Determined by Love!

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Ephesians 6:18-20, 23, 24 NIV

After declaring to us--Believers in The Lord Jesus Christ--how to stay dressed--armored up to get through this journey in life, Paul tells to pray--for all "The Lord's people. And then he makes a declaration upon all the brothers and sisters in The Lord for peace and grace to rest upon all who love The Lord.

How do we determine who our brothers and sisters in The Lord are? The Word tells us that we shall each other by our love--visibly demonstrated--for one another. For where there is love, peace and grace abound; where love is not found--only fear and trepidation are known.

Political Alert and Assertion

I have been told that some do not appreciate my support of Hillary Clinton for president because of the Democratic/Progressive Platform. I have also been told that if I do not stand with Republicans and declare myself pro-life, my work will not be supported/promoted through this blog. All this from a "brother in The Lord."

Well, here is my response from a "sister in The Lord." My decisions and my support of Hillary Clinton are based on my communications with The Lord, not people. I have stated before that I do not condone some of the platform on which she is running, but I do know--not just believe--she is the most qualified person to sit in the White House--in spite of shortcomings as a human being. But then, none of us are perfect--are we?

I am PRO-CHOICE--not pro-abortion and there is a difference. God has given us free-will choice since He created us and it began in the garden with Adam and Eve. There are consequences for every choice we make and we have to consider the consequences before we choose to do anything. But I will not interfere with a choice a person makes because I am not the one who has to deal that consequence and I have neither heaven or hell for anyone. What I can do--for anyone having to make a choice about anything--is to pray they receive God's wisdom and obey Him.

As for those who are pro-life, I ask this question of you: If life before presentation (being born) is precious, how can anyone justify taking the life of a person outside the womb? Killing is killing and there is no difference. So, when I look at some of the behavior of those who proclaim to be "pro-life," I do not want to be affiliated with them. And some of these same people--who are pro-life--seem to find justification in racism and bigotry and fear-mongering. If they truly know The Lord--how can this be? For The Word says, through Paul's letter to Timothy--"God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind." Where fear is promoted--that is not of God. We know those who love God because they promote love of all--not just themselves or for those who look and act like them.

Those who promote being fearful, and encourage disrespecting others, and demonstrate mental instability, are not flowing in the love of God. They do not belong to Him. If they are not part of the family, I have no obligation to them.

For those who promote hope in the midst of crises, have proven their worth in public service helping others, and who rise above the fray to encourage others--I see them as part of the family because they are demonstrating The Word by their actions.

On this blog--though I usually attempt to expound scripture and the practical application of The Word in our lives--my tag for this blog is, "Writing About Life" and politics is part of our lives. Therefore, I will address a number of issues that may not be palatable for a number of people, but I will always do so demonstrating application of The Word.

So, for the remainder of this political cycle--since it is not my intent to offend anyone--if those who are offended by my political stance--which is not contrary to my faith in God--choose to not follow this blog--Godspeed. I respect your right to choose what you read. I will continue to pray for you and love you, but I will not allow anyone--to deter me from acting in love--for the benefit of all--as Holy Spirit leads me.

May The Lord continue to reveal His Truth to all who are willing to receive that we may live in peace and harmony, knowing how to love all-unconditionally.

Let Order Reign!

Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. Ecclesiastes 12:9,10 NIV

In verse eight, the Teacher is yelling that everything is "meaningless" and then we understand why.

Where there is no wisdom, foolishness prevails.

Where there is no knowledge, ignorance is bliss.

Where there is no order, chaos and confusion reign.

If we look at what is happening around the world we can see the significance and truth of what happens when there is no wisdom, knowledge or order. And when we get closer to home--right where we live--where our kids go to school--where we shop and interact with others--the truth looms even greater.

We are told in The Word that God is not the author of confusion and yet where see confusion, no one wants to recognize the evil that plots the destruction of order.

