We see in the news...
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We see in the news that the president and some in Congress try to do good, but their "good" is often interpreted by their enemies as "bad" -- especially if they don't belong to the right political party.
I hear members of other denominations having to suffer if their doctrine doesn't match ours. Only God will determine who is right. The same goes for us. We may have to suffer for what we believe is right. We should always be prepared to give an answer to those who question our "hope." Again, only God will determine who is right when we go to be with him. God will more likely judge our motivation and our Spirit in sharing our feels than in the accuracy of every word we say.
If we are slandered for our beliefs, remember that it is the Lord's job to repay: "Vengeance is mine says the Lord!" Too many want to handle the revenge themselves while they are thinking of it. It may come as an automatic response.
Think how many were lost in Noah's day who didn't believe. They discovered too late the error of their ways. We don't want to see the ark pulling away from us if we have turned down our ticket to sail in it. God is giving us that ticket through our baptism and our trust in the resurrection of our Lord.
Our bodies may not endure torture and suffering, but if we believe, our spirits will survive.
Jesus died for both the righteous and the unrighteous. If we are out in the ocean drowning and someone throws a life preserve out for us. We have the choice of grabbing it and being saved or ignoring it and drowning. God gives us the free will to decide. When we propose marriage, our prospective mate has the free will to decide whether to accept or reject the proposal.
We just need to remember who is in charge. We like to think that we are, but check out the scripture and see what it said for hundreds of years. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, man without the Spirit has made the wrong choices.
I hear members of other denominations having to suffer if their doctrine doesn't match ours. Only God will determine who is right. The same goes for us. We may have to suffer for what we believe is right. We should always be prepared to give an answer to those who question our "hope." Again, only God will determine who is right when we go to be with him. God will more likely judge our motivation and our Spirit in sharing our feels than in the accuracy of every word we say.
If we are slandered for our beliefs, remember that it is the Lord's job to repay: "Vengeance is mine says the Lord!" Too many want to handle the revenge themselves while they are thinking of it. It may come as an automatic response.
Think how many were lost in Noah's day who didn't believe. They discovered too late the error of their ways. We don't want to see the ark pulling away from us if we have turned down our ticket to sail in it. God is giving us that ticket through our baptism and our trust in the resurrection of our Lord.
Our bodies may not endure torture and suffering, but if we believe, our spirits will survive.
Jesus died for both the righteous and the unrighteous. If we are out in the ocean drowning and someone throws a life preserve out for us. We have the choice of grabbing it and being saved or ignoring it and drowning. God gives us the free will to decide. When we propose marriage, our prospective mate has the free will to decide whether to accept or reject the proposal.
We just need to remember who is in charge. We like to think that we are, but check out the scripture and see what it said for hundreds of years. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, man without the Spirit has made the wrong choices.
