1 Timothy 4
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers
This Post is very long winded. If you read this Post all the Way Through ~ You will be Encouraged.
Oskar Schindler (28 April 1908 – 9 October 1974) an ethnic German industrialist, spy, and member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories
How did Oskar get to the place where his faith made a difference?
He was an adulterer, a parent freeloader, had children out of wedlock, was in debt and jailed, was arrested for public drunkenness, employed as a spy, worked as a double crosser, jailed for kissing a Jewish girl. And he did more to save lives more than most saints. What is a saint? A saint is someone who believes God and works to make their words and actions pleasing to God every day. Why? As a thank you for the price we were bought with. A precious, innocent Son - saving, healing, redeeming and forgiving - put to death as a criminal so Father God would overlook my flaws, sins and weaknesses and welcoming me as God the Father, and His prodigal child.
I don't know about you, but reading about Oskar Schindler - he might have had generational sins and Jesus did what Jesus does - overcomes.
After World War II was over, Oskar was given a gold ring inscribed "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire." Because everyone wanted to get Schindler.
Schindler must have set his hope on a living God - because most people did not do as much as he did.
Jesus the Savior of all people, especially those who believe enough to do something so very risky - to save lives.
Command and teach these things.
Watch Your Progress.
Keep a close watch on yourself
And on the teaching
Persist
Save yourself (by staying with the Authority of God)
and your hearers.
I grew up in a denomination that had 12 million Americans. In the 1990s they began to preach that "the New Testament was written by us and we could change that." "We have always brought Scripture to the current times" and times have changed. I grew up in these parochial schools when the Gospel whole and full was preached and believed. My step-grandfather was a priest in this Church for 50 years. And he said that going to the National Convention in the 1970s told him the Church was going to fall for their liberal view on divorce. Tate said that divorce and Church go hand in hand. And he was basing that on something Biblical and True.
About the time in the 1990s, I went the funeral of a good friend's mother. She had been very, very active in her Church for 37 years and the Minister got up to praise her saying, "This Fine Lady knew that her duty was her Church - right or wrong - loyalty." It was the chorus of the whole eulogy.
I came home and told Edward about all the confusion of the Sermons and the Eulogy and Edward said, "This is like the Sound of Music where the nun cuts the Nazi cables and says, 'Reverend Mother' I have something to confess.' The Reverend Mother says no, in effect, to give justice with mercy is good. We left our life long Church to find Scripture honored.
Judgement, we are called to be in Wisdom. Not in comfort.
We are called not to be Judgmental to discourage the path of others.
We are called to be in Wisdom to avoid the perils in our path.
We are trying to accomplish the Gospel of Love. God is Love. Putting God's Instructions and His Plan in place, is our direction.
Few of us grow in comfortable arm chairs.
We have reached the point in the World again. Terrorists groups who desire to instill fear, hurt, kill and advance the Kingdom of Heaven screaming "God is Good" have us believing that putting ourselves at war to fight those who hide would work. Have us believing maybe our culture is in dire straights.
And as God works to bring Good out of adversity; Have us believing now we want to look for teachable moments to express why we Love Jesus beyond the traditional pat answers.
Micah 6
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God
Life is getting different from Mary Tyler Moore.
Different from Leave it to Beaver.
This society will understand this statement - we have children in our families and know people with social and behavioral and attitude and religious beliefs. Children
who had drug and alcohol issues. We have had parental neglect and substance abuse and unemployment
and attitudes of the Jesus awareness and love during Civil Rights and afterward.
From entertaining the TV each night and lot's secretly nod and go out to Church and pretend to agree
with philosophy that sounds naive and unreliable
or like if you agree you are weird or a secret, but we nod
And sure we all want to be a martyr.
And does this show? Yes. the Crystal Cathedral is done.
THE TRUTH IS THE SCRIPTURES ARE TRUE. LIVING A LIFE OF FAITH - WILL SHOW US THIS TRUTH - LIVES, MOVES, FILLS OUR BEING AND TRIUMPHS.
There are 3,000 True Pages in the Bible - we can't do them all every day - we need to be brave, truthful, reliable and find what GOD would have us do Today. Go to sleep saying earnestly, "Father God, I hope You are pleased with me Today with what You Brought."
We act like we are gearing up to Street Preach - We need to put our real lives and our real choices
and come up with the True Answer of Not Someday
TODAY How Do We Please God.
I have heard people, not from my Church, say that they are Church teachers - of mothers of young children and teenagers learning about God and when their dating grandparents come - then they tell the teens - the grandparents can cohabitate - it's ok. Their kids don't come home much now. This one I spoke up on. Mildly, I said "Nope, that's not the policy at our house." My brother called me on this and I said because that could get soooo bad. My brother is an attorney and after I fed him all the Dr. Seuss of on a train, in a plane, in the air situations - even he said, "NEVER MIND." Ha.
