Results 41 - 60 of 1476
|
||||||
Results from: Notes Author: Mommapbs Ordered by Date |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | If we told Jesus the whole truth... | Mark 5:33 | Mommapbs | 169729 | ||
Kalos: I'm posting the short version here! C.S. Lewis said, "Put first things first and we get second things thrown in; put second things first and we lose both first and second things." Dwight Edwards (Experiencing Christ Within) puts this in very practical terms by suggesting that when we approach God as a "Fixer of life" with our needs as His prime agenda, our lives will fail to reflect His glory and we will fail to experience change and fulfillment in the deepest richest sense. He goes on to observe, "When we delight most in the spectacularness of God, when HIS glory becomes OUR highest agenda, we find a taste that thrills our souls PLUS a nonstop transformation in our lives along the way." From "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell: In accordance with Numbers 15:38-40, Jesus (as a Torah-observant Jewish Rabbi) would be wearing a prayer shawl. This woman, also a Jew(?) would be familiar with the prophecy of Malachi about the coming Messiah, "The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings." (Mal 4:2) The word used by Malachi for wings is the same word that Numbers refers to the edge of a garment, to which the tassels where attached. So a legend grew that when Messiah appeared, there would be special healing powers in His kanaf, in the tassels of His prayer shawl. So, by this we see that this woman FIRST believed that Jesus was THE MESSIAH. But was she healed because of her belief or did God have something else in mind here? It could have remained a personal yet anonymous act but Jesus draws our attention to the healing. I notice that although she believed that Jesus was Messiah, instead of announcing it or embracing Him and acknowledging her recognition of Him, she sneaks up and grabs a piece of Him for herself. She acted upon her belief and received what she desired, healing - so perhaps the "whole truth" she told Jesus was her admission that instead of seeking Messiah first (His glory), she saw Him as a means to fix her physical need. And don't we do the same? Yet, Jesus tells her to go in peace. (Shalom is not just the absence of conflict- is the presence of the goodness of God. It is the presence of wholeness, completeness) Jesus is Shalom. May we go in peace today as well! mommapbs |
||||||
42 | How is one true and one not true? | John 5:31 | Mommapbs | 165642 | ||
Hi Mark - thanks for the reply. God is truth, His word stands,amen. However, I suspect that there is something more here that I am missing. Jesus knew Who He was (is!) yet, to testify "alone" hints at Dt 17:6. So who might be considered to be the two or three witnesses to testify about Jesus? (His Diety - I'm reminded that the demons believe and tremble and also recall how He was acknowledged by the unclean spirit in Luke 4:33-34.) Blessings, mommapbs |
||||||
43 | Walk in the Light | 1 John 1:6 | Mommapbs | 165316 | ||
Greetings Nolan - I'm wondering if walking in the darkness is more than living contrary to the moral character of God? For example, if we believe something about ourself that God says is not so, (for example, unless I live according to the rules of God, I will not be acceptable to Him) then we live or respond according to this false belief. Isn't this walking in the darkness too? Blessings, mommapbs |
||||||
44 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 164095 | ||
Jeff - We probably agreee on more things than meets the eye, but at this point I suggest that we conclude this dialog. I'm obviously not the "student" that you are but in my simple understanding I do sense God speaking to me through His word. I find it difficult to limit God to "contextual" apprehension, much to the dismay of many on this site, hence I post seldomly. Perhaps it is best, when God gives me something to ponder, that I just keep it to myself . . . In Christ, mommapbs |
||||||
45 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 164093 | ||
Thank you Kalos - this has been my point - it is ALL God's work. How thankful I am that He sought me. Blessings, mommapbs |
||||||
46 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 164052 | ||
According to Scripture, there is none who seeks God. Jeff, you wrote: "This is a definitive statement. Yet I don’t know of this teaching. Am I mistaken, or are you? Please consider what God says in Romans 3:10-12; Luke 19:10 Perhaps the problem we are facing has to do with semantics - how we understand words. Jesus is the Lord of the earth - He is the Master, whether we accept His Mastery is something else. |
||||||
47 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 164036 | ||
Jeff, returning to my original contemplation, this is way I see it: Just as there was no room at the Inn, Jesus is not a guest. He was born into this world surrounded by His creation, not into the comforts that man had made . . . Also, regardless of whether we look at this picture from the perspective of a believer or an unbeliever, the principle is the same: Just as He stands at the door and knocks, does He do so as a Guest or as Owner of the house? According to Scripture, there is none who seeks God. All have gone their own way . . . Last I looked, one becomes a guest at the invitation of a host. Who is inviting who here??? It is God who seeks us - we are His invited but alas, not all respond to His invitation. Jesus is Master of the house; all belongs to Him and He set His house in order at the cross . . . no wonder Jesus warned us that the Kingdom of God is at hand, for indeed it is; the Judge is standing at the door and only those who have received Him will be welcomed in. All roads lead to God but only one Way leads to the Father. That Way, God in flesh appearing, was laid in a manger on a bed of straw. And that same Man was