Ezekiel 34:12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
The Spirit of God has always dwelt upon this earth since the beginning of time. With this in mind we can be assured that Gods Presence is always upon us. The Spirit of God is the Shepard that watches over us. Mankind, the human race, are the sheep of his flock. As we look in society we can see the sheep that have gone astray, yet we are reassured in this text that God will rescue us in a day of clouds and darkness. This can be taken as a day of despair, of no hope, a day of having the though of no way out.
You see, God maintains an existence with us that is consistent, its just we tent not to acknowledge that presence. We all sometime utilize our own thought and separate ourselves from the Presence of God. The people who are causing disaster in the world are not in harmony with The Presence that stands before them. Its the emotions that overwhelm us, them, me; which allows us this destructive and disobedient nature we display. We all have come to the point in our lives that we are scattered but when we allow the Shepard to find us and put us back into prospective, we must try to maintain our existence in harmony with God. Let's begin to process our thought patterns in tune with The Almighty and stay as members of the flock. Believe that one day the flock will inherit the earth and how God created us will manifest its glory on earth.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Friday, November 20, 2015
Bible reading
When I first began reading the bible, it was for religious purposes. But the more I removed religion and focused understanding, the bible began making sense to me.
Take for instance, Jonah 2:9
But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
In my religious mind I would look at sacrificing things for my sins and dedicating a certain day for religious activities. My actions would be more careful to make promises to God and know that God is a forgiving God.
I now see the thankfulness I can sing because I am blessed with another day in living. To break down the word sacrifice and say I surrender this sinful lifestyle in order to live in the reflective image of God. The promises I make to God, I now work to live up to those promises. From our God, our Creator we all have promise of deliverance out of difficult situations as long as our trust is in The Almighty One.
Reading the bible is no longer a religious practice it is now a life learning reference to improve how I live this life. Taking the examples within the scripture and utilizing them in my daily living helps me deal with life's unexpected situations. I now look at the Ten Commandments in two sections: how to love God and how to love people. Throughout this wonderful book I have found fulfilling messages that help me lead a successful and fulfilling life.
Take for instance, Jonah 2:9
But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
In my religious mind I would look at sacrificing things for my sins and dedicating a certain day for religious activities. My actions would be more careful to make promises to God and know that God is a forgiving God.
I now see the thankfulness I can sing because I am blessed with another day in living. To break down the word sacrifice and say I surrender this sinful lifestyle in order to live in the reflective image of God. The promises I make to God, I now work to live up to those promises. From our God, our Creator we all have promise of deliverance out of difficult situations as long as our trust is in The Almighty One.
Reading the bible is no longer a religious practice it is now a life learning reference to improve how I live this life. Taking the examples within the scripture and utilizing them in my daily living helps me deal with life's unexpected situations. I now look at the Ten Commandments in two sections: how to love God and how to love people. Throughout this wonderful book I have found fulfilling messages that help me lead a successful and fulfilling life.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Nahum 1:3
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
We all understand the power of God is great but the anger of God is slow and the guilty will not go unpunished. This is a manner of character most of us don't have. If someone does something to us we don't agree with or if we witness the same, our responses are different. Most of us get angry and want to retaliate while the other half may let it slide and hold it in. There are a few that can let things go and at times most of us have found things that we can just let go. But have we ever tried the method spoke of in Nahum 1:3?
To be slow to anger allows one to analyze a situation to find better ways to handle it as such. Since we are all created in the image of God, the words we speak have great power. Someone can speak and change another person demeanor and attitude. With this in mind what we say to people can have a great effect on them. Secondly, punishing the guilty can happen in many ways and it's up to us to make sure who we are trying to punish is truly the one that needs punishment. In other words id the person deserving of retribution for an offense? Answering this question is what occurs in the first part of this passage of scripture, analyzing and being thoughtful of the words we speak.
Gods way is like a whirlwind and the storm, the clouds are the dust of his feet. Although the way of God is described in a destructive manner, has anyone look at the two examples closely. The whirlwind and the storm come after a build up of pressure in the atmosphere. When they hit, destructive appearance occurs on our part but what most don't see is the cleansing aspect. Gods way may seem destructive but in actuality it is a cleansing method. So within Gods way, cleansing is the main focus.
And last part, clouds are the dust of God's Feet. The trail left by Gods Passage maintains balance. Because of the clouds we have the atmospheric balance to inhale fresh air that gives us life. In all, since we are made in the Image of God, we all need to look clearly at ourselves to make sure we immolate our Creator.