Last night, I attended the high school graduation where my grandson attends school and plays in the band. Like many schools, during a high school graduation, students are given a specific number of tickets for their guests and this school was no different. Every student was given four tickets and there were approximately 133 students graduating. Usually the ceremony is held outside on the football field, but since rain threatened the event, it was moved inside. The auditorium was reserved for those with tickets and the Commons (a huge area outside the auditorium) was set up for the overflow, complete with a screen so everyone could view and hear the event.

I cannot stand ignorance and confusion. When I saw how foolish people were--trying to get into the auditorium without a ticket and then acting foolish when turned away--I felt anger rising within me. But the anger was not about those acting foolish, it was about those who even allowed them to think they had a right to be there without having a ticket.

As a result--the ceremony-usually observed with sanctity and decorum, was a hot mess outside the auditorium and from the comments of a few people on the inside--it was not better. I truly wish people would understand how important this event is and not take it as opportunity to be a pep rally where no one can hear anything.

I sincerely hope that two years from now, people will learn to act with more decorum and I also hope the administrators of the school will make more of an effort to maintain order by not allowing the ticketless--access to the ceremony. I want to see order reign when my grandson receives his diploma, not hear a madhouse of cheering so no one else can hear.

Aside from the obvious--my being upset over the graduation process--I also look at all the confusion in the Body of Christ. Where "Christians" are confused about their gender, their roles in life, and even confused about the purpose of the church. Perhaps, just perhaps, when the Body of Christ is no longer confused, and functioning decently and in order, we will see a change in society that demonstrates the change from within a Body of true Believers.

Lord, speak to the hearts of Your people and remind them--You expect us to always act decently and in order and to do things Your way, not our own.

Do People Know We Have Integrity?

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said,"Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Mark 12:13,14 b NIV

Isn't it amazing that even when people do underhanded things, trying to undermine or sabotage a person's reputation, by their words they actually confirm truth about the person they are attacking, and reveal truth about themselves?

In a recent event, I was attacked when by an individual who provoked a commentary about their work ethic in a volunteer organization. They had deluded themselves into believing they were actually, "doing the best they could," and when I refuted that statement, they wanted to know--specifically--what I thought they should be doing. My response was--show up at meetings and do their job--reading the information already provided so they would know their job. Their response--"This is a volunteer group--nobody is paying me." And later, "That's your standard and since everyone has their own standard, no one has to work to yours." That's very true.

Though they did not realize it when they said it, that was truly a high compliment. I do have high standards--being paid or not--a standard of excellence and "doing my best" means I know what I'm supposed to be doing because I actually read the instructions and attend scheduled meetings. After being associated with non-profit ventures for over 20 years, not being paid for 15 years, I have a clue about how things should be done. And the first thing that anyone should understand about a non-profit is its purpose and intent and the organizational structure. For without order, there is chaos and constant misunderstandings and instead of moving forward, people are left in a rut.

Those who came to see Jesus didn't really want an answer to their question, but they recognized His integrity--not being swayed by others who did not know truth. They were simply trying to trick him into committing treason against Caesar.

In so many other situations in life, we may discover that people have been sent to us, to commit treason against truth. But how wonderful it is when truth--is stated in the mouths of those who seek to defame and destroy--for all to hear.

Now, I can imagine that if they had known the truth and what Jesus was going to say, they never would have approached Him, in a public forum. Sometimes, if we're not sure of the end results, we might want to say certain things to people, privately. For when the truth is known about a person and it is understood--in a public forum--the person doing the attacking--also reveals truth about themselves. In the case of the meeting I referenced earlier, the person attacking me revealed, they don't plan to do any of the work because they are not getting paid and a volunteer position is not worth their time and commitment.

I wanted to ask why they were there since they felt that way, but Holy Spirit told me to be quiet. Now, I wonder why anyone would accept a position as an officer of a non-profit--knowing in advance there was no monetary payment (just personal gratification in knowing we make a difference) and simply become a space filler (just holding a position, not honoring it).

So, when I read this passage of scripture this morning, I was reminded of that conversation and hence the question arose, "Do people know we have integrity?" According to the scriptures, they will know when they see us not being swayed by others who do not operate in truth or integrity themselves.

We, who believe God, know Truth--and we understand that all things must be done, decently and in order. When we think we can undermine those who operate in truth, the truth about ourselves is revealed and now--everyone knows the truth--about all.

