Application

This took not only a lot of thinking about, but also that extra day and plenty of meditation on the Bible to finally work out, so I pray God speaks to you. It is very, very easy to look around (especially over the last few years) and think that you yourself are nothing more than a consumer. You walk through life never really making things that the world can look at with awe and inspiration. But no-one has ever been where you are right now, with your mind and spirit because you are unique. God has put you right where HE wants you to be, right where HE needs you to be. He chose the exact year you would be born, the friends and family you would grow up with and the strangers you bumb into everyday! WHY? So that you can have every opportunity to reach your full potential in God, so you can use the gifts the Lord gave you to do mighty works in HIS name. So that the Pure Light of God can shine off you and into your family and friends to help them grow closer to the Almighty One too. This is a world where death is certain and this gives a select bunch of people a very ‘crash and burn’ attitude. But what some do not realise is that after death Eternal Life carries on, which throws up a huge uncertainty in people’s lives. What we must embrace is this ‘if life carries on all the stronger after death, is it not wise to work ever the harder to do good now?’. Not for the selfish thought that God will reward our good deeds, but simply to bring people to develop that Love with God that is shared by hundreds of thousands all over the Earth. Now even I can see the little issue here. Talking the good talk is all very well, but when it comes to the shove how should I act? That my friends will be one of the daily battles we all face, how to act all the time. After long times of persecution it will come to a place where we seem to lose all motivation. This should however only work to make you feel stronger, because it is the devil trying to bring you down, as he sees you are doing good works in the name of The Lord God, and this scares the devil. Also these times of suffering act as a refining fire upon our character, and soul. God’s pure fire removes all the impurities of this world to strengthen us. Romans 5:3-5 says it all for me. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. This is as God spends all our lives making our lives more like His, to be open and true, obedient and careful in word and deed. Slow to anger, fast to listen and patient, amongst many, many other mighty things. The easiest way to fully apply yourself is to do what you LOVE doing. What you spend time in your own place, perhaps with God, perhaps with others doing. It is always important to refresh the Spirit within us; otherwise life can gauge a rough path and wear us thin. Only by embracing the Truth of God and asking for His strength to face each day and trial, can we carry on. Discovering your own special abilities can only ever be a personal journey. There is no guide, except daily prayer of what God what’s you to do and reading of the Bible to help you develop physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, and all the other –ally’s I can’t think of right now. God has it all in hand Ecclesiastes 6:10 The Future—Determined and Unknown 10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny. Some would call this scary that everything seems fixed, but I view it as a complete comfort. It assures me that life although dreary at times will finish with the grand unveiling and an awesome life in eternity with God. Nothing compares to knowing Him, and it’s a relationship that can grow deeper everyday. Another blessed month to you, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Amen!

Relevance

Hi avid readers!

Relevance in our daily lives. Seems like quite an unusual topic to be grappling with and to be honest at times it is very easy to drift along in life and take a back seat. But being relevant in your daily live means actively seeking and understanding the events happening in your life; while sticking firmly to your principles to your beliefs. It means having the freedom to give friends and family information which is not only useful, but valuable throughout their times of hardship.

If the above paragraph isn't enough of a clue for you, being relevant in your own life means...BEING YOURSELF! For we were made by God:
"13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14

And He knows every intimate detail of our Body, Mind and Soul. He has created us, and created us ALL differently. There are no two people alike, because God doesn't believe in spares. He made us all perfectly the first time; yes we have failures, yes we have fears and minds that can wander, but these are the things that MAKE us human. These are the things God is constantly helping us work on in our own lives, even if we can't see it at the time.

Being relevant also means living in the present, FOR the future. It means planning ahead and understanding that not all things can be prepared for. Dwelling in the past can be dangerous, not only to you but also to your friends, to your family; yes lessons can be learned, but only when you can look back without being bogged down by it all. In the end God has a plan for each of our lives, all we have to do is ask Him what He wants us to do/say/act and God will provide the Spiritual Effect.

It may be hard to see but God is constantly working behind the scenes, in each persons life everyday. It may just happen that you say something, which that person has been thinking about for a long time which helps them understand life more. Thus we all have a responsibility to project the best image into the world; even if it's smiling more, or becoming slow to anger. God can and will use what you are prepared to give to help others.

Well I hope this firstly is useful to you and that you can make sense of it, so that you may become more relevant in your lives.

God Bless

Distraction

It is very easy at times to let things in this world distract us:

Matthew 24:6-20 New International Version (NIV)

6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Lots of things will happen to draw our attention and many people will go round in circles looking for the smallest of details in order to achieve some far flung dream to reveal a masterplan. It is the devil's wish that we all be distracted; but if we focus where the devil cannot enter; on the Holy Spirit within us, then God in His glory will guide us and show us what paths to take. Even when the darkness seems to be all around.

