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=> Off Topic Discussions => Topic started by: Sorin on February 11, 2008, 11:43:54 AM
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Level 3 Sex Offender Wins Big In Lottery
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/15264847/detail.html
UXBRIDGE, Mass. -- A convicted Level 3 sex offender has won $10 million in the Massachusetts State Lottery.
The Worcester Gazette & Telegram reports 56-year-old Daniel Snay, of Uxbridge, could now face charges because he failed to notify authorities that he had moved, according to Connecticut State Police.
“I’m flabbergasted,” Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance told the Telegram. “His whereabouts, until you told me about this, have been unknown to us. But I guess you could say he’s very fortunate.”
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Snay works driving trucks for a yacht dealership in Mendon. He won the $10 million from a $20 scratch ticket purchased at Cumberland Farms in Hopedale.
But the lottery winnings also come with unwanted publicity.
“He was concerned, but there’s not much you can do about it,” said Snay’s lawyer Joseph M. Fabricotti. “We talked about it and he understood this was one of the repercussions that could happen.”
Snay’s record of sexual assaults dates back to 1974. He has been convicted six times of indecent assault and battery in Massachusetts. Level 3 offenders are considered the most dangerous and the most likely to commit another crime.
Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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I find this very upsetting! A sex offender, wins 10 million dollars? Why would a sovereign God allow this? Why can't I win 10 million dollars? Or even 1 million? It'll keep my father from going bankrupt, and losing the stupid home he worked so hard to build, and sell in an attempt to make some kind of profit. Plus from losing the little home he is currently living in. Am I the only one that thinks this is wrong, for a sex offender to win 10 million?
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Hey brother Sorin,
That sounds like " Murphys Law " to me, I thought I'd heard everything, but this one takes the cake, this bit of information you provided, blows me away. Some of the rest of us are clawing, scraping in this dog eat dog world and this guy wins 10 million dollars, wait until I tell my wife, she's napping right now, she might say, wake me up from this nightmare.
Your Brother, Samson.
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Hey brother Sorin,
I believe U watch dis Space , dis actually happened 2 my niece & her Grand dad not my dad my sisters boi friends dad, He molestered my niece frm da age of 4 2 da age of about 11 yrz old, But! he got away wit it even tho der was all dis evidence against him, but! bcoz my niece jus wanted it all 2 Stop she jus let it go & he went scott Free. But! den he won da Lotto like half a million or so & dis ended up being his downfall I believe da money he had he thort could buy his SICK doingz, But! waz he so wrong, he tried it on sum other gurl & she ran away & he ended up in Jail 4 a longtime! BUT!! he ended uP Hanging himself, sO all PraisE 2 GOD, sO I jus say brother "Watch dis SpacE", sorry! if ive got dis all wrong brother, GOD BlesS! & may HIS PeacE b withn U & urZ...
muchLOVE!! Pera
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Hi Sorin, Samson & Pera,
This was a constant source of amazement to me not so long ago (admittedly at times still is) and apparently also to many of the "men of old" in the OT as well, so many of those who are obviously selfish, corrupt, prideful even perverted with no shame whatsoever seem to be blessed beyond measure.
Ecc 7:15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.
Jer 12:1 Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
But are we seeing this clearly? Are we taking into account the end result as well as the vapor that is this present life on earth?
Does comfort in this world translate to a comfortable transition into the ages to come? I believe we know the answer.
Job 20:15 He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.
Isa 3:11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
I think Psalm 73 is very appropriate in this thread.
Psalm 73
1Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
3For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
5They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
7Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
8They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
9They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
12Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
13Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
15If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.
16When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
17Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
18Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.
19How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
20As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
21Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.
22So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
23Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
27For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
28But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.
We must constantly keep this in mind although I know it is much easier said than done, this is our present reality and we are surrounded by conflicting images and ideals and at times we are just plain weary and therefore more susceptable to the cares and treasures of this world taking our eyes off of the real Treasure of God's Universe, seen and unseen.
