Righteous or right

I have had a theme of thought recently. It was phrase I heard in a sermon by David Asscherick and it has helped me contemplate myself and my actions and so forth for the past few days.

Its a hard lesson to learn, specifically for me, and anyone like me.

Those who are stubborn, know-it-alls.

The lesson is packaged in this little saying, "Its far better to be Righteous than Right."

For me, that is so so so hard to hear.

Because I feel more correct than other people most of the time and often I self-justify myself with my head knowledge by using it to cover for my lack of Christ-likeness. This know-it-all mentality also has also urged my pride often overboard.

Its as if, believing in, and knowing right, correct things somehow is what brings me into favor with God. When really it is God given obedience to the lessons enveloped in Christ's character and teachings.

In a way, I seem to have valued intelligence and wittiness over sacrifice and contriteness. 

For example, for a long time I never valued the humble and wise heart of my mother, and judged her life according to the amount of "truth" she followed. And frankly she doesn't know all the intricacies of bible prophecy, nor can she explain her beliefs things with fluency and biblical accuracy.

But my mother more than, has displayed those things Christ's has said are valuable. Like patience, or her trust in God to do things for her.

She very much lives by the self-sacrificing principles displayed in Christ's life, but rarely pushes or exclaims her knowledge. 

In the end, my mother may be wrong on some bible beliefs, but by her life I can see she is living the one belief that matters.

Romans 13:8  "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."

In the end I can have all these things, these beliefs, which are important, don't get me wrong, but they are not all important and are worthless if you don't have that one thing.

That is Love, not romantic love, or filial love but Divine Love.

I think I am right most of the time. But that really, doesn't matter, if there is not the RIGHTeuosness of Christ.

I praise God for these thoughts.

Its either you or me.

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus.
Pilate: "Are You the King of the Jews?"  
Jesus: "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" 
Pilate: "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me... What have You done?"
Jesus: "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." 
Pilate: "Are You a king then?" 
Jesus: "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." 
Pilate: "What is truth?" 
--------------- Fast Forw
Jews: "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." 

Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium.

Pilate: "Where are You from?" 
Jesus: ... 
Pilate: "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?"
Jesus: "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." 
--------------- Fast forward
Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: 
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 

Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. 

Chief Priests and Jews: "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews." Pilate: "What I have written, I have written."

"Pilate said in his heart, He is a God... Pilate longed to deliver Jesus. But he saw that he could not do this, and yet retain his own position and honor. Rather than lose his worldly power, he chose to sacrifice an innocent life. "

"How many, to escape loss or suffering, in like manner sacrifice principle. "

"Conscience and duty point one way, and self-interest points another. "

Sourced-
John 18; 19
DA 738

I'm not sure if you, dear reader understood the point of this, but to me this lesson taught in the last moments of Christ's life hits home.

Reader, find it in your heart to remove your piety for a moment and realistically and honestly put yourself in the position of Pilate. 

We, in our comfy computer chair, and air conditioned buildings, two-thousand years later, may look back at this event in contempt for the weakness and failure in the actions of Pilate. But really, put yourself there.

Without your current knowledge of what the bible says, without your knowing what happens after Jesus is lead of to the crucifixion. Put yourself in place.

Could you have sacrificed your life for this man Pilate's you barely knew. I don't mean life as in die for him, I mean life as in live for Him. Could you even now, give up your job right on the spot this moment, forsake any type of leadership positions you have, and face contempt and reviling by all those who currently look up to you. 

Maybe its hard to imagine because all your surrounding and circumstances aren't important to you or something.

This all aside, my point is, are you confident you would really embrace loss and suffering, and flee your own self-interest, for another person?

About Character

I have been invited to share the message at the Church in Hot Springs in a week. 

And while thinking of what to say, I wrote this down. Its partially incomplete, but I think the line of thought will be appreciated by whomever reads this.

Hope you can follow my thinking.

Enjoy

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What makes entertainment such a drawing point? More specifically, what about movies, games, TV shows and suchlike do we find so attractive? What component is essential in making interesting entertainment?

