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  • You are here: Blogs Directory / Devotionals / Mel's Weekly Study Welcome Guest
    Mel's Weekly Study
          Just a simple place for me to put a scripture or two. My plan is to have one here a week or so. I was trying to do one a day, but think I need to go slower. Maybe I'll comment, maybe you will...

          Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

          Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11)

          Test everything. Hold on to the good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

          Examine what I say, challenge me if I seem wrong, rebuke me if I am way off the mark...

    Mon, Nov 30th - 7:00PM

    What Love Is



    Well, most of us are familiar with the passage in 1 Corinthians 13 that deals with this subject. I think many of us may have a favorite version to read that in, and some may have memorized it, even in more than one translation. For me to put it down here is needless, I hope. We know what it says. If not, we should go back and read it. That might be just a good idea even if we think we know what it says. I think it central to our understanding of Christ and the Grace he has Brought us, and how that came to be.
     
    An essential part of that is what I wish to share. It is my understanding of the subject. I hope you find it uplifting.
     
    Love is not thinking less of yourself. It is forgoing your rightful due for the Good of Another. It always is a choice. It cannot crow or seek repayment. It is always a sacrifice. It is humble. It is sure and solid. It does not change with the winds of the momment, whether they are a gentle breeze or a terrible storm.
     
    That is Love.

     
    Think over the life of Christ. I am sure to have missed something. But all of this, and more, I see in His life and Sacrifice. It is an example. Many good things flow from this example. I must say one thing, though. It is not all just warm and gooey feeling. It has more substance than that.
     
    In Truth,
     
    Mel

    Comment (4)

    Mon, Nov 9th - 4:53PM

    The Laws of this World



    People like to label each other.  You are either "Pro-Choice" or "Anti-Abortion" according to those in camp with the likes of Madame Speaker Pelosi and the powerful block that she and others like her support at the detriment of all other causes.  In their nomenclature, "Pro-Choice" is noble and "Anti-Abortion" is wicked.  To be fair, those on the other extreme use terms like "Pro-Life" and "Pro-Abortion" in their destructive and descriptive pigeonholing of people.  For them, "Pro-Life" is the only acceptable choice in this world.  Anything else is evil.  Well, it may be evil, but understand also it is this world.  So they are right, but they are wrong to think this world should care.  It doesn't.

    I tend toward one when thinking in worldly terms and the other when thinking in spiritual terms.  Quite honestly, it has taken me a long time to sort this one out to a point where I can accept my own judgement.  To put it in a nutshell, it is this:

    I am Pro-Life.

    I am Pro-Choice.

    I know most of you are now confused.  If you hear what I say, you might understand.  If you refuse to listen, you will always be arguing vainly with the powers in this world.  I argue with them often enough.

    The first is from a Spiritual Viewpoint.  I see abortion as spiritually wrong.  That is a basic truth to me.  It crosses even outside my Christian Beliefs and is Reinforced by what I have experienced in my life.  If I am asked if abortion is OK, the answer is always the same, a quiet and firm "No" for that is the truthful and complete answer.

    However, I have an understanding that allows me to consider the second assertion to not be a contradiction of the first:


    3Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"
    4"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
    7"Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
    8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

    Matthew 19:3-9 (NIV)


    Do you suppose that a person who cares nothing for Jewish Law particularly cares if he or she commits adultery?  Of course not!  They may care if they will be put to death for breaking such a law, but because the Pharisees accept these things as allowable under Mosaic Law, I doubt this will be the case.  These Pharisees have hard hearts.  They do not care for what God cares for.  Pelosi is one of many that reminds me of these Pharisees.  This is the true root of the evil in the world:  A hardened heart.  If you are envious of someone and want to do them harm to take something from them for yourself, do you think you can have a soft heart and actually carry through with such an evil thing?  If your heart is hard, you may not know the answer to that.  Repent.  Pray.  Allow yourself to be changed and move on.  People with hard hearts take things from other people every day, and deny that they have done so!  Don't do that!


