Before you read any further, you have been warned. The content you are about to read is solely based on factual opinion, it might challenge your beliefs, it might offend you but regardless if you continue, at the end of the day it depends on how you take it in. Everyone is free to believe what they want and I respect that, and everyone has to respect the cultural differences even religious differences as well. Before you continue on, I am warning you again, you choose what you want to believe, if you read but do not wish to continue after finding offense, I respect that, but take note that you are challenging your belief. If you strongly believe in what you believe in, then it goes to show you have a strong faith in what you believe in. It also shows you are also willing to refute or argue in what you believe in. No one is better than the other and take not Jesus said we should love one another, so no hate. I am simply sharing an interesting topic a friend of mine stumbled upon and willingly debated with regardless of our beliefs and are still continually friends respecting what we believe. Finally before you actually read it, I favorably ask you to be open minded, keep a mutual stance and dont make your emotions get the best of you. It is a given that it might possibly offend you or you would find delight in agreeing, but regardless in what side you are taking, take the middle. Think of both sides and think of others and their beliefs, weigh it down and then decide the verdict. You wouldnt know whether you'd like what you hear or hate it. If you continue in the end, you are strong, if not, maybe you should consider how you want to say you are defending yourself, you know you are right so prove me or us wrong and defend what you think is right! In the end, if you do get to the end, only then can you open a debate. We are all open ears to hear your opinion, but strictly no cussing or hate, this is mature talk so don't act immature and reserve your comments for the younger audience in mind.
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I recently watched a taiwanese drama called "Dear Mom" one of my favorite quotes was the continual motivation of the quote, "Tomorrow is another day" this is a perfect quote to link with the bible verse i've been studying in Matthew 6:34 and a perfect example for those who might be discouraged of the things that cross our paths from day to day.
Qi Le, who was close to going bankrupt and troubled of his problem, suddenly bumps into An Ching, young and fresh and motivated to catch her dreams. Although she almost got hot coffee spilled her, this did not discourage her and take note she told him while noting that Qi Le was troubled, that Tomorrow is another day!
Back tract 8 years later, she is in his shoes. Her husband is bankrupt, she is divorced, she has no money on her, and she is in the pedestal with her family if not dependent on her then, putting her under pressure into making them believe she is successful solely to prevent them especially her parents, after all she was the perfect and responsible child right? Qi Le returns her words back to her, gives her help and becomes her friend or most importantly someone wanting to be someone more than a friend to her. He was now the successful one, and you reap what you sow right? Goodness or kindness begets kindness and with good works there is always something good in return.
Qi Le also teaches us, that why must we worry about the past when all is a memory a history left behind, you can't change it unless in some oddity you can turn back time. He also teaches us that, if you continue to linger in the past or worry about tomorrow, it would be a waste of your time and thus you made yourself far more stressed.
Similarly, my AP psychology teacher taught me that why worry about the future when it does not exist? Circumstance can affect what happens, and the future is always changing. What could happen tomorrow for example, can be one of many things, as life is ever changing, you can never predict what would happen in the future unless it comes, therefore why stress over something that, "doesn't exist" or "hasn't happened yet"? To simply put, have you ever heard of the saying, "the past is a memory, the present is a gift, the future is a mystery?"
The bible also tells us not to worry about tomorrow because it too is a secret ready to unfold. It says that why must we worry about tomorrow when today has its own share of worries? If you have worries for today doesn't it seem even more burdensome to worry about another day that hasn't happen yet? Think about the "now"!
The lord encourages us that we must not worry about "tomorrow" when it would "worry about itself" and we should "focus" on "today's worries". In fact if we want to be happy and not be discouraged we should not think of our worries and let our god and savior take care of us, they won't leave us in fact they want us to depend on them! They are our anchors or rocks our strength to hold on to and lean on.
Take note on the other worries he encourages us on: we must not worry about others and how strong their faith is or whatever good they are doing, in parallel we too must not worry about the birds or trees or stray animals roaming by or what to wear or what to eat for they are things that does not require too much thought. The answer or solution to them is simple, grab the first thing you see or go with your gut instinct, what is more important is your faith and your soul.
While you per se, hound or criticize someone to not have the same religion as you or having no strong faith as you as well as probably ridiculing them for the wrong things they've done (like i guiltily do) you must also think of yourself or look at yourself. Why worry about someone else's soul and whether or not their soul is saved when you yourself don't know if you are saved. Do you do what you criticize others for? When you scorn someone for not listening to the worship lesson or for not reading the bible and etc, do you actually do what you scorn others for? Do you actually read the bible and understand it?