Proverbs 3:5-8 New International Version (NIV)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.

No matter how low you are feeling, no matter how pointless and useless your life seems, God has a plan!

Jeremiah 29:11-13 New International Version (NIV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

And it is most certainly not one of these mass plans, that makes you feel like your being rushed through the system. It is personal, it is unique and it is FULFILLED! In the End it should be our wish to unite as Humanity, as one body, to come before the Lord and be brought to Heaven.

Romans 12:5-8 New International Version (NIV)

5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

But this physical world will end, and all that we understand shall pass away, and We will then spend eternity with God on the New Earth.

Matthew 24:35 New International Version (NIV)

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Revelation 21:1-7 New International Version (NIV)


A New Heaven and a New Earth
1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

So do not be so concerned with the ways of the World. We are called by God only to live in it not by it's ways. If you read the Bible and Keep God's words your perseverance shall be rewarded.

Revelation 3:10-15 New International Version (NIV)

10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

Says the Lord. And so we choose to follow God and bow to His greater knowledge, for He has a plan and He holds us secure all through our lives.

Show Them You Care

I know that if I just randomly dropped out of contact with everyone I know I would get a fair few question thrown at me. Worried people may just text or call me, but those who truly cared would come round to my house and ask me face to face what is happening.

Given that, why do we accept it as part of everyday life when people just stop coming to groups/meeting or social events? Surely it is the same thing?

Does compassion go beyond the physical? Or is it just being stuck in an emotional state? I think it has a lot more to do with the soul. Yeah that old thing, threaded into your body. It is having the mindset to care about others - even those that may not care about you - and how you can help them achieve a fuller, more beautiful life. Even when you are at a low point in your life. True compassion, grows from within, and is a pure gift from God. It is a keystone of Love, without it there is no care or support.

So what do we do when people just stop coming or stop caring? We set out to show them how much their friendship and contact mean to us and others; and we go to not take no for an answer. They must be shown that they are not alone, or that there is more to life than this, or that there is someone listening.

If you pause because you are thinking of consequences...don't! Just go, if you feel they need some help, then God will deal with the resolution, but it's up to you to start the action.

Broken world

Every generation is different from the last. Personally i wouldn't have it any other way, people need to express themselves and learn their own ways. But, I do believe some teenagers who are coming to understand the bigger picture may believe they have inherited a broken world.

Now this can sometimes be because the parents don't care. Other times its because the parents want to wait until a certain point before they tell you or show you some things. But teenagers are curious, they - or we rather - are going out into the big wide world and unearthing, so to speak the remnants of the world you [adults] left behind. Almost as if you didn't want us to find out.

Of course this may sound like I'm blaming or even using you as a scapegoat. But the number of times I've heard "You've never seen it!" "I'm sure we showed you that one" or anything else that translates as absolute shock from the parents, it seems to me like something else is going on.

To many parents their child is all that matters.To others they couldn't be less bothered. Harsh but true, cynical; but I'm talking straight. Too many parents have let emotions rule their lives. Forever stuck looking at the problems, rather than looking at The Answer. For those who can or want to understand, the Truth is in a couple of my blogs, somewhere. Just look and open your eyes.

Observe or Live? And Where God Comes In

A follow-up question then - Do you think it better to observe life, or to live it? In essence, is it better to be an observer on the periphery, or a participant with a purely subjective viewpoint of life? And which of these criteria does God fill (or does He come into a third category? (which I'd hope He does))?
I am sure the only way I can answer that, is to be completely sure of my answer, and here i want you to be completely sure of my response.

If I was brought before the Lord and given that question I would always choose to live life. I would never want to as you put it "be an observer on the periphery". Anyone who does I must say you are sadly deluded. yes it may seem interesting at first, but it gets lonely real quickly being on your own, watching others in friendship and love. And if I don't have friendships then I don't have love, because it requires two participants for love to exist.

I must clear up an issue here though "a purely subjective viewpoint" sounds to me as if you are only looking at one part of life. But the very meaning of living cannot be grouped into one class, one area, as it is all-encompassing. Imagine a diamond. In it's rough form it has a certain attractive quality, but once the jeweller has worked his skill on it, it is beautiful. Each facet, each side are all part of the diamond, but when they are alone they do not emphasise the diamond as much as when they are united. In the same way life cannot have one subjective viewpoint. It can however be the development of one soul in three areas: life, love and eternity.
Only when these three develop together can we begin to really understand and enjoy life.

Some people say "there is a wasted mind", when they see someone going against the law or not achieving their potential. True, but to me a wasted mind is also someone who spends their entire life seeking knowledge, or fitness or spiritual enlightenment, but never seeks friendship or love. That is a wasted life, sure intelligence is great, but physical experiences and memories of great times are surely just as good.
Forgive me if I seemed to drift off topic, but here is the clinch and the answer to your question.