Pro 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
Pro 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Pro 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
Pro 3:14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
His Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe
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Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Pro 30:8-9
I would have to beleive the above verse speaks to worldly wealth, and just how much or how little is perfect for us....neither poverty OR wealth. Middle class seems to be the best recipe for a peacful mind.
As for the man who won the money, Hopefully he has repented of that sinful behavior, as i find myself no better than he, and quite capable of the same sins, given the same circumstances.
Chris R
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Just goes to show you satan still has power in this world. he is allowed to cause things so evil, and shocking.
Love the Lord you God with all you heart mind and soul, and all other things will come in their due time.
Randy
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The wicked are prospering all over the place. Big time drug dealers make a fortune because selling drugs is illegal. Hell fire teachers prosper through the sell of fear. With what we know now, none of this should bother us that much.
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Sorin, once in a while these things bother me too, But, did you read, really read the scriptures that Joe showed us?
Do we DESIRE nothing in this life but HIM??? Do we love HIM w/ our whole being? Do we accept where we are planted??? Do we accept HIS will for our life???
Ps 73 vs 17-23...reread....I don't want to be as a Beast, ignorant and foolish before Him. Let the ungodly have their riches here, what does that matter to me??
Alll you other posters had great stuff too. Chris I liked that scripture. Musicman and Randy so true!!
Hi Pera, glad to see you here! Wow that was some story!!
One thing I am glad about my journey--being charismatic did have some perks. I fell in love w/ Jesus Christ and wanted nothing more than to be close w/ Him. That meant being in HIS WORD. Getting to know Him, and "talking" to Him all the time. So at times when I see unfair things(as I see it) I tend to fall back onto my old ways of praising Him till I feel close again and TRUST that it will all work out.
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Hey folks,there is a bright side if it gives you comfort, however it does not me,I dont say that because I have money .I dont have a pot to ---.I say that because I love Gods creation,all of it .Check it out MT19;24] read it all the way through. Well of course its a parable,but than show me one scripture that means what it says. But have proof ,or dont bother.In Jesus name love to all.
dewey
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Check it out MT19;24] read it all the way through. Well of course its a parable,but than show me one scripture that means what it says.
Mat 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Hi Dewey,
Mar 4:13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
It means what all parables teach; "many called, few chosen."
But what is meant by rich? Is it the complacent, the ones who believe they are already "saved?" They said the twenty second prayer as they made the alter call and now are complete in the Lord, no need for anything other than looking out there somewhere for "the beast" and "the antichrist."
I believe the following verses help to "flesh out" Matthew 19:24
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
His Peace to you,
Joe
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Hi Joe
The inverse number of that most encouraging Psalm 73 you quoted is Psalm 37!
FRET NOT yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness 2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. :)
I think that the Spirit of our Lord tests the strength of our attachments to external THINGS by putting in our face the wicked ones who have not won favor with God but demonstrate only favor with Mammon.
Not good for the end results for either those who envy them or those who ARE THEM! Where our heart is at....
Peace to you brother
Arcturus :)
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Hey Thanks Gina muuaahhh!!!!,
I hav jus been doin wot GOD has me 2 dO :D, GOD BlesS U sista I Pray uR Life is All in GODS faVor sista, PeaCe b 2 U & urZ..
muchLOVE!! Pera
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The inverse number of that most encouraging Psalm 73 you quoted is Psalm 37!
FRET NOT yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness 2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. :)
I think that the Spirit of our Lord tests the strength of our attachments to external THINGS by putting in our face the wicked ones who have not won favor with God but demonstrate only favor with Mammon.
Not good for the end results for either those who envy them or those who ARE THEM! Where our heart is at....
Good find Arcturus!
Learning patience and trusting in God does not come easily, either to me or anyone else (IMO) and since everything outside our 5 senses and our own personal experiences require faith it is a difficult task, even impossible without His Spirit within guiding, comforting and teaching us.