Sometimes we are all hypocrites, and sometimes that can be ridiculous to find yourself contradicting yourself and your own beliefs. So lets be honest here. Before you judge someone and others, our heavenly father in heaven and savior tells us: do not worry about these things (dogs or trees) because he has a way of giving them their needs - and this can also be used to refute those who claim "if god can find a way to feed these things or sustain nature why are there children starving around the world?" - My answer to that is simple, "there are kind hearted people like red cross or outreach programs who are trying to help the oppressed or needy, right? When Yolanda happen to the PI in 2014, the whole world helped right? How about those who were in danger during the past massive quakes? Or the relief of Hurricane Katrina and the aftershock in Japan creating havoc in its wake and wrecking a nuclear power plant?" Unless you are one of them, then don't be an imbecile who claims that god does not exist simply because you do not see him physically at work, when you yourself can't even help the poor or the hungry. Unlike you, if you aren't already one of them, there are more humble and kind people who are willing to help, and those people themselves, are THE INSTRUMENTS OF GOD. Don't know what that is? They are those people who god uses to deliver his gift, it is the grace and gift of our as well as jesus's salvation and these days it's rare to see kind hearted people like that.
Before you worry of other things with simple solutions, have you even considered if you yourself have been saved? If your soul is clean and perfect enough, touched and cleansed with the spirit and blood of our savior christ jesus? Have you performed good works even the simplest of things, prayed, read your bible, learned humility and asked for forgiveness? Have you recognized who your father and savior is: a friend and master? Have you faithfully served as a servant to him and followed his commandments? If so, have you become one with christ and the father through spirit and faith? Have you found joy with the good news (gospel/written word/bible) with thorough understanding, without question and with faith of its truth and our savior and father in your heart?
If you assert that, "how would you know the bible is true? It's just a book?", then let me tell you this, the bible itself is true because without your faith built upon christ and the good news/gospel, Jesus told us, that our faith in him is futile, useless. Why build a faith on christ but do not believe what the bible says? Its simply hypocritical.
If you on the other hand, say we came from monkeys and also claim from fishes, how can you defend yourself even more? A theory from fishes and monkeys or even platypuses is quite refutable don't you agree? Maybe even humor-worthy. I'd much more believe that aliens made us than that, and that theory is not that far away!
Yes maybe some part of the bible contradicts itself as well, but that's probably because you read but do not read in context or do not fully understand (I wouldn't say you are imcompetent because that is such a strong word, and if you were a fool, would you even read something so complex and confusing as the bible?), you too could be fooled of false doctrines, you could be pulling out verses from the bible but didn't read the other verses before and after that verse as what I've been reviewed upon by my fair share of read of Michael Shank's book, "Muscle and Shovel", and I couldn't agree more. For all we know you could be quoting Shakespeare or Lancelot or even Vice Ganda when truly it could be someone else! I'm not even making these names up, nor am I as stubborn as the characters in Michael's book or close minded for what I believe in, because hey, my friend told me that aliens might have created us, ans that almost had me when she based it on facts.
Also keep in mind, yes the refutable way to say the bible is questionable, is with all its versions and other doctrine's teachings. The truth is, yes the original bible was a compilation of books or scrolls written and inspired by the word of god. It is not some kind cult conspired by oligarchies to scare the public in theory to exercise control in the civilization with fear of god or a supreme deity. Like the famous quote, "We hold these truths as self evident..." like what our forefathers began to say in its famous document in winning our "inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" and that "all men are created equal" quotes from the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
Yes, we all know it was such a controversy, especially during the time of winning true freedom from whites to colored to men and now also women, it just goes to show that things are not always perfect and thus just proves that laws and documents tend to be flawed or basically not understood in full depth of the creator/author's original intent or meaning, especially with the continual translation of the bible to the point it had possibly lost its meaning, but that doesn't mean it lost its entirety itself. In Revelations it says that anyone who adds or takes away from what is written in the bible let him be damned or cursed. The bible although prone to be flawed when translated from Greek and Hebrew to many other languages, but at the end of the day, it's the closes thing we got from the original, and what other evidence do you monkey (ape)-platypus evolution theorist (evolutionists) got? Yes, it's rocket science my friend, with the technological world advancing and so is the expansion of the field of science, one would claim I'm being old fashioned here, that I am clearly not open minded and that I need to expand my horizon because, "its not two thousand and late" anymore it is the future, in years of time, not only did we accept what was not accustomed in the past like women not having rights, or gay marriage being legal, but we too can probably live in Mars or Pluto in the near future, and that is not that far away.
