Anger/Wrath

When was the last time you got really angry either at someone in particular or at a specific situation? Was it today? Yesterday? Last week?

It doesn’t matter whether it was against someone you love, someone you are acquainted with, or someone you didn't really know. Anger is the enemy of kindness; it is the opposing virtue of patience and compassion.

Anger tends to be a first reaction to things that either we don’t understand or disapprove of. Anger tends to be a defensive mechanism where we “put up our guard” in order to verbally defend ourselves. Or in worse situations, it could be where we aggressively attack someone physically, psychologically, or verbally.

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 10:19

I’m sure you’ve heard something similar to the following…

“That car can go 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds.”

This is often how anger works. Anger can reach dangerous levels in very short periods of time. Many times, it can innocently start out as frustration related to either the proven or perceived faults of others. Frustration that is left “unchecked” can and often will snowball into anger/wrath. Sometimes this emotion might occur immediately, other times it might take a little longer to cultivate in someone’s mind before the devil convinces them to “turn it up a notch.”

Anger and wrath are considered one and the same and Websters online dictionary defines the world wrath as follows:

Forceful, often vindictive anger.

• Punishment or vengeance as a manifestation of anger
• Divine retribution for sin

Ultimately, anger is a decision. How we respond or act in various day-to-day situations stems from both our minds as well as our hearts. If we allow God to give us peace in our hearts, our reactions will be much more benign.

I can think of nothing more fearful than the wrath of God. If you’ve ever read the book of Genesis then you know what I’m talking about. Hint: Remember the great flood?

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

⁹ For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Psalm 37:8-9

Final thoughts –

Very often, anger stems from a self-conflict between our own ideals and those of others…versus the actual situation at hand. No situation can reach a positive outcome through the act of anger. We must attempt to keep our hearts at peace and our actions guided by the word of the Lord. For many of us, our tongue is the most accessible and harmful weapon we have. The hateful words that we mistakenly say to loved-ones often hurts them worse than any dagger or bullet. Be mindful of what you say and how you act to the people you love – as well as those you come in contact with on a daily basis. Each person is in their own unique place with Christ. It is not up to us to judge how strong or weak someone else's faith might be. But, we can do at least two things:

1) Hold our tongues and not partake in sinful “verbal tennis matches” with others. The devil has a front row, mid-court seat when this occurs - and he smiles wickedly at his cunningness.

2) Help others grow in Christ. As I mentioned…each person is in their own unique place with Christ. Help them and speak to them about the goodness of the Lord. Either they will listen or they won’t.

⁹One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.

Acts 18:9

I’ll leave you with this passage from James:

¹⁹My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

James 1:19-21

God bless you. And this is for His glory!

Greed

During today’s discussion I’m going to discuss Greed.

Greed is a type of personal enslavement. I say this because greed makes us stray from the path of righteousness. Greed is a desire for more. It might be for more money, fame, or material goods. Greed gets us so caught up in its “process” that we tend to de-prioritize the truly important things in life.

Greed is nothing more than a short-term high. I say this because a greedy person can ever have true happiness. It’s my feeling that those who aspire to be rich have a false sense of reality. Does money truly buy happiness? Can money save you from an illness? Can money change who you are? Can money make you invincible? Of course not.

Money gives you a false illusion of reality. Can it make life easier at times? Sure it can. But the desire to accumulate more is always there. When one is burdened with the desire of greed the job is never done.

Remember the words that Jesus spoke in the story of the Rich Man…

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Mark 10:17-25

Final thoughts –

Most often the desire for power outweighs greed; however, both go hand-in-hand and it would be difficult to have one without the other.

The sin of greed changes who we are and how we treat others. Remember that Jesus was born in a manger. He was not born in a lavish place with warm blankets and an abundance of food. This of course, was the will of God and it teaches us a lesson to trust in his ways and he will take care of us.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

Luke 12:22-26

The opposing virtue of greed is Generosity and I pray that scripture will influence you more than my words. Therefore, I’ll end today’s discussion by sharing with you the Parable of the Rich Fool…

Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Luke 12:13-34

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Examples of Faith #1

Every so often I'll be posting biblical examples of tremendous faith shown by random individuals in the bible. All these postings will be titled "Examples of Faith".

