Jesus didnt mince words. He spoke to us plainly in ways understandable to all. Let us seek to do the Fathers will through obedience to Jesus's Teachings. These are the things He taught.

1 Don't call Jesus Lord when you don't obey Him. Luke 6:46, Matthew 7:21.
2 Build on the rock of obedience to Jesus otherwise you will fall. Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:47-49.
3 Worship God alone. Matthew 4:10b, Luke 4:8.
4 Follow Jesus. Matthew 4:19, 11:28-30, Mark 1:17, John 1:43,John 12:26, John 10:27, John 21:22b.
5 Be salt and light to this world. Matthew 5:13-16 Mark 9:50, Luke 11:33, 14:34. John 3:21.
6 Don't call your brother a fool. Matthew 5:22, Matthew 12:36.
7 Practice instant reconciliation. Matthew 5:24-25.
8 Do not look with lust at another this is adultery in the heart. Matthew 5:27-28.
9 Do not divorce and marry another, this is adultery. Matthew 5:32, 19:9, Mark 10:11-12.
10 Don't swear an oath. Matthew 5:33-37.
11 Do more than expected, go the 2nd mile. Matthew 5:38-41.
12 Give to those that ask. Matthew 5:42, Luke 6:30, Luke 6:38.
13 Love, bless and pray for your enemies. Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-29.
14 Quietly do good for God's praise alone. Matthew 6:1-4.
15 When you pray, fast or give do it secretly. Matthew 6:5-6.
16 Don't use vain repetitions when praying. Matthew 6:7-8, Mark 12:40.
17 Pray to God the Father. Matthew 6:9, John 16:23-24.
18 Don't be anxious. Matthew 6:25-32, Luke 12:22-30, John 14:1, John 16:33.
19 Store your riches in heaven not on earth. Matthew 6:19-21, Matthew 6:33, Luke 12:21, Luke 12:31-34, John 12:25.
20 Judge not that you may not be judged. Matthew 7:1-5, Luke 6:37, Luke 6:41-42, John 7:24.
21 Keep asking, seeking and knocking. Matthew 6:9-11, Matthew 7:7-11, Luke 11:9-13.
22 Treat others as you like to be treated. Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31.
23 Don't waste time on argumentative people. Matthew 7:6.
24 Forgive others. Matthew 6:12, Matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 18:21, Mark 11:25-26, Luke 11:9-13.
25 Let the dead bury their dead. Matthew 8:22, Luke 9:6a.
26 Don't fear people-fear God. Matthew 10:28, Matthew 16:23, Luke 12:4-5.
27 Confess Christ before men. Matthew 10:32-33, Mark 5:19, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26, Luke 12:8-9.
28 Take up your cross. Matthew 10:38-39, Matthew 16:24-26, Mark 8:34-37, Luke 9:23-26, Luke 14:26-33.
29 Beware of hypocrisy and greed. Matthew 15:6-9, Matthew 23:28, Luke 6:41-42, Luke 12:1b, Luke 20:46-47.
30 Privately rebuke a brother and if he repents forgive him. Matthew 18:15, Luke 17:3-4.
31 Pay your taxes and give to God what is his. Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, Luke 20:25, Luke 21:4.
32 Love God and others. Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27, John 15:12, John 13:34-35.
33 Keep alert and watch for the 2nd coming. Matthew 24:44, Matthew 24:46, Matthew 24:50-51, Mark 14:62, Luke 12:35-40, Luke 21:27-28.
34 Honour God with all that you have been given. Matthew 25:14-31, Luke 18:18.
35 Minister to others as you would to Jesus Himself. Matthew 25:34-46.
36 Preach the Gospel and teach obedience. Matthew 28:20, Mark 16:15, Luke 9:60b, John 21:15b, John 21:16b, John 21:17b.
37 Repent of your sins. Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3,5, Luke 15:7, Luke 15:10, Luke 15:18-24.
38 Believe in Jesus Mark 16:16, Luke 9:35, John 12:36, John 6:29, John 20:29, John 14:6.
39 Have child like faith. Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17, Matthew 9:29.
40 Don't sell things in God's house. Mark 11:15-17, John 2:16.
41 Rejoice when you are persecuted. Luke 6:22-23.
42 Don't be distracted from hearing God's Word. Luke 10:38-42.
43 Act with compassion and not prejudice towards others. Luke 10:30-37.
44 Invite the poor to eat with you. Luke 14:13-14.
45 Humble yourself & take the lowest position Luke 14:8-11, 18:13-14, Matthew 23:12, 19:30.
46 You must be born again. John 3:3, John 3:5-8.
47 Live in Me and live in My love. John 8:31-32, John 15:4, 9
48 Don't covet your bother's blessing Luke 12:13-15, 15:29-30
49 Be baptised Matthew 29:19, Mark 16:16
50 Strive for perfection Matthew 5:48, John 15:14

I hope this helps you and I pray that I will be able to follow Him in a manner acceptable to Him.

In Exodus 21:5 and 6 it says “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges.a He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. This is a great example for christians today to follow because it embodies the principals that Jesus taught. Let's examine this; What are some of the attributes of a servant for life?

A servant for life

loves his/her master.
does not think highly of him/her self.
does not expect things, praise, esteem, or respect from others.
does not expect to be respected.
does not expect to have his love returned.
is dead to self and lives to serve the master.
tries to uplift the served regardless of circumstance.
hopes for the best, prepares for the worst, and loves regardless.

A servant for life has several qualities including but not limited to:
empathy,
understanding,
healing,
awareness,
Persuasion,
conceptualization,
foresight,
and a keen understanding that everything they own is in stewardship from the Lord

What does this do for us?
When someone is rude to us we do not become angry because we do not expect respect.
When we work hard on something and it is overlooked we do not become depressed or rejected because we do not expect so we are not disappointed.

in Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus said

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Keeping the attitude of a servant for life helps us and everyone we come in contact with.

A servant's first impulse is to do good for others.

Servants in leadership create practices that enrich the lives of everyone around them.

Servants builds better organizations and ultimately create a more just and caring world.

Many times we say we want to be a servant of Christ and then someone asks us to get them some coffee and we say
"What do I look like your slave!"

Once I was ministering to a man who had been in and out of prison all of his life. The experiences had made him hardened and God was having me show him Jesus's way and so I was acting as his servant for life. One day I picked him up to take him to church with me and he looked over at me and said "do you have any money?" I replied yeah I got paid a few --" He inturupted me and said, "Well then Give me some!". Immediately my mind raced and thought "wow really! I think he could have done that a lot better." I was about to let him know that I did not appreciate the way he asked me when God spoke up in the back of my mind saying "Ahh ah ah ahhh, dont you dare say anything to him, you do that to me!" I was completely huumbled and gave him the money he asked for. a long while later I told him the entire story and he was blown away.

This one concept embodies all that Jesus said, did, and taught. If we can all get this I believe the world would be a better place.

in John 13 it says:
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

“Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

May God bless you and give you the attitude of a servant for life.

1 Corinthians 11
11 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

On Covering the Head in Worship

2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you [a]. 3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
7 A man ought not to cover his head,[b] since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head[c], because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God[d].


[a] There are some traditions that are good and holy.
[b] Wear his hair long, or wear a hat?
[c] This too is a disputable matter because it can be discerned in many ways depending on one’s vantage point. If one wanted to they could read this to say that a man ought not to have long hair, and a woman should keep long hair as a sign of supplication to her man. But it may just as easily be read as a man ought not to wear a hat while praying while a woman should. It can also be read that because the angels are tempted by the beauty of our wives that our wives ought to be dressed modestly to abate such temptation. One can even say that since the man is the head of the woman when it says the woman should have authority over her head she should have authority over her man.
The true moral of this story is that based on what seems good and evil to someone (discerned from the eating of the evil fruit) decides how this story plays out in either that man or woman’s head. But with Christ as our center we can look at this through His eyes and their by through the eyes of others at the same time and realize that love does not seek to take dominion or ownership over the loved. Love serves, comforts, and cares for the loved.
[d] When the disciples asked the Lord which of them would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus set a child in their midst, and informed them that until they humbled themselves as such they could not even enter that kingdom. From the child He transferred the lesson to "one of these little ones that believe on Me," i.e., to the believer humblest in rank among them, saying, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven," Matthew18:10. The words in verse 10 bear the translation, "because of her angels," the definite article in Greek often having the force of a possessive pronoun, and thus the verse should have been rendered. Paul taught that "angels" were inferior in rank to redeemed man, 1 Corinthians 6:3. They are ministering spirits to us, Hebrew 1:14. Yet the most despised women's angels stand before God, with no intervening veil, and behold His face. Shall not woman be permitted to do as much as her "ministering spirits" are allowed to do? Man unveils because Christ, his Head, is unveiled before God. Woman "ought to have the right" to unveil because not only is Christ, her spiritual Head, unveiled before God, but man, her matrimonial head, also; and, if this were not enough, then her ministering spirits "do always behold the face" of God. This is the Apostle's argument. Shall man attempt to require that woman veil out of respect for his authority (?) over her? Not when God does not require man to veil out of respect for God's authority over man. - www.doxa.ws/social/Women/veil2.html We are to be equals in love with our women through the cyclical relationship of woman being born from man, and then man being born from woman from then on. We are to love one another first with His love, a pure selfless motivated expression of kindness and compassion. Then we can have amore as equals in Christ, and in fact; the one who serves will be the greater in heaven. Love is often found in empathy.

Ok I have been asked to try to come up with ways to tell about the loving feelings inspired throughout the bible and positive ways to mitigate our pain. I thank you Wendy for bringing this to my attention because I see that you are exactly right. Too often too many people are focusing on what's wrong, and I had eagerly joined the ranks as I am still weak in my faith....We should be looking for ways to mitigate problems not just pointing them out.... that being said, I am no expert on dealing with pain...but this is how I “think” the Lord is directing me to handle my pain or would prefer me to.

Emotional pains can be managed, handled, or stopped to a degree by putting them into some sort of perspective in our minds. By reading the bible from beginning to end four times so far, I have found that there is no "I want to be right" issue in this life that is worth giving up the gifts God has given me. So I have no more need to feel like I am right over someone else. That sort of thing comes from a place of pride and is haughty and delusional. We are living on this earth for an average of between 70 and 120 years. In contrast to eternity that time period is like 1 milisecond within that maximum 120 year period of time. And even that doesn't accurately express the minuscule amount of time that our lives transpire on this earth.
By following the teachings in the bible and loving through the Lord and Jesus Christ with all our hearts souls and minds we soon realize that nothing else matters to us. Sure we need to survive right? But truly I say to you that if we have faith in Jesus and trust him explicitly, we will want for nothing, ever. I know that it is so contrary for the world to understand this, because it is written “they will have eyes but not see and ears but not hear”, and historically we have always been taught that if we don't work hard we will never have anything in life.

It is true that we are supposed to work. But working is just like eating. We are supposed to eat to live, rather than living to eat. I mention this because it is the sin that is close to me and my faults. We are supposed to also work to live, not live to work. When we try to become Affluent or famous in an endeavor it is for our vanity and serves no purpose. It’s like musicianship. True musicians play music because they love it. They don't do it to get to some end point of being rich and famous. The musicians who do that are posers. The ones who actually end up being the rich and famous ones are the ones who do it for the love of it. I digress... "Now" whenever I feel that emotional pain from something someone has done or said to me I look at each incident to figure out where the hurt came from. Most times the twinge of hurt feelings comes from some figment of my own insecurity and I have to realize that and dismis it as silly. When the incident was intentionally hurtful often it is not something that we could have helped. This is where the empathetic power of love can help us a lot.  We have to first stop ourselves from re-acting. Instead we need to take a moment to truly evaluate what happened and why.  By placing ourselves in the shoes of our offenders we often remember when we ourselves have done such a thing, or something equally wrong.

For instance; let’s say I am driving down the road and another person cuts me off from the left hand lanes only to stop and turn right in front of me. Immediately a sense of injustice is kindled inside me. But rather than honking and cussing and waving my fist at that guy, I can remember what it was like to be him and how he feels bad and stressed and angry all the time. Often we can quickly see that a person who has just hurt our feelings may be in some form of great pain from something going on in their life. It is most likely something we have nothing to do with. But that person (my brother or sister) is in pain. Then instead of getting angry we can feel pity and sorrow for that person's situation and "let it go" by praying that whatever is driving then from the Lord will be removed from their life. I know it’s hard...especially on the road where there is a certain level of anonymity. We want to immediately lash out and satisfy our pain but this is not forgiving like Jesus taught us to do in the bible. It is not showing any love to anyone in any way. And the bible clearly states if we cannot forgive others of the things they do to us, then we will not receive forgiveness for the things we have done to others and against God. This type of pain is one that is caused by the careless actions of others. What about the emotional pains brought on by circumstance?