What do you think it might be?

• Maybe a lot of action, or it has to be
• funny or maybe it has to have the
• newest advancements in computer graphics,
• a thrilling plot, with suspenseful scenes
• or even epic music

But let me propose a basic, fundamental part of what makes them such an attractive force.

We would all agree that, you need, characters. Specific personalities that resonate with a part of you.

What makes religion such an important part of society and life?

Aside from the rewards of afterlife.

What would be the prime factor in following a religion, or what is common denominator about each of them?

That makes religion or even the reasoning behind a stance of no religion, each has something in common.

Similar to why we are so enraptured with entertainment: It would be the quality or the character of the God, gods, or person one follows.

The quality of character, weather its the peaceful composer of a chrishna, or the honor of Muhammad, everyone follows, including the proposed atheist, who would be a follower of his own heart or the teaching of other men. We all put the character of some other being on a pedestal, and in one way or another we aim to form ours similarly.

I am not a Buddhist, and atheist, or a Muslim, I am not even what society would call a christian.

Though I am not free from that title, I am a follower of the one true God, explicitly brought out through scripture, nature and the life of Christ.

The God of the bible, has a character. A character that I believe and see in my life, is perfect.

Now about who God is in his quality of being. One would attribute many things to him, for instance, he is wonderful, he is powerful, he is many things.

But there is one thing that is expressly brought out in the Bible that overall defines and fulfills the explaination of who God IS at his core. And the word is one that, undoubably we have all pondered the meaning of.

That is LOVE.

I think I would be hardpressed to find an honest individual who would say that they have not been curious about what this feeling, this indwelling compulsion for the affection and attention of others is. Or what it might mean to Love.

And I say to you with %100 confidence that ever person, old or young has the capacety to give and recieve this true love.

Because, ingrained in ourselves is a purpose in life, this ingrained purpose is well known by the writers in hollywood and the designers of media today. Its the desire to have love in our lives, and when its evident we don't and are not fulfilled in this area because so many of us seek fulfillment in other things, modernly its been in supplied through media but its been given in many forms through time.

Now God has been expressly labeled as the ideal and perfect form of Love.

for "God is Love"

He is the only being that possess the extreme title of Love in its purest and truest sense, and thus said, is the only place were love can be derived.

That is why I am a Christ follower, in every work, in every creation and destruction from his hand, with patience, one can see the motive of self-sacrificing Love behind it.

I hope today, that I can think about what in, or around me is love inspired.

And I hope you do to.

Blessings.

Breaks over.

So I'm back, 7 days later as would be expected, and I am very thankful for my experience.

I want to share it, and some other things that I've been pondering, I'm sure there is someone that is at least a little curious to what occurred.

First off, I'm reliant on music much more than I had thought, I never knew how much I used it to escape. And side note, I listen to classical music, not hardcore stuff like I used to, but I've learned, I can abuse a good thing, and be intemperate. So I am glad for that knowledge.

Breaking away from checking my "online life" was nice. I didn't have some strange compelling force getting me to reclick my notifications. Kinda reminded me of how I would check the fridge for food when I was bored. I think being attached to attention via social media is a symptom of dissatisfaction in real life. I veg out and just stare at the screen, its a bit of plague for the mind I say. And I want to severely limit myself, even more than I do.

On a spiritual note, I have fought some hard fights, and lost many in last few weeks.

I've noticed how self-reliant I am, and how that can benefit and hurt me.

I really love and hate a truth I found not to long ago about falling, or giving in to temptation.

Its about free will, and how I used to blame things outside myself for my failure.

I want desperately, and with no lack of trying, to detour the fault of my failure to other things. Like my circumstances, other peoples influences, even things I saw while I was browsing the web.

I make it look like that image, or exposure forced me to have thoughts about things I didn't want to think about and it is why I fell later when opportunity arouse.

But Ive realized, I can't even blame the Devil for the evils I have done, because in the end I chose to do them.

