Friday, October 22, 2010

Worship

Nina
 Here I go again! Oh well, I thought this DD was good, for me. In the Name of Jesus Kinda Good!!! Maybe it will be good for you. If not, leave me a comment, I'll pray for me and you.
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Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased . . . you . . . are being built up a spiritual house . . . to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (Heb_13:15-16 and 1Pe_2:5).
    To me this implies, that we are to forever, be praising God for all the good things that come our way. The lips are to give thanks to His Name. At the same time, for the words of our mouth to line up with our actions, we are to do good and share with those to whom the Lord has sent us to help. We are not to be silent about who it is, that is responsible for our actions. We do not take credit for all we do, but in the name of Jesus we are to give him the credit, for sending us to do such things. We must speak up, as well as help another, and give thanks to Him from whom all blessings flow.
    I know when I give things, I have sometimes, just not mentioned why I do such deeds. When I do this, I "interfere with God.” This puts me up on a pedestal instead of keeping the Lord at the Center of the Universe, we live, eat and breathe within. I sometimes think I am to share quietly, because of his words to ‘do good and share,’ but I forget that the people to whom I am sent, need to hear the words of Praise to our Father, that go along with it. For the Lord says, “if I be lifted up I will draw all men night unto me."

  Now I believe that I lose an opportunity, to witness to the Lord’s saving Grace. I lose the opportunity to tell the people that the Lord sent me to help them. I truly ask His forgiveness for such actions.This ought not to be the way I operate. When someone receives help, they are vulnerable to the words of the Lord, in such a way that one can reach them, with the Gospel. At other times, they are not so vulnerable, especially when they become self sufficient and do not realize, their good fortune comes from the Father of Lights above, but think they pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps, thereby becoming cocky.
    We know when we do things the Father’s way, He is well pleased with us. Every single day should be an opportunity, for an act of Worship on our parts, in some way. WORSHIPING GOD DAILY IS A GOAL WITH A DATE ON IT. Especially when it is an act of Sacrifice on our parts to help others. It is nothing to share out of our abundance, it indeed is something to share out of our need. BUT, ABUNDANCE IS NOT WRONG, SO ALWAYS REMEMBER, IT IS GOD WHO GIVES THE INCREASE OF ABUNDANCE FOR US TO USE FOR OTHERS, NOT JUST OURSELVES. But by the same token, God is pleased with such sacrifices that cost us something. Although we should always keep in mind, that ‘OBEDIENCE IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE.’ That does not imply we are not to sacrifice, just that we are to be in an act of contrite submission to our Heavenly Father, first and foremost. Then we are in a better state of mind to be submissive to Sacrificial Giving. There is order in God’s Kingdom.
    This all leads us to a recognition, that we as Christians are a Spiritual House built up for the Father’s good will. We have a purpose, to do the Will of God. And since God is a Spirit we must learn to come to him in Spirit and in Truth. He desires such as we, to be his building blocks for a Spiritual House which is an inclusion, into His New Jerusalem, Jesus being the Cornerstone. We are to be His living letters, his Jewels. 
    We in no way, should think God is a building here on Earth, no matter how ornate or simple the place of Worship be. We do know though, Worshipers gather to Praise the Lord, within the confines of said Buildings, but it is not the only way to Worship God. WE NEED TO REALIZE, the Worshipers are the SPIRITUAL BUILDING and where ever they are, whether in a corporate assembly of believers or out amongst the dirty throng of peoples to whom the Lord has sent us two by two, we are to know, that God is pleased with us, no matter how, where, or with whom we choose to Worship. For He says, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them. A couple can be in a Worship Service together, as long as Jesus is the reason for the Season. Some people think Church attendance is where it is at. It is not there at all. It gives us ALL THE FALSE HOPE, that by looking good on Sunday, we are Ok for the rest of the week. This is not true. A lot of people are gathered together without the Lord's Presence. MAKE SURE GOD IS PRESENT, who ever you are! THINGS OUGHT TO BE HAPPENING IN LOVE! Gathering in His Name implies, following His line upon line, precept upon precept. We are to follow his precepts if we desire to be right with each other and our fellow man.

Better to leave your gifts at the Altar and be reconciled with your brother.  Then Worship where and when and how, God allows you to SEE HIM, and HEAR HIM. True Worship is within the Soul and Spirit of the Believer, and it truly is between THEM AND GOD. As it was with Able.Cain did not qualify. So if fishing on a lake bed, gets you closer to the Father then by all means, do so. Who am I to judge between you and your maker. God does that. HE is able to figure out who is righteous in their hearts and who is not.  And according to the verse below, it appears a righteous man, LIVES BY FAITH, IN GOD! And as Christians, we should be able to discern spiritual things here on Earth, a little judgment here, a little judgment there, since we judge Angels in Heaven! This tells me, yes, I will be judged by the same measure, I judge. But if I am judging according to God's standard, it ought to be ok, to say, this is right, or this is wrong. AND FAITH IN GOD IS NEVER WRONG!