Putting aside our own sense of justice and our own reasoning is something our carnal "old man" hangs on to with great vigor, even in his death throes the carnal man holds on to them fighting every inch of the way sometimes rearing his (wounded yet healed) head at the most unexpected times.
His Peace to you Sister,
Joe
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Hi Joe,
That's true! We don't see the end result. I know in my present circumstances, there are days when I am so carnal, all I see is what misery I'm in. Then there are other days when the spirit of God speaks loud and clear, and I trust Him with everything that I have in me. We don't even have to look at the evil sex offender. All we have to see is the evil that is in us, and then in our circumstances, we can trust God that He is working in our lives to conform us into the image of Christ. One day we will be like Him. But not yet, not today, there are still things that He needs to work in our lives. And in the evil sex offender's life too.
Gena, thank you!
Do we DESIRE nothing in this life but HIM??? Do we love HIM w/ our whole being? Do we accept where we are planted??? Do we accept HIS will for our life???
Yes, yes, yes and yes!
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Hi Ursula,
Your post really nailed it, none of us are good of our own selves, any good fruits we display come from faith He gives us and His Spirit within us.
We are all capable of horrific sins along with the ability to justify anything we do, until of course He begins drawing us closer and closer to Him. Then all the foundations that were built on sand come crashing down, not easily and not without tribulation but the end result is more wonderful than we are capable of imagining! We have the Lord's promise.
Thank you Sister!
His Peace to you,
Joe
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Hello Everyone,
Yes its' true, our circumstances, where we were born would have given us a different frame of reference or path. What I mean by that, is we could have been born in the darkest jungles of Africa as part of some tribe of Pygmies or Born as a member of a group of Eskimoes near the Artic Circle or lived in an environment where their was extreme sexual, physical, emotional and spiritual abuse. We could have had an upbringing like Charles Manson. Their are people born in China, India, and some obscure parts of the globe who haven't even heard of Jesus Christ. As all of us know, most of the people in the U.S.A. don't believe Jesus Christ is really the Savior of the whole world and is fully capable of doing so. Their are so many factors beyond our control that we aren't even consciously aware of that dictate what will eventually happen. We are gratefull and content knowing that God our Father has the whole thing under his control, if we can focus on that as much as possible, we feel contentment and at peace. As Humans we who try to Love are fellow man still have a distaste towards the injustices of our World, but then we regroup our thoughts knowing God is going to work out something good from these injustices and set matters straight in HIS TIME FRAME.
Just Some Reflections, Samson.
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Hello everyone,
I heard once that money, typically in abundance or from a windfall, gives the recipient greater ability to express themselves. That is whatever their character, personality, interpersonal relationships, work habits, etc, with additional monies at their disposal, they have greater opportunity to express these things (good or bad).
Winning the lottery is rare and exciting. The fact this gentleman won most likely has nothing to do with his past or character. He paid for a ticket, scratched a box, and qualified as a winner. No mystery. Opportunity and preparedness met at the same time (as far as $10M goes, not the follow-on notoriety).
For those of us facing financial challenges, consider the following, to the extent you serve (either the classes or the masses) will be the limit or extent of your rewards in life.
Grace and peace,
gtz
Oceanside, CA
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Hello gzeigler,
Yes, I concur with the winning the lottery aspect of this article, the "luck" of the draw that knows no morality. In my case, prior to your comment, I was focusing on his being a convict with a sex offender status and that we don't know his past life experiences and environment. I actually worked in a Prison at one time as a Corrections Officer and usually Sex Offenders are the best behaved inmates, probably because they wish to remain anonymous and are a potential target from other inmates who look upon them as the lowest of the low, but they usually are model prisoners. They defintely need help, its' good to know that God is going to eventually help them and then they won't be that way anymore.
Your Brother, Samson.