    1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
    But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
    9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
    11"No one, sir," she said.
    "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

    John 8:1-11 (NIV)


    Was this woman correct in what she had done?  No way!  But here we see no condemnation coming from the one who most certainly could condemn her.  Neither did he approve of or even make light of the evil that had been done!  He told her quite simply to leave her life of sin behind.  He didn't feel the need to scream it, either...


    16I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

    Matthew 10:16-18 (NIV)


    It is rough out there.  That is the world we currently live in.  We are to be in that world and not a part of that world.  Be shrewd!  Be innocent!


    21"Caesar's," they replied.
    Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

    Matthew 22:21 (NIV)


    Does God truely only need our money?  Could this be more?  I truely think it is about money and more.
    So, just as Moses 'allowed' for divorce (not really, but an allowance was made, which may be a subtle difference that is easily missed) we can 'allow' for other things that people will do because of their hard hearts.  Quite honestly, they will do it anyway.


    19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

    Matthew 16:19 (NIV)


    I give you this scripture with a caveat that we should only do what Christ would have us do with this.  This is just as He would only do what the Father would have Him do.  I will not grant freedom to a person to do something I think will bind them up in another way.  I will not try to force a person to do what I think is right.  Neither will I give them my blessing that what they do is right, if that is not the truth.  Both of those things that I will not do are ways to bind them up further.

    The laws of this world are meant for this world.  As long as it does not force you to act against God's Will for you, you are obligated to respect the authority of those in the authority of this world.  When they simply say that I must say that "Abortion is Good" then they have crossed over that line.  If they say that abortion is legal, I cannot say that it cannot be.  If they say I must participate in any way outside what I can, I most certainly will object!  Currently, I object to my taxes being used in any way for this.  I allow for a woman to have this choice as a matter of 'worldly' law -- that has not one bit of bearing on what God's Will for that other person is.  It is a matter of worldly law.  That is not between you and God.  I think this is shrewd.

    I do not wish to allow people to force their religious beliefs upon me.  Most usually they say they have no beliefs they are forcing upon me, but what they refer to as their lack of beliefs is a belief despite what they say.  They desire to force that lack upon me.  I will not stay silent and agree to their terms.  But in demanding that, I cannot be hypocritical in thinking that the 'world' will accept God's Values, and that I should feel free to impose my values upon them.  In this, I remain innocent, and they can not accuse me.

    Those who scream the loudest right now that you cannot be "Pro-Choice" and also "Pro-Life" (being against spending tax money on abortions being my example) are hypocrits you must resist.  When they make these accusations, then you need to quitely stand your ground.  You might win some by reason, and speaking the truth has value to you always.  However, to expect them to respect the truth may be an unreasonable position that will bring you disappointment.

    When people in this world want to do wrong, there is a point to hand them over to Satan, so that they might understand the error and valuelessness of their ways.  When asked what is right, always answer truthfully as it is in you.  Don't accept evil.  Don't expect to legislate it away.  Seek to be at peace.

    In Truth,

    Mel



    Comment (2)

    Tue, Nov 3rd - 3:07PM

    The Core for Me is This:



    23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

    John 4:23 (NLT)

    2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

    James 3:2 (NIV)

    13I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward.

    Philippians 3:13-14 (AMP)

    8"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 10And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11"When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

    Luke 12:8-12 (NIV)

    37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

    Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)

    In Truth,

    Mel



    Comment (4)

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    About Me

    Name: Mel Miller
    ChristiansUnite ID: lylemelford
    Member Since: 2005-08-26
    Location: Aurora, Colorado, United States
    Denomination: Christian
    About Me: I've been a christian for some time, but squandered my time and talents 'in a foreign land' I have been in the military (active and reserves) for just a couple of years shy of 30. I have two lovely daughters, and life seems to often be strange to me... more

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