My son said the worst person at his athletic gym job was the Leadership of another Church. Mr Leadership was daily outraged the High School Swim Team could swim and he wanted his own lane fully knowing what time the Swim Team met. He then showed up at our opening Church, not his own Church, to get the microphone and preach about God's Goodness. No one tells the Church what their spokesman is doing daily.
And you know, this one was my fault. I had a responsibility to call that Church, get that Minister/Pastor on the phone and say, "Hey, your Leader needs to pipe down, my son sees him daily and he is making a splash." My son said this man was instrumental in helping him want away from the faithful of Jesus. So for this one, Father God, I apologize a lot and earnestly.
The Truth is we have to really seek God to apply our gifts and talents to the spectacular
culture we have now.
We do not do well to be the Shove It Down Your Throat Door Knockers of Perpetual Jesus.
Edward tells the joke of the man who stands at the door with the Police and says, "You can't fool me, I see you are Jehovah Witnesses!" Yep, easily disregarded.
Or the Truly Good Hearted Person who is going to let you know in Power, That They Are Muscular Christianity And You are Overpowered. Tsk tsk tsk. They Have The Answers. And their attitude says the tsktsk should work?
Well obviously they are terrible people. NO. We have been taught to preach the Gospel the way some of our more Authority Driven Parents have Indeed Parented Us - Just Like This. This is the way I was brought up since I was in third grade - DO THIS. And we do NOT. Because we think - secretly! "I hated being taught like that!" And the truth is - these are the nicest people. Like your mom and dad, saying if you don't do your homework, Oh My GOD In HEAVEN - You Might Wind UP Under A Bridge!!!"
We are actually in the point in Society where we have to defend and maintain and soften and help the people who think we still need to run down and flattened and "Serve" by GOT ALL THE ANSWERS ALL THE TIME CHRISTIANITY.
What are we going to do with all this?
Use Wisdom to See The Scriptures which really deal with real life and not just use subtitles.
We are not all Missionaries.
We are not all Evangelists.
We all Participate in the Great Commission - we just need to effectively learn our skills, our calling, our part
and please God every day - with the Life Today - He has Given us.
Noah knew his job was his calling. And he got drunk and permanently made his relationship with his son not so fine. Noah did this for the terrible sadness of seeing so many people perish around him.
Paul spend a lot of time, as did Peter, preaching to the already faithful. It is a genuine calling to bolster the lives of the faithful.
I got some super great advice recently that will change my life. It echoes what Beth Moore said in one of her Bible Studies that "No" is sometimes the right answer.
My advice was a horse back teacher who said don't ride every horse you see. This is in Salvation too. Feel free to tell someone and get that co-helper and not wrangle.
I have someone recently who told me they read fantasy about Elves and Fairies and now take the magazine and do the articles that are magic. And, hilariously, some of this is malicious. So, it's real. Yep, it's real. And most of us get a handle on - sorcery - is not something you just say nod to. The Bible says flee. Flee.
What else is flee? Sexual sin. If your handyman, your friend's husband, or the neighbor decide to put hands upon you or if they just suggest something explicit or a man starts asking for lunch and visits - time to not go see them or do lunch - or have a paved path to Sexual sin. Out.
I was asked to help out with alcoholism. A person with severe alcoholism. I did. And was willing to help, and did. Until it became so severe it was an out of wack sexual thing. And My Church - Saw This - And that Person was spoken to by The Lady in Authority and that ended. That is Serving God. And I am still grateful to have that assistance.
What if you neighbor cusses you out over something you are astonished for and realize later didn't happen? You respond with kindness and give some distance. What if the next thing that happens is you are chewed out over Speeding at 24 mph. You start wondering if you have seen them doing something else that might warrant real concern and if there are odd patterns. And later they walk down the street out, of their way to speak politely. Well I tell you what, that is the absolute best for FORGIVE.
What do you do with people who just want to be near you because they want something from you, like you have money. You know God used Oskar Schindler's ability to run a business and turned him into a saint.
We think that we are supposed to be :
Judgmental - we are, we are supposed to chose a Godly framework for our lives. Yes the Scriptures promote the idea of Wisdom.
What do you do if your worker for 13 years quits doing the work
and you find out that they have terrible, terrible, terrible personal problems?
Like the police are involved and it's not their fault. Well, you invite them to have a conversation with you and look at you to discuss what can be done. Even if all around you say, if they don't work, they don't have a job, so fire them. So the appointment is missed and they lie to you they did do the work and they arrive 2 weeks later. Well, you frankly, do not know what to do and you praise GOD your husband was there and didn't like the look on their face as they lied and they were told - here is two weeks - we won't debate the fact you haven't been here for a month and so long. And you pray for them.
Thank God for people who help you, like a husband who said, "No."
Turn the other cheek. Wow, we just think we should hang a plaque or a shingle and live there.