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My family looks at me with incredible disbelief when I tell them I do not want to win a lottery so I will not buy a ticket. If I won a lottery and had millions of dollars at my disposal I would be dead in a years time or soon after.
I would quit work and lounge around and wither away to nothing. This is not to say that anyone who wins the lottery will do this. I just know myself and I have gotten away from doing drugs and other self abusing things due to having to work hard to make ends meet.
I have been blessed by that trial of life and will not give it up. My prayer is that if my wife wins the lottery, that it will be Gods will and timing that my growth in the Lord will be of sufficient means to prevent my earthly demise in that manner.
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My prayer is for this guy to use his winnings wisely and not to hurt any other children. I do not know his circumstances but do know this could happen to anyone as GOD wills.
Phil3:10
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I hope that he will use his money wisely also. Whatever is left over after he has fixed his legel troubles should be split up evenly between himself and every victim of his sexual abuse. Maybe give a little more to the victims than to himself. Then turn away from his sins and look towards the kingdom. It all depends on God's purpose. Of course, who knows how many victims there would actually be?
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Hey my brothers and sisters ,I have just read all the replies to Sorins post ,titled this is awful
.I am sad to say the least, of all those post there were very few that spoke of love , or the name of JESUS, please let me show you who they were.
1. gmik had the most impressive post of all ,she spoke of JESUS and love
2. pera he spoke of love
3. randy he spoke of love
4. dewey he spoke of love and JESUS
Joe I know what you are saying about me beieng not hot or cold,you say that I am luke warm , that may be the case ,if so I have to believe that is just where JESUS wants me to be.there fore my faith in JESUS assures me that I can face tomorrow ,either in this life or the next.
And there is this,maybe this is just dewey.
I belive that all three of these verses are parables .Rev3;15--Rev3;16---Rev3;17
I belive they have a physical/ literterial meaning , which is not real hard for us flesh and blood human beiengs to see and come up with our opinion of what the literial meanings are .
We have people that say they mean this or that ,maybe , but we will not have proof till that glorious day comes.
In the name of Jesus Christ I try to love all people . dewey
me to be.
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Joe I know what you are saying about me beieng not hot or cold,you say that I am luke warm , that may be the case ,if so I have to believe that is just where JESUS wants me to be.there fore my faith in JESUS assures me that I can face tomorrow ,either in this life or the next.
Hi Dewey,
You read more into my reply than was intended, it never once crossed my mind that you were lukewarm, I was simply attempting to answer your question to the best of my present understanding. It was not pointed at anyone in particular.
I have learned that through all the parables the theme of "many called, few chosen" is taught, when people become complacent in their journey they are "lukewarm" to Christ, His Words, not mine Brother. It disturbs me that you read it that way and I am sorry if that sentiment could be read in my reply, after rereading my original post a couple times I still do not see the implication but that may be due to my own blindness. ???
As far as signing off with a statement of love (agape or phileo?) to all unfortunately that is just not me and I would be dishonest and uncomfortable if I used that as a signature, dear Brother I am still struggling with the lower of the spiritual gifts such as patience and temperance, etc. to claim the greatest gift of the spirit? I am just not there yet.
However I am totally sincere when I wish everyone "Peace in the Lord" He is the One with the pure and undefiled Love and it is my desire that all of us feel that as we grow together in our journeys.
His Peace to you Dewey,
Joe
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Hi Joe,
I went back and re-read what you wrote, and I also don't see the implication that it was directed towards Dewey. First time I read it, I knew you were just talking about parables, and those who don't know "This parable" etc...
Take care,
Sorin
P.S. I also am not comfortable with signing out with a statement of 'love' to all, and would be dishonest if I did.