Lord, help us to be people of integrity, honoring You and positions we hold--living up to the expectation and requirements to get the job done, without being persuaded by others to do anything else, but to do all things that please You.

Everything Done in Order!

"But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." (I Corinthians 14:40 NIV)

Paul's advice to the church to maintain order in all things is an approach we should use in every aspect of our lives. If there is no order, there is chaos and confusion; where there is chaos and confusion, God is not involved.

The first thing we need to keep in order is our thought life. Chaotic and confusing thoughts lead to behaviors that are not orderly. This is why we have so violence in our society and disrespect/disregard for life. There is no order in the minds of those committing hateful acts against others.

If we get our thought life in order, our actions will represent how we think--order--in all things.
If we get our behavior in order, we reduce crime and hateful acts and create an environment for harmony and peace which is how God wants us to live.

When we are in order--our homes are in order--everything is done decently and in order. There is no domestic violence in the home, there is no filth in the home, there is nothing going on in homes that will negatively impact children and their ability to succeed in life. Spouses know how to communicate and parents know how to parent when homes are in order.

When home lives are in order--we have order in society since every home is part of society. We change things for the better and do what is always right.

When we live in an orderly society, the results are seen in everything that occurs within that society and all people are respected and all things are accomplished in an orderly manner, without confusion.

Though many think the Scriptures are an out-dated reference for living, if people were to examine what we do on a daily basis in business and government, they would discover the Biblical foundation for how things get done. In time we deter from the foundation, things crumble and fall. If we listen carefully to well-known motivational speakers--what they say has biblical foundation, most from Proverbs. Parliamentary procedure was born out of Paul's advice for order and just about every legal organization uses Robert's Rules of Order as a guide for keeping "order" in meetings.

Having order in our lives means we work on the front end, establishing guidelines to maintain order and then we simply abide by the order established. Order in the church, homes, government, will lead to peace and harmony, when maintained.

Decently and Orderly!

"Let all things be done decently and in order." (I Corinthians 14:40 NKJV)

To keep things in context before I start my rant, remember this verse has to do with doing all things decently and in order in the church; especially in how we conduct church services.
Though I could "rant" about how many don't understand this as it pertains to the church, I'd rather take another route so hopefully, people will think about how they do things--outside of the church, as well as inside.

Old School Teaching about Etiquette--apparently no one is teaching anyone how to conduct themselves when in the presence of others. So, I decided to take this upon myself because rudeness and inconsiderate people really try my patience.

1. Ignoring given time-frames for an event and showing up whenever a person feels like it is rude and inconsiderate. People don't have to explain why they decide to do things at a specific time and if a person plans to participate in the event, they should be on time. If they cannot be on time, don't attend at all. But do send the host an RSVP whether attending or not so they don't waste their money.

2. Ignoring common courtesies such as--not talking with a mouth full of food (no one wants to see what you're chewing), having "very loud" conversations on a cell phone in public (this is your business and the rest of don't need to know it).

3. Knowing that children have not been raised to respect other adults and taking them with you to be rude and disrespectful. Until a child is trained how to behave away from home--keep them at home so no one will just how neglectful you've been as a parent.

4. Excluding other people invited to an event in a home. People should learn how to communicate effectively with conversation that all can join--not play games that exclude others when there are number of people at the event.

5. Inviting yourself to eat at someone's home. Don't visit other people or drop by their house and ask for their food. If offered, then it's okay; but if not offered, don't ask--this is a sign of no home-training whatsoever. If you don't know how they budget their food for their convenience, don't disrupt the flow of someone's plans for themselves.

This list could go on and on, but I'll stop here. Etiquette rules--though not followed very often--are still available online and in bookstores. Think about this--how would you want someone to treat you and your home?

If I have offended any--good--perhaps it's time someone told you how to act in public. If any have learned anything--even better since the purpose was to remind people how to act in public. When we learn how to do things at home and practice it at all times, we have no need to be reminded when in public.

I'm praying for us all to learn to do things decently and in order at all times--in church and at home!