Our first example takes place during the crucifixion when Jesus is being crucified with two other malefactors (criminals). One of the malefactors was looking for Jesus to save them (he was out of options at that point). The other, however, believed that Jesus was The Christ, and asked Jesus to remember him once he took his reign in Heaven.

This was a tremendous act of faith and courage that has always touched me. It also shows our Lord's ability to forgive sins - even during His most trying hour.

Lord, thank you for your sacrifice.

The first Example of Faith passage...

And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.

And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,

And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.

And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Luke 23:32-43

Never lose faith in the Lord.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Lust

Lust…for all intents and purposes is a desire or fantasy created in the both the heart and the mind. They are feelings or emotions that are contrary to what God wants us to focus on. Lust takes us out of the present and puts us into an isolated near dream state. Have you ever been sitting around thinking about something and become lost in the moment? Eventually you snap out of it and wonder how much time had passed.

The devil uses lust to gain leverage over our hearts and minds. The devil loathes the Lord and will do everything he can to steer us away from the path of Heaven. He himself is damned and therefore wants to bring as many of God’s children along with him as he can.

The word of the Lord -

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:28-30

Lust can be summed up as the self-destructive drive for pleasure…and each and every time…it is NEVER worth it. There always seems to be great temptation in the beginning, then once an act has been committed, those with conscience become disappointed in their actions. How many of you have ever thought… “What was I thinking?”


Final Thoughts -

Today’s society makes it very easy for all of us to be tempted with the sinful emotion of lust. TV advertisements, commercials, magazines and such are riddled with advertisements and messages of lust, desire, and self-corruption. Look, I’m not saying that watching TV or reading is evil. All I’m saying is that our current society is financially driven. I’m sure that all of you have heard the term “Sex sells.” This could surely be translated into “Lust sells” as lust is the driving force behind this lure.

Personally, I feel as though I once was the devil’s “go to” guy when it came to fulfilling his daily quota of lustful sins. But, I’ll tell you this – I am no longer his puppet and he no longer pulls my strings…and don’t let him pull yours.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1-5

It is clear that lust is a sneaky emotion that creeps up on us when we least expect it. The enemy, the devil, is always on the lookout for new recruits. Be true to yourself and your loved ones. But most importantly be true to God, for He loathes all sin.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:13-15

The virtue opposing lust is self-control. Use it to keep your soul from suffocating under this deadly sin.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Envy

Envy...it is the sinful desire to possess something that you do not have. It is most commonly associated with the desire to possess something that someone else already has. It is a self centered wish, want, or craving for something that God has decided that you are not ready for…or may, in fact, never be ready for.

Have you ever said to yourself, “that person is lucky, I wish that I could be like him or her.” Or thought…“Wow, did you hear about the house that XYZ bought?!”

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Proverbs 14:30

Envy might also cast evil into ones heart by producing jealousy. Just like envy, jealously can lead to anger and sinful actions. We must all be mindful of the random yearnings of our hearts. If God wills it – then it will be so. If God does not will it – then it will not be so. Amen.

I would dare to say that no one has walked the path of life without running into the sin of envy on more than one occasion. Envy probably could be considered a common human emotion. Unfortunately, some people take it to the extreme and become obsessed over achieving or obtaining this or that. Those that read scripture and fear the Lord tend to be more aware of this emotion, as it is mentioned in numerous passages in the bible.

We should all be thankful for the blessings that God has provided to us. We have food, clothing, a home and God willing, our health. Aren’t these truly the basic necessities for human survival? Last time that I checked, having a Jaguar or multiple fancy sports cars in the driveway doesn’t change man's basic necessities.

We all were born with nothing and will take nothing with us when we die.

My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad;

my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.