also no less God when He willingly laid Himself down on a wooden cross . . . paid the penalty for all sin and triumphed over death when He rose from an earthen grave . . . giving all other "earthen graves" the hope of redemption and new life in Him. God does all the work - He saves us not in response to us but for the sake of His name (Eze 36) Note also, "He restores my soul for HIS name's sake." It is all about God. As soon as I begin to think that it is about me in anyway, I exalt myself. (Did God really say . . .? comes to mind here.) God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, yes, He serves us. (Unless I wash you comes to mind here . . . also Jesus as "guest" at the wedding of Cana certainly did not act as a guest. He responded to the deficiency of the "host" and provided what was needed for all.) And now, all He asks is that use what He has given us to believe - for without faith it is impossible to please Him. Even the tough times, the trials the misunderstandings can be used for His glory if we would but use these as opportunitites to trust, to simply continue to believe IN HIM. Everything we do apart from this faith IN Him is for naught. Our motives can come from two sources: the natural man (the flesh) or the Holy Spirit (the new heart). Those that come from the heart of the believer will always glorify God. Apart from the working out of the Spirit, our service, even these postings, serves only self . . . a little knowledge does indeed puff up, so I'd rather not be wise in my own eyes . . . however, I do believe that God is more than able to redeem our futile efforts and direct our hearts and minds to Him. As our Master and our Host, God gives us Himself. Whatever that is to you, it is sufficient for the day. I do not challenge the Potter here. So yes, please extend to me the same courtesy, as clay in process. mommapbs |
||||||
48 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 164013 | ||
Jeff: you wrote: "I'm getting close" - to what? Your views? You state: "I am wise enough to know that my views and opinions are not always right and therefore lovingly accept redirection from the Holy Spirit, the word of God, and Brother's and Sister's where I may be in error." Jeff, as your sister in the Lord I am asking you to please extend some grace to those who do not see things the way you do. mommapbs (It is interesting that you have asked only three questions in less than a year - are you really that open to another point of view?) |
||||||
49 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 164008 | ||
Jeff: You asked. "He has come, and He has given His life, does He still serve you? Or is He your master and you serve Him?" Please explain how anyone serves Him apart from His enabling? John 15:5 If we focus on what we "do" for Jesus, we are focused on the wrong thing- our performance. "Be still, and know that I am God." From this point we begin to see that He does all the work; believers are but the instrument. Indeed, we have this Treasure in jars of clay. There is nothing that I can do except believe - for without faith, it is impossible to please Him. It is in Him we move and have our being . . . it's all about God. He is the Master and He serves through us. Unless God does the work, the laborers work in vain. My 2 cents. mommapbs (Btw, if one is focused on God and not self, doesn't Prov 23:7a still hold true???) |
||||||
50 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 164004 | ||
Greetings Jeff - if you have read any of my other posts on this Forum, you would know that I do not subscribe to the notion that "we have no part or responsibility regarding our relationship with Christ." God has given us everything we need for life and Godliness -He has given us the capacity to believe and an awareness of Himself for us to choose to believe in - therefore no one has an excuse (Romans 1) As a man thinks in himself, so is he."(Prov 23:7) What we really believe shapes not only our actions but who we are. However, just because some terminology is "a long-standing language used in the church" does not necessarily make it "gospel." Imo, we must be very careful to examine the Scriptures first (as you have advocated) to see if what we have "believed" is really what God's word tells us is true. mommapbs |
||||||
51 | How do we receive Him? As Guest/Owner? | John 1:12 | Mommapbs | 163964 | ||
Thank you Jeff for your response. As I was contemplating this concept of receiving Christ as Guest/Owner a couple of verses came to mind. First, Mark 10:45 "the Son of Man did not come to be served. but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many " which suggests to me that we are HIS guests, He serves us - He brings out His best - Himself. (Recall the woman at the well - a guest asks, an Owner gives - "if you knew Who I am, you would ask me" . . . Jesus gives us Living Water." ) Who are the "many" He gives His life for? The answer is in John 1:12 For as MANY as received Him". How? as THE Owner. You wrote: "He is the "owner" when you make Him so. I disagree. We don't "make" Him Owner, He IS the Owner of everthing! "The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains,The world, and those who dwell in it."!Ps 24:1 We are His, yet some do not welcome His ownership. Ps 100:3 - It is He who hath made us and not we ourselves - this truth is contrary to the world's mentality as summed up in the pop slogan "You can do it". This also denies what Jesus said in John 15:5, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing! " Some may tell you that they believe that there are many paths to God. In reality, all roads lead to Him, but only one way leads to the Father (John 14:6)- "For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be called the children of God, even to those who believe in His name," It is He, the rightful Onwer of all, who will receive us in the end. Some as Father and others as the Judge. To some He will say, "enter into the joy of your Master" (Mt 25:23) Yet to others He will say, "I never knew you, depart from Me" (Mt 7:23) You, the guest, never received Me, The Owner of the house. However along with all this, I suspect that at times we get mixed up and think of Jesus as an invited Guest.(How many times do we try to bring out OUR best? - which apart from Him doing the work, is NEVER good enough!) He can become a "Guest" of our making . . . yet, this is pretty arrogant on our part - for Him to be OUR Guest, it would imply that we are the "owner" of the house; and according to the Scriptures above, we are not, He is. So when Jesus asks us to "receive Him", He's not asking as a guest, but as the owner of us, desiring to give us Himself, to use us for His purposes . . . which often times is to serve others! It is all about Him. My 2 cents fwiw. Blessings, mommapbs |