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Hey Sorin and Joe,
Maybe some form of Agape Love, like loving ones Enemies, is in order here. No form of Philia Love required towards the person mentioned(Sex Offender). God Loves the World and is going to save it, but he has no Love of wicked acts as expressed by that sex offender. Love the sinner and Hate the Sin, its' comforting to know that God will purify, correct and disipline all of us, removing all the decaying branches like the pruning of the Luzurian Tree, including the Sex Offender, who obviously needs help and Salvation. If someone Molested one of my Daughters, I certainly wouldn't have tender affection(Philia Love) for them, hopefully I eventually would express some form of Agape Love towards him, if not initially. You might want to review my response to Human Love vs. Gods Love at this forum.
Peace and Love to both of You, Brother Samson.
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Hi Samson,
Thank you for your thoughtful post, although I do have empathy for everyone in regard to finding out what the real God has planned for His creation and I am also very happy all will be eventually brought into the Kingdom which I suppose could be counted as some sort of "love for all" I think that many who use this word may not realize that it is much more profound and encompassing than what initially meets the eye.
1Co 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity26 these three; but the greatest of these is charity26
G26
ἀγάπη
agapē
ag-ah'-pay
From G25; love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, lovehese is charity.26
A while back I posed this thought and will repeat it here, perhaps it will give an insight into how I presently view love/charity and the depth of this command from our Lord, to me it is not a light switch that can just turn on and that this true love/charity must be accompanied by the other fruits or signs of spiritual maturity.
From last September;
Hello Everyone,
I have been in a discussion with a brother who disagrees with me on the matter of how we should proclaim or even if we are truly capable of “agape” unconditional love or charity early in our journey with God or is it for most of us a slow and steady progression as Peter appears to outline?
2Pe 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
2Pe 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
2Pe 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
To me it looks like we start with the mustard seed of faith and through diligence and perseverance we get a down payment (earnest (2Cor 1:22, 2Cor 5:5) of His Spirit that begins the change in our hearts, we are capable (through His Spirit) to experience this emotion in doses, increasing as He increases in us. But is it truly a 24/7 part of our life, do we ever get to the place where we are perfect in these things while in the flesh? All the time under any circumstance? Actually I can only think of One Person who could make this claim.
1. Faith
2. Virtue
3. Knowledge
4. Temperance
5. Patience
6. Godliness
7. Brotherly Kindness
8. Charity
Charity26
G26
ἀγάπη
agapē
ag-ah'-pay
From G25; love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.
My point or question is who has perfect faith in this life, or virtue or any of the rest of these things? Charity (agape love) would seem to be the epitome of a Christ like person and not something we can freely will ourselves to do, can we be intemperate or impatient and still display or should I say truly have charity (agape love) in our hearts. Wouldn’t true charity culminate as a combination of the other things Peter mentions?
If a person has little problem continuing to publicly castigate other people or holds animosity toward some are they capable of agape love, charity?
Jam 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
It was said to me that when one proclaims agape love that they are honestly following the command of Jesus to “love your brother”, I can definitely see that but does He not also command us to “sin no more” how many would claim to be following that command?
As Ray has pointed out before about adultery/lust, sure you can outwardly or physically not commit the act of adultery but who can say they never lust? These commands really show us how much in need of His Spirit we really are and until we get the full inheritance we will be lacking the ability to be perfect in His commandments, we will fail, fall and stumble. We must strive for all the things that the Lord has commanded not only paying attention to the things we might believe make us more attractive to others, seeking their praise and kind words.
I believe Matthew Chapter 6 addresses this very thing;
Matthew 6 (King James)
1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6 (Amplified Bible)
1TAKE CARE not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward [reserved for and awaiting you] with and from your Father Who is in heaven.
2Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.
3But when you give to charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4So that your deeds of charity may be in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret will reward you openly.
5Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.
6But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.
Any thoughts or comments on this subject?
His Peace and Wisdom to you,
Joe
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Hi Joe
It is so interesting that you have reconsidered an earlier discussion and thread on this topic. It shows how we are all being called and how our Lord chooses to work with us!
You ask : My point or question is who has perfect faith in this life, or virtue or any of the rest of these things?
