You might hear that all religions are the same, that we all worship the same God. Nothing could be further from the truth. We know that people have worshiped other 'gods' throughout the centuries and how that angers God. Jesus is the difference between Christianity and all other religions and according to this verse, without Him, we cannot know Father God.
Matthew 11:27, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (NIV)
You might hear that all religions are the same, that we all worship the same God. Nothing could be further from the truth. We know that people have worshiped other 'gods' throughout the centuries and how that angers God. Jesus is the difference between Christianity and all other religions and according to this verse, without Him, we cannot know Father God.
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Jeremiah 2:36
"Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria." (NIV) The grass is always greener on the other side? We're often looking for something better, many are not satisfied with the things of this world. We have a future home in Heaven with a perfect God of love. Nothing on this earth will ever come close. It does help when we can see "Little Pieces of Heaven" along our earthly journey: a rainbow, sunrise or sunset, the beauty of a loved one, ... Paul said, "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought." (1 Corinthians 1:10, NIV)
and we responded with -Jew and Greek (and Romans) -believers and accusers -Catholics and Protestants-"Adventists, Anabaptists, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Baptists, Calvinist/Reformed,[h] Lutherans, Methodists, Moravians/Hussites, Pentecostals, Quakers, and Waldensians.[12] Nondenominational, Charismatic, Evangelical, Independent," and more! -in person/online/absent, conspiracy or not, masked/unveiled, and vaccinated/unvaccinated Father, please forgive us! Help us to be the messengers of Peace and Hope through Christ that You have called us to be. Amen Job 2:7, "So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head." (NIV)
Satan demanded that God would torment Job and God would not. He did allow Satan to, but not to the point of death. Through this, we can see the character of each; what God is not willing to do and Satan for the tormentor that he is. Which of these two do we really want to trust? And is this how we look when we make demands of God? "And the Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it." " (Job 2:2, NIV)
God did not ask Satan this for His own knowledge. By asking, He got Satan to reveal his own doings. We do need to remember that we do have a very powerful enemy and that he has a deadly agenda. Thankfully, through Christ, we can also have victory over Satan and his army of fallen angels. We are called to help others through the spiritual battle and even to accept help when we need to. Something that does surprise me, did Satan actually answer God in truth? Can Satan lie to God? He did try to tempt Jesus with the actual Word of God, which is Truth, even if being used in a deceitful way. Of course, lying to God is pointless. We have so much to consider today! and every day! :) Added thought, I wonder how long it takes Satan to roam once throughout the earth. He does have help. I'm not going to spend too much time thinking about it. Thankfully, God is omnipresent: om·ni·pres·ent | \ ˌäm-ni-ˈpre-zᵊnt \ Definition of omnipresent: present in all places at all times. We also know this from Scripture: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there; if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you (Psalm 139:7-12). " Job 1:1
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. (NIV) If we want a Heavenly example of how to live, Jesus IS the Way, Truth, and Life, just as He says He is! If we want an earthly example of how to live, Job wasn't a bad choice. He had just lost his closest family, other than the nagging wife, and his response was to fall to the ground in worship! Do we remember to worship God in our hardships? He has experienced hardships with us and for us, so He's not stranger to pain, suffering, and loss. There will always be more questions, this side of Heaven. God has laid out some answers that are unmistakable, but other things, He has left us room for discussion. Hopefully civil discussion, but unfortunately, not always. I get asked lots of great questions, and unfortunately, I don't have all the answers, either. God has laid out some ground rules for our discussions:
1. Seek first the kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33) 2. Love God and love one another. (Mattew 22:36-40) 3. Choose peace, whenever possible. (Romans 12:18) 4. Let there be no division among you. (1 Corinthians 1:10) 5. Do not judge. (Matthew 7:1) 6. Forgive one another. (Matthew 6:14-15) 7. Do not cause any to stumble. (1 Corinthians 10:32) Of course, this is a basic list with the Bible being full of others. I think we could do well if we could get through this list first! I've seen an excellent list, even shorter, paraphrased: imagine what the world would be like if we loved God and loved each other as we're called to do. Also, we may know the rules, but following the rules isn't always as easy. We're all learning together, let's try to be kind. And yes, some are exceptionally kind - I can't tell you how much you are appreciated! <3 |
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