Tag Archives: Religion and Spirituality

Friday Proverb – True Riches

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It saddens us when we see prosperity preachers at work.  Just like state run lotteries, and “legalized” gambling casinos – the participants in these schemes are most often those who can least afford it. 

Our blessed Savior lived His earthly ministry in poverty.  His life was to be an example to us.   There is no place in Scripture, that equates material wealth with spiritual wealth.  Money is not evil – the love of money is. 

Proverbs 10:22

 The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it.

jesus-christ-wallpapers-4

Our spiritual father – Abraham – lived a spiritually rich life, in such close fellowship with the LORD, that he was allowed to speak directly to the pre-incarnate Christ!  When we think of the faith of Abraham, leaving his comfortable life and venturing to an unknown land, and then offering his beloved son on an altar to the LORD, we must be humbled.  How can we have this kind of richness – with no sorrow added?  We must walk as closely with the LORD as Abraham did.  With no interference from the world and its trappings.  Abraham’s life in the desert, was “separated” from the surrounding heathen nations.

That kind of rich life, may entail separating your “tribe” from the pagans that surround you.  He lived among them (surrounded actually!) but he did not live with them.  That is an important distinction everyone needs to make note of.

Beloveds – do you live with the pagans? Or among them?  If you separate yourself from the world – you will be spiritually rich, with no sorrow.  We’re talking about overflowing abundance,  so glorious that you are praising Him from morning till night – in any and all circumstances.  This rich life may require you get rid of your cable, if you can’t  watch it in good faith [ you know what I’m talking about.]  It may entail purging yourself of many possessions – if they are controlling you.  How much mental space is devoted to your source of bondage?  Bondage being anything from your hair, your children, even to your mortgage payment.   Abraham was willing to place his son on the altar – what are you willing to place on the altar?

Decide now to live for him, and only him, and you will be richly blessed – with no added sorrow.

sage

Friday Proverb – Sluggish Workers

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I’m sure we’ve all seen it – one or two people actually working – while the vast majority are standing or sitting around doing nothing.  While it has always been sinful human nature to be lazy – certainly the death of the famous Protestant Work Ethic has elevated sluggishness to a lifestyle – perhaps even an art form. 

Proverbs 10:26

 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,

Bitter and burning – that is what the sluggard is to employers and those in authority.  And the taste of vinegar is long lasting and memorable – as is smoke in the eyes.  Never will the sluggard be looked on in any other way, than as a sluggard or potential sluggard. 

So is the sluggard to them that send him.

Do we really want the world to see believers that way?  Think about that word – sluggard.  Not at all a pleasant image to think about.   And it is also unpleasant to recognize,  that the sluggard does not only hurt himself and the image of the church – he leaves a slime trail. 

Which means that though the sluggard is being self indulgent, he really is leaving a sticky trap behind him for others to see where he’s been,  where he is going, and where to follow. . .

There are so many behaviors that qualify as sluggish, in the church, it would be impossible to list them all here.  We could fully embrace the Lord’s perfection, and even recognize such sins as adultery and gluttony as sluggishness.  For example, the lazy spouse will seek outside relationships, or even internet pornography, rather than working on their marriage.  A sluggish body will eat copious amounts of easily obtained foods, rather than prepare healthy foods to eat – because the preparation (planning, shopping, cooking) requires effort and – work. 

We are to blame for the situations we find ourselves in.  Bad decisions are one thing – and sluggishness is its evil twin.  Let us strive to put our best foot forward – and show to the sinful, fallen world, the radiance of a Holy Spirit filled life, and reflect outwards –  the Light of the Son. 

Rick Warren – Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

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Rick Warren on Roman Catholicism: “We have more in common than what divides us”

Dec 17 2014

RICK WARREN ON ROMAN CATHOLICISM: “WE HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN WHAT DIVIDES US”

Warren, whose Purpose Driven Life and Purpose Driven Church books have sold millions of copies around the world, recorded a video interview for the Catholic News Service in which he said: “We have far more in common than what divides us.”

He continued: “When you talk about Pentecostals, charismatics, evangelicals, fundamentalists, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians … Well, they would all say we believe in the trinity, we believe in the Bible, we believe in the resurrection, we believe salvation is through Jesus Christ. These are the big issues.

“Sometimes Protestants think that Catholics worship Mary like she’s another god. But that’s not exactly Catholic doctrine.”

He also referred to the Roman Catholic practice of prayer to the saints, which Protestants reject, saying: “When you understand what they mean by what they’re saying, there’s a whole lot more commonality.

“Now there’s still real differences, no doubt about that. But the most important thing is if you love Jesus, we’re on the same team.”

He said that Church unity would realistically be “not a structural unity but a unity of mission. And so, when it comes to the family we are co-workers in the field on this for the protection of what we call the sanctity of life, the sanctity of sex, and the sanctity of marriage. So there’s a great commonality and there’s no division on any of those three.”

Warren recently took part in a Vatican conference on the Complementarity of Man and Woman alongside conservative stalwart Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. His remarks are in tune with the tone of Pope Francis, who has spoken warmly of evangelicals and brought a different emphasis to inter-Church engagement.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/rick.warren.on.roman.catholicism.w…

[TBC: Commonality is not established by the lowest common denominator. To say someone loves Jesus means nothing if it’s “another Jesus” or if the “gospel” they present is not the biblical gospel (2 Corinthians:11:4, Galatians:1:8). The works salvation gospel of Rome is contrary to the biblical gospel, and the Jesus of Roman Catholicism did not pay the full penalty for sin. Our Lord declared, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew:7:21).]

http://www.thebereancall.org/content/rick-warren-roman-catholicism-we-have-more-common-what-divides-us

Over a  decade ago I was chased out of my church, because of my tooth and nail resistance to going “purpose driven.”  Now, Rick Warren is boldly going where he always intended to go – the one world religion.

2 Peter 2:1-3

2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Rick Warren

Dear Mr. Rick Warren – you make me sick.  May God have mercy, and cause you to repent.