Posts Tagged ‘bible’
Colossians – Part B
Posted on: November 16, 2011
I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians – Part A
Posted on: November 9, 2011
We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. We pray that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
I have become a servant to the church by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.
Romans
Posted on: September 14, 2011
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
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i don’t believe in biblical gender roles – i mean, i don’t believe that the bible actually says that men should bring home the bacon and women should fry it (mmmm…bacon…). i don’t believe that men should go out and do the 9 – 5 thing while women stay home and do the barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen thing. [which reminds me of a joke: a woman got hit by a train? whoa! what the heck was a train doing in the kitchen?...lol] clearly i’m not a feminist because i find that joke funny.
so ok, i don’t believe that there are things that i can’t do because i’m a girl, however, if i’m walking with a guy and i’m carrying heavy stuff and he’s not and he doesn’t offer to help, i lose a few degrees of respect for him. i’ve been known to get guys to carry stuff for me because “i’m a girl”…not because i can’t do it, i know i can…and if none of my guy friends are around or they are but they are not willing to help, i totally do it myself.
i hate cooking and cleaning and laundry and all that domestic stuff that are considered womenly duties…not because they are womenly duties, but just because i don’t enjoy them. however, one day when…if…i get married, i would gladly take them on – with the help of my husband of course – not because i feel that they are womenly duties, but because they are service duties and my role in the marriage will be to serve my husband. and i expect him to be responsible for the heavy lifting and for the lawnmowing and for the fixing of things(or calling of someone to fix said things) around the house – not because they are manly duties, but because i’m kinda physically weak and i hate lifting heavy things and they are service duties and that’s how he will serve me. having said that, i would be so amped if my husband could cook – i love food, and i can cook edible food – but it’s not mouth-watering-oh-my-gosh-can-i-have-a-seventh-helping-of-that, so it would help loads if he had chef like qualities.
so i guess i do buy into societal gender roles, but i don’t believe these roles are biblical as some people say. i mean, look at that proverbs 31 chick. she cooks, cleans, does yard work, runs a business going, raises kids…pretty much does EVERYTHING. you can’t box her into a gender role. i think the floor is open, and you can do whatever you want to do that you are able to do. and i think that is the fundamentals of feminism – the right to choose – but it has been turned into a competition with the male species thing, which i’m not too keen on.
so basically, what i’m trying to say is: i adore the colour pink, i love wearing pretty dresses and heels and getting all dressed up, i love being made to feel like a princess. i also love the comfort of sweats and an oversized hoodie, i love playing sports, i hate shaving my legs and sometimes i just don’t feel like combing my hair. i think it’s cute when a guy cries while watching a movie, i think it’s weird when a guy cries because i accidently bumped into him and it hurt(given that the guy is above 16 years old), i think it’s wrong when a guy feels he is too manly to ever cry. i think it’s cute when a guy cooks a romantic dinner for you, i find it weird when a guy stays home and does the cooking/cleaning/child-raising and the wife works a 9 – 5 (i know it happens, i don’t think it is wrong, i don’t judge anyone who does so – i don’t think it makes you less manly, i’ve just been raised in a different culture therefore i still finding it a bit…different – so weird different, not weird whatthefreak), i think it is wrong when the man never helps out around the house even when his wife is worn out from her work because it is “women-work”. i think it’s cute when a dude has guys over and they are watching a rugby game and his wife brings them little triangle sandwiches and chips and beers, i think it’s awesome when a guy and his wife and his friends and their wives are watching the rugby game together and whoever wants more stuff gets up and goes to the kitchen and brings for everyone else, i hated it growing up when my mom would call me and my sister into the kitchen making me leave the game to go help make sunday lunch and my dad and brother would get to sit and enjoy the game.
i believe in chivalry – guys opening doors, helping you carry heavy stuff, etc. but i don’t believe in girls acting weak and helpless to seem more “feminine” – this might seem contradictory to what i said before about guys helping me carry heavy stuff so let me clear it up a bit: i don’t believe in ACTING weak and helpless, i believe in guys offering to help; i don’t pretend that i can’t carry heavy stuff, i prefer that the guy carry the heavy stuff; i’m all for girls doing it all for themselves, i just choose to not do it all myself. i don’t believe a beauty pagent winner is more feminine than a tom-boy. i believe in choice…i believe in being who you want to be – who you feel more comfortable being. i choose to let guys do the heavy lifting, you choose to do the heavy lifting yourself…different strokes!
Contradictions?
Posted on: January 21, 2010
- In: my stuff | thoughts
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open your heart to the possibility
guard your heart from the pain
take the leap of faith
if you fail to plan you plan to fail
sell it all and give to the poor
be good stewards of what you’ve been given
the love of money is the root of all evil
“if you give to this ministry, God will triple your finances”
…whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
faith without deeds is dead
honour your mother and father
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother…he cannot be my disciple.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
God helps those who help themselves
Be still and know that I AM GOD
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some of these may not be contradictions, but out of context they may seem like it
the real contradictions are those that are “advise” from humans…
