Author: ShapedByTruth

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is NOT about avoiding “punishment”.

Forgiveness is all about rebuilding relationship.

When I break God’s law, I can seek His forgiveness and with Him, the eternal slate is wiped clean because of Jesus. It is Jesus who bore God’s wrath and took my punishment for me, and God has promised to remember my sins no more.

But, all too often, this can lead us to think forgiveness should wipe away ALL consequences as well. We then make the mistake of believing that God is punishing us for our sins, when we are merely reaping the fruit we have sown.

There is always damage from transgression. If I do something to violate another person’s trust, I can repent and seek forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the first step in rebuilding the relationship with that person, but it will take time to regain trust and see full restoration.

In addition to trust, I will still have to face all the temporal consequences of my actions.

If I have broken man’s law, then I will still have to face man’s judgment system.

If I have abused and not taken care of my body, then I will have to deal with the possibility of disease and/or disability.

If I have sinned against another person, then I may never regain the same level of relationship I had.

If my sin has caused death, then I, and others, will have to deal with the loss.

Follow up from Getting What You Deserve

Getting What You Deserve?

Recently I ran across a conversation concerning judges taking pity on sex offenders and acting with leniency in sentencing. The question was asked “Is he [the sex offender] any less deserving of prayer and forgiveness than any of us?”

Deserving? We ALL *deserve* to be cast into hell. We need to be grateful for God’s mercy in not getting what we deserve because of God’s grace in Christ.

Justice: getting the punishment you deserve
Mercy: not getting the punishment you deserve
Grace: being given blessings that you do not deserve

Offenders do not *deserve* pity, love, forgiveness. We do not love others because they are deserving of it or have a “right” to it. We choose to love because we are loved by God even when we were unlovable. Out of the abundance of God’s love poured out on us, we turn and love others.

When/If the offender repents and receives God’s mercy and grace, then the ETERNAL consequences of his actions are forgiven.

As individuals, we are to love everyone, even the worst of offenders. You can love a person, and at the same time, hate their sinful behavior. Part of love is to hold others accountable for their behavior (Prov 13:24).

True, it is in the best interest of the family and victims to forgive and move on — keeping in mind that forgiveness does not mean immediate restoration of position and trust, and does not mean that the offender escapes accountability for his behavior. As individuals, we are to forgive after the same manner that we are forgiven.

Governments, however, are bestowed with a different set of responsibilities.

Law was instituted because of the hardness of people’s hearts. Mercy bestowed on a loving person is appreciated and promotes better behavior. Pity bestowed on a cold-hearted person is interpreted by that person as a reward for their behavior, and promotes more of whatever behavior is rewarded.

Governments and judges are charged with the responsibility to hold offenders accountable for the temporal consequences of their behavior. When they fail to do this, it comes across to society as permissiveness, advocating, and promotion of that behavior.

What this judge is saying is that it is OK, excusable, and justifiable to molest a child.

Instead of pitying the offender, what about the victims?

When is it OK for someone to act out their own selfish desires on an innocent child? What about the children whose lives have been ripped apart at the seams? Seems to me if anyone was to deserve pity, it would be the victim.

notes on homeschooling

– time with kids
– time as kids
– learn skills from a variety of ages instead of from a gang of 60 children of the same age
– learn to communication with people of different ages and backgrounds
– development of relationships is more important than accumulation of information or wealth (can’t take wealth with you, but relationships you build can literally last for eternity)
– closer, stronger family
– development of traditions
– exposure in a controlled environment to inoculate against destructive thinking
– Biblical world view
– love of learning
– learn to reason and think critically
– desire to learn
– learn how to form own opinion
– create ability/desire to research for oneself
– keep challenged
– spend extra time on difficult areas
– content and quality control
– learn “why” of history, instead of focus on who, where, when
– more options, variety, broad spectrum
– one on one
– individualized instruction

soapbox

The purpose of this blog is to sound off on:

1. Opinion
2. Personal experiences and feelings
3. Thoughts and ideas that are not fully developed

I try to only post things on the ‘bibleguy’ blog if I have a clear biblical support. The ‘soapbox’ is more for things that I may not have worked out completely yet. Additionally, posts here may tend to be a little less sensitive at times 🙂

Your input is welcome to help me stay on the straight and narrow.

Knowlege Puffeth Up

…Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 1 Cor 8:1-2 (NKJV) Gnosticism, mysticism, magick, etc all always have the “promise” of greater power always over the horizon, in the next level of hidden knowlege.