||||||
52 | Does sin break fellowship with God ? | 1 John 1:7 | Mommapbs | 163827 | ||
Greetings Kalos, I was just reading and reflecting on 1 John 1:7 today. I so appreciate your answer: 'Sin interrupts fellowship but cannot change relationship. Confession restores fellowship and immediate confession keeps the fellowship unbroken.' Oh that we would recognize this effectiveness of this in our relationships with others as well! Sadly, with others, sin often changes relationship. How thankful I am that God has already forgiven all of my sin! Reading this verse "in context" reminds me that it is all about God, but I "had" seen this verse in the context of the church, iow, the "one another" was other believers. How easily we can take the focus off of God, even when we read the Bible! My fellowship with others is dependent upon the other's response to me. My relationship and fellowship with God is a sure thing on His part - I know how He will respond to me; my relationship is secure(John 17:13-26) - yet (1 John 1:7-9) my fellowship with Him is dependent upon MY response to Him. I have a choice of where to walk.(Can two walk together unless they be agreed?) Thanks again for pointing out the difference between relationship and fellowship! May we both enjoy the blessings of walking in the Light! mommapbs |
||||||
53 | What does the word "these" reference? | 2 Pet 1:4 | Mommapbs | 163428 | ||
Hi Mark: Here is how I "see it" - God has given us everything - everything imo is HIMSELF. For He is ALL we need for life and godliness - His grace is sufficient. When I consider that He promises, I realize that it is my responsibility to trust, to believe that HE HAS already given me everything I need . . .even if I don't see it all right now. That's a good starting point for us when we consider one another as co-heirs with Christ - some of us are still ignorant of what we have been given. My 2 cents. Blessings, mommapbs |
||||||
54 | What does the word "these" reference? | 2 Pet 1:4 | Mommapbs | 163338 | ||
Hi Mark - I'd agree with you grammatically, but do read what Tim Moran shared about word usage in Greek - yeah, it's Greek to me too! It does change this a bit . . . Blessings, mommapbs |
||||||
55 | What does the word "these" reference? | 2 Pet 1:4 | Mommapbs | 163336 | ||
Thanks Tim - I'm going to dwell on everything for a while!! t |
||||||
56 | What does the word "these" reference? | 2 Pet 1:4 | Mommapbs | 163335 | ||
Greetings lionheart - thank you for the warm greeting. I understand what you are saying, yet it appears to me that the emphasis, imo is what God works in us to accomplish His purpose - to conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus. We particpate in cooperating with Him, but apart from God at work in us, we can do nothing to bring these attributes about. (John 15:5) Blessings, mommapbs |
||||||
57 | What is the "word?" | Ps 119:16 | Mommapbs | 163260 | ||
Thanks BradK - imagine only 5 books to treasure . . . and what do we do with 66? I suspect that for many, they sit on a shelf gathering dust while we fill our minds with authors of a lesser god. Blessings to you, mommapbs |
||||||
58 | spirit or Holy Spirit? | Job 34:14 | Mommapbs | 162844 | ||
Hi Mark - thanks for your input! Blessings - mommapbs |
||||||
59 | What are the things? | Heb 6:9 | Mommapbs | 160277 | ||
1 Peter 2:11 -those of the royal priesthood of believers V9 are called aliens - and rightly so, for we are no longer citizens of this world, but our true citizenship is in the kingdom of God - for Whom we are ambassadors. As His representative, our attitude and our conduct SHOULD reflect Him. Sadly, it does not at all times. This forum is not a place where you will find that perfection, but rather a group of people who are travelling on a common road - some sinners, saved by grace and other sinners who are still dead in their sins. I'm glad that your destination is heaven. My first note to you was an attempt at a "gentle" reminder to cite your sources as opposed to the the (imo) more caustic response you received. I too have been on the receiving end here and find that the administration of grace is sorely lacking at times. mommapbs |
||||||
60 | What are the things? | Heb 6:9 | Mommapbs | 160039 | ||
Aliennow - although I did appreciate reading your post, there are a few things you should know about posting on SBF: 1. Always be sure that the thread you are writing on goes to the person YOU intend it to 2. Be sure to give credit where credit is due (unless it is original, please cite your sources) 3. Caution: don't mess with Hank, Doc's a catchin' up though in the wit department. 4. Do remember that context is king (though there are some who might also wear a crown here) 5. Eliminate any ideas you have about the application of Scripture other than that of those who have some degree after their name or those who have at the very least proved themselves . . . and if you choose to violate the no speculation rule, be sure you have tough skin. mommapbs |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ] Next > Last [74] >> |