Let’s say the pain is due to the loss of a loved one. This too I have experienced and I have learned to handle each one on a case by case basis because depending on the circumstances of the death it may seem harder for us and others to handle. If it is someone who has accepted Jesus sacrifice for themand was in grief daily from being very old and was losing their faculties and just generaly not having any quality of life whatsoever, at this person’s passing we can take solace that they will be sleeping until the Day of Judgment. They will no longer be in pain. They will no longer feel ashamed to not be able to take care of themselves, and they will be resurrected in the end time for righteous judgment with the rest of us and Jesus will be there. If the death was due to a sudden tragic accident it is truly hard to handle as usually the loved one is cut down in their prime or even before that. This has to be one of the most heart wrenching experiences that anyone could ever experience, (and I say this without having experienced it), Other than ones child taking their own life, a child dying in an accident or worse due to the negligence of a drunk driver has to be the worst feeling in the world.    But, by studying the scriptures, we can find a measure of relief for these pains as well. If the relative was one of God’s children that did not yet know about Jesus, the bible plainly states that they will be in heaven with Him on the Day of Judgment. For it is written, “the kingdom of heaven is made for such as these". Knowing that in death they are feeling no pain but sleeping until they go to heaven, and also knowing that by not having the time on this earth to become tempted and defiled by the things of this world that they are guaranteed immortal bliss. We can take some comfort that they are not in pain and will not suffer some of the anguish this world has to offer them. As time passes this becomes a small relief for the pain of us missing them, and feeling regret that they did not get to experience life. But there is no full relief for this sort of pain other than prayer and supplication to God. I could not imagine just how painful this would be and my heart goes out to anyone who has ever had to deal with a pain as intense as losing their child. Hugs you... :(. But enough about pain because it breaks my heart... lets talk about love now.

The bible teaches us love on a scale so big that we almost can not fathom the depths of it. If we really love someone, then we show it by how we act toward that person.

›Love is more than attraction.
›Love is more than arousal.
›Love is more than sentimentality.

Love, like the bible teaches and is echoed in so many songs, is the essence of God. By this standard; Is love dead when the emotions are gone?
No — not at all — because love is not only an emotion. Love is also an action, a behavior, a concept, an energy and a power greater than any other in the known universe. We are shown examples of God's love over and over again in the Bible. God commands us to love each other. If love was just an emotion how could it be commanded? You can’t command an emotion. It only makes sense that one can not say, “Be sad!” and have people be sad on cue. Unless they were actors in a play, people cannot be ordered to be sad, or happy.

But love is different. Love is alive! Love is something you do. Sure, it produces emotions of happiness and joy and exhilaration. But love itself is an action.

The Bible tells us in 1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." This was said because "God is love" and through loving one another we can emulate him. By emulating him we gain eternal riches in the life that came through our faith in the salvation given to us as a free gift - Jesus Christ. You see, without loving and having love as your primary motivation in life, one's heart tends toward things of this world. The more indulging one does in the “pleasures” of this world, the less we fit into the world of Jesus. This does not happen only because we failed to keep a "dont do this" rule, but because we failed to attempt to do the "I want to be a servant" rule.

Being a servant requires emptying of self. To do this I have to say to myself on a daily basis; "I am a sinner. As such, I do not deserve respect from others. If they do give it to me that is a bonus. As a servant I need to keep my eyes open every day looking for ANY opportunity to be a blessing to others. I need to serve them in that need with whatever capacity I have to do that because it will send a ripple of Gods love into that person's day. I need to keep myself from every taking any glory for any "good deed" I do for them always differing any glory to God because it is His love that drives my actions in those times.

There is no place for pride with Jesus.
There is no place for sexual immorality with Jesus.
There is no place for fear in Jesus.
There is only place for love.

It is written “1 John 4:18 there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."

Love gives us compassion. Love gives us understanding. As a silly demonstration, the movie Shallow Hal displayed well one of the principles of love. When we have Agape love for our fellow man we don’t dwell on how they look. Rather than thinking degrading thoughts about a person and shunning, avoiding, or harassing them we are more likely to hang around and encourage them through their crisis. Or when we see someone who is disfigured we have compassion for them and offer them our salutations in love rather than attempting to avoid eye contact. When we see that homeless person on the street asking for spare change, instead of thinking, “oh gosh they are going to hit me up”, we should rather think “I need to get this person some food and a place to bathe and rest.” When we perform services for each other we “commit” the act of love. And guess what? While we are comitting the acts of love for others... we run out of time to do the very things we are not supposed to be doing. We are healed through our healing of others through Gods Love shining through in the form of loving acts of kindness and generosity. Jesus did just that for his disciples right before he was handed over to his killers. He washed all of their feet as a way to show them what we must all do for one another in our lifetimes in order to walk like him. The greatest of us in heaven will be the one who is servant to everyone here in this life.

So how do we get to this level of love? It’s simple we have to humble ourselves. We have to realize that without the Father we are nothing but $8.00 worth of minerals and dirt. We have to realize that the only things we can do in this life that make us great are those things we do to elevate others. Once we truly believe that we are in no way better than “anyone” else our entire attitude changes. We start to understand what Jesus said “he who wants to save his life will lose it, but he who is willing to lose his life for me will have everlasting life!” I used to understand this well as a child. Then the world kicked my butt and told me I had to “Be a man”, “Go make my way”, “Win the rat race” and I did for many years and sank further and further into hell. Sure I had the best foods, and they made me fat. I had the best cars, and they got me tickets. I had all the coolest toys. And they gave me friends that were not. I had the best “stuff” the world had to offer. But I hated myself; I had no real love for anyone other than my immediate family. When I decided to repent and ask Jesus to take my life and do with me whatever it took to bring Him back into my life, as the most important person in my life, I found my love again.

All I really need any more is my bible, my tools, and one acoustic guitar. Everything else is fluff. Won’t you all join with me and rid yourself of some of your fluff and give it to others in secret. Help someone in your neighborhood or in your city by getting rid of some of your fluff. Sell whatever you dont need and give to the poor. Go talk with that elderly neighbor who doesn't have anyone to talk to on a daily basis. Open doors for everyone. Offer genuine loveing greetings to everyone. Help anyone in any way possible because, through Jesus precious blood, my life is only 70-100 years of service for an eternity of happiness, wisdom, grace, and life in paradise with them most loving father that has ever existed. Praise God!

We Are To Trust God

For Everything!

In Genesis 22:1-19 Abraham was tested and found to have great faith.

In Genesis 15:6 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

In Exodus Moses had faith and performed all sorts of signs and miracles to finally get the Israelites freed from the bondage of slavery to the Egyptians.

In Joshua 2 shows us the prostitute that hid the two spies Joshua sent in to spy out Jericho.

In Judges 6 Gideon is asked by an angel of the Lord to take on the Midianites, and free Israel from their oppression.
Judges 6:34-40
“34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. 36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.”
Judges 7:2-The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Median into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.”
God then told Gideon that He still had too many men. God wanted to show that it was His strength that wins battles, not ours. By the time God had completed whittling down Gideon’s army it only had 300 members left. These soldiers each had a clay pot with a torch in it, and a trumpet. When each of the 300 men began breaking their pots and blowing their trumpets, the Lord caused the men throughout the Medians camp to turn on each other with their swords, and the Lord liberated Israel through Gideon.


Then in Judges 16, after Delilah had tricked Samson into giving away the secret of his great strength and the Philistines had cut his hair and put out his eyes, through faith Samson was strengthened by God one more time to bring the coliseum down on the heads of the Philistine rulers.

In 1 Samuel 17 David (a small Sheppard boy) was chosen by God to slay Goliath (the mightiest Philistine). So David, through faith took a stone in his sling and swung it hitting the big philistine in the forehead killing him. After this David took his head and was later set as king over Judah and Jerusalem.

Later in 1 Kings 3 , and 2 Chronicles 1, Solomon is asked by God to ask for anything he wants. By faith instead of asking for riches, long life, or any other worldly things, he asks God for wisdom to help rule the people that God had put under him. God was so pleased with this that He gave Solomon everything, even the things he did not ask for.

In 2 Kings 2 Elijah, the man of God was by faith taken into heaven by chariots of fire, and by faith Elisha had acquired the Spirit of the Lord after the departure of Elijah.

In 2 Kings 4 the widow woman by faith asked Elisha for help to feed herself and her sons through her poverty. By faith she was able to pour many jars of olive oil from one jar and thereby keep herself and her family fed. He also by faith restored the Shumanite woman’s son to her from death.

In 2 Kings 5 Elisha, by faith told Naaman to “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” And he was cleansed from leprosy.

Then in 2 Kings 18, and Isaiah 36, and 2 Chronicles 32 Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah, and he laid siege to the fortified cities. He blasphemed God as he taunted Hezekiah. By faith Hezekiah chose to seek the Lord and fast and pray for salvation from the Assyrian King. God delivered Hezekiah by slaughtering 185,000 of the Assyrian troops in the night before the battle.

Then later in 2 Chronicles 20 The Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came as three separate armies against Jehoshaphat and the kingdom of Judah. Jehoshaphat, by faith choose to inquire of the Lord concerning this. He chose weakness by proclaiming a fast and many prayers to God for salvation. By faith he and his army marched out to fight these armies singing praises to God. As they did this God set ambushes between all the armies coming against Judah and they routed each other until there was nothing left but plunder for the armies of Judah to collect. All the soldiers of the opposing armies had killed one another.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah

In Daniel 3 King Nebuchadnezzar had erected a statue of gold and decreed that everyone should bow and worship this idol whenever they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah – Daniel’s friends refused to obey this saying Daniel 3:16-18 New International Version (NIV)
16 Shadrach (Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael) and Abednego (Azariah) replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

These stories go on and on in the bible. Simple men and women standing in faith with God have overcome many trials and tribulations through faith alone. This is the kind of faith we need to have today.

How does one build this kind of faith?

With continuous study of the word, building a close and personal relationship with our heavenly Father, and having the fruits of the Spirit we build our faith.

You see, when we have the beatitudes;
Matthew 5:3-10 New International Version (NIV)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,”
Firmly planted in our hearts and we Love our Father, YHWH, our God with all of our hearts; we will begin to flow with the fruits of the Spirit which are;
Galatians 5:22-23 New International Version (NIV)
“22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
By this it was not meant we can do whatever we want. We can only have that kind of freedom with a complete reliance on Jesus. We can only be free to do whatever we want when everything we want is good, pure, holy, and self sacrificing.

You see Jesus didn’t come to just forgive us of our sins. He came to show that it is not about following rules it’s about loving and caring enough about others to put them first in our lives and thereby humbling ourselves. We should ask God to live in us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. By faith we should continue to do good for everyone around us while keeping our eyes on Him. We should stand firm in faith and ask God for his direction in our lives. As we do, God will give us revelations, signs, and wonders on a personal level that will build our faith stronger and stronger until there is no trial or tribulation that will make us stop praising Him in the storms of our lives. When our faith has grown sufficiently we will be vessels of Gods Holy power once more like many men from throughout the bible and history.

Coping and helping those hurting
Jesus asked us to love like He did. I guess that includes being a blessing to those who curse you.

On loving through the insults

I love her to death, but it’s draining to talk to her. Every time I call this friend of mine, I know what I’m in for: a half-hour rant about everything that’s difficult, miserable, or unfair. Sometimes she focuses on the people she feels have wronged her, and other times she explores the general hopelessness of life. She never calls to see how I’m doing, and she rarely listens to what’s going on in my life for more than a minute before shifting the focus back to herself. I tell myself I call because I care, but sometimes I wonder if I have ulterior motives–to pump up my ego offering good advice or even to feel better about my own reality. I’m no saint, and if there’s one thing I know well, it’s that we only do things repeatedly if we believe there’s something in it for us. Even if that something is just to feel needed. I thought about this the other day when a reader wrote to me with an interesting question: “How do you offer compassion to someone who doesn’t seem to deserve it?” While I believe everyone deserves compassion, I understand what she meant after reading more. She went on to describe her offensive, sexist, racist boss who emotionally exhausts everyone around him. He sounds a lot more hateful than my friend, who is, sadly, just terribly depressed. But these people have one thing in common: boundless negative energy that ends up affecting everyone around them. So today I started thinking about how we interact with negative or difficult people. People who seem chronically critical, belligerent, indignant, angry, or just plain rude. When someone repeatedly drains everyone around them, how do you maintain a sense of compassion without getting sucked into their doom? And how do you act in a way that doesn’t reinforce their negativity–and maybe even helps them?


Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Resist the urge to judge or assume.
It’s hard to offer someone compassion when you assume you have them pegged. He’s a jerk. She’s a malcontent. He’s an–insert other choice noun. Even if it seems unlikely someone will wake up one day and act differently, we have to remember it is possible. When you think negative thoughts, it comes out in your body language. Someone prone to negativity may feel all too tempted to mirror that. Try coming at them with the positive mindset you wish they had. Expect the best in them. You never know when you might be pleasantly surprised.

2. Dig deeper, but stay out of the hole.
It’s always easier to offer someone compassion if you try to understand where they’re coming from. But that can’t completely justify bad behavior. If you show negative people you support their choice to behave badly, you give them no real incentive to make a change (which they may actually want deep down). It may help to repeat this in your head when you deal with them: “I understand your pain. But I’m most helpful if I don’t feed into it.” This might help you approach them with both kindness and firmness so they don’t bring you down with them.

3.Maintain a positive boundary.
Some people might tell you to visualize a bright white light around you to maintain a positive space when other people enter it with negativity. This doesn’t actually work for me because I respond better to ideas in words than visualizations. So I tell myself this, “I can only control the positive space I create around myself.” Then when I interact with this person, I try to do two things, in this order of importance:
•Protect the positive space around me. When their negativity is too strong to protect it, I need to walk away.
•Help them feel more positive, not act more positive–which is more likely to create the desired result.

