A Few Thoughts About Priorities

Marriage 

Finance

This is assuming that spouses are believers.

Believers know the Gospel as follows 

B1 God’s law 

C1 God is THE King of all kings. 

C2 God has laws for His kingdom. 

C3 Summary is the 10 Commandments: Exodus 20:1-21 and Deuteronomy 5 

B2 Disobedience 

C1 All disobey 

C2 All cannot earn salvation 

C3 Romans 3:9-26 

B3 Prevenient grace 

C1 God initiates salvation. 

C2 If God did not initiate salvation, then NO ONE cannot and would not ever be saved. 

C3 John 16:7-11 

B4 Understanding of our condition and punishment 

C1 Spiritual death, that is, no fellowship with God—Ephesians 2:1-3, Colossians 2:13, 1 Timothy 5:6 

C2 Physical death because we break God’s laws, which is sin, for which we die. Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, James 1:15 

C3 Eternal death, which is conscious, never-ending torment—2 Thessalonians 1:9, Revelation 21:8 

B5 Understanding Jesus 

C1 100% God and 100% man See Athanasian Creed.  

C2 Substitute—Passover Lamb. See 1 Corinthians 5:7, Isaiah 53:7, John 1:29, 1 Corinthians 15:3 

C3 Offer of salvation—Come to me. See Matthew 11:28-30, Revelation 22:7 

C4 Repentance—180o change in attitude and actions. See Matthew 3:2, Acts 3:19, Acts 8:22, Revelation 2:5, Jonah 3:10, 2 Timothy 2:24-26 

C5 Faith and trust—Salvation is by grace along through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Call on His name (ask for forgiveness and believing). See John 3:36, John 3:16, Acts 4:12, 1 John 5:11-12, Luke 18:13 

Marriage 

B1 God first 

C1 Honor 

D1 Attitude 

E1 Compare 

F1 Honoring God correctly—1 Corinthians 10:31, Mark 12:30, Matthew 6:33 

F2 Honoring God incorrectly or not at all—Matthew 15:8, Revelation 2:4 

E2 Actions—Luke 18:9-14, Genesis 4:3-5, 1 Corinthians 6:20, Matthew 5:16 

D2 Time. Compare Daniel 6:9 (both times and actions in the face of a threat), 2 Timothy 2:15  

D3 Belongings. Compare Proverbs 3:9, Matthew 6:21, 2 Corinthians 9:11 

D4 Fellowship with God and other believers 

E1 Fellowship is being together, enjoying others company, helping each other, teaching each other, worshiping God in song, prayer, etc. 

E2 Some verses—Acts 2:42, 1 John 1:3, 2 Corinthians 6:14 

C2 Faith 

D1 Believe. The Christian faith is not blind faith. It is reasonable faith. Compare Hebrews 11:1 and James 2:21-24 with Abraham’s faith and actions in Genesis 15:1-6. Also see John 9:38. 

D2 Actions, which are proof. See James 2:14-26, Matthew 7:26, the examples in Hebrews 11. 

C3 Obey. We learn by reading, studying, listening, practicing, then teaching. 

D1 Read Bible—2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 119:105 

D2 Study Bible—Psalm 19, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 

D3 Study Apologetics—Colossians 4:6, 1 Peter 3:15 

D4 Practice—James 1:22, Psalm 119:9, Luke 11:28 

B2 Spouse 

C1 Spiritual oneness 

D1 Worshiping together 

D2 Praying together 

D3 Bible time together 

C2 Emotional oneness 

D1 Sharing feelings, so listening is important. 

D2 Time together. This is more than sleeping. 

D3 Problem solving together. Your spouse is God’s gift of the best human counselor. 

C3 Physical oneness 

D1 Chores together 

D2 Pleasures together 

D3 Enjoying each other’s physical beauty together. Read the Song of Songs. 

C4 1 Peter 3:7 WEL Likewise, you husbands live together with an understanding attitude, giving honor to your wife since [she is] more delicate [than you] and [you are] heirs together of the grace of life, [do this] so that your prayers are not hindered. [The Greek word for giving has the idea of recognizing and acknowledging her gifts, talents, abilities, accomplishments and giving proper honor of these to her]. 

B3 Children 

C1 Spiritual care 

D1 Teach them.  

E1 This is by instruction, by living it, letting them observe us in good times, troubling times, stressful times, etc.  

E2 They want to see how we react. We have the opportunity to show them the way a Christian handles a problem. 

D2 Pray with them and for them. 

D3 Sing with them and for them. 

C2 Emotional care 

D1 Parents are not to provoke their children to anger. 

E1 Punishment for a child’s frustration is 100% wrong. Help them. 

E2 Punishment for a child’s mistake is 100% wrong. Teach them. 