Of course there is NO ONE, not ONE of us who has the full salvation or reward this side of the resurrection.
This calls to my mind the following Scripture :
Heb 9 : 28 Even so it is that Christ, having been offered to take upon Himself and bear as a burden the sins of many once and once for all, WILL APPEAR, ( not has appeared or is appearing, but will appear... but WHEN? ) a SECOND TIME, not to carry any burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to bring to FULL SALVATION those who are eagerly, constantly, and patiently, waithing for and expecting HIM. (Caps show emphasis in my mind and what this Scripture is saying to me personally, and are not used to teach or be high handed in any way.)
Then you note Joe:
These commands really show us how much in need of His Spirit we really are and until we get the full inheritance we will be lacking the ability to be perfect in His commandments, we will fail, fall and stumble. unquote...
I observe the same thing and also the fact that repentance is the path of the elect who are understanding and practising the knowledge contained in this Scripture :
Heb 4 : 15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling without OUR weaknesses ( Is our WEAKNESSES the opportunity for us to learn PATIENCE? I believe it is.) and infirmities ( Again...we are shown our failings each time the Beast masters us or rules us or overpowers us) and liability to the assaults of temptation, (Enough said...hence the path of repentance that pulls us into self judgement and dependence on Christ who understands, sympathizes and shares our feelings) but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. 16. Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of Grace (God's Divine Influence on our weak hearts) that we may receive Mercy for our failures and find Grace to help in good time for EVERY need. 8)
I believe this is the way and path of the Disciple.
Peace to you brother
Arc.
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Then you note Joe:
These commands really show us how much in need of His Spirit we really are and until we get the full inheritance we will be lacking the ability to be perfect in His commandments, we will fail, fall and stumble. unquote...
I observe the same thing and also the fact that repentance is the path of the elect who are understanding and practising the knowledge contained in this Scripture :
Heb 4 : 15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling without OUR weaknesses ( Is our WEAKNESSES the opportunity for us to learn PATIENCE? I believe it is.) and infirmities ( Again...we are shown our failings each time the Beast masters us or rules us or overpowers us) and liability to the assaults of temptation, (Enough said...hence the path of repentance that pulls us into self judgement and dependence on Christ who understands, sympathizes and shares our feelings) but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. 16. Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of Grace (God's Divine Influence on our weak hearts) that we may receive Mercy for our failures and find Grace to help in good time for EVERY need. 8)
I believe this is the way and path of the Disciple.
Amen to that Arcturus!
I agree that we are on a journey that brings us to sinlessness, unconditional love and immortality, we have not arrived there yet.
These are the things we strive for, if we claim the greatest of the fruits of the spirit and the culmination of spiritual maturity as if we truly have them already in our possession can this blind us to the fact that we are lacking in the other things we should be striving for?
To be honest and I hope not to offend anyone reading this but isn't this really the type of love we see (not hear)?
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
The next verse is where the real kicker is;
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
A tall order indeed! :o
Joe I know what you are saying about me beieng not hot or cold,you say that I am luke warm , that may be the case ,if so I have to believe that is just where JESUS wants me to be.there fore my faith in JESUS assures me that I can face tomorrow ,either in this life or the next.
Dewey, you made this statement a couple days ago, and the fact is I never said that or even implied it, I was sincerely answering a question you posed. You put words in my mouth as you were making a point on how little love most of us displayed in this thread previously, is that determined only by reciting the word love?
You have had plenty of time to acknowledge my response to this statement but you have so far declined to address it.
I ask you Brother is attributing to me words I did not speak displaying love? Is ignoring my response to you displaying love?
This has happened to me in the past and I am sure it has happened to others as well, folks who claim to have this unconditional love make unloving statements sometimes even misstating the facts as they attempt to prove something or other to people receptive to negative and or accusational innuendo/rumors about certain people outside their sphere of friends or compatriots.