Yes I may sound like I'm contradicting myself, but drop your criticism for a while and if you claim I am not as open minded and am stubborn, then you should too. Listen to what I have to say first and then argue later because if you really were open minded you would not let your own anger or emotions control you and you would have continued to read until the end. For once be in the neutral side and reflect on both sides, if you think of it, yes both sides have a point, and Science and God is all the only truth we have in explaining why things are so, I am not a hater of science because I find it interesting, but if one claims the bible or religion itself is not perfect, then so can science, because unlike math, math would always have the same answer in the same problem or question while science although there are possibilities too, its not as perfect and everchanging and growing over time.
What people claim "conventional christians" or "traditional believers" to put it simply Old Testament Christians, is a strong label. You dont label people for what they are. Christians or those so called "believers" bare the name of christ, and they do not brag about it (although some of them do) by thinking they are more superior than any other religion, but religion is such a political term.
We (the real faithful christians) or New Testament Christians have a foundation of faith, because without faith in him (Jesus the son and God the father) then what we believe in has to be disregarded as well, ans thats the difference. When people claim that Christians are conservatives with strict rules who are not open minded becsude they believe in the bible and are not as open minded of the idea of "Gay Marriage", you would be surprised. That is partly correct, but not true.
New Testament Christians, or simply, Christians are followers of Christ. They believe Christ is the Immanuel, and that he is the son of God the father, and the bringer of peace. These people are those believers who through belief, were forgiven when Christ was nailed to the cross and carried our sins with him, that it was his blood that cleansed us from our sins. They believe that Christ built the church, he purchased it with his blood, and that he is the head of the church, one church which is his own church, it is the one body with the unity of everyone no matter who or what you are in one house. The bible is the sole foundation of their faith along with God and Christ, and as for those who claim that these people are hypocritical haters, then they are wrong. These people, the New Testament Christians believe that we live in the New Testament, or the current time. We are in the time of Christ, and the fact that, Jesus said he only had two rules when he died in the cross and these rules would take effecr in his church today: love one another and keep my commandments. He simply meant that no matter who you are do not hate one another or treat each other lowly and surely when he said keep his commandments, yes he did implied the 10 commandments: as a guide but because we are under his rule and not Moses, we simply look at it as a guide to perform good to one another and respect God's will, and what he really meant was HIS OWN TEACHINGS ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS AND DOING GOOD and like today, unlike Old Testament Christians, no matter what you are whether you are a Servant or one prefering the same gender, he doesnt condemn you, you have an equal chance to go to heaven one day too, and thats the difference between the old and the New. You can't be mistaken by labeling all christians the same, in fact you treat it as a name as if it was your own and it is of one's belief, however sad that they wear the name, it is by how they are misguided, and again it goes back to how without the full extent of understanding the true meaning of God's Word. They claim that Gay marriage is immoral as they quoted in the Old Testament but in the New, it is abolished under Jesus's law. See how people can take out verses but do not read on to its full extent? Even one should know the Prostitute Jesus's disciples judged on Jesus's feet. Yes they knew the Law Of Moses, that prostitution was immoral, but if they do not do it willingly and want to change, who are they to be damned? Even Jesus knew this and said to them that yes it was true as to what the law says, but he will not condemn her, but as for them, if they are sinless, let they have the honor of condemning her, and that they were not sinless and walked away in shame. Jesus too told the prostitute to remove herself from her former doings and do not sin no more, and that is true forgiveness, and what I am pointing out.
The flaw of evolutionists on the other hand is that their theories have yet to keep being proven by "Science" and if memory and proof serves, why repeatedly confuse (and scare) the young in biology classes that we came from primates with big red butts and platypuses with paddle sized beaks? I don't suppose they already have the answer to which came first, "the CHICKEN or the EGG" because for us, the answer is plain and simple, it's evidently found in Genesis Chapter 1. He said (God) "let there be light and it was so", he created the heavens and the earth, from the beasts that roamed the earth to those that glided in the sky and those that dove and swam in the sea WITH JUST HIM SAYING IT AND IT WAS SO. He created Man from the dust in the ground and it breathed life, and woman from this man's limbs. He created the earth for 6 days and rested on the 7th, this explains why we have 7 days a week, now tell us oh wise genies, why say there is 7 days a week for 4 weeks in a month and 365 days in a year since the beginning of time? Wouldn't you be hypocritical in your answer because it was politically borrowed tradition from our ancestors and therefore inspired by the bible? If one can believe in the supernatural why not in the supreme deity? (Unless your reason is because you are narcissistic and you believe you are a god). If you believe in god, then why not put your faith in him and let him help you out of your worries and ask for wisdom and understanding instead of riches like the wise one, King Solomon?