4. Disarm their negativity, even if just for now.
This goes back to the ideas I mentioned above. I know my depressed friend will rant about life’s injustices as long as I let her. Part of me feels tempted to play amateur psychiatrist–get her talking, and then try to help her reframe situations into a more positive light. Then I remind myself that I can’t change her whole way of being in one phone call. She has to want that. I also can’t listen for hours on end, as I’ve done in the past. But I can listen compassionately for a short while and then help her focus on something positive right now, in this moment. I can ask about her upcoming birthday. I can remind her it’s a beautiful day for a walk. Don’t try to solve or fix them. Just aim to help them now.

5. Temper your emotional response.
Negative people often gravitate toward others who react strongly–people who easily offer compassion or get outraged or offended. I suspect this gives them a little light in the darkness of their inner world–a sense that they’re not floating alone in their own anger or sadness. People remember and learn from what you do more than what you say. If you feed into the situation with emotions, you’ll teach them they can depend on you for a reaction. It’s tough not to react because we’re human, but it’s worth practicing. Once you’ve offered a compassionate ear for as long as you can, respond as calmly as possible with a simple line of fact. If you’re dealing with a rude or angry person, you may want to change the subject to something unrelated: “Dancing with the Stars is on tonight. Planning to watch it?”

6. Question what you’re getting out of it.
Like I mentioned above, we often get something out of relationships with negative people. Get real honest with yourself: have you fallen into a caretaker role because it makes you feel needed? Have you maintained the relationship so you can gossip about this person in a holier-than-thou way with others? Do you have some sort of stake in keeping the things the way they are? Questioning yourself helps you change the way you respond–which is really all you can control. You can’t make someone think, feel, or act differently. You can be as kind as possible or as combative as possible, and still not change reality for someone else. All you can control is what you think and do–and then do your best to help them without hurting yourself.

7. Remember the numbers.
Research shows that people with negative attitudes have significantly higher rates of stress and disease. Someone’s mental state plays a huge role in their physical health. If someone’s making life difficult for people around them, you can be sure they’re doing worse for themselves. What a sad reality, that someone has so much pain inside them they have to act out just to feel some sense of relief–even if that relief comes from getting a rise out of people. When you remember how much a difficult person is suffering, it’s easier to stay focused on minimizing negativity, as opposed to defending yourself.

8. Don’t take it personally, but know that sometimes it is personal.
Conventional wisdom suggests that you should never take things personally when you deal with a negative person. I think it’s a little more complicated than that. You can’t write off everything someone says about you just because the person is insensitive or tactless. Even an abrasive person may have a valid point. Try to weigh their comments with a willingness to learn. Accept that you don’t deserve the excessive emotions in someone’s tone, but weigh their ideas with a willingness to learn. Some of the most useful lessons I’ve learned came from people I wished weren’t right.

9. Act instead of just reacting. Oftentimes we wait until someone gets angry or depressed before we try to buoy their spirits. If you know someone who seems to deal with difficult thoughts or feelings often (as demonstrated in their behavior), don’t wait for a situation to help them create positive feelings. Give them a compliment for something they did well. Remind them of a moment when they were happy–as in “Remember when you scored that touchdown during the company picnic? That was awesome!” You’re more apt to want to boost them up when they haven’t brought you down. This may help mitigate that later and also give them a little relief from their pain. 10. Maintain the right relationship based on reality as it is. With my friend, I’m always wishing she could be more positive. I consistently put myself in situations where I feel bad because I want to help, because I want her to be happy. I’ve recently realized the best I can do is accept her as she is, let her know I believe in her ability to be happy, and then give her space to make the choice. That means gently bringing our conversation to a close after I’ve made an effort to help. Or cutting short a night out if I’ve done all I can and it’s draining me. Hopefully she’ll want to change some day. Until then, all I can do is love her, while loving myself enough to take care of my needs. That often means putting them first. I’ve learned you can’t always saved the world, but you can make the world a better place by working on yourself–by becoming self-aware, tapping into your compassion, and protecting your positive space. You may even help negative people by fostering a sense of peace within yourself that their negativity can’t pierce. Most people know someone who seems to make every situation toxic and impossible. Pointing out that these people are difficult and demanding won't get you anywhere, though — odds are, they don't even see a problem. Whether the issue is caused by a personality disorder or some other underlying issue, here's how to navigate interactions with impossible people and preserve your own sanity. Handling Conflicts with impossible people. 1 Resist the urge to be defensive. Understand very clearly that you cannot beat these kinds of people; they're called "impossible" for a reason. In their minds, you are the source of all wrongdoing, and nothing you can say is going to make them consider your side of the story. Your opinion is of no consequence, because you are already guilty, no matter what. 2 Accept the situation. Impossible people exist; there isn't a thing you can do about it. The first step is all about facing reality: if you think you might be dealing with an impossible person, you're probably right. When in doubt, proceed as instructed below. The headaches you save will be your own. 3 Do not call out the other person. Bluntly stating the problem will not improve your relationship with someone impossible. Instead of reaching a reconciliation, he or she will likely just become more difficult. Recognize that you can't handle this like you would any other personal conflict — it's a special situation. In some ways, they need to be treated like children. Give up all hope of engaging these folks in any kind of reasonable conversation. It will never happen, at least with you. Remember what happened the last fifty times you tried to have a civilized discussion about the status of your relationship with this person. Chances are, every such attempt ended in you being blamed for everything. Decide now to quit banging your head against a brick wall. 4 Understand that it's not you, it's them. This can be surprisingly difficult, considering that impossible people have complete mastery of shifting the blame. Chances are, the more often they blame you, the more they themselves are actually at fault. Keep in mind that this is not to be used as a way to blame them. Blaming is what impossible people do, and they do it well. Instead, you are only facing the facts, for your own sake. That being said, here's a simple way to tell: if you accept responsibility for your own faults and resolve to improve yourself, it's probably not you. Remember, impossible people "can do no wrong." 5 Remember to "detach, disassociate and diffuse." When you're in the middle of a conflict with an impossible person, use this strategy: Detach: Staying calm in the heat of the moment is paramount to your personal preservation. Spitting angry words, reacting with extreme emotions such as crying, will only stimulate them to do more of the difficult behavior. Disassociate: Remove yourself from the situation and treat it with indifference. Do not, under any circumstances bad talk to their face or to anyone else because then you are sinking down to their level. Add something positive by redirection such as by focusing on something, anything, positive in the situation or in the conversation. Whatever you do just stay calm! Diffuse: It can help to realize that the side of a conversation that contains the most truth will always win out, and it's best to "name the game" that an impossible person is playing, usually by asking them or the group a question that starts "Why...," (rephrasing their "impossible" position to illuminate the consequences). You will move the conversation to a higher level, and the group, or even just the impossible individual, in a one-on-one, will respond to this "higher truth," although the individual will usually respond by (more) obfuscating. 6 Guard against anger. If it helps, consider the fact that your anger is actually a precious gift to the impossible person. Anything you do or say while angry will be used against you over and over again. Impossible people tend to have amazing memories, and they will not hesitate to use a nearly endless laundry list of complaints from the past against you. Five years from now, you could be hearing about the angry remark you made today (which you didn't even mean in the first place). Impossible people will seize anything that provides them the opportunity to lay blame like it was gold. 7 Prepare for projection. Understand that you are going to be accused of much (or all) of this behavior yourself. If your impossible person gets a look at this text, to them it will look like a page about you. Prepare yourself for the fact that the impossible person's flaws and failings will always be attributed to you. Remember, in their minds, you are at fault for everything! They will have an endless supply of arguments to support this, and if you make the mistake of encouraging them, they will be more than happy to tell you why you are the impossible person, and how ironic it is that you are under the mistaken impression that it is them. Long-Term Management of impossible people. 1 Be a manager. Until it is over, your task in the relationship is to manage the impossible person, so that he or she deals less damage to you. As a manager, your best resources are silence (it really is golden in some cases such as this), humoring the other, and abandoning all hope of "fixing" the impossible person. Impossible people do not listen to reason. They can't (and even if they could, they wouldn't). Recognize that you can't convince them that they have any responsibility for the problems between you. They don't recognize (or if they did, wouldn't try to improve) their flaws for a very logical reason; they don't have any flaws. You must understand and manage this mindset without casting blame and without giving in to anger. It's far easier said than done, and you will slip from time to time, but as time goes on, you'll become a better manager. 2 Consider that it might be a question of compatibility. Sometimes, a person who gets along with everybody else quite well is an impossible person for you personally. Most relationships between people contain many shades of gray, but some people simply mix as well as oil and water. It is common to hear your impossible person proclaim "Everyone else likes me." This is an attempt to shift the blame to you, so don't buy it. It doesn't matter how this person interacts with others. The fact is, the way the two of you interact together is terrible. Remember that blame never changes the facts. 3 Don't get cornered. Avoid one-on-ones with this type of person, actively; in other words, when you see them coming to corner you, suggest, and then demand that at least a third party be brought in. This will often thwart the impossible person's plans, and a typical response from them will be to unilaterally decide that "we don't need anyone else." You are perfectly free to claim your need for a third party to help your understanding, and insist upon it. Bullies never stand up to a crowd. 4 Protect your self-esteem. If you have regular dealings with someone who tries to portray you as the source of all evil, you need to take active steps to maintain a positive self-image. Remind yourself that this person's opinion is not necessarily the truth. Understand that oftentimes, impossible people are particularly "fact-challenged." If the attacks have little basis in raw fact, dismiss them. You can't possibly be as bad as this person would like you to believe you are. Do not defend yourself out loud, however. It will only provoke the impossible person into another tirade. 5 Prepare to part ways. Understand that eventually, you'll have to create a separation between yourself and an impossible person. Whether they are a friend, a family member, a parent, even a spouse, the time to leave will eventually manifest. Maintaining a relationship with an impossible person is, literally, impossible. If you can't (or won't) make a physical departure immediately, make a mental one. In your mind, you've already left the relationship. The only thing left to do is wait for physical reality to reflect that fact. 6 Avoid picking up impossible traits. If you aren't careful, you could find yourself adopting much of the offender's own behavior, even if you aren't voluntarily trying. Eschew blame entirely by understanding that this is just the way the other person is. These things define the impossible person's actions, and nothing you do can change any part of their past. 7 Protect your privacy. Impossible people will use any information on your personal life however small as a trump card against you. They can spin stories about you to other people (especially those close to you both) on a simple comment you made over lunch. Since they are specialists in manipulation, they are very good at making you talk. Impossible people are good at seeming normal, and unless you are very convinced of who you are and where you stand in relation to the slight madness of this person, there will be times where you think "Hey, she's not so bad after all. I guess I could tell her what I am going through these days...." Big mistake! It will come back to you when you least expect it, in the most dirty and manipulative way. Things shared in confidence late night at the office between the two of you can be used in an ice cold analysis in front of the whole company in a moment where the impossible person needs to get on top of you. He/she will spare no information to prove to others how well they know you, and such know what the best way to "handle" you is. 8 Be the opposite of them: a possible person. Live as an example of tolerance, patience, humility, and even some kindness (as difficult as that may be). We are all influenced by the people in our environment — they don't have to be perfect all the time and neither do you. Give respect because you are human. If you don't receive respect, that's -sadly- their problem. Give understanding, and you get understanding. Ultimately this sort of behavior is probably the only thing that might get through to them. They may not change in everything, but you can safely expect a change.

The Prayer of Jabez goes something like this:

Oh Lord, I pray that you would bless me in deed - not necessarily with money or power or houses and things esteemed by this world but with your love.

Enlarge my teritory - not necessarily my land or my house but the ministry that you have called me to... make it so big that without your devine help I am sure to fail.

That your hand would be with me - give me your supernatural strength to do good for others and help all people see your love.

That you would keep me from evil - not so that I will be considered a good man because I can never be that with the plank in my eye.

So that I may not cause pain - but give me the courage to love unconditionally like you do my heavenly Father so that I never cause pain to one more person as long as I live.

Toward the Jabez style ministry:

What was said:
Deut 6
20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand."

How it applies today:
20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Sin in The World, but the Lord brought us out of The World with a mighty hand.

What was said:
22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household.

How it applies today:
22 Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on The World and It's Rulers and whole establishment.

23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

Is this legalism?

Some would say yes for sure. But I submit to you an idea that came from many pastors in history and I saw recently delivered by Joyce Meyer. The kind of love Jesus wants us to have can be acomplished through continual service and humility.

We will fall from time to time (for our own good). But in general, while one is serving others and spending quality time with folks who genuinely need Gods love poured into their lives, a funny thing happens.

We run out of time for any of the non-productive non-sense in our lives. This will not happen out of an effort to avoid these things. But rather, from the Love that Jesus showed us on the cross oozing through the cracks in us brought on by the trials and failures in our lives. We know what it is like to be that guy because every single one of us is that guy (or girl) in some regard. But, once we have been allowed to be used by God to fill someone with His love (like He did for us) through service, respect, and love, it will begin to flow from them like is stated in John 7:38 -

"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

And when our brothers and sisters begin to feel the peace and joy that God fills their hearts with more and more as their faith grows they come to us and say "Thank you so much! You have shown me the way!" That is when we have to take a step back, and proclaim that the deeds we performed were nothing of our creation but God himself told us what needed to be done and we simply followed His direction through prayer, and asking, and supplication.

