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| This page is where I'll include an archive of the Bible thoughts which God puts in my head. I believe that this should be done so that people who haven't been to the main page get a chance to see all the other thoughts that have been on my mind. So, without further delay, I'll let you get into the Word. |
| "A happy heart
makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit" (Proverbs
chapter 15, verse 13)
. I picked this quote because it's something I've experienced. A lot of the time I've been feeling down and depressed, it's been because I've had the wrong attitude. I should try to look on the brighter side of things more often. Not only will an outlook that is optimistic make me happier in the long run, it'll also help others see that bad things aren't always completely bad with no other side. This quote kind of supports that old "every cloud has its silver lining" line we hear so often. Also, quite recently it's been scientifically proven that an optimistic outlook helps to boost the immune system. |
| " 'My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?' " (Matthew chapter 27, verse 46)
. I picked this quote because I'm going to put a loop into it. When Jesus died, God turned his back on him, so that Jesus would experience the full experience of sin. The twist I thought of was "My God, my God, why have I forsaken you?" When I look back at the times I let God down, I've imagined it like this. Here's Jesus, nailed to the cross, and I'm turning around and leaving him behind me. Every time I let God down, it feels like that to him. Imagine if your best friend just up and walked away from you, while you were dying, as if you didn't even exist. That's how it feels to God when we forget him. |
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| "For to us a
child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his
shoulders and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6)
. I picked this verse because it explains what time of year it is. Christmas is a time when gifts are given to other people in a way that imitates the gifts three wise men gave to Jesus. This quote reminds me that the Jesus was the son of God, and not just any ordinary man. This prophecy (the prophet who was blessed to say this was Isaiah) foresaw the coming of Jesus. I think it implies another thing. Here, hundreds of years before Jesus was born, is a man who knows that it will happen. Only God can do that kind of a thing. Christmas isn't about Santa Claus or reindeer, or the North Pole, it's about Jesus' birth. Christmas isn't just another holiday, it is a Holy day. Give thanks to God, this season and year round, for the greatest gift He ever gave us, Jesus. |
| One of the teachers
of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had
given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which
is the most important?'
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark chapter 12, verses 28 to 31) . This passage shows something very important to Christians and non-Christians everywhere. What it should show to a Christian is that Jesus commands us to love God with everything we've got, and to love our neighbors. What it should also show us is that it's not up to us to "beat people over the head with the Bible," but to teach from it with love. We must study and pray and put our faith in God if we intend to teach the good news to anybody. We cannot tell them that they are saved from sin and set free if we don't love them. We cannot explain why Jesus would give himself up to the unmerciful punishment of crucifixion if we don't show love. Jesus' whole death means nothing without love. Nothing a Christian does means anything if there is no love motivating the action. This is a fundamental rule for all Christians, and it needs to be shown. Nobody's ever going to think that a Christian is special, or saved from anything, if they do not see the love. The other point is this: Christianity is not about a bunch of rules. The Bible is not "just a bunch of rules." See what Jesus says? He says that "There is no commandment greater than these." He means that no other rules come before these two simple rules. If you accept Christ as your savior, it isn't complete unless you love him. If you go tell the good news to everyone, it is worthless without love. If you didn't love the people you taught the good news to, then why did you do it? If you didn't love the Lord when you accepted Christ, then why did you do it? Pray that God will give you the strength to love, even when everything in the world goes against you, and even when the whole world hates you. |
| "As iron sharpens
iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs chapter 27, verse 17)
. Have you ever been in a team doing any activity? Doesn't it seem easier to do? Have you ever wondered why people go to church? This is just one of the reasons why Christians spend Sundays in church. Funny, most people think that we spend time in church as a way to show off. Actually, we spend time in church because we are too weak to follow God unless we see the people around us as they follow God. As humans, we are quite forgetful, and it is important to a Christian to be reminded that they follow Christ. So, when people go to church, not only do they praise and worship God, they also build each other up. They encourage each other. They pray for each other. They help each other remember to follow God every day. So how does this quote about iron explain people? Back in the days before Christ, the Israelites lived in what was present day Israel but the conditions of life were not so easy as they are today. They didn't have the technology we have today. People had to plow fields, chop down trees, dig foundations for houses, and fight in wars just so that they could live and survive. The tools which the people used to till soil and to chop down trees and to dig holes had to be made from iron. All of these tools had to have sharp edges so that they could work. Eventually, someone discovered that rubbing two pieces of iron together would produce a sharp edge on one piece. This way, people could keep their tools sharp and ready to use whenever they needed them. The same is true for people. They have to be kept "sharp" so that they are always ready to serve God and ready to glorify Him in their daily lives. But the temptations of the world make Christians weak, so that they cannot serve God. So, this quote from the Bible is there to remind us that we need to spend time with each other and with God. Without time spent with others, communication and cooperation cannot happen. Also, from the idea of cooperation, we see that it took both pieces of iron to do the sharpening job. Also, the sharpening didn't just happen to only one piece of iron, if it was done properly then it would actually sharpen both. Note how the quote does not say "as one piece of iron sharpens the other..." It actually says "as iron sharpens iron," which means that both pieces of iron can be sharpened by other pieces of iron. You can sharpen your friends by helping to remind them of the responsibilities they have, offering to help, or just spending time with them. |
.By
no means is this material in this page copyrighted, nor do I reserve any
rights to the material within. Above all, the material in this page
is dedicated to Jesus Christ, and not to myself. This page is not
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