We all understand the power of God is great but the anger of God is slow and the guilty will not go unpunished. This is a manner of character most of us don't have. If someone does something to us we don't agree with or if we witness the same, our responses are different. Most of us get angry and want to retaliate while the other half may let it slide and hold it in. There are a few that can let things go and at times most of us have found things that we can just let go. But have we ever tried the method spoke of in Nahum 1:3?
To be slow to anger allows one to analyze a situation to find better ways to handle it as such. Since we are all created in the image of God, the words we speak have great power. Someone can speak and change another person demeanor and attitude. With this in mind what we say to people can have a great effect on them. Secondly, punishing the guilty can happen in many ways and it's up to us to make sure who we are trying to punish is truly the one that needs punishment. In other words id the person deserving of retribution for an offense? Answering this question is what occurs in the first part of this passage of scripture, analyzing and being thoughtful of the words we speak.
Gods way is like a whirlwind and the storm, the clouds are the dust of his feet. Although the way of God is described in a destructive manner, has anyone look at the two examples closely. The whirlwind and the storm come after a build up of pressure in the atmosphere. When they hit, destructive appearance occurs on our part but what most don't see is the cleansing aspect. Gods way may seem destructive but in actuality it is a cleansing method. So within Gods way, cleansing is the main focus.
And last part, clouds are the dust of God's Feet. The trail left by Gods Passage maintains balance. Because of the clouds we have the atmospheric balance to inhale fresh air that gives us life. In all, since we are made in the Image of God, we all need to look clearly at ourselves to make sure we immolate our Creator.
Monday, October 19, 2015
In Christ others can see
2 Peter 1:16 16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
This is a warning scripture, some people today will make up stories to gain your attention. Be careful and become more in tuned with your inner-self. Some people who deliver a message of salvation have their own agenda in mind. They want something out of your and they use, or twist the word of God to facilitate that want or need.
Just remember what God gives us is free and doesn't cost a dime. Tithes and offering comes in various ways and doesn't always involve money. In Jeremiah 17:9, 10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” and in Luke 6:45, it says The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. These two verses I use to say, search your own heart for the treasures you lay down before God because within the heart God looks.
I know I got out of context but this scripture in 2 Peter only reminds me of the deceitful people we all encounter that come in the name of Jesus Christ. The Christ is with us all which is the Presence of God in us, The Christ. Become in tune with Gods Presence and you, me, all of us will find that how we live our lives will manifest itself in a whole different arena. We did not witness the majesty of Jesus Christ but we can witnesses the fulfillment of The Christ if we allow God to dwell in this church. From this glory we can congregate within society and build Gods church as it was created in the beginning, obedient to the Word of God.
This is a warning scripture, some people today will make up stories to gain your attention. Be careful and become more in tuned with your inner-self. Some people who deliver a message of salvation have their own agenda in mind. They want something out of your and they use, or twist the word of God to facilitate that want or need.
Just remember what God gives us is free and doesn't cost a dime. Tithes and offering comes in various ways and doesn't always involve money. In Jeremiah 17:9, 10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” and in Luke 6:45, it says The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. These two verses I use to say, search your own heart for the treasures you lay down before God because within the heart God looks.
I know I got out of context but this scripture in 2 Peter only reminds me of the deceitful people we all encounter that come in the name of Jesus Christ. The Christ is with us all which is the Presence of God in us, The Christ. Become in tune with Gods Presence and you, me, all of us will find that how we live our lives will manifest itself in a whole different arena. We did not witness the majesty of Jesus Christ but we can witnesses the fulfillment of The Christ if we allow God to dwell in this church. From this glory we can congregate within society and build Gods church as it was created in the beginning, obedient to the Word of God.
Friday, October 16, 2015
We need to change
Psalm 8:3-4 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
Out of all of God's creation, we, mankind, are the only disobedient ones. The moon and the sun are set in their places and perform the duties commanded. Due to how the earth and all the planets move in a harmonious manner, the seasons change. We all live because of how God created the world we live in
But when I personally look at us, I wonder why does God have so much mercy on us all. We are disobedient, destructive, prejudice, and in all, God's Mercy is upon us. People as a whole, as a society have done the majority of the damage to this planet. We have issues and matters that build our opinion on how this should be and based on these opinions we place judgment on people and, or society. Example, the church feels that homosexuality is wrong, but if we study the bible we'll find the passages of scripture are talking about the individual mans pride. We will also find passages that condemn self and focus on what we feel can condemn someone else. Now my study of homosexuality will be a sermon I speak on in my sermon blog but I hope you get the picture. We find judgment to condemn others but are we ignoring or don't pay attention to what condemns me?