It is so important to remember that Love is a verb.

A study of Romans 16

In Romans 16 Paul is lifting up his brothers and sisters as lights of God. They were speaking in unity and love because they were all with God. After greeting and uplifting his brothers and sisters Paul warns us of something. It is seen starting on the 17the verse. 17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

"watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned"

"cause divisions and put obstacles in your way"

So what causes divisions?
Wikipedia defines a Christian denomination in this way, "A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. Divisions between one group and another are defined by doctrine and church authority. Issues such as the nature of Jesus, the authority of apostolic succession, eschatology, and papal primacy often separate one denomination from another."
I don’t know about you but I was never appointed to be the judge of such matters. I am not even to judge me. But rather to listen to the Holy Spirit when it convicts me and continues to refine me. This it does for me at my request, not for my salvation but because I don’t like the old me and his ways. His misdeeds are dead to me. Now I can rely solely on Jesus and thank and praise Him every day. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. It doesn’t matter that one knows the scriptures better than another. None of our earthly accomplishments or distinctions we have laid on ourselves is worth a hill of beans if we do not have the love of God in our lives. And, it is easy to have the love of God in your life. Just go around with the attitude of a servant. Constantly look for opportunities to help others in any way possible. It may be as simple as opening the door for someone and smiling with a bright “good morning.” That sends that person out with a ripple of love into the world to bless others in their path. It’s the little things that matter the most. I should offer my seat to anyone left standing and should consider it an honor to either stand or sit on the floor for my brother or sister to be able to sit and rest. Distinction, division, setting oneself apart as better than the rest is a dangerous and slippery slope brought on by pride and self-importance. We are one body. No one is excluded by God. We choose exclusion when we turn away from His teachings and begin to add the traditions of our fathers as more important than the unity of Christ Himself.

What is an obstacle?
1. ob•sta•cle
noun: obstacle; plural noun: obstacles
A thing that blocks one's way or prevents or hinders progress.


What could hinder the gospel of Jesus Christ better than to have different groups of the same body in conflict over the traditions of our fathers?
Later Wikipedia says, “Christians have various doctrines about the Church, the body of faithful that they believe was established by Jesus Christ, and how the divine church corresponds to Christian denominations. Both the Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox consider each of themselves solely to faithfully represent the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church to the exclusion of the other.”
1 John 1:5-10 states, “5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us”.

Every single one of us struggles with one sin or another, every single one of us. There is not one man or woman who is better than another. So to seek to distinguish myself as better than someone else in faith is death to me, because I would be doing exactly what Satan did. I would be choosing to exalt myself to the position of God and judge between my brothers and sisters and myself. In every denomination there are tide turners and rocks. God builds His house on rocks and everyone can be a rock by simply repenting and giving up the perceived right to judge. If we drop all the doctrinal “things” that each denomination has changed or added to or taken away you are left with love. Because God is love. All we need to do is love. Love God, love my wife, love my child, love my relatives, love my neighbors, love the drug addict, love the liar, love that person who tries to offend you because he is hurting inside. When we do this, we can’t fault them for doing what we have done. If we believe eating anything is ok or worshiping on a different day is ok then so be it. No harm no foul because we all are truly judged by one. That judge doesn’t care what healthy foods we eat or what day we worship so long as we thank and love Him for providing it for us. But we should also not do anything that will cause one another to stumble. If God has lain on your heart that when you pray you must lay with your face to the floor, that is a covenant between you and God. It is not necessarily to be transferred to others. God may prefer to have another pray kneeling, sitting, head up, head down, whatever. It is not for us to judge one another.
"Doctrine within Christianity”? Are we saying that what the Lord gave us was not good enough? Are we adding our own doctrines into His word to make it seem more palatable to the image set up by the traditions of our fathers or ancestors? Over and over again we see in the old testament so and so became king and he did evil in the eyes of the lord. Then later we see so and so became king and he did what was right in the eyes of the lord. Every time these changes took place what happened to the peoples living under their rule? Depending on the time period and temperament of the king at that time some people followed along with the turning of the tides while others remained in their current state of belief and were either praised or persecuted by the turning tide folks, depending again on the temperament of the new king. James 1:5-8 says “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” If we doubt the grace that already exists we become unstable in everything we do and we turn with the tide like grasses flowing in the wind. "Divisions between one group and another are defined by doctrine and church authority”? Really! Does this not sound like a form of worshiping other gods? Doctrine and church authority? 1 Corinthians 13. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. We need no denominations, we need no doctrines, and we need no authority in our church except Jesus, which again is love. Love, love, love. All we need is agape love. Love that is patient. love that is kind. Love that does not envy. Love that does not boast. Love that is not proud. 5 Love that does not dishonor others. Love that is not self-seeking. Love that is not easily angered. Love that keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love that does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Does that sound like a love that would abandon its brothers and sisters as lost in some other flavor of tide turning? No. It is a love that loves everyone equally and instructs with no condemnation only what is discerned from the pages of the bible. No traditions. No distinctions for one group or another. No favoritism. THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT DENOMINATION ON THE PLANET EARTH There is only love that is right everything else is not from God. You can worship with any denomination that is biblically grounded and work to remove what is not found in scripture without condemning anyone in the process. By using only prayer and supplication, and being lovingly honesty if asked mutual edification can be achieved. The Holy Spirit will guide you as to what these things are and how to remove them through mutual consensus and prayer rather than church authority. We have no authority over one another because we are all supposed to be slaves for Christ and servants for our brothers and sisters. 25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

All things are created for good. Colossians1:16, Even the stinging plants and poisonous plants and wildlife have properties that when combined could cure cancer or other diseases. What we fail to really grasp is that 1John1 God is “good” and in Him there is “no” darkness. All things He does for good. Even all of our bad choices, He chooses to use in some way for good. We are truly blinded in our choosing the path of independence from God by trying to choose the discernment of good and evil for ourselves. What we do not realize is that we drag the entire creation with us toward our own misguided ends, which can be easily seen in our world today.

James 4:2 True freedom involves obedience and trust in a relationship with our creator. Our ideas of good and bad, right and wrong, good and evil change with time and circumstance because we don’t truly understand what good and evil are in our circumstances due to a lack of situational awareness. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge God’s discernment of good and evil for us was abated. We are simply not equipped with all the information necessary to correctly discern true good from evil. Why? Because, when something happens to us, how do we determine whether it was good or evil? We tend to think something is good when we like it or it gives us a sense of happiness, warm fuzziness, or security. We call things evil when they cause us pain or cost us something we want. This makes good and evil very subjective. This is a very self serving and destructive trait that we all share. What I consider good may be considered to be evil by someone else who sees that same event as evil and threatening to their happiness and security. We all think that we have the corner on the market of deciding good and evil. The problem arises when our Idea of good or evil conflicts with someone else’s and fights, arguments and even wars ensue.

With no reality basis for good and truth (due to our limited perception and perspective) we lose all ability to know right from wrong. In all actuality, we shouldn’t try, but should rather rely on God to provide for us these answers through prayer and supplication. When we try to play God in our independence from Him it causes us to continually worry about our futures and what we will do to achieve what we think is good. We brazenly think that we don’t need God’s spirit to help us make up our list of good and evil things. So how do we fix this? We need to ask ourselves “where do I spend most of my mental time? Do I spend it in the past, present, or future?” Most of us spend too much time in the past and the future and not enough on the present. Each moment we are granted the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus is someone’s life, and stop judging good and evil in situations. We have to decide to give up judging good an evil within ourselves and others, and leave that to God, trusting in His decisions because he sees everything at once and it may be that you or I dying could help someone else see Jesus and turn from some evil path they were headed down. In order to do that we have to know God well enough to be able to hear His voice in the things he does around us and to trust that He is only out for our good. Without Him we spend a lot of time living in the past and the future.

In my case it is currently my opera house quandary. My landlord has decided to sell the place I am renting. I have prayed and started out in directions I thought He was telling me to go only until they become cumbersome or He tells me it is the wrong way by blocking my path. I quickly retreat to pray for more guidance as to how to proceed and wait for His solution to my situation. It is impossible for me to take control of the future by making plans and contingencies to avoid the perceived evil that I fear. So I choose to fear nothing and know that He has a perfect plan for me and I keep trying things I believe He is telling me to try. If I were to live by my imagined fears of how the future might turn out, I may try to impose my own will on this situation and make matters much worse. To do that I would not really know Jesus or not really trust Him to love me like He said He does. If I did know about His love then I would not worry about future fears and uncertainty. I have to be willing to give up my “right to judging good and evil” on my own terms but rather use only God’s truth which is love and scripture. It is a hard pill to swallow but it is the only way to rest in God and bring about His peace in our lives. Evil is only the absence of good, just as darkness is the absence of light, and death is the absence of life. God is good, God is light, and God is love Apart from God we can only draw from ourselves which is death. There is no darkness in God. Apart from God there is no good, because not one of us is good. At some instances good may be derived only from a cancer, or a loss of income, or giving of our resources, or even our lives. At the center of each life is another story that is untold to each of us and it may be that one person’s cancer brings a family back together. It may be that a child dying is because that child was going to be dying in a horrible circumstance and God chose to let them pass over in a quick and painless way. Whatever it is, we don’t know. We have to fight the survivor instinct and rely on love and caring for others and trust that God will provide all things for our good to find the rest we all so desire.

We may say “but don’t I have the right to be angry about what someone does to me or my family?!” No, you don’t and if you believe that you do then you will surely get offended when someone does something that you deem as evil to your circumstance even if that someone is God the creator of everything. I do this too. It’s got to stop! because it causes us to play God. That is exactly what Satan did. This is exactly what Cain did, and this is exactly what Balaam did. Jesus didn’t hold onto His rights. For goodness sake He is God and He gave up everything of His power to become a man and take on the sins of all of us, so that we could be redeemed to the Father. By doing this, Jesus opened up the door to free us from exercising our right to choose good and evil and instead rest in what He already accomplished. Have you ever noticed that when you have fear and you are planning some way to counter your fear in the future that Jesus and God are never there with you in those thoughts? In those fear filled imaginations of the future God is almost always absent because he doesn’t follow our perception of good and evil for all people involved. Again, He sees all life stories simultaneously and is best suited for the task of judging right from wrong.

When we try to take control of the future we are frustrated because the future isn’t even real yet. By making these plans we try to play God and act out on our perceived fears. This I have seen firsthand with an old business partner. His imagined scenario concocted in his mind that told him that I had called the bank and told them not to allow him to use his bank card when he had tried to use without activating. This fear caused him to act out of fear and stop making deposits and spend the business deposits leaving his partner to pay for bounced checks for the restaurant, bounced checks to all the waitresses, and the bounced checks the waitresses wrote on their checks, and all related banking fees. The business died. Five years later I saw that person and offered the love and forgiveness of a friendly wave and hello. He turned his back in anger again. All I can do is pray that one day he will accept my love again. So why do we have so much fear in our lives? Because we don’t truly believe God loves us when we do this. Fear and the projection of it into the future are measured conversely against the amount we believe that God is good and that He loves us.

Submission in relationships is a natural expression of love and thereby a natural expression of God. To love one another as brothers and sisters is to be in relationship with God and to see that even if our life is not so great, palatial, or humanly desirable, it may be exactly where God needs us to reach that one person that only we can reach. We should also desire this same relationship with God because through His understanding we can do what is truly right for everyone involved because He shows us the other sides of our situations when we ask. It is harder for us as men to give up our perceived control because we get our sense of fulfillment from our achievements whereas women get their sense of achievement from relationships. The world is only broken because in Eden we asserted our independence to judge good and evil through that one act of rebellion. Most of us men express this by turning to the work of our hands, and the sweat of our brow to gather in our sense of value and security. By seeking to declare what is good and evil we look to create our own destiny. It is this turning that causes so much pain in the world as greed develops from this one act. Women emulate this turning by looking to man and his response is to try to rule over her. Before her turning she only found her truth and love from God. By re-turning (repenting) we can stop all that trying to be in charge and just let go and love. Women turn to relationships other than one with God, and men turn to themselves to find a sense of purpose through a lust for greed and power.