But he does say, we need to ‘assemble ourselves together, ....especially as you see the day approaching.’ So if one knows God’s Word, one will want to be with another believer while he is fishing, or going to Church. So if one falls, the other can lift him up. Woe to the man who is alone. I ain't saying he can't Worship alone, but I am saying, there are all kinds of things that vie for his attention, and it is improbable that he can overcome them. But even the word has an answer for that, BE OF GOOD CHEER, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD. THEY OVERCAME THE WORLD BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY AND THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. So it does happen!

But, I think if I was wandering around this world alone, I would want to have Jesus name foremost in my Vocabulary. So according to this Word of God. One can Worship God Alone. GOD LOVES WORSHIP!!!

SO DON'T JUDGE PEOPLE WHO DON'T GO TO CHURCH! THEY MAY BE CLOSER TO GOD THAN YOU THINK!!!

Instead of CHURCH GOERS asking you, to join them, 'YOU MIGHT NEED TO BE ASKING THEM TO JOIN YOU IN A FELLOWSHIP INSIDE YOUR HOME, OR AT THE LAKE!
OR BETTER YET, IF THEY ASK YOU TO JOIN THEIR WEEKLY CONGREGATIONAL MEETING, JOIN UP WITH UM, THAT MAY BE THE EXACT PLACE GOD IS SENDING YOU TO.

BETTER YET, JUST DO WHAT GOD SAYS. HE'S YOUR GUIDE. BUT BETTER DO IT IN FAITH!

.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.  (Heb_11:4)

Love Nina

Later more Later

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Separation of Church and State

My Birthday Cake-Michelle, our Son Ruben's Wife

    I keep saying I am not going to mention God, in my Blogspots. I try so hard to just write about subjects that I know but I also end up writing about subjects that I do not know like this one for instance on Separation of Church and State. I truly do not know anything about it but common sense would dictate that it is kinda hard to SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM YOUR BELIEFS that have so much meaning in one’s life. This much I know. I am sure, there are Constitutional Legalities that fit into the picture that I don’t understand, and I know, Caesar is Caesar and God is God. Now what all that means, I ain’t too certain of, for I do have a problem, Identifying and Separating what I do know.

    And as I write these Blogs, I find it difficult not to incorporate my beliefs into my writing pattern. Therefore  I have been unable to write without mentioning God and His Word in whatever I am writing at least once, mostly twice or more.

     I do not think it possible to Separate me from God. I do not think it possible to Separate me from State or Politics, if you prefer the politically correct word. I AM A CHRISTIAN PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN CERTAIN CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES AND PEOPLE, AND I AM A POLITICAL PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN CERTAIN POLITICAL TENETS AND PEOPLE. How do I Separate me?

     How can one Separate their beliefs from themselves. It does not work. If I don’t believe in something then how can I politically stand up and say that I do. Or how can I not believe something and it not show up in my politics or my religion.

    It appears that one must give up one or the other to be perfectly honest with themselves OR SPEAK UP AND SAY, “WHAT A SORE SPOT THIS IS,” AT THE VERY LEAST.
No amount of Politics will ever get me to deny Jesus. That ought to put a whole lot of people standing in line behind me on that statement here in the USA, except for a very few!  And no amount of living for Jesus will ever get me to Ok what is happening in the name of Politics. One or the other must be denied. STAND UP! AND SAY SO! At least register a protest.
   
    You either believe Jesus, as the only way to God or not. And if you do believe this basic fundamental of fundamentalist teaching how can you have a MEETING with other Religions just so you’ll be politically correct and say at the same time, this is not political. OF COURSE IT AIN’T POLITICAL, CAUSE RELIGION AND POLITICS DON’T MIX. SO WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SAY THIS MEETING IS POLITICAL, AND MENTION JESUS AND FAITH, WELL THAT BABY WON’T FLY! NOT IN THE GOOD OLE USA. BETTER NOT LET THE STATE HEAR YOU, BETTER NOT LET GOD HEAR YOU!  That is not a day of Honor, but a day of dishonor to a God that likes honesty. If your gonna have a GOD DAY, THEN HAVE A GOD DAY!!!