This is about me:

You are continually finding fault with circumstances, which is nothing less than finding fault with providences. You are continually casting about for somebody or something to answer the place of a scapegoat, upon which you can lay the blame of having brought you into a position to feel and speak unworthy of a Christian. Instead of simply censuring yourself for your defects, you censure the circumstances and occasions which led you to develop the traits in your character which lie dormant or hid beneath the surface unless something arises to disturb and arouse them to life and action. Then they appear in all their deformity and strength 2T 371

Its pretty cercise on how I think sometimes.

 But Its nice to know I am not the victim of Satan, but that I am in control.

I have to take responsibility for my sins. They are mine.

Fully, completely mine, I chose to rebel, and I chose to lust, or be prideful, or to covet. I chose not to look to Jesus in the time of peace.

In all my failures, all my evil, and perversion. One watches me, with pity, and love.

He waiting, just waiting, staying near, having sorrow fill his heart as I slowly creep into death.

Then I commit death, WILLINGLY.

And feel the guilt, feel the departure of peace.

And I can't see by darkness, but I put out my hand for help.

And Immediately, every time! my Lover is there. Hurt, but helping anyways.

Ready to forgive, and give again.

This vicious cycle is slowing down, and I see, progress.

Pray for me.

{post edit}

Oh, after looking this over that seemed like a dreary end.

So I want yall to pray for me because I really need it, I want to stay connected.

Thats what we need most. Connection with Christ.

Blessings!

Break time

This weekend we just had a speaker come and talk on the topic of media and the brain.

It was very eye opening for many of us.

The areas of music, social networking, video games, and theatrical entertainment are all places where the devil can reach God's children to insert ungodly principles into our lives, and believe me, Im living example of how much spiritual degradation can be brought through media. And BTW if you didn't know, media is a medium, and can be used for good and evil. But guess who rules this world and its media, ill give you a hint, its not God.


 We also talked about addictions.

And if you think media and similar can't be an addiction think again. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association put Video Games and Internet Gaming down as a legitimate addiction and disorder. 

You know what that means? If that can be a addiction, its more than possible for people to become addicted or make a negative habit out of things in the same realm. For instance-

Social media, even blogger. (Disclaimer- this is not a lets burn it all type exclamation)

I purpose to be open and honest with everyone and myself, and to be honest, something as simple as Blogger, which I aim to share spiritual and righteous material with, can still be something that gets between me and God.

Its about temperance, and self-control, which both principle to help us maintain our relationship with Christ. Time and trust are building blocks for relationships but often time I find myself honestly devoting more time to the internet, and the desire to share my thoughts on here.


When, as a Christ lover I should be devoting myself to sharing my thoughts with Him and receiving and reading his thoughts in his word.

I honestly would be frightened to find out how much time really I sacrifice to my desire to be engaged in social networking and how much time I spend think about myself or others I enjoy thinking about instead of God.

ANYTHING can come between you and God. But God wants to help us, and If we think, even slightly feel as if something, even simple or innocent is disturbing our relationship with Christ we should cut it off.

Imagine with me you are eating a snack, or something, or just having a meal and you read a article about the food you have been eating. It says that if this food is consumed over a long period of time it can "possibly" create a disease that will eventually kill the consumer.

I would probably stop eating it. It doesn't matter, I would not take the minutest chance of it. I I hope you would do the same, at the very least stop eating it to see if you feel different.

But its so sad that many of us will guard out physical health with zeal but not our spiritual health.

Satan's favorite trick is to give you something that only has a little bit of spiritual poison but it tastes really really good, or maybe its something that feels really good, or maybe even you are using this thing like me, and justifying its use because it can help people come closer to God.

Read this-

"But I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected." 1 Cor 9:27

Paul is speaking to me and many others in this verse. He is saying you could be PREACHING, doing Gods work, evangelizing, and still if we are not guarded, if we are not disciplined, we will be lost, castaway, and rejected.

I myself have had the Holy Spirit speaking softly to my heart on this issue, and I plan to fast from blogger and social stuff and music for 7 days. And yah, I will miss important things, I will not be sharing my experiences or thoughts.

But really, lets be logical, if Christ is the one we adore and love, we should be happy to give up something to make more time to talk to him and read His words.