Roles and hierarchy are in direct opposition to Godliness and equitable relationship. We were meant to all be equals like the US constitution proclaims but does not deliver. We are all meant to derive our power from the Holy Spirit and only there. It is not about power, ownership, or performance. Woman was birthed out of man and from then on man was birthed out of woman to form a perfect circle in which true loving relationship can thrive. Our quest for power and fulfillment actually destroys the relationships our hearts long for. It all comes back to how the quest for power is opposite the relationship God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit share with each other and us. Just like love; submission is not something we can do “naturally”. Apart from Jesus light inside us we can’t submit to anyone including God. To die to our life and take up our proverbial cross we have to submit to Gods will through Jesus light and cleansing. When we do this God begins to rule in us and we begin to see situations through His eyes. We begin to have such empathy that we see how our losing in some situation is actually better for our relationship with God because it helps someone else rather than our quest for what we perceive to be right for our circumstances from our perspective. And there is where our choice comes in. Knowing this if we still choose to do our own thing God is not going to stop us. He doesn’t want slaves; He wants willing participants in relationship with Him and in all things. Without this relationship we turn to our pride and judgment of others

Judging requires us to determine ourselves greater than the ones we judge. It also puts us in direct opposition to God by judging Him through our judgments of others. Should we judge the people who hurt us or others? What about the fathers who beat their wives or kids? What about the greedy that take from the poor and leave them to starve? What about the people in the world who use others and make them feel hurt and alone? Don’t they deserve our judgment? What about Hitler? What about his father who twisted him? All the way back to Adam what about him? But why stop there what about god? Why not judge Him for all our shortcomings? Isn’t it the fact that God cannot be trusted that fuels our desire to control our lives the way we want? Yes there it is. So many of us feel it is God that failed us in our lives and we look to blame Him for our circumstances. And so we go about judging others based on our belief that this is what God does. We have a false belief that God chooses to put some of His children in an eternity of hellfire and brimstone because they don’t “perform” up to standard. If that were the measure we would all surely be eternally separated from Him. And if we believe that God can so easily discard one of His children to the fires of hell or eternal separation from Him, why do we as mere mortals find no circumstance under which we would do so to one of our own children? Are we claiming to be better than God!!? Are we judging God? Instead we as mere humans would judge our children worthy of the love that would allow us to sacrifice ourselves and our own lives for them just like Jesus did for us. So why does that sound so hard for us to believe that is exactly what God did for us? God never chooses us to be separated from His love, we chose that back in Eden and we are free to choose it daily. Like gravity certain laws exist in the universe, If I choose to walk off a cliff and try to defy gravity is it God’s fault that I am dashed on the rocks below?

Edited by Horses4Ever, Ben Rubenstein, Master Tyler, Flickety and 31 others
How to love God with a focus on acknowledging God as Love as shown in His Son Jesus Christ, and that He desires us to love others as ourselves

1. Very important is to Love your fellow beings as yourself, even as He loves us. If we feel for others in the same way as we feel for our own dear ones and ourselves, we love God. It is His most important command in loving Him. Love his children, especially Jesus Christ, anyone who does not love a son cannot love a Father.

2. Live for God and be willing to die for God, knowing that the goal of life is to Love God.

3. Be patient with others and yourself.

4. Accept The Lord, the God of Abraham. Isaac, and Jacob, and adopt His likes and hates, and what He does.

5. Mourn with others in mourning, and feel happy in the happiness of others.

6. Instead of worrying over your own misfortunes, think how much more fortunate you are than many others, and bless them. Know that others are going through similar sufferings as you are.

7. Rob yourself to help others, instead of robbing others to help yourself.

8. Be an example for others by loving others like you love yourself.

9. Endure your lot with contentment, accepting it as His Will. Know that with just Godliness and proper food and clothing, one can be content and it is great gain.

10. Don't be greedy before God, asking Him to help you with selfish motives for one's own pleasures. Don't serve riches.

11. Understand and feel that a great act of devotion and worship to God is not to hurt or harm any of His beings, especially human beings who are created in His image.

12. Keep in communication with God and be praying always, speaking words of blessing only.

Believe in Jesus Christ who demonstrates God is Love, and He first Loved us by sending His Son Jesus Christ as the greatest example of His Love. Jesus died for all to come to live in God's Love from which we cannot escape, and Jesus will save us from our sins and build in us a perfect eternal life by the strength of God and not our own efforts. When we believe and call on the name of Jesus and are willing to let go of our evil ways, God helps us helps us with this so we don't fail, when we commit to surrendering to His Lordship, He does this and the rest!

The Practice of the Presence of God

by Brother Lawrence

CONVERSATIONS Introduction: At the time of de Beaufort’s interviews, Brother Lawrence was in his late fifties. Joseph de Beaufort later commented that the crippled brother, who was then in charge of the upkeep of over one hundred pairs of sandals, was “rough in appearance but gentle in grace”.

First Conversation:

The first time I saw Brother Lawrence was upon the 3rd of August, 1666. He told me that God had done him a singular favor in his conversion at the age of eighteen. During that winter, upon seeing a tree stripped of its leaves and considering that within a little time the leaves would be renewed and after that the flowers and fruit appear, Brother Lawrence received a high view of the Providence and Power of God which has never since been effaced from his soul. This view had perfectly set him loose from the world and kindled in him such a love for God, that he could not tell whether it had increased in the forty years that he had lived since. Brother Lawrence said he had been footman to M. Fieubert, the treasurer, and that he was a great awkward fellow who broke everything. He finally decided to enter a monastery thinking that he would there be made to smart for his awkwardness and the faults he would commit, and so he would sacrifice his life with its pleasures to God. But Brother Lawrence said that God had surprised him because he met with nothing but satisfaction in that state.
Brother Lawrence related that we should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s Presence by continually conversing with Him. It was a shameful thing to quit His conversation to think of trifles and fooleries. We should feed and nourish our souls with high notions of God which would yield us great joy in being devoted to Him. He said we ought to quicken and enliven our faith. It was lamentable we had so little. Instead of taking faith for the rule of their conduct, men amused themselves with trivial devotions which changed daily. He said that faith was sufficient to bring us to a high degree of perfection. We ought to give ourselves up to God with regard both to things temporal and spiritual and seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling of His will.
Whether God led us by suffering or by consolation all would be equal to a soul truly resigned. He said we need fidelity in those disruptions in the ebb and flow of prayer when God tries our love to Him. This was the time for a complete act of resignation, whereof one act alone could greatly promote our spiritual advancement. He said that as far as the miseries and sins he heard of daily in the world, he was so far from wondering at them, that, on the contrary, he was surprised there were not more considering the malice sinners were capable of. For his part, he prayed for them. But knowing that God could remedy the mischief they did when He pleased, he gave himself no further trouble.
Brother Lawrence said to arrive at such resignation as God requires, we should carefully watch over all the passions that mingle in spiritual as well as temporal things. God would give light concerning those passions to those who truly desire to serve Him. At the end of this first conversation Brother Lawrence said that if my purpose for the visit was to sincerely discuss how to serve God, I might come to him as often as I pleased and without any fear of being troublesome. If this was not the case, then I ought visit him no more.

Second Conversation:

Brother Lawrence told me he had always been governed by love without selfish views. Since he resolved to make the love of God the end of all his actions, he had found reasons to be well satisfied with his method. He was pleased when he could take up a straw from the ground for the love of God, seeking Him only, and nothing else, not even His gifts. He said he had been long troubled in mind from a certain belief that he should be damned. All the men in the world could not have persuaded him to the contrary. This trouble of mind had lasted four years during which time he had suffered much. Finally he reasoned: I did not engage in a religious life but for the love of God. I have endeavored to act only for Him. Whatever becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I will always continue to act purely for the love of God. I shall have this good at least that till death I shall have done all that is in me to love Him. From that time on Brother Lawrence lived his life in perfect liberty and continual joy. He placed his sins between himself and God to tell Him that he did not deserve His favors yet God still continued to bestow them in abundance.
Brother Lawrence said that in order to form a habit of conversing with God continually and referring all we do to Him, we must at first apply to Him with some diligence. Then, after a little care, we would find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty. He expected after the pleasant days God had given him, he would have his turn of pain and suffering. Yet he was not uneasy about it. Knowing that, since he could do nothing of himself, God would not fail to give him the strength to bear them. When an occasion of practicing some virtue was offered, he addressed himself to God saying, “Lord, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me”. And then he received strength more than sufficient. When he had failed in his duty, he only confessed his fault saying to God, “I shall never do otherwise, if You leave me to myself. It is You who must hinder my falling and mend what is amiss.” Then, after this, he gave himself no further uneasiness about it.
Brother Lawrence said we ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs just as they happen. God never failed to grant it, as Brother Lawrence had often experienced. He said he had been lately sent into Burgundy to buy the provision of wine for the community. This was a very unwelcome task for him because he had no turn for business and because he was lame and could not go about the boat but by rolling himself over the casks. Yet he gave himself no uneasiness about it, nor about the purchase of the wine. He said to God, it was His business he was about, and that he afterwards found it very well performed. He mentioned that it had turned out the same way the year before when he was sent to Auvergne.
So, likewise, in his business in the kitchen (to which he had naturally a great aversion), having accustomed himself to do everything there for the love of God and asking for His grace to do his work well, he had found everything easy during the fifteen years that he had been employed there. He was very pleased with the post he was now in. Yet he was as ready to quit that as the former, since he tried to please God by doing little things for the love of Him in any work he did. With him the set times of prayer were not different from other times. He retired to pray according to the directions of his superior, but he did not need such retirement nor ask for it because his greatest business did not divert him from God. He was in contact throughout his daily activities.
Since he knew his obligation to love God in all things, and as he endeavored to do so, he had no need of a director to advise him, but he greatly needed a confessor to absolve him. He said he was very sensible of his faults but not discouraged by them. He confessed them to God and made no excuses. Then, he peaceably resumed his usual practice of love and adoration. In his trouble of mind, Brother Lawrence had consulted no one. Knowing only by the light of faith that God was present, he contented himself with directing all his actions to Him. He did everything with a desire to please Him and let what would come of it.
He said that useless thoughts spoil all – that the mischief began there. We ought to reject them as soon as we perceived their impertinence and return to our communion with God. In the beginning he had often passed his time appointed for prayer in rejecting wandering thoughts and falling right back into them. He could never regulate his devotion by certain methods as some do. Nevertheless, at first he had meditated for some time, but afterwards that went off in a manner that he could give no account of. Brother Lawrence emphasized that all bodily mortifications and other exercises are useless unless they serve to arrive at the union with God by love. He had well considered this. He found that the shortest way to go straight to God was by a continual exercise of love and doing all things for His sake.
He noted that there was a great difference between the acts of the intellect and those of the will. Acts of the intellect were comparatively of little value. Acts of the will were all important. Our only business was to love and delight ourselves in God. All possible kinds of mortification, if they were void of the love of God, could not efface a single sin. Instead, we ought, without anxiety, to expect the pardon of our sins from the blood of Jesus Christ only endeavoring to love Him with all our hearts. And he noted that God seemed to have granted the greatest favors to the greatest sinners as more signal monuments of His mercy.
Brother Lawrence said the greatest pains or pleasures of this world were not to be compared with what he had experienced of both kinds in a spiritual state. As a result he feared nothing, desiring only one thing of God – that he might not offend Him. He said he carried no guilt. “When I fail in my duty, I readily acknowledge it, saying, I am used to do so. I shall never do otherwise if I am left to myself. If I fail not, then I give God thanks acknowledging that success comes from Him.”

Third Conversation:

Brother Lawrence told me that the foundation of the spiritual life in him had been a high notion and esteem of God in faith. When he had once well established his faith he had no other care but to reject every other thought so he might perform all his actions for the love of God. He said when sometimes he had not thought of God for a good while he did not disquiet himself for it. Having acknowledged his wretchedness to God, he simply returned to Him with so much the greater trust in Him. He said the trust we put in God honors Him much and draws down great graces. Also, that it was impossible not only that God should deceive but that He should long let a soul suffer which is perfectly resigned to Him and resolved to endure everything for His sake.
Brother Lawrence often experienced the ready succors of Divine Grace. And because of his experience of grace, when he had business to do, he did not think of it beforehand. When it was time to do it, he found in God, as in a clear mirror, all that was fit for him to do. When outward business diverted him a little from the thought of God a fresh remembrance coming from God invested his soul and so inflamed and transported him that it was difficult for him to contain himself. He said he was more united to God in his outward employments than when he left them for devotion in retirement. Brother Lawrence said that the worst that could happen to him was to lose that sense of God which he had enjoyed so long. Yet the goodness of God assured him He would not forsake him utterly and that He would give him strength to bear whatever evil He permitted to happen to him. Brother Lawrence, therefore, said he feared nothing. He had no occasion to consult with anybody about his state. In the past, when he had attempted to do it, he had always come away more perplexed. Since Brother Lawrence was ready to lay down his life for the love of God, he had no apprehension of danger.
He said that perfect resignation to God was a sure way to heaven, a way in which we have always sufficient light for our conduct. In the beginning of the spiritual life we ought to be faithful in doing our duty and denying ourselves and then, after a time, unspeakable pleasures followed. In difficulties we need only have recourse to Jesus Christ and beg His grace with which everything became easy. Brother Lawrence said that many do not advance in the Christian progress because they stick in penances and particular exercises while they neglect the love of God which is the end. This appeared plainly by their works and was the reason why we see so little solid virtue. He said there needed neither art nor science for going to God, but only a heart resolutely determined to apply itself to nothing but Him and to love Him only.