I read something funny online, it was about Einstein. His professor criticized his faith refuting all the things to discourage and weaken his faith, but just because he doesn't answer your prayer, doesn't mean he isn't listening. Maybe it's because you lack faith or lack the heart of gold, god tests the human heart to see how far it can faithfully go through faith.
Einstein put his professor in his place, saying that although he can't see and touch god physically with faith he does exist, and mind you; while that Professor not only got told off and humiliated by a young adult named Albert Einstein, he did not become blessedly famous to be known as the father of relativity for solving E equals mc square as Einstein was. Yes you can search it online or in facebook.
If you are strong in faith, like Job and Jesus despite the trials that discourage you, you would refuse the devil's temptation and by faith in christ tell him (the devil) to vanish from your sight. If you really are like Job, you'd know that even after you lost everything and even for a moment falter and question your faith, that strong foundation of faith, your heart if it really was like gold, no matter how stomped you are by the bad things or trials put onto you, if you endure you will receive the eternal gift of life which is in heaven.
A heart of gold is like one being put to the test, if your heart was really gold set into the various trials, in this case a fireplace, or simply heat, if it really was gold, it wouldn't melt or falter. If it endures and in fact like real gold, heat would very much make it more refined. Simply put, if you can't endure the heat of trials, no matter how painful and you easily let yourself give up, then your foundation of faith is weak. Therefore it is a given and I hate to break it to you, but you can't be deserving of selfishly getting what you ask for, did you even sincerely ask for it? When you pray do you even pray simply for the joy, thanks and praise? Or do you only do it simply just to pray when you are discouraged or in need of something? This is not ridiculing you or trying to offend you my friend, wouldnt that mean you are just selfish but do not wish to thank him for everything he has given you or blessed you with, since day one? While believing in god and Christ you WILL FACE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS. You are in a constant war between Good and Evil, and how you react in these trials and tribulations is what the devil is eager to see, he wants you to squirm and writhe! He wants you to curse god for your belief and unanswered prayers, and this discouragement is how god tests you.
Yes, it is a fact that God is like feeding you to a lion when you are in a pinch, but that doesnt mean he isnt there, remember the story of the young David? How about Daniel? Whenever David was in a pinch God was there, and when he bravely challenged the giant Philistine Goliath, he claimed that why should he be scared when God is in his side? And with his experience of God putting him in a pinch, was all that experience not worth it? That proves the saying, no pain, no gain. That said, God and Jesus is our pillar of strength, and we bear the protection through our shield or armor of faith.
If you are easily discouraged then the devil wins, after all: the "easy way out" and the human desire of "wanting things less painful" is what the devil uses to tempt you with. And God allows him to, to see if you really are strong in faith. If you, a fellow with a heart of gold endures and disregards this discouragement by the devil however, with god, there is nothing to fear (also nothing is impossible) because he is by your side and that fact alone means you win. God is JUST (fair) and he wants to see whether "not being in your side" for a moment would prove your true strong faith in him and when he does, that is when he will help you win.
Who said that believing in him was easy? If it was, everyone should have believed and if faith made you rich you'd probably billionaires by now, rich in faith and in money. But that is not the case, everyone can also believe but not truly believe. Its like saying something but not really meaning it, don't you agree? And that is the biggest trial we are constantly facing everyday. Having faith but not truly believing in his grace is like worshipping the dead and god does not want dead worshippers, that is why he puts you to the test. He wants to see us loving him and praising him and of course serving him, with all our hearts, mind, and soul. He wants us to have an active faith, one that is continually growing with our spirit. He wants us to accept him as our father, master, friend, and savior like Christ Jesus. I am not trying to spread evangelism here (or maybe I am) nor am I trying to convert anyone or trying to get anyone to go to my church although that's part of my mission but not by force or manipulation, its up to you to decide what to do and at the end of the day, we are all simply the children of our heavenly father and like my preacher and fellow brethren and sisters, become a source of inspiration to lead people back to him as the many instruments of god.
You do not have to know every single verse, although that would have arguably made my points stronger. The truth is I can't remember the direct verses in the bible references and take note I only quoted or inserted one verse. A true follower knowledgeable of the gospel would know the deep meaning of these verses as they hold it in their hearts as something most precious. I may not remember the exact verse but i know where to start from and look and what it means because I studied it from someone before and I hold it self evident that through faith I know that I should follow the path (and study the word daily for a stronger faith) that is only or solely right and by the will of the lord.