So, do you love Him, or at least want to love Him more?

Join me, and fast, give up, or sacrifice something to him for just a week, and don't just fill it with meaningless things, but put in that effort to make it additional time for prayer and getting to know who our Friend, Lover, Creator, Lord, Master, and God really is and what he wants to say to you.

Chances are He has something to say to you right now.

Give it a shot, you may lose some, even losing good things like connections to friends and family, but God will notice your effort.

But don't take my word for it.

28Then Peter began to say to him, See, we have left all, and have followed you. 29And Jesus answered and said, Truly I say to you, There is no man that has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 30But he shall receive an hundred times now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31But many that are first shall be last; and the last first. Mark 10:28-31

Supliment or Substitute

I wrote this essay for my class, and had to limit the words a bit, so its packed with meaning.

I thought I should post it since it's a topic I actually care about.

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                                                               Social Media


“The wise do not buy into other people’s perceptions of who they are and what they are capable of. Instead, they bypass a person’s public persona and see who they are in their highest expression. When you see actions taken with integrity, instead of words only, you will then know a soul’s worth.” - Shannon L. Alder

Social media is the phenomena of the century, providing many people with various questions about how do we, as social beings, truly find meaning. No one doubts that this new avenue for communication has various effects on the most recent generation. Many that consistently use this medium wouldn't hesitate to tell you how things like Facebook, and Instagram have helped bolster there social sphere and improve their relationships. On the other hand, many of these same people would admit to the detrimental effects of daily social media usage. From distracting them from priorities and causing occasional frustration due to a uncomfortable post, one does not need to dig deep past the surface conveniences to find the numerous faults in social media. Those faults, some not so easily defined, are influencing the realms of relationships we are so purposely trying to foster.

Social media is among, if not foremost in recent innovations for increasing the amount of communication is able to accomplish. This being said, we must now inspect communication and how communication quality may be affected in this electronic environment. The communication quality during the typical use of social media is more often than not, lacking in connection. Imagine two friends meet on a normal day, but one friend brings their adorable kitten into the fold and both parties exchange exclamations of how cute the little animal is. This real life interaction provides the friends the ability to share the experience with varying responses, all while perceptively gauging the enjoyment of the friend. And inversely, a friend can observe the deeper relays of dissatisfaction or sadness in the other friend. Compare this to an attempt to share the experience on a social medium, like Twitter or even YouTube. Though you may be able to increase the magnitude of responses, the sense of genuine understanding is far lost in the confounds of the consuming electronic experience.

Furthermore, an aspect that also should be taken into consideration when using is not just quality of your relationship experience but of your own self depiction. A social media user must be weary of how beholding an abnormally high amount of filtered life experiences will effect how one perceives their personal life success. While one can lackadaisically browse the uploads and posts of hundreds of people's amusing experiences, the brain will ultimately reason itself into a state of discontent catalyzing a need to provide a experience that would rival some of the posts just lay eyes on. This continual, and sometimes competitive posting of abnormal life portrayals is a prime motivator for the perpetual use of social media. The craving to exhilarate themselves in social networking's arena of attention is by use of entertaining posts, all necessitating a increase in interesting content to fuel a wheel of praise. Though some are outside this arena, most are inside, fighting, and those that aren't fighting, are inevitably part of the crowd cheering on this unceasing display for a reinforced self image.

These effects from social media aren't discriminatory. People are effected no matter who they are. Men and woman alike have been the recipients of dissatisfaction. Researchers from two different German universities have noticed a pervading attitude among certain social media users. The researchers bring out that both sexes feel pressure to make their online image in the “best light.” Men specifically are found to exclaim there self-promotion in there personal biographies, linking to a flaunting of words to attain success in display. Women, the authors of the study say, are much more apt to emphasize “physical attractiveness and sociability.” The stated characteristics of this parading of self-image are obviously not confined to one gender or the other. One needs but only a few moments on a social media site to see a male profile with a flurry of new “selfies” or to find narcissistic profile descriptions on a females account.