Fourth Conversation:

Brother Lawrence spoke with great openness of heart concerning his manner of going to God whereof some part is related already. He told me that all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not lead to God. We might accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him with freedom and in simplicity. We need only to recognize God intimately present with us and address ourselves to Him every moment. We need to beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have completed them. In our conversation with God we should also engage in praising, adoring, and loving Him incessantly for His infinite goodness and perfection. Without being discouraged on account of our sins, we should pray for His grace with a perfect confidence, as relying upon the infinite merits of our Lord. Brother Lawrence said that God never failed offering us His grace at each action. It never failed except when Brother Lawrence’s thoughts had wandered from a sense of God’s Presence, or he forgot to ask His assistance. He said that God always gave us light in our doubts, when we had no other design but to please Him. Our sanctification did not depend upon changing our works. Instead, it depended on doing that for God’s sake which we commonly do for our own. He thought it was lamentable to see how many people mistook the means for the end, addicting themselves to certain works which they performed very imperfectly by reason of their human or selfish regards. The most excellent method he had found for going to God was that of doing our common business without any view of pleasing men but purely for the love of God.
Brother Lawrence felt it was a great delusion to think that the times of prayer ought to differ from other times. We are as strictly obliged to adhere to God by action in the time of action, as by prayer in its season. His own prayer was nothing else but a sense of the presence of God, his soul being at that time insensible to everything but Divine Love. When the appointed times of prayer were past, he found no difference, because he still continued with God, praising and blessing Him with all his might. Thus he passed his life in continual joy. Yet he hoped that God would give him somewhat to suffer when he grew stronger. Brother Lawrence said we ought, once and for all, heartily put our whole trust in God, and make a total surrender of ourselves to Him, secure that He would not deceive us. We ought not weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. We should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often failed in our endeavors, but that at last we should gain a habit which will naturally produce its acts in us without our care and to our exceeding great delight.
The whole substance of religion was faith, hope, and charity. In the practice of these we become united to the will of God. Everything else is indifferent and to be used as a means that we may arrive at our end and then be swallowed up by faith and charity. All things are possible to him who believes. They are less difficult to him who hopes. They are more easy to him who loves, and still more easy to him who perseveres in the practice of these three virtues. The end we ought to propose to ourselves is to become, in this life, the most perfect worshippers of God we can possibly be, and as we hope to be through all eternity.
We must, from time to time, honestly consider and thoroughly examine ourselves. We will, then, realize that we are worthy of great contempt. Brother Lawrence noted that when we directly confront ourselves in this manner, we will understand why we are subject to all kinds of misery and problems. We will realize why we are subject to changes and fluctuations in our health, mental outlook, and dispositions. And we will, indeed, recognize that we deserve all the pain and labors God sends to humble us. After this, we should not wonder that troubles, temptations, oppositions, and contradictions happen to us from men. We ought, on the contrary, to submit ourselves to them and bear them as long as God pleases as things highly advantageous to us. The greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon Divine Grace. Being questioned by one of his own community (to whom he was obliged to open himself) by what means he had attained such an habitual sense of God, Brother Lawrence told him that, since his first coming to the monastery, he had considered God as the end of all his thoughts and desires, as the mark to which they should tend, and in which they should terminate. He noted that in the beginning of his novitiate he spent the hours appointed for private prayer in thinking of God so as to convince his mind and impress deeply upon his heart the Divine existence. He did this by devout sentiments and submission to the lights of faith, rather than by studied reasonings and elaborate meditations. By this short and sure method he exercised himself in the knowledge and love of God, resolving to use his utmost endeavor to live in a continual sense of His Presence, and, if possible, never to forget Him more.
When he had thus, in prayer, filled his mind with great sentiments of that Infinite Being, he went to his work appointed in the kitchen (for he was then cook for the community). There having first considered severally the things his office required, and when and how each thing was to be done, he spent all the intervals of his time, both before and after his work, in prayer. When he began his business, he said to God with a filial trust in Him, “O my God, since Thou art with me, and I must now, in obedience to Thy commands, apply my mind to these outward things, I beseech Thee to grant me the grace to continue in Thy Presence; and to this end do Thou prosper me with Thy assistance. Receive all my works, and possess all my affections.” As he proceeded in his work, he continued his familiar conversation with his Maker, imploring His grace, and offering to Him all his actions.
When he had finished, he examined himself how he had discharged his duty. If he found well, he returned thanks to God. If otherwise, he asked pardon and, without being discouraged, he set his mind right again. He then continued his exercise of the presence of God as if he had never deviated from it. “Thus,” said he, “by rising after my falls, and by frequently renewed acts of faith and love, I am come to a state wherein it would be as difficult for me not to think of God as it was at first to accustom myself to it.”
As Brother Lawrence had found such an advantage in walking in the presence of God, it was natural for him to recommend it earnestly to others. More strikingly, his example was a stronger inducement than any arguments he could propose. His very countenance was edifying with such a sweet and calm devotion appearing that he could not but affect the beholders. It was observed, that in the greatest hurry of business in the kitchen, he still preserved his recollection and heavenly-mindedness. He was never hasty nor loitering, but did each thing in its season with an even uninterrupted composure and tranquillity of spirit. “The time of business,” said he, “does not with me differ from the time of prayer. In the noise and clutter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquillity as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Supper.” Letters

Introduction:

Brother Lawrence’s letters are the very heart and soul of what is titled ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’. All of these letters were written during the last ten years of his life. Many of them were to long-time friends, a Carmelite sister and a sister at a nearby convent. One or both of these friends were from his native village, perhaps relatives. The first letter was probably written to the prioress of one of these convents. The second letter was written to Brother Lawrence’s own spiritual adviser. Note that the fourth letter is written in the third person where Brother Lawrence describes his own experience. The letters follow the tradition of substituting Mae for specific names.

First Letter:

You so earnestly desire that I describe the method by which I arrived at that habitual sense of God’s presence, which our merciful Lord has been pleased to grant me. I am complying with your request with my request that you show my letter to no one. If I knew that you would let it be seen, all the desire I have for your spiritual progress would not be enough to make me comply.
The account I can give you is: Having found in many books different methods of going to God and divers practices of the spiritual life, I thought this would serve rather to puzzle me than facilitate what I sought after, which was nothing but how to become wholly God’s. This made me resolve to give the all for the All. After having given myself wholly to God, to make all the satisfaction I could for my sins, I renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not He, and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world.
Sometimes I considered myself before Him as a poor criminal at the feet of his judge. At other times I beheld Him in my heart as my Father, as my God. I worshipped Him the oftenest I could, keeping my mind in His holy presence and recalling it as often as I found it wandered from Him. I made this my business, not only at the appointed times of prayer but all the time; every hour, every minute, even in the height of my work, I drove from my mind everything that interrupted my thoughts of God. I found no small pain in this exercise. Yet I continued it, notwithstanding all the difficulties that occurred. And I tried not to trouble or disquiet myself when my mind wandered. Such has been my common practice ever since I entered religious life. Though I have done it very imperfectly, I have found great advantages by it. These, I well know, are to be imputed to the mercy and goodness of God because we can do nothing without Him; and I still less than any. When we are faithful to keep ourselves in His holy presence, and set Him always before us, this hinders our offending Him, and doing anything that may displease Him. It also begets in us a holy freedom, and, if I may so speak, a familiarity with God, where, when we ask, He supplies the graces we need. Over time, by often repeating these acts, they become habitual, and the presence of God becomes quite natural to us. Please give Him thanks with me, for His great goodness towards me, which I can never sufficiently express, and for the many favors He has done to so miserable a sinner as I am. May all things praise Him. Amen.

Second Letter:

Not finding my manner of life described in books, although I have no problem with that, yet, for reassurance, I would appreciate your thoughts about it. In conversation some days ago a devout person told me the spiritual life was a life of grace, which begins with servile fear, which is increased by hope of eternal life, and which is consummated by pure love; that each of these states had its different steps, by which one arrives at last at that blessed consummation. I have not followed these methods at all. On the contrary, I instinctively felt they would discourage me. Instead, at my entrance into religious life, I took a resolution to give myself up to God as the best satisfaction I could make for my sins and, for the love of Him, to renounce all besides.
For the first years, I commonly employed myself during the time set apart for devotion with thoughts of death, judgment, hell, heaven, and my sins. Thus I continued some years applying my mind carefully the rest of the day, and even in the midst of my work, to the presence of God, whom I considered always as with me, often as in my heart. At length I began to do the same thing during my set time of prayer, which gave me joy and consolation. This practice produced in me so high an esteem for God that faith alone was enough to assure me.
Such was my beginning. Yet I must tell you that for the first ten years I suffered a great deal. During this time I fell often, and rose again presently. It seemed to me that all creatures, reason, and God Himself were against me and faith alone for me. The apprehension that I was not devoted to God as I wished to be, my past sins always present to my mind, and the great unmerited favors which God did me, were the source of my sufferings and feelings of unworthiness. I was sometimes troubled with thoughts that to believe I had received such favors was an effect of my imagination, which pretended to be so soon where others arrived with great difficulty. At other times I believed that it was a willful delusion and that there really was no hope for me.
Finally, I considered the prospect of spending the rest of my days in these troubles. I discovered this did not diminish the trust I had in God at all. In fact, it only served to increase my faith. It then seemed that, all at once, I found myself changed. My soul, which, until that time was in trouble, felt a profound inward peace, as if she were in her center and place of rest.
Ever since that time I walk before God simply, in faith, with humility, and with love. I apply myself diligently to do nothing and think nothing which may displease Him. I hope that when I have done what I can, He will do with me what He pleases. As for what passes in me at present, I cannot express it. I have no pain or difficulty about my state because I have no will but that of God. I endeavor to accomplish His will in all things. And I am so resigned that I would not take up a straw from the ground against His order or from any motive but that of pure love for Him.
I have ceased all forms of devotion and set prayers except those to which my state requires. I make it my priority to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I maintain a simple attention and a fond regard for God, which I may call an actual presence of God. Or, to put it another way, it is an habitual, silent, and private conversation of the soul with God. This gives me much joy and contentment. In short, I am sure, beyond all doubt, that my soul has been with God above these past thirty years. I pass over many things that I may not be tedious to you.

Yet, I think it is appropriate to tell you how I perceive myself before God, whom I behold as my King. I consider myself as the most wretched of men. I am full of faults, flaws, and weaknesses, and have committed all sorts of crimes against his King. Touched with a sensible regret I confess all my wickedness to Him. I ask His forgiveness. I abandon myself in His hands that He may do what He pleases with me.
My King is full of mercy and goodness. Far from chastising me, He embraces me with love. He makes me eat at His table. He serves me with His own hands and gives me the key to His treasures. He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways. And He treats me in all respects as His favorite. In this way I consider myself continually in His holy presence.
My most usual method is this simple attention, an affectionate regard for God to whom I find myself often attached with greater sweetness and delight than that of an infant at the mother’s breast. To choose an expression, I would call this state the bosom of God, for the inexpressible sweetness which I taste and experience there. If, at any time, my thoughts wander from it from necessity or infirmity, I am presently recalled by inward emotions so charming and delicious that I cannot find words to describe them. Please reflect on my great wretchedness, of which you are fully informed, rather than on the great favors God does one as unworthy and ungrateful as I am.
As for my set hours of prayer, they are simply a continuation of the same exercise. Sometimes I consider myself as a stone before a carver, whereof He is to make a statue. Presenting myself thus before God, I desire Him to make His perfect image in my soul and render me entirely like Himself. At other times, when I apply myself to prayer, I feel all my spirit lifted up without any care or effort on my part. This often continues as if it was suspended yet firmly fixed in God like a center or place of rest.
I know that some charge this state with inactivity, delusion, and self-love. I confess that it is a holy inactivity. And it would be a happy self-love if the soul, in that state, were capable of it. But while the soul is in this repose, she cannot be disturbed by the kinds of things to which she was formerly accustomed. The things that the soul used to depend on would now hinder rather than assist her.
Yet, I cannot see how this could be called imagination or delusion because the soul which enjoys God in this way wants nothing but Him. If this is delusion, then only God can remedy it. Let Him do what He pleases with me. I desire only Him and to be wholly devoted to Him.
Please send me your opinion as I greatly value and have a singular esteem for your reverence, and am yours.

Third Letter:

We have a God who is infinitely gracious and knows all our wants. I always thought that He would reduce you to extremity. He will come in His own time, and when you least expect it. Hope in Him more than ever. Thank Him with me for the favors He does you, particularly for the fortitude and patience which He gives you in your afflictions. It is a plain mark of the care He takes of you. Comfort yourself with Him, and give thanks for all.
I admire also the fortitude and bravery of Mae. God has given him a good disposition and a good will; but he is still a little worldly and somewhat immature. I hope the affliction God has sent him will help him do some reflection and inner searching and that it may prove to be a wholesome remedy to him. It is a chance for him to put all his trust in God who accompanies him everywhere. Let him think of Him as much as he can, especially in time of great danger.
A little lifting up of the heart and a remembrance of God suffices. One act of inward worship, though upon a march with sword in hand, are prayers which, however short, are nevertheless very acceptable to God. And, far from lessening a soldier’s courage in occasions of danger, they actually serve to fortify it. Let him think of God as often as possible. Let him accustom himself, by degrees, to this small but holy exercise. No one sees it, and nothing is easier than to repeat these little internal adorations all through the day. Please recommend to him that he think of God the most he can in this way. It is very fit and most necessary for a soldier, who is daily faced with danger to his life, and often to his very salvation.
I hope that God will assist him and all the family, to whom I present my service, being theirs and yours.