Proverbs: 23:15-17


Final thoughts –

Let us give thanks to the Lord every single day for the things that we have. There is a reason that we do or do not have certain “possessions” or have achieved a certain "status." We may not always understand the reason(s), but that is okay. We must remove the sinful emotion of jealousy and envy from our hearts…as we will gain nothing by carrying this burden with us.

The opposing virtue against envy is Love.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

John 13:34 (Jesus at the Last Supper)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Pride

Pride is widely considered to be one of the most serious of the 7 deadly sins. Pride also seems to be one of the first sins ever committed. One of the most widely documented examples of the sin of pride started with the devil himself.

Lucifer was created a Cherub (a mighty angel – and the same class of angel as the one that guarded the Garden of Eden) by the will of God and he was said to be both a powerful and beautiful angel. Before long, Lucifer became so self-absorbed with his power, beauty, and intellect that he desired the throne of God for himself. Of course, he and numerous other betraying angels failed in their attempt to take over the throne of the almighty God and thus the lot was cast out of heaven forever. The sin that corrupted Lucifer was that of pride.

Pride includes actions such as self-absorption, arrogance, conceit or boasting. It is the act of putting yourself first over others. It is also the act of high-mindedness. Pride and vanity are similar in that you care only for yourself and it’s “all about you.”

Example: Let’s say you come home from work and immediately go and get something to eat out of the fridge. You don’t bother to ask your spouse or loved ones if they would like something – you just know that it’s been a long day and you’re hungry. This is one simple example of the self-absorption component of pride that I am referring to. Pride is also the concept of thinking that you look or ‘are’ better than other people. This certainly was not the way that Christ acted when he was on earth. Nor is this the way he wants or expects us to act.

Also, beware of pride within the hearts others. If you see someone who exhibits a great deal of vanity or pride – do not allow them to bother you. How many times have you heard either you or someone else say…“well at least I’m not as bad as so and so.” Beware of making comparison statements such as these. For in doing this, we also are at risk of sin.

Think about the word PRIDE for a moment – isn’t it interesting how the letter “I” sits directly in the middle of the word?

Humility and charity are virtues that oppose pride. Be mindful of these and be on guard when times get tough. The devil is always on the lookout to inspire your heart to sin.

Passage:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

James 4:13-18


Final thoughts –

The one thing that I learned while researching the sin of pride was that I unconsciously find myself doing many of these things. It hasn’t been as much the vanity part as it has been self-absorption.

The many lessons that I’ve learned from this sin is to be mindful of being arrogant, putting myself first, and to remain humble. This becomes especially difficult if you’ve never had to think about this before - much less act on it. But for me, change is not only necessary, it is mandatory.

Therefore, be mindful of the sin of pride. Be aware of all the bad characteristics, behaviors, actions, etc. that makeup pride. For many of us (including myself) this becomes a daily struggle to combat the endless tidal waves of temptation.

Although my personal struggle with pride is great, I have faith. Because with the Lord, all things are possible. And I pray that he helps me to overcome my weaknesses and earthly temptations.

With that being said, I'll leave you with this passage from Isaiah:

I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.

I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

Isaiah 13:11


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

7 Deadly Sins Intro

This is an introduction to a 7 part series of postings where I’ll be discussing the 7 deadly sins. The 7 deadly sins are also known as “capital sins” and I will address each of them in individual posts.

The7 Deadly Sins: (in no particular order)

1. Pride
2. Envy
3. Lust
4. Greed/Avarice
5. Anger/Wrath
6. Gluttony
7. Sloth

I feel that it is important remain aware of these on a daily basis. Anyone of us is at risk of committing 1 or all 7 at virtually any moment. Look over the list…from where I’m sitting it wouldn’t be hard to commit any of these. The devil has made it easy for us to sin and he wants to keep it that way.