 This being said, discounting all social media to be inherently evil or destructive would be a brash overstatement. The effects of social media on the most delicate areas of a individuals life are in quite varying degrees but none-the-less apparent. An article on the subject gives a accurate summerization “Online relationships are less valuable than offline ones. Indeed, their net benefit depends on whether they supplement or substitute for offline social relationships.” This paper is not a decree to ban social media, but to raise awareness on the effects. Though not exhaustive in its influences, hopefully this essay gave room for thought on what else social media may be the cause of in one who partakes in this contemporary communication.

Motivation

I apologize to anyone who was wanting more content here recently, Ive been busy with school, personal finances, family stuff, and more personal things.

But a midst all this, for school I made a Bible study that happened to be completely wrong so I redid it. But this was the original one, its very simple, I am bad at following the teachers structure but I hope it makes sense. Lets begin.

What is love?

(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

(Galatians 2:20) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

(Ephesians 5:25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it

Love is a motivating principle revolved around giving. God gives his perfect example of love by giving the most he can in a selfless way.

Its about Sacrifice, or what is given.

What is Lust?

(I John 2:16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

(James 1:15) Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Lust, a desire for something to find pleasure in the flesh, eyes or life. It, when conceived, is sin.

What is Sin?

(I John 3:4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

(Deuteronomy 6:1) Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:

(Exodus 20:6) And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

(Luke 10:27-28) And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Since Love is integrated with obedience to the commandments, and the commandments are all selfless sacrifices of something we would rather do, that it would be self-serving to oppose.

Thus sin is transgression of the law is selfishness, since you are going against or rebelling against selfless requirements.

What is lust and love more practically then?

Love is the desire to give unselfishly for no rewards, even to the detriment of ones self.

Lust is the desire to take selfishly to gain, even to the harm or death of others.

What is Salvation?

(Titus 2:11-12) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

(John 1:29) The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

A bi-product of salvation is eternal life, eternal life is not salvation itself.

People want to be saved from death without being saved from sin.

Ultimately we can desire salvation in a sinful way.

We can try overcoming sin, in a way that is sinful. Desiring or coveting heaven, the rewards of salvation.

Can we pursue righteousness in an unrighteous way?

The answer is yes. We can covet and lust after the perks of a relationship with Christ.

So the question we ask ourselves now is, do we follow Christ because of what we want? Or do we follow Christ because of what he wants?

What does Christ want?

(Hebrews 2:17) Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people

Christ says he wants to get closer to us or "reconsile, thus he makes all effort to remove sin from separating us.

So do we want to be closer to be closer to Christ or closer to the perks of Christ's gifts?

------This is where my assignment ended, but I had another thought that I put down separately on my phone.

I was thinking about love at first sight... It's such a common term people use, but just as brought out earlier in this post I think it, being a worldly popular term has something to teach us about the Devil's counterfeit Love.

Is Love at first sight fake? a ploy? Can it be related to our experience with Jesus?

Is it a deception? I believe so, and I hope you will see my line of thought here clearly.

This deception leads people to assume they are "in love" with Jesus but usually there are certain impure motives for this attraction. They want what Jesus has not who Jesus is, the  "love" the stuff that comes with the relationship, not the relationship itself.

Just like Lucifer's accusation against Job, "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land." Job 1:10, we all are "accused" of loving the blessing rather than the Blesser.

So how do we react when God lets Satan take blessing from us, lose of money, health, or otherwise. 

In our words, actions, or heart so we stay loving God? Its your reaction in those moments that reveals to the universe who we really love.

If eternal life, heaven, and earthly blessings were never mentioned as rewards, would we still pursue being Christlike, if the reward is why we are in it, we aren't actually in it.

If I lust after the gifts that accompany salvation instead of loving the one who saves, I will retain earthly things and losee eternally. 

But motivation sourced from divinly given love will spur me to forsake the temporal, worldy things, and gain whatever it is God's will to bestow.

------ None of us are worthy, lets not pretend, lets use our time not for ourselves, but for what God wants.

May his will be done in on earth as it is in heaven, Amen.