Fourth Letter:

I am taking this opportunity to tell you about the sentiments of one of our society concerning the admirable effects and continual assistance he receives from the presence of God. May we both profit by them.
For the past forty years his continual care has been to be always with God; and to do nothing, say nothing, and think nothing which may displease Him. He does this without any view or motive except pure love of Him and because God deserves infinitely more.
He is now so accustomed to that Divine presence that he receives from it continual comfort and peace. For about thirty years his soul has been filled with joy and delight so continual, and sometimes so great, that he is forced to find ways to hide their appearing outwardly to others who may not understand.
If sometimes he becomes a little distracted from that Divine presence, God gently recalls Himself by a stirring in his soul. This often happens when he is most engaged in his outward chores and tasks. He answers with exact fidelity to these inward drawings, either by an elevation of his heart towards God, or by a meek and fond regard to Him, or by such words as love forms upon these occasions. For instance, he may say, “My God, here I am all devoted to You,” or “Lord, make me according to Your heart.”
It seems to him (in fact, he feels it) that this God of love, satisfied with such few words, reposes again and rests in the depth and center of his soul. The experience of these things gives him such certainty that God is always in the innermost part of his soul that he is beyond doubting it under any circumstances.
Judge by this what content and satisfaction he enjoys. While he continually finds within himself so great a treasure, he no longer has any need to search for it. He no longer has any anxiety about finding it because he now has his beautiful treasure open before him and may take what he pleases of it.
He often points out our blindness and exclaims that those who content themselves with so little are to be pitied. God, says he, has infinite treasure to bestow, and we take so little through routine devotion which lasts but a moment. Blind as we are, we hinder God, and stop the current of His graces. But when He finds a soul penetrated with a lively faith, He pours into it His graces and favors plentifully. There they flow like a torrent, which, after being forcibly stopped against its ordinary course, when it has found a passage, spreads itself with impetuosity and abundance. Yet we often stop this torrent by the little value we set upon it. Let us stop it no more. Let us enter into ourselves and break down the bank which hinders it. Let us make way for grace. Let us redeem the lost time, for perhaps we have but little left. Death follows us close so let us be well prepared for it. We die but once and a mistake there is irretrievable.
I say again, let us enter into ourselves. The time presses. There is no room for delay. Our souls are at stake. It seems to me that you are prepared and have taken effectual measures so you will not be taken by surprise. I commend you for it. It is the one thing necessary. We must always work at it, because not to persevere in the spiritual life is to go back. But those who have the gale of the Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep. If the vessel of our soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the Lord who reposes in it. He will quickly calm the sea. I have taken the liberty to impart to you these good sentiments that you may compare them with your own. May they serve to re-kindle them, if at any time they may be even a little cooled. Let us recall our first favors and remember our early joys and comforts. And, let us benefit from the example and sentiments of this brother who is little known by the world, but known and extremely caressed by God.
I will pray for you. Please pray also for me, as I am yours in our Lord.

Fifth Letter:

Today I received two books and a letter from Sister Mae, who is preparing to make her profession. She desires the prayers of your holy society, and yours in particular. I think she greatly values your support. Please do not disappoint her. Pray to God that she may take her vows in view of His love alone, and with a firm resolution to be wholly devoted to Him. I will send you one of those books about the presence of God; a subject which, in my opinion, contains the whole spiritual life. It seems to me that whoever duly practices it will soon become devout. I know that for the right practice of it, the heart must be empty of all other things; because God will possess the heart alone. As He cannot possess it alone, without emptying it of all besides, so neither can He act there and do in it what He pleases unless it be left vacant to Him. There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. Only those can comprehend it who practice and experience it. Yet I do not advise you to do it from that motive. It is not pleasure which we ought to seek in this exercise. Let us do it from a principle of love, and because it is God’s will for us.
Were I a preacher, I would above all other things preach the practice of the presence of God. Were I a director, I would advise all the world to do it, so necessary do I think it, and so easy too. Ah! knew we but the want we have of the grace and assistance of God, we would never lose sight of Him, no, not for a moment.
Believe me. Immediately make a holy and firm resolution never more to forget Him. Resolve to spend the rest of your days in His sacred presence, deprived of all consolations for the love of Him if He thinks fit. Set heartily about this work, and if you do it sincerely, be assured that you will soon find the effects of it.
I will assist you with my prayers, poor as they are. I recommend myself earnestly to you and those of your holy society.

Sixth Letter:

I have received from Mae the things which you gave her for me. I wonder that you have not given me your thoughts on the little book I sent to you and which you must have received. Set heartily about the practice of it in your old age. It is better late than never.
I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God. For my part I keep myself retired with Him in the depth and center of my soul as much as I can. While I am with Him I fear nothing; but the least turning from Him is insupportable. This practice does not tire the body. It is, however, proper to deprive it sometimes, nay often, of many little pleasures which are innocent and lawful. God will not permit a soul that desires to be devoted entirely to Him to take pleasures other than with Him. That is more than reasonable.I do not say we must put any violent constraint upon ourselves. No, we must serve God in a holy freedom. We must work faithfully without trouble or disquiet, recalling our mind to God mildly and with tranquillity as often as we find it wandering from Him. It is, however, necessary to put our whole trust in God. We must lay aside all other cares and even some forms of devotion, though very good in themselves, yet such as one often engages in routinely. Those devotions are only means to attain to the end. Once we have established a habit of the practice of the presence of God, we are then with Him who is our end. We have no need to return to the means. We may simply continue with Him in our commerce of love, persevering in His holy presence with an act of praise, of adoration, or of desire or with an act of resignation, or thanksgiving, and in all the ways our spirits can invent.
Be not discouraged by the repugnance which you may find in it from nature. You must sacrifice yourself. At first, one often thinks it a waste of time. But you must go on and resolve to persevere in it until death, notwithstanding all the difficulties that may occur. I recommend myself to the prayers of your holy society, and yours in particular. I am yours in our Lord.

Seventh Letter:

I pity you much. It will be a great relief if you can leave the care of your affairs to Mae and spend the remainder of your life only in worshipping God. He requires no great matters of us; a little remembrance of Him from time to time, a little adoration. Sometimes to pray for His grace. Sometimes to offer Him your sufferings. And sometimes to return Him thanks for the favors He has given you, and still gives you, in the midst of your troubles. Console yourself with Him the oftenest you can. Lift up your heart to Him at your meals and when you are in company. The least little remembrance will always be pleasing to Him. You need not cry very loud. He is nearer to us than we are aware. And we do not always have to be in church to be with God. We may make an oratory of our heart so we can, from time to time, retire to converse with Him in meekness, humility, and love. Every one is capable of such familiar conversation with God, some more, some less. He knows what we can do.
Let us begin then. Perhaps He expects but one generous resolution on our part. Have courage. We have but little time to live. You are nearly sixty-four, and I am almost eighty. Let us live and die with God. Sufferings will be sweet and pleasant while we are with Him. Without Him, the greatest pleasures will be a cruel punishment to us. May He be blessed by all.
Gradually become accustomed to worship Him in this way; to beg His grace, to offer Him your heart from time to time; in the midst of your business, even every moment if you can. Do not always scrupulously confine yourself to certain rules or particular forms of devotion. Instead, act in faith with love and humility. You may assure Mae of my poor prayers, and that I am their servant, and yours particularly.

Eighth Letter:

You tell me nothing new. You are not the only one who is troubled with wandering thoughts. Our mind is extremely roving. But the will is mistress of all our faculties. She must recall our stray thoughts and carry them to God as their final end. If the mind is not sufficiently controlled and disciplined at our first engaging in devotion, it contracts certain bad habits of wandering and dissipation. These are difficult to overcome. The mind can draw us, even against our will, to worldly things. I believe one remedy for this is to humbly confess our faults and beg God’s mercy and help.
I do not advise you to use multiplicity of words in prayer. Many words and long discourses are often the occasions of wandering. Hold yourself in prayer before God, like a dumb or paralytic beggar at a rich man’s gate. Let it be your business to keep your mind in the presence of the Lord. If your mind sometimes wanders and withdraws itself from Him, do not become upset. Trouble and disquiet serve rather to distract the mind than to re-collect it. The will must bring it back in tranquillity. If you persevere in this manner, God will have pity on you.
One way to re-collect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquillity, is not to let it wander too far at other times. Keep your mind strictly in the presence of God. Then being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall it from its wanderings. I have told you already of the advantages we may draw from this practice of the presence of God. Let us set about it seriously and pray for one another.

Ninth Letter:

The enclosed is an answer to that which I received from Mae. Please deliver it to her. She is full of good will but she would go faster than grace! One does not become holy all at once. I recommend her to your guidance. We ought to help one another by our advice, and yet more by our good example. Please let me hear of her from time to time and whether she is very fervent and obedient.
Let us often consider that our only business in this life is to please God, that perhaps all besides is but folly and vanity. You and I have lived over forty years in the monastic life. Have we employed them in loving and serving God, who by His mercy has called us to this state and for that very end? I am sometimes filled with shame and confusion when I reflect, on the one hand, upon the great favors which God has done and continues to do for me; and, on the other, upon the ill use I have made of them and my small advancement in the way of perfection. Since, by His mercy, He gives us yet a little time, let us begin in earnest. Let us repair the lost time. Let us return with full assurance to that Father of mercies, who is always ready to receive us affectionately. Let us generously renounce, for the love of Him, all that is not Himself. He deserves infinitely more. Let us think of Him perpetually. Let us put all our trust in Him. I have no doubt that we shall soon receive an abundance of His grace, with which we can do all things, and, without which we can do nothing but sin. We cannot escape the dangers which abound in life without the actual and continual help of God. Let us pray to Him for it constantly. How can we pray to Him without being with Him? How can we be with Him but in thinking of Him often? And how can we often think of Him, but by a holy habit which we should form of it? You will tell me that I always say the same thing. It is true, for this is the best and easiest method I know. I use no other. I advise all the world to do it. We must know before we can love. In order to know God, we must often think of Him. And when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure.

Tenth Letter:

I have had a good deal of difficulty bringing myself to write to M.—. I do it now purely because you desire me to do so. Please address it and send it to him. It is pleasing to see all the faith you have in God. May He increase it in you more and more. We cannot have too much trust in so good and faithful a Friend who will never fail us in this world nor in the next. If M.— takes advantage of the loss he has had and puts all his confidence in God, He will soon give him another friend more powerful and more inclined to serve him. He disposes of hearts as He pleases. Perhaps M.— was too attached to him he has lost. We ought to love our friends, but without encroaching upon the love of God, which must always be first.
Please keep my recommendation in mind that you think of God often; by day, by night, in your business, and even in your diversions. He is always near you and with you. Leave Him not alone. You would think it rude to leave a friend alone who came to visit you. Why, then, must God be neglected? Do not forget Him but think on Him often. Adore Him continually. Live and die with Him. This is the glorious work of a Christian; in a word, this is our profession. If we do not know it, we must learn it. I will endeavor to help you with my prayers, and am yours in our Lord.

Eleventh Letter:

I do not pray that you may be delivered from your pains; but I pray earnestly that God gives you strength and patience to bear them as long as He pleases. Comfort yourself with Him who holds you fastened to the cross. He will loose you when He thinks fit. Happy are those who suffer with Him. Accustom yourself to suffer in that manner, and seek from Him the strength to endure as much, and as long, as He judges necessary for you.
Worldly people do not comprehend these truths. It is not surprising though, since they suffer like what they are and not like Christians. They see sickness as a pain against nature and not as a favor from God. Seeing it only in that light, they find nothing in it but grief and distress. But those who consider sickness as coming from the hand of God, out of His mercy and as the means He uses for their salvation, commonly find sweetness and consolation in it.
I pray that you see that God is often nearer to us and present within us in sickness than in health. Do not rely completely on another physician because He reserves your cure to Himself. Put all your trust in God. You will soon find the effects in your recovery, which we often delay by putting greater faith in medicine than in God. Whatever remedies you use, they will succeed only so far as He permits. When pains come from God, only He can ultimately cure them. He often sends sickness to the body to cure diseases of the soul. Comfort yourself with the Sovereign Physician of both soul and body.
I expect you will say that I am very much at ease, and that I eat and drink at the table of the Lord. You have reason. But think how painful it would be to the greatest criminal in the world to eat at the king’s table and be served by him, yet have no assurance of pardon? I believe he would feel an anxiety that nothing could calm except his trust in the goodness of his sovereign. So I assure you, that whatever pleasures I taste at the table of my King, my sins, ever present before my eyes, as well as the uncertainty of my pardon, torment me. Though I accept that torment as something pleasing to God.
Be satisfied with the condition in which God places you. However happy you may think me, I envy you. Pain and suffering would be a paradise to me, if I could suffer with my God. The greatest pleasures would be hell if I relished them without Him. My only consolation would be to suffer something for His sake.
I must, in a little time, go to God. What comforts me in this life is that I now see Him by faith. I see Him in such a manner that I sometimes say, I believe no more, but I see. I feel what faith teaches us, and, in that assurance and that practice of faith, I live and die with Him.
Stay with God always for He is the only support and comfort for your affliction. I shall beseech Him to be with you. I present my service.

Twelfth Letter:

If we were well accustomed to the practice of the presence of God, bodily discomforts would be greatly alleviated. God often permits us to suffer a little to purify our souls and oblige us to stay close to Him. Take courage. Offer Him your pain and pray to Him for strength to endure them. Above all, get in the habit of often thinking of God, and forget Him the least you can. Adore Him in your infirmities. Offer yourself to Him from time to time. And, in the height of your sufferings, humbly and affectionately beseech Him (as a child his father) to make you conformable to His holy will. I shall endeavor to assist you with my poor prayers.
God has many ways of drawing us to Himself. He sometimes seems to hide Himself from us. But faith alone ought to be our support. Faith is the foundation of our confidence. We must put all our faith in God. He will not fail us in time of need. I do not know how God will dispose of me but I am always happy. All the world suffers and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and great that I can scarcely contain them.
I would willingly ask God for a part of your sufferings. I know my weakness is so great that if He left me one moment to myself, I would be the most wretched man alive. And yet, I do not know how He could leave me alone because faith gives me as strong a conviction as reason. He never forsakes us until we have first forsaken Him. Let us fear to leave Him. Let us always be with Him. Let us live and die in His presence. Do pray for me, as I pray for you.