E3 Punishment when they are acting out for attention. Spend time with them. 

E4 Use wisdom. 

E5 Remember: James 1:20 EMTV for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 

D2 Children do not know how to deal with abuse, neglect, etc. We are to help them. 

C3 Needs care 

D1 This would be food, clothing, education, etc. 

D2 It is the responsibility of parents to prepare a child for adulthood. 

B4 Parents 

C1 Spiritual concerns 

D1 One of the greatest problems for the elderly is loneliness. Visit them. 

D2 Another is help with chores they have trouble with. Assist them. 

D3 Another is times they cannot attend fellowship. Worship with them. 

C2 Respect/honor. See Exodus 20:12, Luke 2:41-49 , John 19:29-27. 

B5 Other family 

C1 Spiritual concerns 

C2 Other concerns 

B6 Friends 

C1 Spiritual concerns 

C2 Other concerns 

B7 Acquaintances 

C1 Spiritual concerns 

C2 Other concerns

Finance 

B1 God first 

C1 Honoring God 

D1 Time—Isaiah 1:18, James 4:2&8, Revelation 2:2-5 

D2 Money 

E1 Give as God has prospered—1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Corinthians 8:12 

E2 Privately—Matthew 6:1 

E3 Right attitude—Matthew 6:21, Ecclesiastes 5:10, Hebrews 13:5  

C2 Honorable work 

D1 This is work that is not against God’s law.  

E1 Honorable work examples are farming, engineer, education, blue collar trades, etc. 

E2 Dishonorable work examples are prostitution, sex trafficking, hacking, etc. 

D2 Being a Christian witness. 

C3 Honorable rest 

D1 God worked 6 days and rested 1. A day or 2 is needed for spiritual, emotional, and physical rest. Mark 6:31-32, Psalm 23:2 

D2 Rest for our soul is a good rest. See Jeremiah 6:16 

B2 Spouse 

C1 Priorities as listed above 

C2 Other financial care 

B3 Family 

C1 Time Compare Deuteronomy 6:7, Ecclesiastes 9:9. 

C2 Togetherness 

D1 Work 

D2 Recreation 

C3 A time to chill out. 

D1 Take them to the park, the lake, the woods, the fields, for ice cream, etc. 

D2 Pray with them. Listen to them.  

D3 Everybody has a bad day. Help them. Don’t discipline them for a bad day. 

C4 Remember:  

D1 Jesus is the counselor of all counselors. Isaiah 9:6 KJ2000 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

D2 Luke 4:18 EMTV The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. 

D3 We are to imitate Jesus’ way of life. Seek Luke 9:23, 1 Corinthians 11:1-2. Seek God’s wisdom and help (James 1:5).

Matthew 6:33 EMTV but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. 

1 Peter 1:3 NLT All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation.

Why Are People So Angry?

 

A post by Ray Comfort

 

Facebook entry 12 February 15

 

“Ray in your own opinion, why are people so angry?” Matty Branagh

 

The above question was asked in reference to the thousands of abusive comments on this and other Christian sites (most of which don’t get by our moderators).

 

The Internet, Hollywood, TV, magazines, etc., have flooded this world with sexual perversion, violence, blasphemy, fornication, homosexuality, adultery, and a godless worldview. As each nation gives itself to what the Bible calls “gross” darkness, the more it hates the light. Or to put it another way, the greater the criminal, the more he despises the rule of law.

 

As Christians, we stand for the rule of Law among those whom the Bible says are desperately wicked criminals, of which we were once a part. We are the ultimate “wet blanket” for sin loving sinners. Every time we speak the truth, it is like light exposing darkness. We remind them the God requires an account, and such produces what we often call “conviction” (an unpleasant sense of guilt).

 

Take for example a man who argues with his wife and suddenly realizes that she is right. He is in the wrong. He has two avenues of action. He can either humble himself and apologize, or he can keep his pride by becoming angry, slamming the door and leaving.

 

So it is when proud sinners begin to see that we are speaking the truth, they have two avenues. They can either humble themselves before the God they have offended, or they can become angry and abuse those who represent Him.

 

 

 

 

A Few Thoughts About Lying

What is truth?

B1 Truth is reality. If I hit my thumb with a hammer, it hurts. That is the truth.

B2 Articles:

C1 Truth as a philosophy. You can find much here at Sanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and search for truth. This is the link.

C2 From a Christian viewpoint, Thomas Aquinas wrote much. See here “Truth by Thomas Aquinas (pdf).

C3 Search at Bethinking concerning truth.

The difficulty in knowing truth

B1 Why is truth difficult to know?

B2 Many different theories and philosophies of what truth is

B3 Many different lifestyles and worldviews because of this difficulty

B4 It seems obvious that there is a curse placed on the world. There is evil, death, sickness, etc.