As I have stated in the previous Saint Valentine posting – the road to Heaven is not an easy journey. However, I’d rather live 30 to 70 some years giving glory to God and running into bumps in the road, rather than to dimiss His word and be tormented in Hell for an eternity. This might sound a bit blunt, hardcore, or even over the top - but this is no joking matter, at least not for me, and I hope you feel the same way. If not, I’ll try convincing you otherwise throughout all of the subsequent postings.

Lastly, I also think that we tend to forget about the importance of the 7 deadly sins – perhaps because they might get overshadowed by the 10 Commandments. I am not comparing the 7 deadly sins to the 10 Commandments. What I am saying is that we must remain cognizant of both, if we truly want to maximize our relationship with God, follow his word, and have a chance to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

I’m really pumped up about learning more about these and sharing my thoughts with you.

Up Next – The 7 Deadly Sins.









God bless you.

And this is for His Glory!

Saint Valentine

The story of Saint Valentine –

Since February 14th is recognized as Valentine’s Day (at least in the United States), I thought that I’d share the story behind how this day became a part of our history. There seem to be numerous minor variations of this story, but overall here is a summary of what seems to be the most consistent that I’ve ran across:

Valentine was a priest that lived in Rome during the 3rd century. Emperor Claudius was the ruler during that time and he was a very cruel man. One of the items on Claudius’ “agenda” was to invade Britain. At that time, the Romans were tired of wars and fighting and they didn’t want to leave their loved ones to go off to war. Claudius was having a difficult time getting soldiers for his army. In an effort to obtain more soldiers, Claudius decided to stop all marriages. He thought that if men weren’t married, they wouldn’t mind joining the army.

The people of Rome were obviously furious with this new rule as was Valentine. Valentine continued to marry young couples in secret. The timeline is unclear as to how long this continued. What is known is that during one ceremony - Roman soldiers came and placed Valentine in prison for breaking the law of Claudius. Thankfully, the couple that was with Valentine that night escaped.

Believing in the power of love, many young people came and visited Valentine while he was imprisoned. They brought him flowers and notes that he placed on the prison wall. One frequent visitor was the daughter of one of the prison guards. She was allowed to stay and talk with Valentine for hours on end.

On the day of his execution, Valentine left the jailers’ daughter a note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it, “Love from your Valentine.”

Valentine was executed on February 14th somewhere around 269 A.D.


So on this day remember the words of Christ during the Last Supper:

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

John 13:34-35

And do not forget…

“Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1st Corinthians 13:13

God Bless you. And this is for HIS Glory!

Forgiveness

How difficult do you find it to forgive someone? Can you do it at the drop of a hat? Or does it take some time for you to cool down? In order for us to fairly answer this question one must look at the transgression that took place. The difference in the transgression can and will affect most peoples judgment on the timeline to forgiveness. Never-the-less, you must forgive…irregardless of how difficult this might be.

Take heed in this verse from Matthew:

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

(Matthew 6:14-15 KJV)

Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant is another good example of what we're talking about here:

21Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?"

22Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

23"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.

24When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him whoowed him ten thousand talents;

25and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.'

27And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

28But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay what you owe.'

29So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.'

30He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt.

31When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.

32Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me;

33and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant,as I had mercy on you?'

34And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt.

35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart

MATTHEW 18:21-35 (RSV)

The bottom line is this ---

If you cannot forgive others of their trespasses then God will not forgive you of yours. We are not here to judge, that is for the Lord to decide. In the end, we will all answer for our actions. I see our time on earth is being a "dry run" of sorts, and either we pass or we fail the test. Passing means we enter in to the Kingdom of Heaven...and failing, well let's just say that you don't want to know whats behind "Door #2" if you know what I mean.

So let's continue with the bottom line -

We are born into sin and none of us are without sin in our lives. It is a daily commitment that one must strive to think (of God's words) before we act. It is a difficult journey, but I believe that the destination is worth every earthy hardship there is to endure.

I will leave you with a passage from the book of John:

John 8:1-11 (New International Version)

1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Remember…God will never abandon you. Never loose faith in Him.

"Through God all things are possible."

God Bless you. And this is for HIS Glory!