Thirteenth Letter:

I am sorry to see you suffer so long. What gives me some ease and sweetens the feeling I have about your griefs, is that they are proof of God’s love for you. See your pains in that view and you will bear them more easily. In your case, it is my opinion that, at this point, you should discontinue human remedies and resign yourself entirely to the providence of God. Perhaps He waits only for that resignation and perfect faith in Him to cure you. Since, in spite of all the care you have taken, treatment has proved unsuccessful and your malady still increases, wait no longer. Put yourself entirely in His hands and expect all from Him.
I told you in my last letter that He sometimes permits bodily discomforts to cure the distempers of the soul. Have courage. Make a virtue of necessity. Do not ask God for deliverance from your pain. Instead, out of love for Him, ask for the strength to resolutely bear all that He pleases, and as long as He pleases. Such prayers are hard at first, but they are very pleasing to God, and become sweet to those that love Him.
Love sweetens pains. And when one loves God, one suffers for His sake with joy and courage. Do so, I beseech you. Comfort yourself with Him. He is the only physician for all our illnesses. He is the Father of the afflicted and always ready to help us. He loves us infinitely more than we can imagine. Love Him in return and seek no consolation elsewhere. I hope you will soon receive His comfort. Adieu. I will help you with my prayers, poor as they are, and shall always be yours in our Lord.

Fourteenth Letter:

I give thanks to our Lord for having relieved you a little as you desired. I have often been near death and I was never so much satisfied as then. At those times I did not pray for any relief, but I prayed for strength to suffer with courage, humility, and love. How sweet it is to suffer with God! However great your sufferings may be, receive them with love. It is paradise to suffer and be with Him. If, in this life, we might enjoy the peace of paradise, we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, humble, and affectionate conversation with God. We must hinder our spirits wandering from Him on all occasions. We must make our heart a spiritual temple so we can constantly adore Him. We must continually watch over ourselves so we do not do anything that may displease Him. When our minds and hearts are filled with God, suffering becomes full of unction and consolation. I well know that to arrive at this state, the beginning is very difficult because we must act purely on faith. But, though it is difficult, we know also that we can do all things with the grace of God. He never refuses those who ask earnestly. Knock. Persevere in knocking. And I answer for it, that, in His due time, He will open His graces to you. He will grant, all at once, what He has deferred during many years. Adieu. Pray to Him for me, as I pray to Him for you. I hope to see Him soon.

Fifteenth Letter:

God knows best what we need. All that He does is for our good. If we knew how much He loves us, we would always be ready to receive both the bitter and the sweet from His Hand. It would make no difference. All that came from Him would be pleasing. The worst afflictions only appear intolerable if we see them in the wrong light. When we see them as coming from the hand of God and know that it is our loving Father who humbles and distresses us, our sufferings lose their bitterness and can even become a source of consolation.
Let all our efforts be to know God. The more one knows Him, the greater one desires to know Him. Knowledge is commonly the measure of love. The deeper and more extensive our knowledge, the greater is our love. If our love of God were great we would love Him equally in pain and pleasure.
We only deceive ourselves by seeking or loving God for any favors which He has or may grant us. Such favors, no matter how great, can never bring us as near to God as can one simple act of faith. Let us seek Him often by faith. He is within us. Seek Him not elsewhere.
Are we not rude and deserve blame if we leave Him alone to busy ourselves with trifles which do not please Him and perhaps even offend Him? These trifles may one day cost us dearly. Let us begin earnestly to be devoted to Him. Let us cast everything else out of our hearts. He wants to possess the heart alone. Beg this favor of Him. If we do all we can, we will soon see that change wrought in us which we so greatly desire.
I cannot thank Him enough for the relief He has given you. I hope to see Him within a few days. Let us pray for one another. Brother Lawrence died peacefully within days of this last letter.

As Christians, are we trying to show that the laws of God, handed down to Moses have been changed? Nothing can be farther from the truth.

What are the Laws of Moses?
The Ten Commandments
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" - What does that entail?
Exodus 20
And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Love your neighbor as you love yourself - What does that entail?

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”


We all know what these things entail because the Holy Spirit tells us every single time we do some sin. But the Spirit also shows God glory through showering his people with the gift of His presence and glimpses of His awesome power and we can do nothing but stand in awe with jaws dropped. Gods own Spirit touches our lives in ways so relevant to us that its exciting and terrifying at the same time because we never know what God is going to have in store for us next.

Deuteronomy 12:29-32 (NIV)
29 The Lord your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, 30 and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” 31 You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods. 32 See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.
Deuteronomy 13
Worshiping Other Gods
13 If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. That prophet or dreamer tried to turn you from the way the Lord your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.

6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, 7 gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), 8 do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. 9 You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. 10 Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.

12 If you hear it said about one of the towns the Lord your God is giving you to live in 13 that troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods you have not known), 14 then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly. And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you, 15 you must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. You must destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. 16 You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. That town is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt, 17 and none of the condemned things are to be found in your hands. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger, will show you mercy, and will have compassion on you. He will increase your numbers, as he promised on oath to your ancestors— 18 because you obey the Lord your God by keeping all his commands that I am giving you today and doing what is right in his eyes.

So why did Jesus get so angry at the Pharisees? They were worshiping God. They had so much reverence for God that they tried to explain His teachings as a large group of do’s and don’ts to “help specify what the commandments meant”. So they were worshiping their made up traditions based on the Ten Commandments but made much stricter and very rigid. Their new laws were so rigid in fact that they would actually nullify the laws of God. This is exactly what we as Christian do today if we say that the new testament and Jesus nullifies the old testament and the laws of god. It doesn’t. Jesus himself said ->

Matthew 5
The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 23
A Warning against Hypocrisy
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
This is what we do when we throw stumbling blocks at our brothers and sisters

1. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries (a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at Morning Prayer as a reminder to keep the law.) wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self- indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[c]”
Mark 7
That Which Defiles
7 The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus 2 and saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”
6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[d] and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[e] 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”
Luke 6
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
6 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.
9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
John 1
The Word Became Flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 3
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
What exactly does that mean? Born again. We all know that means letting go of the old man. We have to let go of the old man who wants to control everything. We have to let go of the old man who wants to cast judgment on everyone and condemn others for the same actions he commits himself. We have to let go of the old man who thinks his denomination is the only one that is right. We have to let go and love everyone and “BE” what we want to see in others.
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
It does make a big difference if we hide all of our sins from one another as if to say that we don’t have any sins. There is not one man or woman alive that has not sinned and in fact is most likely involved in some sort of sin right now. I sin, you sin, we all sin, and the Holy Spirit convicts us to take action and begin to clean the sin from our lives one sin at a time. But this is done not as something that we “do”. Our activity is not to “work” at cleaning our lives up. It is to love God with all our hearts and love one another with agape love. Looking with pity and love on one who is sinning a sin that you have overcome because you know what it is like to either do “exactly” what they are doing, or something very similar. Joyce Meyer puts this so well – If you fill your life doing God’s work and studying His word THERE WILL BE NO TIME LEFT TO ALLOW SATAN INTO YOUR LIFE. Now this applies to everyone, you and I included. Be open about your flaws because there is someone out there thinking they are the only one who has this problem because we are trying to act like we don’t sin. We should confess our sins to God and confess them to one another and edify the church on what we did to overcome this sin. Or, we should ask for prayer if we are still involved in the sin. We worship a supernatural God who can do anything. But He won’t do anything if we are going to try to claim credit for His work.
John 7
Jesus Teaches at the Festival
14 Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. 15 The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”
16 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. 17 Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. 18 Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”
20 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”
This we do by only using the word of God for judgment, and this judgment is to be leveled only against ourselves, and then only for our betterment toward Holiness.21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
Hebrews 13:8
Concluding Exhortations
13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
6 So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.
Romans 11
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they (the Jewish people) stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
Let’s face it folks most of us are gentiles. It is our responsibility to edify the Jewish peoples about Jesus in such a way as to not “nullify the word of God” by Judging them as non believers. But rather to portray Jesus in our actions by not bickering and arguing over peoples beliefs in disputable matters (things that cannot be correctly proven in the bible because it is not clear on a subject that has nothing to do with sinning.) Is it a sin to believe that Hell is either eternal separation from God alone, or a place of eternal fire and torment? Is it a sin to believe that Jesus was crucified on a stake or a cross? Is it a sin to think that one should never eat meat? But if someone does believe such a thing and we use our knowledge to destroy them in their faith, then we have sinned.
Acts 6:13
Stephen Seized
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
Stephen spoke wisdom because he was not speaking his own words. He was quoting scripture! The sword of the word; the way the truth and the life!
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 9
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
Acts 17
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Acts 18
Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor[a] and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
Acts 19
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Acts 21
Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
So we see from this that the Jews are not being stubborn or rebellious against God. They think that the Jesus we Christians are presenting is the antichrist. Because if we say he came to change the laws of Moses and the profits then we are accusing him of the exact same thing as the Jews of that time. We are saying that he is antichrist, anti-god, and against the laws of God, handed down to Moses. What Jesus was trying to show us is that it is 100% about love, and caring, and being at peace and in love with our neighbors. Trying at every opportunity to connect and perform services for them with a glad heart out of love. We should be looking each and every day for any opportunity to help someone in need. We should speak up to people around us in uplifting and positive ways even if they are grouchy.

Acts 24
10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”
Acts 25
Paul’s Trial Before Festus
25 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”
And like a snowball rolling down a hill, one sin led down a path of evil that grew and swallowed up a bunch of people.
6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.
2 peter 3
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Jesus never said that He had come to oppose the law. In fact he stated he came to strengthen it.
And again man tries to play God by making up new rules and saying things like “well that’s not what it really meant”, and “it was required at the time to appease the crowds.”
We are to love. Love is what we were made for.

Revelation 19:13
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
king of kings and lord of lords.

Romans 14
This study is based on Romans 14. We need to understand that we were not put here to try to judge each other. We are not in existence so that we can squander away the precious few years of our lives not doing God's will. When one holds on to the strong holds of taking offense, and then is unforgiving it hurts them not others. When we do this we are doing 2 things;
1. Playing God,
2. Heaping judgment on ourselves in the exact amount we are using on others.
And God already knew that we would do this. So, He inspired Paul to write Romans fourteen to help keep us out of this trap. Romans fourteen strikes at the heart of denominations and divisions in the body of Christ. How does it make you feel to see your children fighting? It makes Jesus so sad. Divisions and hierarchy causes the destruction of the relationship we are all supposed to share with God, and every one of our brothers and sisters. I once met a man who believed that Jesus died on a stake and not a cross. He was very adamant about it. I thought to myself, well that could be true. But, it was a customary for the Romans to use crosses to crucify criminals in Jesus time. After some deliberation, I conclude that I do not really know for sure whether Jesus died on a cross or a stake. But then the spirit immediately said to me, “Is that a bad position to be in?”, as if to say it wasn’t. I don't think God cares about our speculations about Jesus’ death be it cross or stake. He died to release us from the bondage of self servitude, and self gratification.
We have to give up our perceived right to judge good and evil because we lack the situational awareness to know what is truly right in a situation. I believe that is what the bible means when it says let the old man in you die and live for Jesus instead. Our problems in judgment stem from the fact that we only see our situations through our own eyes. Each one of us carries around baggage of one sort or another and that clouds our vision of a situation. But even more importantly, we don’t see how our situation plays out in the life stories of our brothers and sisters around us. So we don’t have enough information to make a truly informed choice. But the spirit within us does know what is right. God is in everyone’s story at the same time. His Spirit tries to warn us of impending danger, or when we are making a wrong choice.
Every person knows this Spirit whether they want to admit it or not. The Spirit convicts us when we do the things we shouldn't. The Spirit convicts us when we don’t do the things we should. The Spirit even convicts us for thinking evil thoughts long enough. The point here is that we are all brothers and sisters and we should love each other. We should stop looking to distinguish our faith as better or more informed than other people because someone taught us to judge long ago possibly even in a church. Judging is for God alone to do because He sees the BIG PICTURE. We see a prostitute and immediately judge her. We see a drug addict and immediately judge them. Jesus associated with ladies of the night, tax collectors, and sinners to try to bring them to the truth because he loved them.
They are every bit as much His children as we are. But they are more special at this moment in time because they are lost. Remember the parable about the one sheep that was lost? These people are still living in a sea of self pity and fear waiting for the next wave of bad thing to happen. We need to remember when that was us, and have mercy and pity for them. Then we need to show these lost people, with no judgment or rebuke, loving instruction of the right way by relating how we were in the same situation and how we overcame through God’s Spirit. On top of that we should show this through our deeds as well as our words. We need to “be” what we want our lost brothers and sisters to see and emulate. Sin is throwing stumbling blocks at others in their faith rather than helping them. Enough soap boxing Romans 14:

The Weak and the Strong

14:
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.
2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.
6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.
8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’"
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.
14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.
16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.