God has created such a beautiful planet for us to live on and we need to take full advantage of this blessing. Everyone of us needs to stop in our tracks and begin finding "the reflective image God created us all in". When this happens, watch how society will change, watch how the animals will change, watch how the atmosphere will change, watch how our lives will change. If we all begin to pay attention to the beauty of Gods Creative Master Piece and appreciate The Works of El Shaddai's Hands, the vision of life will become clear. What was created before we existed is the beautiful plan to keep us living the lives we live today.
Lets all take a moment in life to consider the Glory and begin to live in the image of God. Then family, we all can live and care for the planet that we are all blessed with. From there we can all watch The Glory Unfold.
Out of all of God's creation, we, mankind, are the only disobedient ones. The moon and the sun are set in their places and perform the duties commanded. Due to how the earth and all the planets move in a harmonious manner, the seasons change. We all live because of how God created the world we live in
But when I personally look at us, I wonder why does God have so much mercy on us all. We are disobedient, destructive, prejudice, and in all, God's Mercy is upon us. People as a whole, as a society have done the majority of the damage to this planet. We have issues and matters that build our opinion on how this should be and based on these opinions we place judgment on people and, or society. Example, the church feels that homosexuality is wrong, but if we study the bible we'll find the passages of scripture are talking about the individual mans pride. We will also find passages that condemn self and focus on what we feel can condemn someone else. Now my study of homosexuality will be a sermon I speak on in my sermon blog but I hope you get the picture. We find judgment to condemn others but are we ignoring or don't pay attention to what condemns me?
God has created such a beautiful planet for us to live on and we need to take full advantage of this blessing. Everyone of us needs to stop in our tracks and begin finding "the reflective image God created us all in". When this happens, watch how society will change, watch how the animals will change, watch how the atmosphere will change, watch how our lives will change. If we all begin to pay attention to the beauty of Gods Creative Master Piece and appreciate The Works of El Shaddai's Hands, the vision of life will become clear. What was created before we existed is the beautiful plan to keep us living the lives we live today.
Lets all take a moment in life to consider the Glory and begin to live in the image of God. Then family, we all can live and care for the planet that we are all blessed with. From there we can all watch The Glory Unfold.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Deal with others, it's hard sometimes
Zechariah 7:9-10 9 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'
True justice, show mercy, compassion to one another, these are real face slappers to some of us. Almost sounds like how we administer our prejudice thoughts towards the person or people we encounter. This makes me reevaluate myself on how I process my thoughts about people and situations. When I interact with others I have to work on conducting this interaction with an open mind. Giving people a chance to demonstrate who they are and their purpose in the interaction. And just leaving it as such. Difficult to do but practice makes perfection.
On the other hand, some of these widows and fatherless people can be irritating due to the way they behave. And the alienated, as well as the poor can make me say what the hell. Sorry for the statement but I sometimes can't find the proper words to express what I'm trying to say. Now, widows and fatherless individuals, some, act as with a shield of protection around them. They personify this behavior of "I'm okay", but strike when they feel offended. I must say not all act this way but the one's I have encountered behave in this manner. Then there is the alien, again not all behave this way but why come somewhere and treat the people of these surroundings like they all have no want to commune with you. Some people, whether it be out-of-towners or within a community, act like everyone of the social gathering is against them and carry a demeanor that offends others. Mind you, I understand the prejudice of others, but don't assume I have this same manner of ignorance. Then there is the poor, I can only relate to the ones that beg for money, love one if I don't have it to give please don't speak in return to make me feel obligated to go find. All in all, how we interact within the social gathering of people can be trying at times but solidifying our relationship with The Almighty will give us the tools to handle any situation or situations.
This final line validates what a minister preached about years ago; when the bible speaks of the heart it's referring to the mind. In simple terms, the mind is the heart of the soul. How we thinks determines how we live. It is important to have an open-minded manner so the various stressors we face will have minimal to no affect on our lives. Processing a mannerism in good faith can be a foundation that can help us deal with life in a whole different prospective.
True justice, show mercy, compassion to one another, these are real face slappers to some of us. Almost sounds like how we administer our prejudice thoughts towards the person or people we encounter. This makes me reevaluate myself on how I process my thoughts about people and situations. When I interact with others I have to work on conducting this interaction with an open mind. Giving people a chance to demonstrate who they are and their purpose in the interaction. And just leaving it as such. Difficult to do but practice makes perfection.