C1 The logic that creation is most reasonable. See here: Created or evolved?

C2 God pronounced everything good, that is, it met His standard of perfection (Genesis 1:31).

C3 Truth also was perfect, so was love, compassion, gentleness, etc.

C4 All became corrupted when Adam (not Eve) deliberately, premeditatedly disobeyed God (Genesis 3:17-19).

C5 Since all was corrupted, truth was corrupted. Compare 1 Timothy 6:5

C6 Everything became so corrupted that God pronounced judgment (Genesis 6:11-13).

C7 Corruption from God’s standard is often related to what we say (Proverbs 4:24, Proverbs 6:12, Titus 1:15-16).

C8 Life itself becomes a lie instead of truth.

C9 Corruption is our heart, that is, our innermost being that is corrupted. See Matthew 15:18-20.

C10 Some people have no truth. See 1 Timothy 6:5.

C11 A problem with the human heart. It is not even able to do so. Romans 8:7-8 LEB because the mindset of the flesh is enmity toward God, for it is not subjected to the law of God, for it is not able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.

C12 The heart is so corrupted that it is unable to know the truth of how evil it is. Jeremiah 17:9 ESV The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

B5 To restore truth, Jesus, God the Son, came to earth, born of woman, and ministering to all.

Consider how lies influence us

B1 A child is told their nose is too big or too small (bullying).

B2 Someone is told they are stupid or highly intelligent (manipulation).

B3 Someone is blamed for all the problems in a marriage (domestic abuse).

B4 “Follow me. I have some secret knowledge that I will share with you.” (Seduction)

B5 “I’ll give you power and success.” (a deception to control the person who believes it).

B6 “This is Microsoft tech, and there is something wrong with your computer.” (lying to make money)

B7 Much too often we believe a lie, because we want to believe it.

C1 Flattery

C2 Something too good to be true

C3 To justify something we want to do

B8 30 Reasons Why People Lie

For the Christian truth starts with Jesus Christ.

B1 John 14:6 NLT Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

B2 He is the highest perfection of truth. There is no lie in him. See Isaiah 53:9, 1 Peter 1:19, 1 Peter 2:22, John 18:38,

B3 He teaches the truth and was never proven wrong by those who he lived with. They disagreed but never disproved.

B4 He teaches the Jews: John 8:44-47 NRSV You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God."

B5 It is most reasonable for everyone to be a Christian. See here.

B6 Decision

C1 There is truth, and there is lie.

C2 How do we know if anything is true or false?

C3 There must be a standard of truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Matthew 7:24-27).

C4 When we need to know if a statement, thought, deed, etc. is truth, we must compare it to a standard. The standard must be unchanging.

C5 How do we know what standard is truth? It seems it would depend of one’s beliefs, but this makes it subjective.

C6 Standards commonly accepted by people.

D1 The standard of authority. One is considered an authority because of education, research, experience, etc. But, the authority good be wrong, for we see disagreements among experts.

D2 The standard of coherence. Statements as commonly understood must be adhered together to a specified proposition. A coherence theory bases the truth of a belief on the degree to which it coheres ("hangs together") with all the other beliefs in a system of beliefs (typically one person's beliefs, but it could be any body of knowledge). (Source). But, a statement might be interpreted differently, what is seen is different from the facts (illusions, etc.), or not a complete set. One can see this in eye-witness statements.

D3 The standard of consensus. A statement, belief, situation is believed to be truth or false from most people. But, the consensus may be forced by a controlling power, deceived, or a cultural difference, etc.

D4 The standard of consistency. These are of two types.

E1 Mere consistency. A person makes statements that are consistent to each other. But, the person may be a practiced liar or a great salesman, lawyer, politician, preacher, abuser, etc.

E2 Strict consistency. A person makes a statement that results in a consistent second point, then third, etc. This is logic. But, one person’s logical statements may differ from another’s statements.

D5 The standard of correspondence. This is where the statement and the information from the statement correspond. They are the same. But, the words may be interpreted differently as in sarcasm, which may be true.

D6 The standard of custom. An action or statement is true because that’s the way it always has been understood. Theology may be an example. But, the custom may be in error.

D7 The standard of emotion. A statement is true because of a feeling that is trusted to be true. Even an experience could be considered true. But, an experience may be due to habit, training, beliefs, wishes, etc. and not agree with the facts.

D8 The standard of intuition. A statement or action is true, because it was heard or thought about there was a certainty. “My intuition tells me so.” But, it cannot be tested against any facts.

D9 The standard of majority rule. A statement is true because most people, whether experts or not, believe it so. But, again when tested, there it doesn’t match the facts.

D10 The standard of naïve realism. Seeing is believing. But, again, one person may interpret a color, for example, and another sees a distinct color.