Hopefully this was not the case and that all this is the result of our two dimensional form of communication here, where sometimes the words as written do not properly convey the real message and thought of our heart/mind.
In the name of Jesus Christ I try to love all people . dewey
The above statement I agree with 100%, we try (through Christ) to attain the spiritual maturity that makes it all possible.
His Peace to you Brother,
Joe
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Amen!
He did not proclaim his love for her as he was spending the money on himself! ;)
Peace,
Joe
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Hello Joe & Arcturus,
Thanks to both of you for your insightfull comments, Yes I agree that we are on a journey and have yet to fully exemplify these qualities of the Spirit(Galatians. 5:22,23). All of you will hopefully forgive me, I don't even know how to PASTE an article from another post, still very computer illiterate, Randy was trying to explain how to do this over the phone. This whole computer thing is still very new to me(12-10-07, 1st P.C.). I have to keep looking at everyones answers by going backwards on the computer to review their points. Insofar as being CALLED and CHOSEN, in my case, I believe I'm CALLED, but not necessarily CHOSEN. Their are too many things wrong with me. Especially when it comes to Unconditional Love(Agape), my wife has repeatedly assurred me that "she loves me unconditionally", she's been telling me this for three years and says I just don't get it. My trust in fellow Humans is at the very least, met with suspicion and its' very difficult for me to accept that anyone would just Love me for who I am, like she says she does. I always expect theirs' some sort of catch involved in someones interest towards me. I have to readily admit that, I don't know how I'd react if someone were to commit a sexual offense against one of my Daughters, its' easy for anyone to make a statement as to how they would react when confronted with a situation like that. In my case, I present an honest answer about myself, " I don't know exactly how I would react", because theirs a war going on inside of me, the desire to manifest the Fruitage of the Spirit at odds with the Works of the Flesh. (Galatians. 5:19-23). Romans. 7:15-29(A WAR going on with my members). Its' a battle of the flesh that only Gods' Spirit can win for us, because in reference to what I'd be inclined to want to do with someone who molested one of my Daughters is what DIRTY HARRY would likely do. I know in my mind, Romans. 12:9-21, but what I would actually do, only God knows. Whoever thought this Post would develop in such magnitude, God knew, but I certainly didn't. Enough for now, THANKS AGAIN TO ARCTURUS, JOE AND OTHERS FOR YOUR VALUABLE COMMENTS ON THIS TOPIC.
Your Brother in Christ, Samson.
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Hello joe and to all the people that will read this post,good morning.
First of all I am sorry for all the wrong words on my part, that could be taken as something other than what I had intended for them to mean.
I was not trying to condemn or aggravate or tell any of my Forum friends what to do. And I still am not and that is my apology for that. I understand if the Lord wanted you to use the word love and Jesus you would. Maybe I can smooth this thing over with a short explanation of why I do. I sure hope so. If you will take the time to look over where Dennis posted, PLAGARISM HELP. And it goes on to show how the people and pastors and theologians around the country are taking and teaching Pastor Smith's teachings and articles and sign their own name to them like they had done it theirselves. Like they were the ones that came up with those brilliant teachings. When I see a post with scriptures cited, I feel that the Lord hasn't been given credit for it just as I feel that Pastor Smith has been denied. Please don't think that by my saying this that I'm trying to condemn anyone or correct. This is just Dewey.
Example: If I were to take and give all these scriptures that I'm about to give here and sign my name at the bottom of them, of course, all the members of the forum and some guests that read this forum would know that I didn't write the bible; but how about the guy that reads it in some third world country - would he think that I wrote it? That is just about how naive the parishiners are when a pastor gets up in front of them and preaches one of Pastor Ray Smith's teachings and doesn't tell them the source, then that person has been misled.
At this point, I'm going to give just a few scriptures and only parts of them:
Matthew 5:44 but I tell you love your enemies
Luke 6:32 if you love only those that love you
John 21:17 the third time he said, do you love me?