On the other hand, some of these widows and fatherless people can be irritating due to the way they behave. And the alienated, as well as the poor can make me say what the hell. Sorry for the statement but I sometimes can't find the proper words to express what I'm trying to say. Now, widows and fatherless individuals, some, act as with a shield of protection around them. They personify this behavior of "I'm okay", but strike when they feel offended. I must say not all act this way but the one's I have encountered behave in this manner. Then there is the alien, again not all behave this way but why come somewhere and treat the people of these surroundings like they all have no want to commune with you. Some people, whether it be out-of-towners or within a community, act like everyone of the social gathering is against them and carry a demeanor that offends others. Mind you, I understand the prejudice of others, but don't assume I have this same manner of ignorance. Then there is the poor, I can only relate to the ones that beg for money, love one if I don't have it to give please don't speak in return to make me feel obligated to go find. All in all, how we interact within the social gathering of people can be trying at times but solidifying our relationship with The Almighty will give us the tools to handle any situation or situations.
This final line validates what a minister preached about years ago; when the bible speaks of the heart it's referring to the mind. In simple terms, the mind is the heart of the soul. How we thinks determines how we live. It is important to have an open-minded manner so the various stressors we face will have minimal to no affect on our lives. Processing a mannerism in good faith can be a foundation that can help us deal with life in a whole different prospective.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Talents used to serve
1 Peter 4:10 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
Every one of us have talents unique from one another. To fulfill the duties of being created in Gods Image, we need to try and find how these talents can be useful to help others. This is what is talked about in Malachi 3:10 when it speaks of tithing, Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Most believe this to involve only money, but during these times value was in what was produced. Value is in the talents we use to produce. If you have no money to give then volunteer your time and use your talents to help others. Don't believe you'll receive a blessing? Do it from the heart and watch the blessings begin to flow. It may not be the blessings you are expecting, but if you pay attention, they'll be the blessings you need.
Every one of us have talents unique from one another. To fulfill the duties of being created in Gods Image, we need to try and find how these talents can be useful to help others. This is what is talked about in Malachi 3:10 when it speaks of tithing, Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
Most believe this to involve only money, but during these times value was in what was produced. Value is in the talents we use to produce. If you have no money to give then volunteer your time and use your talents to help others. Don't believe you'll receive a blessing? Do it from the heart and watch the blessings begin to flow. It may not be the blessings you are expecting, but if you pay attention, they'll be the blessings you need.
Friday, October 9, 2015
What I treasure
Luke 12:33-34 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This passage of scripture shocked me when I first read it. The things I have worked hard for I am directed in this scripture to give away to the poor? To look deeper into this I discovered that mentally I have to become aware of what I categorize as a treasure or treasures. To treasure something is to add value to it. Adding value to something takes me mentally to the protecting it from harm. My house, cars, and material possessions can easily be taken away and if I focus my being on these things then it can alter my psychological state. It can alter how I TREAT PEOPLE IF I FEEL THE POSSIBILTY OF THEM HARMING MY POSSESSIONS.
Taking this into prospective I must learn to first understand that my mental should be on storing things that can help be progress in life, not just possessing things. Focus on things that will evolve my life and the people around me as well. It also does not mean that I have to exhaust my energy with helping others but build myself up to have the ability to help others. Therefore achieving the ability to also maintain a lifestyle that can build and maintain my self actualization of needs.
Heaven is a promise to us after we leave this life but how we live this life will dictate the fulfillment of that promise. We all have to live for the here and now, while building up for tomorrow. Learning how to remove all the distractions and focusing on successful goals can help us improve the life we all live. If each person were to build upon the examples of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we'll find out that it's me that needs to change and that change can change the world. That change can enlighten the world as a whole and help me, as an individual, live a comfortable and fulfilling life.
This passage of scripture shocked me when I first read it. The things I have worked hard for I am directed in this scripture to give away to the poor? To look deeper into this I discovered that mentally I have to become aware of what I categorize as a treasure or treasures. To treasure something is to add value to it. Adding value to something takes me mentally to the protecting it from harm. My house, cars, and material possessions can easily be taken away and if I focus my being on these things then it can alter my psychological state. It can alter how I TREAT PEOPLE IF I FEEL THE POSSIBILTY OF THEM HARMING MY POSSESSIONS.
Taking this into prospective I must learn to first understand that my mental should be on storing things that can help be progress in life, not just possessing things. Focus on things that will evolve my life and the people around me as well. It also does not mean that I have to exhaust my energy with helping others but build myself up to have the ability to help others. Therefore achieving the ability to also maintain a lifestyle that can build and maintain my self actualization of needs.
Heaven is a promise to us after we leave this life but how we live this life will dictate the fulfillment of that promise. We all have to live for the here and now, while building up for tomorrow. Learning how to remove all the distractions and focusing on successful goals can help us improve the life we all live. If each person were to build upon the examples of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we'll find out that it's me that needs to change and that change can change the world. That change can enlighten the world as a whole and help me, as an individual, live a comfortable and fulfilling life.
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