Reminds me of the sign I saw in a restaurant “Free fish tomorrow…” When you come back the next day, the sign still says “Free fish tomorrow…”

In all these “isms”, the initiate is always working to get to the next “level” in order to obtain the coveted “hidden knowlege”.Once they “level-up”, then they find only that the power they wanted is only available at the next level. In the process, what they do get is an ego boost — they take pride in thier accomplishment at getting to a higher level than someone else. They get a feeling of superiority from having access to privledged knowledge. Even if, in the end, the “knowledge” proves to be basically a worthless waste of time.It’s all smoke and mirrors. Satan, the father of lies, has no real power of his own. He can only offer facimiles of God’s power. At best, he can pull off a few parlor tricks to use as carrots to string along the gullible. But his promises are all empty and without any real substance.God is the true source of power and wisdom. If we have any question, God says to ask Him, and He will give us the truth and true wisdom.If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. James 1:5 (CEV)

Itching Ears

A wise man is hungry for truth, while the mocker feeds on trash.
Proverbs 15:14 (Living Bible)

It never fails to puzzle me about how people who never spend time reading the Bible and have little (if any) knowledge about — these same people are so quick to read, study, and talk about all these “lost” books that keep popping up. They won’t spend a minute to read a chapter out of the Bible, but they will flock to read “the gospel of” Thomas, Judas, Mary, and any other extra-biblical twaddle they can get their hands on.

Gnosticism isn’t anything new. It’s roots date back to the book of acts when the Greeks were being introduced to the Gospel. The apostle John dedicated most of his writing to countering the mixing of Greek philosophy with Christianity.

The gnostic writings were written some 300 years after the time of Jesus and, unlike the Gospels, these books were not written by anyone with firsthand knowledge of Jesus. Ever since, they have cropped up from time to time. For a short time they become popular, sell a bunch of books, magazines and videos and then (because it is false and empty) it falls into obscurity again to wait for the next generation of gullible people.

In their wake, they plant seeds of doubt and unbelief in the hearts of those who are unestablished in God’s Word and further harden the hearts of those who are looking for any excuse not to believe.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (KJV)

Situational ethics

Situational ethics is just a way of saying you base your decisions only on a quick survey of the environment and jumping with whatever seems popular at the time. Either that, or the typical knee-jerk firefighting that all too often characterizes the postmodern manager.Instead, one should make the best decision they can at the time based on ALL information available at the time. “All information available” includes not only the current state of the environment, but the experience and expertise of everyone involved as well as the moral and ethical codes that keep it all in proper perspective.Moral and ethical codes are the tried and true values that have withstood the test of time. Integrity should be used the filter the noise generated in an ever changing environment and allow focus on the really critical points that should drive a decision.

On “Looking Within”

I’ve heard a lot of talk from the chat shows, magazines, and self-help gurus about how we are supposed to “look within ourselves” for answers to all of life’s problems.It sounds really nice, and because we want to believe such a thing a true, it is easy to accept such a statement without thinking on it too much.However, next time you hear of or consider such a philosophy, check it against the Word of God:”O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). According to the Bible, we are incapable of directing our own steps. The Bible admonishes us that:”There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Prov 14:12, Prov 16:25)Since we cannot lead ourselves, we follow after whatever has the greatest influence over us. The only real choice we have is to chose what influences us — we are able to choose what we are most exposed to.Whatever we choose to spend the most time doing, watching, listening to, and thinking about will have sway over our hearts.As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Prov 23:7Stay aware of what you are spending time on. Is it something that builds up the spirit or builds up the flesh.What is the biggest influence in your life? Is it God’s Word or the world?The world is blinded and does not have the answer:Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him (John 14:17)If our primary influence is the world, then we are under satan’s influence:In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4)Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)God has given us the capability to choose, the alternative to choose, and the strength to choose. Paul explains in Romans the two natures:Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:5-15)The truth is not found by looking within ourselves or looking to the world.The truth is in continually and repeatedly feeding ourselves on God’s Word. The more Word we have in our hearts, the more our minds will be set on what the Spirit desires. This makes us more sensitive to being led by His Spirit. Then we are His children in Christ and He is our Father.

When you fast

Probably the biggest key to remember is that fasting should not be a religious practice to try and convince God to do something.

Fasting does not change God, it changes you.

Hunger is probably the strongest urge of the flesh. When we fast, we are telling the flesh that we choose to follow the spirit and not the flesh.

What fasting does is help you discipline and get the flesh out of the way. Once the flesh is out of the way you are more sensitive to the Spirit and hearing from God. The flesh is the source of a lot of doubt and unbelief, so your prayers can be mixed with unhindered faith when your flesh is under subjection.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been busy at work and gone all day without breakfast and lunch without feeling or realizing it. However, the moment I decide to fast, immediately the flesh starts pinging and wanting immediate attention and gratification (hunger pangs, headaches, wooziness — and it’s only been 5 mins!)

In the broadest sense, you could probably consider a fast anytime you are denying the flesh one of its appetites. Strictest sense would be no food or water. Best to start small and work up over time, maturity, and leading of the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind, you are out to discipline the flesh, not kill your body.

Jesus said that when we fast, we should go about normally with our daily business as if we are not fasting. It’s not anyone’s business to know. If they ask, don’t have to be spooky about it, just say you have other plans for lunch.

Use any hunger pangs as reminders to pray or ponder a scripture verse. Every time the flesh rises up, remind it that you don’t live by bread alone, but by the Word of God and that your meat is to do the will of the Father.

The Way

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25All a man’s ways seem right to him [a man], but the LORD weighs the heart.
Proverbs 21:2I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
Psalm 119:30Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting
Psalm 139:23-24 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 14:5-6Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.
Matthew 7:13-14Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:14