    SO HIDE IT ALL UNDER THE GUISE, OF A NON POLITICAL MEETING, WITH SARAH  SPEAKING THERE, RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. DO YOU THINK WE’RE DORKY? OF COURSE, THAT WOMAN IS POLITICAL.   

    But hey, who am I, to understand the deep things of God. I really try hard, to let people who are a whole lot smarter than I try to fix:

    1. World hunger. We cannot side step this issue or put it off.

    2. Lack of Medical care. It exacerbates a growing problem. Things left to themselves usually get worse, not better. We cannot side step this issue or put it off.

    3. WHAT TO DO WHEN, people’s savings obtain Wings and fly, who knows where, LEAVING DEVASTATION IN IT’S TRACKS. They simply have to plan to work longer and harder, thereby keeping jobs young folk need which contributes to Unemployment. We cannot side step this issue or put it off.

    4. The lack of housing or Banks foreclosing on  housing, during emergencies ,AND ALSO in plain ole non-emergencies. We cannot side step this issue or put it off.

    5. There are Diseases that rampage the 3rd World Countries and now are our very own concern, due to Planes cutting time into pieces. We cannot side step this issue or put it off.

    6. Immigration IS A LIVE WIRE, SLAPPING ALL OVER THE PLACE. I think you need the POWER COMPANIES to solve this problem. WHO’S GOT THE POWER? We cannot side step this issue or put it off.
   
     7. Abortions, YIKES, their CONSCIENCE IS A POWERFUL THING TO HANDLE THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE NOT BLATANT. Murder is murder, no matter how it’s done. We can get all Politically Correct if we want to, and call it a nicer word, but if the truth be told???? TRUTHFUL LIPS ENDURE FOREVER, BUT A LYING TONGUE LASTS ONLY A MOMENT. Forgiveness is Merciful. Get you some Mercy and get it fast. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits -- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:2-5
We cannot side step this issue or put it off.

    8.  Insurance Companies, BUILDING MONUMENTS to a dead Medical System, 1 million dollars, at a time for a baby aspirin. HEY, I REALIZE I STRETCH BUT IN SOME STORIES IT’S OK TO DO THAT. I’M JUST MAKING A POINT, BY EXACERBATION(makes it worse). I don’t want the Insurance companies coming after me, when they have to pay for a WAKE FOR THE MEDICAL SYSTEM. Get it right for everyone involved. I believe in the Resurrection! We cannot side step this issue or put it off.

    But exacerbation is exactly the WORD for PROBLEMS THAT ARE LEFT TO THEMSELVES. THEY GET WORSE, BY BEING UN-CARED FOR. AT ONE POINT, THEY WERE TREATABLE. UNTIL TOO MANY SIDE STEPPED THE ISSUES. BUT NOW????CAN THEY BE SOLVED????

    “YES! THEY CAN!!!

BUT HEY, AND WHO, IT’S ANYBODIES GUESS, AS TO WHERE, DO YOU STAND ON THE 8 ISSUES????”THE SILENT MAJORITY IS COWARDLY.....STAND UP, SPEAK OUT, WHO’S SIDE ARE YOU ON, and not just at the poles. BUT THEY SPEAK AT THE POLES. SPEAK WHAT?  THEY GOT A MOUTH don’t they, NOT JUST A VOTING ARM. Mercy, I can never figure out what they said at the poles. That takes an analysts. NOW, I CAN ANALYZE A VOICE. I CAN ANALYZE THE WRITTEN WORD. WE NEED A MOUTHY MAJORITY.

     These 8  are all Moralistic Issues AND THERE ARE ANSWERS TO THESE PROBLEMS, IF ONE HAS THE FAITH TO BELIEVE IT.......... Christians should be concerned with THE ANSWERS!. Also these are Political Issues we should all be addressing for the sake of our neighbor our brother. Ask yourself who’s getting hurt here? Go and bind their wounds. I’m not even asking you to pay for their Motel until they get on their feet, but I am asking you to, at the very least, SPEAK UP.  ADDRESS THE RIGHT ISSUES. BE FAIR. Why deal with the colors on the American Flag, because it’s non-confrontational, and a non-issue AND NOT DEAL with real issues that need addressing just because they are a ‘bucket of worms.” GO FOR IT,  IT MIGHT SOLVE SOMETHING, LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK, WITHOUT REGARDS TO REPRISAL. GO FOR IT! IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO PROGRESS!!! WE NEED ANSWERS!
WE GOT BRAINS IN THIS COUNTRY, THE GREATEST COUNTRY OF ALL, LET’S DO A BRAINIAC DAY!