1 Cor. 16:24 my love to all of you in Christ Jesus - amen
2 Cor. 13:14 and the love of God
Gal. 5:22 fruit of the spirit is love
Gal. 5:6 the only thing that counts is faith, love
Eph. 6:24 grace to all who love our Lord
Phil. 4:1 you whom I love and long for
Col. 3:14 and over all these virtues put on love
2 Th. 3:5 may the Lord direct your hearts into God's love
(check it out here who's doing the directing to God)
Titus 3:15 greet those who love us in the faith
The word love is in my old bible 505 times. I notice that you and Sorin say that you would feel uncomfortable posting that way. I did too years back when I first started publicly acknowledging my love for Jesus Christ. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done around my friends - give credit to Jesus for the things that we did and small feats we accomplished. they thought I was crazy and still do. Now, I don't call them my good friends anymore, but they are mutual acquaintances. And Sorin even went so far as to say that if he posted like that he would be sinning because he didn't mean it. I can accept that; at least you're honest with your feelings.
I don't want to sound to anyone that I'm so holier than though and I'm not a sinner because I am a sinner. For instance, just last night my wife took the channel changer away from me - all I wanted to watch was Dancing with the Stars!!
Joe, I want to tell you that I haven't been stalling or hesitating on answering your post. We have had the darndest thing happening with our computer. One day during the week a hacker got into our computer and it took all day to get it back up on line. Our firewall helped (didn't have to replace anything on the computer). We weren't back on line very long at all before the very same thing happened and we caught it in time to prevent a full hit. Just this morning a sign came up on our screen indicating that we had been hit again. Now then we have a map that came up and traced the route back to Jakarta and that's where the hacker is working from that's trying to get us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Dewey and Paula try to love all people
Dewey
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Hi Samson,
Here is a link to info. to help you with the copy and paste thing :)
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,6474.0.html
mercy, peace and love
Kat
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Hi Samson,
I certainly can relate to where you are coming from, we appear to be in a similar place as far as this goes. The thing that I cannot forget is that the folks who claim to love the most with that word always on the edge of their lips have displayed some of the most unloving acts I have ever witnessed. Having an incredible aptitude to justify anything and everything.
This is not something new to me, I have seen it personally up close as a child and as an adult, I have seen it in the world and in the church, especially the TV evangelists who say sweet things before preaching the big scare, softening up the audience for big donation$, as you said I am also wary of folks who claim this unconditional love, actions speak louder than words and often the actions are diametrically opposed to the words.
Through the years some of the most selfless things I have ever seen came from secular people who actually did love others as they love themselves. There are more than a few people who live by this credo; "I would have wanted someone to do that for me if I were in the same postion as they are/were."
A long time ago (as a teen)I had a flat tire and no spare, some old timer came by and was able to plug the hole and fill up the tire from the air compresser on the back of his truck, he refused to take the money I offered and said "you can pay me by helping out the next fellow you see that needs a hand." That impressed and humbled me, I have repeated that very same thing to others when I was able to give a helping hand and they wanted to show their gratitude with money, I have always remembered the old timer and think to myself, there's one for ya buddy.
Peace to you Brother,
Joe
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Hi Dewey,
I appreciate your response. Thank you.
His Peace to you,
Joe
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Thanks Joe(Hillsbororiver),
Thankyou for mentioning those life experiences and the guy who fixed the flat tire and didn't ask for anything, except that you follow his example. Its' amazing how an act as simple as that can leave such a lasting impression and he didn't even need to Preach Great Words, like some T.V. Evangelists, don't have much experience listening to T.V. Evangelists, the little that I have done so, usually led to me using the remote control to enter click off or to another station or left with a spiritually sick feeling. I think at this point my presence at this Subject has over stayed its Welcome, signing off now and look forward to many more discussions.
Your Brother in Christ, Samson.