What if it needed more communication? The Bible is filled with disagreements and earnest and needed fights. For Growth.
What if you were supposed to say "Do not Disregard me"
1 Timothy 4:12 Message
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are insignificant, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
What if people were called to be responsible for their
attitudes and actions for all their life like people could see them?
Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture
to exhortation,
to teaching.
Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy
What Gift do we have?
If you have eyes - see
If you have ears - hear
Exxon is our largest, most profitable company.
They offer retirement and clear set of rules for work and reward.
I knew a woman everyone liked and was promoted in Society to run a Ballet Society among other things.
She was terrible, absolutely terrible to her family in terrible ways.
She did not end well. Her family mostly did not end well. Elbows out and fake to the glamour hilt -
will not sustain any of us.
I knew a woman who had flaws, yet even when she had Christian doubts - she sustained her family, her company, her Church, her philanthropies - she lived to be 104 years old this year - and she left her company to her employees. Her motto in her Ebby life was - return your phone calls daily. Be kind daily. Answer your phone messages daily. Hope the best for all people. Encourage others.
I know a man who had no direct descendants. He did his best to father his family. He was thorough, a perfectionist, direct, and gave to his family and gave. He was not any success until he was 60 and he rose the head of his industry. Making magazine covers 10 years after his death. I am very proud of my great-uncle in law who lived a full life to age 94.
I have been part of priests families. I have seen Churches not do right by their ministers, pastors or priests. I see Godly men rise again. One long time priest, last year, saw his 30 year Church have all new staff and not care for his dying family. He had trouble finding a priest to bury them. A sad turn of events when you are in your 90s. And what did he do? He lamented and his family came to him and said, "We long for you, live near us." And that good priest said, "The Staff turned over, they don't know us, I have been given a God Opportunity." Joy is a Fruit of the Spirit. There is no doubt where this Good Father goes, goodness will be seen near him.
This year I have seen a married couple suffer and worry and suffer and ponder and set doctor appointment for their mother in her 90s. She has heard things and worried things and feared things that were not there. They were given advice to just let her be. No. 3 Doctor appointments gave her anti-seizure medicine which fixed almost all the troubles. And a new home to care for the elderly that actually is a home and not huge facility. That is Diligence. God Bless the Socks off of them!!!
+ In their jobs, they see and hear hardship, they always respond to great affect - "I will Pray for you." People today really respond to this positively. And this couple prays.
God Bless European Auto in Willis today for the amazing gift in working on my tires and in removing the tag that says "Service Now" for no great reason. God bless Robichau's Jewelry for giving me a seed pearl for my cross.
God Bless L. for the work she put into her husband, when others said, oh man - flee. And her 10 year good work has returned her husband to her.
+ God bless her willingness to tell her situation, because that willingness to get out there and tell overcoming personal addiction to porn has changed their family to be stronger. Helping overcomers in others.
God Bless the lady I sit next to each Thursday, who fought for her daughter to return from a few dire and choice drugs she learned at rehab. She and her husband believe Jesus is Lord and they were not going to give up. Her daughter is fine today. She helps others know the Lord.
God Bless the retired doctor I sit next to each Wednesday, his wife has helped him for 15 years from severe viral illness. And he sees recovery happening. His wife has supported and supported him and every evening she gives him a scalp massage. Just to let him know, he is her love.
+ He is so nurtured, he is bold to ask people if they know the Gospel, believe the Gospel and will adhere to their beliefs.
God Bless the nurse who researched her husband's failing and enlarged heart. Who did so many years of research and so many diligent phone calls - a new procedure was found which saved him and gave him an absolutely normal heart.
+ She encourages people to listen to Chrisitian music and radio to adhere to His voice and His Love.
And what do we say when good people disappoint us? Our God is Jesus, not Christians. Because if we rely on people, we will always have ups and downs we all have. But if we rely on God, we will rise up.
Like God?
Jesus went on His walk on water to the Disciples at 3 in the morning.
This is the Ministry of GOD.
Jesus is Living Water soaking, renewing, restoring and being JESUS.
Jesus tells us He would get out of bed,even if He was comfortable. Especially if we needed
to help someone else! Father God surely enjoys us when we pray for and are doing
acts of kindness with mercy.
We expect You. And in our expectation, You have said we will experience "Days Will Come" when all we want is Grace upon Grace of You, Father God. Father, You have chosen us to Live.
On Your Strength we will rely, Father God, in troubled waters. Remembering Jesus is The Living Water to the man looking for the actual event when the waters were stirred to bring healing. The Word of Jesus healed him.
Using our eyes to see and our hears to hear "Good News." When we are the Easter People, we look to find the Good News God is Living and Active, Working Today. Being encouragers, finding His encouragement, diligently, and in faith.
We are Truly Thankful, Jesus The Lord. You have given us Life. Amen and Amen to the Glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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