    But hey we all agree, they all need fixing but from what direction are we going to approach these Moralistic Issues from. Surely not both! For that would be Civil War breaking out between the haves and the have nots. But you can hold hands if you don’t believe the two are capable of being one, to solve a common problem.

    I’ve seen people, candidates say, I’m a faith based man of God. Well then what is he doing in Politics the way the PICTURES ARE BEING TAKEN without taking a stand on a whole lot of ISSUES. He is going to HAVE TO approach every issue based on Jesus or should that is. And that means there is no separation between God and Politics. BECAUSE HE’S ONE AND THE SAME PERSON, TRYING NOT TO STEP ON ANYBODIES TOES! I’d like to see that choreographed on DANCING WITH THE STARS, ALL THE POLITICIANS DOING A TWO STEP AROUND GOD!

Now there may be separation of people all right but it is Christianity they are separated from not Politics. Everybody’s Political whether they want to believe it or not. Christianity in the Constitution, has nothing to do with Politics or Separation of Church and State or Religion, and everything to do with the freedom to ‘NOT BE RELIGIOUS.’ Religious people and Christians have been fighting for years not to be alike. You will take note, it was the Religious People who Crucified Christ. His very own People. Well, Atheists have the right, not to be Religious, so why not CHRISTIANS?

     A man’s faith does make a big difference on what he or she does in their Political Career. It should in reality go a long way toward making him or her different from another Political Figure. I say go as far as your Christianity allows you to go. Then it’s decision time. One or the other’s gonna suffer. Don’t let people tell you what you can and cannot believe, ON EITHER ISSUE. Decide for yourself. For you gonna live with it, good or bad, decision. But why can’t we have an open forum that allows for such disagreements in a sensible way. Write it out for all the World to see. WRITE IT DOWN! Write Pluses & Minuses and Pro's & Con's and Positives & Negatives and Rights & Wrongs. Maybe understanding can come from that direction. Somewhere in all that you should be able to see a pattern forming, an answer borne!

**** But I’d talk to God first, see what He has to say.****
****THERE I AM TALKING ABOUT GOD AGAIN****.

    So you see I cannot separate myself from God. It ain’t possible. SOMEHOW OR OTHER I AM ALL TIED UP IN KNOTS ABOUT ALL THE MORAL & POLITICAL ISSUES AND THEY INVOLVE GOD! He can separate me(I SURE HOPE NOT- BY UN-GRAFTING ME FROM THE ROOT OF JESSE OR THE JEWS, but I can’t do it.(just as he can separate you-so don’t be HAUGHTY!)

But I know there exists the SECURITY OF BELIEVER-ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED! The Son of God has . . . given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. - 1 John 5:20) But He took note of their distress when He heard their cry; for their sake he remembered HIS COVENANT and out of HIS GREAT LOVE he relented. Psalm 106:44-45

    So I guess the point I am trying to make is this, I am Political, as long as Political is Christian. I cannot go against my basic doctrines, of belief. IT WOULD NOT SOLVE, ONE OF THEM POLITICAL, STATE REGULATED, MORALISTIC, RELIGIOUS PROBLEMS TO GET PEOPLE TO DENY WHO THEY ARE IN GOD!

And I have talked to God about it.

PS...now I am not advocating YOU TO, stay away from Politics. I say, “JUMP IN WITH BOTH FEET, YOU’RE ALREADY WALKING ON IT’S ASHES, whether you Vote or not..” But for goodness sake, use some common sense, even if you don’t want TO ASK FOR, the Wisdom God has to offer!

SO, NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO HAVE A MEETING, be gutsy enough to CALL IT POLITICAL. WE ALREADY KNOW IT’S RELIGIOUS!

NO WONDER PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED AS TO WHAT WE BELIEVE !!!
Ok, me for one.

A.  You can be Religious, but not Political at the same time
B.  You can be Political but not Religious at he same time.
C.  You can be Religious and have no Politics at all
D   You can be Political and have no Religion at all.
E.   You can be Religious and Political, if you’re gutsy enough to SPEAK UP & STAND FOR IT

                      So what’s the answer to all of this?
                       ALL OF THE ABOVE.
P.S.-2
I reread this, it appears I need to clarify(not butter filled with lemon, for crab meat-yummy. Now that I would love.The Indians got a Seafood Buffet on Friday night, that is fantastic in their Casinos. I go when I can.) I am just trying to make this PS interesting..........and homey!!!!???>>>LETS CLARIFY!!!????>>>>***It's a simple matter of saying one more time***A Christian may be inside Religion. But Religion will not be inside a Christian.***


Love Nina
Later more later