Fools, Scripture, Humanity

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:3-7

[Commenting on an incident involving a debate between two individuals on a news show]:
‎"[The Christian debater] he won the contest but made no progression in the actual war. He reinforced the identicate picture of the American Christian; Right Wing, Reactionary, Bourgeois, and totally intolerant of anybody else because the christian has forgotten that we ever lived in Titus 3 verse 3." -Alistair Begg
[taken from Truth For Life]

"And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." John 5:37-40

I came across ^ last week and it certainly humbled me. When I read the Bible, I have learned to train my mind into thinking what it says about me. We can easily use this passage (and many others) and accuse someone else. The Scriptures weren't written for people to use as weapons against each other. They were written to be weapons against spiritual evil, against human nature. As I read this verse and affiliated it with me, it really humbled me. I question how many times I seek out Biblical text but never go to Jesus to have life for my day. I read without considering God sometimes. I read to make me feel good. Yet I never take the time to actually go to Christ. I don't surrender my heart in prayer. I don't always read with an open mind. I read with a hard heart. How in the world is the Spirit suppose to work if I refuse to let Him? Certainly something I am learning and questioning more seriously now.

I wrote this last week when I was having a pretty intense morning where nothing seemed to go right:

Thank you for those little things that can effect our whole day in negative ways. Those little moments of irritation when things don't go as expected. When technology doesn't work right, when people don't show, when you're late to appointments. All those things that remind us of human error. It's strange how we long for things that are perfect and yet there is no implication of perfection in this life. It is almost like we have to train our minds into believing in imperfection. Everything is cause and effect here. What is the cause of our sadness, our anger, our grievances, our displeasures, our stress, our needs?

"If humanism were right in declaring that man is born to be happy, he would not be born to die. Since his body is doomed to die, his task on earth evidently must be of a more spiritual nature." -Solzhenitsyn

I hope you were able to be blessed by this today.

Before and After

"If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot." Job 9:33-35

"If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" 1 Samuel 2:25a

"But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien, blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people." Numbers 15:30

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16

If you don't get why the Gospel message is so powerful, it is probably because you don't understand the difference between standing before God before Jesus and standing before God after Jesus. The first 3 verses quoted were written in the Old Testament, while the last two are quoted in the New Testament.
I am simply amazed by this story.