D11 The standard of pragmatism. A statement or action is true because it works. But, in a different situation or culture it may not work.

D12 The standard of revelation. Something is true because some spirit declared it true whether the information came in a dream, vision, or something else. But, the revelator may be a liar or imaginary. Again, can it be tested.

D13 The standard of time. This is when something is considered true because it has been considered true for so long as in the statement “the test of time.” But, again further information may show differently.

D14 The standard of tradition. This is when something is true because that is the way we have always done that or believed that. But, when tested shows to not be according to the facts.

C7 Personally, correspondence theory seems most reasonable. When a person reads the Bible, they notice that God takes as truth what a person says, and God does the same when a person talks to Him.

C8 Also, I find it most reasonable that Jesus is this perfect source of truth. When he predicted something, it was true. The prediction was accurate as to who and/or what specifically happened.

D1 A few of Jesus’s predictions.

E1 Jesus predicted his death by the Romans at least 3 times.

E2 He also predicted his resurrection. See Matthew 12:40, Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:22-23, Matthew 20:17-19.

E3 He also predicted the method of killing him (Matthew 26:21).

E4 He predicted that he would be betrayed (Matthew 26:21-24).

E5 He predicted that his faithful followers would desert him (Matthew 26:30-32).

E6 He predicted his most fanatical follower would deny knowing Jesus (Matthew 26:33-35).

D2 Articles:

E1 Did Jesus Predict His Own Resurrection?

E2 Is prediction (prophecy) a proof of truth? See

F1 The Top 40 Messianic Prophecies

F2 Fulfilled Prophecy a Potent Argument for the Bible

F3 From Reliable to Divine: Fulfilled Prophecy in the Old Testament

C9 Because of the above, I personally accept that the Bible is the only standard of 100% truth. It is the perfect standard. We humans cannot know truth perfectly without it.

C10 The Bible must be interpreted in its plain, normal sense. See Principles of the Literal Bible Interpretation

Application to our life

B1 We must admit reality. If I am an addict, I must admit it. If I am abused, I must admit it. If I am a liar, I must admit it. If I am a sinner, I must admit it. No healing can take place spiritually, emotionally, or physically until we admit the truth.

B2 We must be a little skeptical and not believe everything we hear.

C1 Proverbs 14:15 ESV The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

C2 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.

C3 Hebrews 13:9 NLT So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God's grace, not from rules about food, which don't help those who follow them.

B3 Healing starts with admitting the truth about ourselves. Compare Luke 18:9-14).

B4 Truth must be in our inward life as well as our outward life. Psalms 51:6 LEB Behold, you delight in truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden parts you make me to know wisdom.

B5 We must believe what someone tells us they have been abused, molested, etc. and take appropriate action. All crimes must be reported to law enforcement.

B6 We must live in the truth (Psalm 86:11 (NLT), 2 John 1:3-4, 3 John 1:3-4 (NLT)).

B7 The truth does set us free. (John 8:32, Romans 8:2, 2 Corinthians 3:17)

B8 We must continue to live in the truth. The Holy Spirit helps us by giving grace (Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 43:3) and chastens us when needed (Hebrews 12:6).

B9 We must read, study, memorize, pray for (Psalm 86:11), and live the truth (Psalm 15:2, Ephesians 4:25).

B10 We must teach the truth (2 Corinthians 6:7, 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)).

B11 We must stand up for the truth (Jeremiah 9:3 (NLT) and 2 Corinthians 13:8 (NLT)).

B12 Quote from Barclay (be cautious):

Discipleship results in freedom. "The truth will make you free." "In his service is perfect freedom." Discipleship brings us four freedoms. (a) It brings us freedom from fear. The man who is a disciple never again has to walk alone. He walks for ever in the company of Jesus, and in that company fear is gone. (b) It brings freedom from self. Many a man fully recognizes that his greatest handicap is his own self. And he may in despair cry out: "I cannot change myself. I have tried, but it is impossible." But the power and presence of Jesus can re-create a man until he is altogether new. (c) It brings freedom from other people. There are many whose lives are dominated by the fear of what other people may think and say. H. G. Wells once said that the voice of our neighbours sounds louder in our ears than the voice of God. The disciple is the man who has ceased to care what people say, because he thinks only of what God says. (d) It brings freedom from sin. Many a man has come to the stage when he sins, not because he wants to, but because he cannot help it. His sins have so mastered him that, try as he will, he cannot break away from them. Discipleship breaks the chains which bind us to them and enables us to be the persons we know we ought to be.

B13 Live like a Christian. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17). Don’t be ashamed of Jesus (Mark 8:38, 2 Timothy 2:12, 1 John 2:22). God help us.

John 17:17 GW Use the truth to make them holy. Your words are truth.