The Test

Prior to his betrayal by Judas, the Lord was praying on the Mount of Olives. When he gets up from prayer he finds his Apostles on the ground sleeping.

“Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not be tempted.”

Some bible versions also translate this to say: "Pray that you are not put to the test."

“The Test” is a test of undying faith and devotion to the Lord. When things are going great and we seem to have everything that we need, it becomes easy to thank God for all of his blessings. However, what happens when everything starts going wrong?

What if you lose your job, your home gets broken into, you cut a flat tire, or become ill? What is your perception of the Lord then? Has it changed because of your situation? Are you now angry at the Lord because things are not going as you think they should?

Each and every event in our lives is a lesson. What we take from that lesson is up to us.

Give praise and thanks to the Lord each and every day. Be thankful for the things that you have versus the things that you don’t have. (Greed – one of the 7 deadly sins).

Have you heard the story of Job?

Job was a righteous man whom always strove to please God. The Lord rewarded him with a large family, home, cattle and great wealth.

The Devil was jealous of Job. So he argued that Job would rebuke God if all his possessions were taken away. In order to reveal a lesson through Job, the Lord permitted the Devil to take away all of Jobs possessions.

Robbers came and drove away his cattle, slew his servants, and stole his possessions. Then, a terrible tornado from the desert came and wiped away his home, killing all of his children. In response to all of this Job said…

"God gave, and God hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."

The Devil of course was both outraged and ashamed and came back to the Lord and once again argued that Job would defy the Lord’s name if his skin and bone were terribly diseased. Again, the Lord agreed and in order to prove Job’s loyalty the Lord allowed the Devil to strike Job with leprosy that ate away his skin.

Even through terrible suffering Job continued to pray and give thanks to the Lord. His own wife even tried persuading him to speak out against God (the Devil was trying everything).

After God had shown everyone the perfect example of devotion through Job, he blessed him. Job then received back more possessions than he originally had. He fathered 10 more children, and continued to live for another 140 years in honor and service to the Lord.

How would you react if you were put to the test?

I pray that my family and I are never put to the test.

Until next time -

God bless you

Sin and Free Will

Sin –

Sin, or Evil, is a violation of God’s law. Transgression, or sin, is violating the will of God.
How did people begin to sin, and who was the first to violate the will of God?

Before the creation of the visible world and man, God created angels. Angels are bodiless spirits, invisible and immortal. All the angels were created good and God gave them complete freedom to love God or not, and to live with God or without God.

One of the most radiant and powerful angels did not wish to love God, to depend on Him, and fulfill the will of God, but desired to become like God Himself, to live independently. This angel ceased to obey God and began to resist God in everything. Thus he became the enemy of God, and many other angels went with him.

For such a rebellion against God these angels were all deprived of the light and blessedness that had been given to them, and they became evil, dark spirits.

All these dark, evil spirits are now called demons or devils. The main devil who was once the most radiant of the angels is called Satan, the enemy of God.

The Devil inspires people not to obey God, but to sin. The Devil deceives. By cleverness and deceit he taught the first people created by God, Adam and Eve, to violate the will of God.

All people come from Adam and Eve, who first fell into sin, and therefore we are born with an inclination to sin. Being constantly committed from generation to generation, sin has taken power over all men and has submitted everyone to itself. All men — to a greater or lesser degree — are sinners.

It is sin that constantly separates man from God and leads to suffering, illness, and death — temporal and eternal. It is for this reason that mankind began to suffer and die. Men alone, by their own efforts, could not overcome the evil that had spread throughout the world, or destroy death. God in His compassion gave help to men, sending to earth His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The above passage was taken from http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/LGOT/sin.shtml and I thank them for a very touching summary of the Lord's compassion toward man.