God created man, just as men can create statues. Jesus was begotten by God not created, just as children are begotten of men. Follow this through and we can see that while a statue is a very good representation of a man, it can never be a man. Thus as humanity is created in God's image (like the statue) it can never be God because it was made without something and with an expiry date (i may elaborate on this point later, but it is off topic here). God isn't. God exists in eternity, we don't; so God is able to look beyond time and situations because that's where he is. he is also not restricted by emotions or paths of thought, since he knows all things and thus is able to create them.

If you imagine a line on a paper to represent your life, God is the paper. He is all around but he is also what your life in written on, so not only does he observe from the periphery, but he is also deeply involved in the moments of life. This is because God is within all of us. He inhabits our bodies, like our souls do, but completely surrounding. So although God is able to view from the periphery, he is also intrinsically involved in our day to day lives, because a part of him is part of us. i can only help thinking that this sounds degrading to the infinity of God, but it is the best explanation i can convey.

And so the third category is created. Where God sees all of time, and where he understands every decision he makes and the effects, and the only reason he chooses to do them is because of his Love for us. He has seen every moment of your life and he ha heard every prayer. He has blessed us where he sees fit and has advised us where he knows best. Every deal he has entered he knows the outcome, and the only thing he seeks to gain is our love our praise, and that we can know him more.

The rest he leaves to us. That is why we have freewill, choice. So we can see God's Love and come to understand that what he gave is beyond our repayment. But he only wants our love in return, because he Loves us. This seems logical to me on the basis, if you spend time making something, you put effort into it, you put love into it, you come to cherish it. It becomes special. Like that table you made, or that picture you painted. It will always be special to you no matter what people think, because to you it is more than a table or a picture, it represents a success in your life, or it captures a feeling that you feel every time you look at it. We are the same to God. And that is why he is able to give everything for us to live in eternity with him. Because he loves us, and is delighted every time we choose to stand up and fight "the good fight". Because he believes in us, just as we believe in him.

I hope this answers your question at least in part. And i hope you can see where i am coming from in each part. I would delight in further questions, whenever you feel you need ask.

Where life takes us

You know what? I'm starting to see the truth. If your life is full of problems and illness and sorrow, then you are not being the best you can be, because someone is getting you down. The devil wants you to suffer, for when you suffer your focus slips away from God. You forget the truth and become self centered, instead of a person involved with others in a serving role. God has your whole life in his hands. Jesus died so our sins, the things we do wrong in life, are gone. They have lost their grip on our lives and we can live in a freedom that was never before experienced. God is almighty, but is also our closest friend if you let him. He wants a deep and personal relationship with you and he wants you to know the Truth.
Your life has a purpose and a plan, that is not only personal to you but it is complete. God knows every aspect of our lives and blesses us so that we can live the best life possible.
So, if you want to see and end to illness and problems in your life, simply ask God into your heart by asking him in your mind. Then say out loud, you problems, you illness in my life be removed in the name of God and never return. And if you have faith, patience, prayer and love your life will be turned around. But being in a relationship with God, also means a relationship with people, so go to a church and get to know them. God wants you to know him. If you have any questions i would recommend going to your local church and talking to people there.
And ask! A person who seeks will find an answer. So don't be afraid to question people, even if it sounds totally impossible or wrong.

nonohino@hotmail.co.uk

Simplicity

I only ever wanted to live life. But now i find my 'day to day' life filled with jargon, yes all this media and unnecessary overexertion by, well basically everyone. "I want to live in a world..." are words that can so easily roll off our tongues, but unless we become 'proactive' and strive for change ourselves nothing will happen.
Do I plan ahead and think about the future? I recall an incident several years ago with a 'friend'. I would see her every week at least once and we would talk at length about lots of different things. I just saw us as friends, but I think she saw it as something more. We drifted apart and for a couple of years i forgot about her. It sounds truly horrific but I did, I just didn't care. I only remember her again when I heard a particular song which I'm sure we both loved.

For link click here

So remember what was given, remember life has a reason and remove the jargon from your life. So that simplicity and freedom from God can be given to you and your families. And so that we can step on into the future together.

A Modern Interpretation

One of the duties of the church is to understand politics. Not to take politics on, but to understand the usage of it. For to start using politics will lead to division and malice amongst the members of the church. But to understand the principles and reasons for using politics helps to combat the effects of the government, and under careful guard and development could lead to a better life in the church. As a whole the church would gain a larger place in the minds of individuals, and the congregation would be united in larger decisions made by the church. The works of God would be seen more clearly by the public and the preciousness of them would be understood.