is against Christ, like the “Antichrist”

Another test, ⁶ But we are children of God; that is why only those who have walked and talked with God will listen to us. Others won’t. That is another way to know whether a message is really from God; for if it is, the world won’t listen to it.

I will also spend some time checking out other articles and messages on the subject.

Be blessed and grow in Christ.

Please feel free to comment.

Steve

Over the past few weeks I have been struggling with prayer. I have been helping teach a class for new Christians and many of them have said that I can’t pray, I don’t know how to pray.  My suggestion to them was to look at prayer as a conversation with God. Just talk to God.

I have been a Christian for over forty five years and have prayed in public many times. In my private prayers, especially over the past few weeks, I have been struggling to pray.

Recently, I spoke to a couple of friends about private praying, I asked them if they prayed orally or silently. The consensus was that they prayed silently. We discussed whether silent prayer or oral prayer was more rewarding.

Lately, I have spent some time just orally talking to God. It’s not with an outside voice as they teach to children but a low conversational tone. It felt good, real and powerful.

Check back for updates or please feel free to comment.

I look forward to quiet times, whether it’s at home, walking or just sitting down by a pond or river and watching ducks frolicking in the water.  It quietens my spirit. I marvel at God’s creation and for me it is worship.

Worship is important to me when I’m alone or corporately, in a church service. I have not been blessed with an ear for music or with a great singing voice. Music is like a foreign language, however; I can enjoy listening to music that calms your soul. Not the heavy metal or with trap sets but piano, guitar or accordion music.

While sitting here, I can hear the distant sound of our tenant playing his accordion. I can’t pick out the words of the song but I know it’s a hymn. He is worshiping by playing his accordion and I’m worshiping as I listen to him playing. It’s a quiet time. He just stopped but I can still hear the music in my mind.

I was just thinking of the words of scripture that says worship in spirit and in truth. The verse is found in John 4:23–24. Jesus speaking

“The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth”

What does Jesus mean? What or who is a true worshiper? I think I know what Jesus means but I will do some studying. This is a quote from Delesslyn A. Kennebrew of Christian Bible Studies. “True worship, in other words, is defined by the priority we place on who God is in our lives and  where God is on our list of priorities.”

a work in progress