My comments on this passage –

One of the main points the summary above makes is the fact that all of God’s creations (including angels) were given a power called “Free Will”. I call it a power because a single decision can change the course of your life, your family’s life, or someone else’s life forever. Free will is the ability to make a choice. As human beings we make thousands of choices every single day. Most are minor such as what color socks or belt to wear. Others examples might be…do I sleep in for another 15 minutes and skip breakfast or get up and eat? Do I get gas before or after going to work, etc. You get the picture.

The struggle for most human beings surrounds the reality of free will. I heard self-help guru Anthony Robbins once say that people do things for either one of two reasons: Either for Pain or Pleasure. In other words – if a certain action will give them more pain than pleasure, they likely will resist doing it. This can be something as trivial as taking out the garbage or mowing the lawn. Ultimately, human beings resist pain and struggle…it’s just inherent in our nature. Is it a survival mechanism? Or simply laziness? (Sloth – one of the 7 deadly sins). However, one thing we should keep in mind is the word “Selfless”, which is synonymous to unselfishness. This is the act of giving of yourself for the good of others. It’s the act of putting other people first. In recent history, the first person that comes to mind when I think of the world selfless is the late Mother Theresa. She devoted her life to helping and caring for the poor in a 3rd world country.

My personal belief is that God did not intend to create robots. He blessed, yes blessed man with free will. What would humanity be like if we were simply a predictable, robotic, God loving race? I don’t believe that this was His intent. His intent was belief through FAITH. What is faith? Quite simply, faith is the ability to believe (both in your mind and heart) that God exists without being an eye-witness. Remember the story of Thomas? What if I asked - do you remember the story of ‘doubting’ Thomas? Would that ring a bell? Thomas, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles chose not to believe that the Lord had risen from the dead without seeing it for himself.

From the Gospel of John –

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.

“Blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe.”

In Conclusion –

Each and every one of us has the power of free will. How we chose to use it – is up to us. I plan to apply my power of free will to glorify God each and every day. I have faith that through the Lord’s blessings that he will teach me the lessons that I need to learn to lead my family down the right path with the ultimate goal of getting through the Gates of Heaven. I sincerely hope you can do the same.

God bless you and remember…God will never abandon you. Have FAITH and you will be rewarded. Amen.

Crucifixion

From the Gospel of John - Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha.

There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'"

Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."

So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene.

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"

Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst."

A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth.

When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Introduction*

This blog is dedicated to the glory of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

This blog is meant to be an inspirational vehicle not only for myself, but for others to use when they are down or having doubts about their relationship with God.

God almighty will NEVER abandon us. Only we can abandon him. He is always with us - watching over us. Remember...it's not our will, but His will be done.

As the picture above portrays, the road to Heaven is a narrow and treacherous path. The Enemy (The Devil, Satan, Lucifer...he of many names) looks for every opportunity to turn us from the path. He is envious of God and ultimately his pride was what got him kicked out of Heaven. Lucifer loved himself more than he loved God and...from what I understand, he wanted to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Thus, the Lord God almighty kicked the devil and his followers (other fallen angels) from the glory of Heaven - forever. Amen. Now the devil is outraged and wants to desperatley get back at God. He does this by temptation and the The Seven Deadly Sins. He is looking to pull us away from God and that act will only lead us to eternal death. Do not sway in your faith. I'll use a quote that my best friend once said to me..."All you have to do is OBEY HIM." I think that sums it up...Obey Him.

As for myself..the times of selfishness have past. The days of "me, me, me" are gone. The Lord has touched my life and has been there, even when I did not deserve his love. I am not worthy of his forgiveness or his love. However, I do pray everyday that he forgives my sins and I want to become a better man of God, father, husband, son, friend, and person.

About my site URL - http://www.gol-gotha.blogspot.com/ The word Gol'gotha is Hebrew meaning 'The place of the Skull' (also known as Calvary). This is the location where Jesus was crucified. Thus, I've dedicated my blog to the glory of our Lord and remain ever so grateful for his sacrifice....For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. -John 3:16

I leave you with this final thought from the First Commandment... "I am the LORD your God…You shall have no other gods before Me." Amen.

God bless you and I hope you enjoy my posts.