two sides of the coin. jesus the source of love

To love a higher power (God),

Is how we find the ability to love others (wife, kids, family, friends, enemies).

Jesus is the source of love. 

Find the source, 

And the well spring of life will bubble up flowing forevermore.

Life is all. 

I this world of experiences. 

The dark and the down trodden parts. 

The fights the anger the pain the sorrow. 

There will be no joy or peace, 

If we never knew war or sickness. 

Thank God for the good times. 

Remember Him in the bad ones. 

Holy jealousy Romans 11:11&14

Jealousy...

Always thought that that word had a negative connotation. The only line in where it is used for holiness is:

Our God is a jealous god.

But here in Romans, we read that Paul and God are trying to incite the isrealites (and anyone that has fallen away) to become jealous of those that have accepted Christ and is in God's grace and mercy.

So it is okay to be jealous... For the right things. To hunger and thirst for righteousness.

That is the thing we should strive to be jealous about.. Not others fancy car, house or family... But others obedience and walking in step with the Holy Spirit. That is something worth desiring, a life intune with God, grafted into a holy vine. 

Romans 8:5-8

There's only two wills:

God's and the sinful nature.

Whatever is not of the Holy Spirit,

Is of this world and the flesh.

There is no such thing as the flesh doing anything to please God. Whatever is good, it has to come from God.

So everything else that is no of God,

Is sinful.

There is nothing holy,

It things outside of God.

There is no such thing as pleasing God,

By doing things of the flesh.

Choose the Holy Spirit,

Follow God's will.

Die to one's own self 

Romans 3:31

We don't forsake the law because our salvation is by faith in Jesus. But in fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

There is no way to follow the law perfectly, by human standards and strength alone. The one and only way to fulfill it in all it's fullness is to believe in Christ first, then only are we able to do what is required by God.

That is what the law was originally for.

It was what God wanted for us.

Is what God wants.

That's why we have the law.

It's not for us to achieve a communion or to reach God's standards or access to Him or something arbitrary like that...

What's the reason we have the law?

It's because that is what God wants.

But by our human standards we will never ever achieve it. 

don't worship the stars and the moon

Was looking for this verse for some time...

Remember reading it just after NZ Spirit's Resolution festival few years back...

As if God Himself was reminding me about pagan worship that comes along with these kind of new-agey stuff. 

Zephaniah 1:5

"For they go up to thier roofs

And bow down to the sun, moon and stars.

They claim to follow the Lord,

But then they worship Molech too."

For all those into self improvement, personal development... the rabbit hole goes deep towards hocus pocus stuff like the Secret (manifestation, law of attraction), Mexican Ayahusca (phyto psychedelic) , occult Kybalion (esoteric hermeticism)...

They'll throw it funky add-ons like crystals, sages, bells and whistles, frequencies, vibrations and such...

But eventually mostly boil down to a similar concept:

"That whatever we want, comes form something within us, that is in our control. (Or well, the choice to choose whatever is 'out there' in the universe)"

Hence, yeah...

Its opposition to Christianity.

Whereby out help and salvation comes from God, and not our ownself. Through Jesus Chirst.

Its odd really.. this Christmas. His name is being mentioned less and less. As if were afraid to mention his name (Luke 9:26). Its a form of social anxiety, a desire to fit in with everyone and not be divisive..

But yeah... well... I guess we can't worship two gods at the same time right. Our God is monotheistic, not allowing us polythisme. Just as how a wife has righteous jealousy when her husband might be tempted away by another woman's lustful seduction. So too should we protect the sacredness of marriage being between only one man and woman (Another particularly sensitive topic in today's world).

How to incite hate? How not to make another angry. Is being complacent and accommodating what God would ha e wanted for Sodom and Gomorrahs way of life?

Or does fire and brimstone not exist in this world of rainbow unicorns and strawberries anymore.... 

why we have the law

V11. Its clear no one can be made right before God by trying to keep the law....

Then...Why do Christians have so much laws???

Well, one thing for sure, it's not following those laws that saves us.

Nor does laws give us the Holy Spirit.

Believing in God is what's needed to put us right. Just believe, as simple as that. Belief

V19 

Q: why, then, was the law given? 

A: it was given alongside the promise (of Christ), to SHOW people their sins

That's it... that's all that the law is good for. To show us our flaws. To show our wretchedness and depravity...

There's no honor or glory in trying to obey the law.... no prestige or fame from being a law abiding person

The law is just that, to show our shortcomings. Nothing to be celebrated.

What we celebrate instead is Christ, in Him is the honor, glory and power to save us. Forever and ever. In has been, in the past, the present and days to come. So if one, wants to boast, boast in this: that it is the simple fact of believing in Christ that we're saved. Not the works of man. But God.

hard to read the bible now

getting old in age.

at 30 plus..

when i read chapters in the bible,

sometimes i dont understand what i'm reading anymore

not like how it was back then when i was younger

i could read slower, longer, and more focused

my attention span has serverly degraded to passive consumption of media

how do i train back my ability to read

and enjoy reading