Today is my youngest daughter’s 24th birthday. A few years back, we almost lost her, so today there is much to celebrate. We had a great day.
I found out today that it is illegal to name your child “Robocop” in Mexico. I don’t have any opinion about that. I am going to practice not having opinions about more things. I find the lack of opinions refreshing sometimes.
A few years back, there were a lot of on-line voices stridently pushing me to get worked up over net-neutrality. I forget if I was to be for it or against it, but I apologized profusely and begged off at the time, stating that I had my plate full with things to get worked up over but as soon as I clear some of those things up, I would throw a right fit – for or against. I don’t remember which. At any rate, I have some time now, but I forgot what I’m supposed to do. So I threw some water on a stray cat.
I will, however, always get worked up over those false shepherds who continually seek to add human merit to our salvation. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. It is impossible to be united to Christ without bringing fruits of thanksgiving, but that adds nothing to our standing before God.
I will also always get worked up by those who continually stir up discord in the church over their opinions. Reviling, threats, contemptuous speech and pride are as hateful to God as any “sin” you might be railing against.
My grandson is in my Sunday School class. he can’t remember the name “Esau”, but he remembers that his name (and his nickname) means “Red Hair”. So he calls him Red Hair. It’s fabulous. I ask, “How did Jacob steal the blessing?” And he says, “He pretended to be Red Hair”. That makes me quite happy.
Solomon judged between two harlots. One of them would rather destroy the baby than admit she was wrong. Solomon saw through her. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had the same wisdom. There are those who would destroy souls, churches, and even countries rather than admit that they might be wrong.
When you keep company with those who mock, scoff, and scornfully use those who are “not approved,” you will find yourself caught up in wickedness and eventually unable to extricate yourself. Remember Psalm 1. There is a difference between life and chaff.
Jesus told us that his disciples would be known by their love. No matter how much you try to twist the meaning of “love” to mean “telling people what is wrong with them”, they are not the same concepts. One is of the Holy Spirit. The other is the spirit of the Accuser. The Accuser of the Brethren has been cast out of heaven. Do not be keen to take his place.
My Only Comfort 
All of this
Lol, lol you are amusing.
I forget what you I’m supposed to be worked up about too. I like your summary. I’ll try getting passionate about kingdom of God, hopefully.
Was married to the devil for about 3 decades…ex used to constantly accuse. I don’t recommend this.
Sassinsweet, you are so right – the devil is ‘the accuser’. Very sorry for what you’ve been through. Same here, but add a couple decades . . . .
“There are those who would destroy souls, churches, and even countries rather than admit that they might be wrong.”
For some reason that stayed with me even though I read this post about a week ago (yes, took me awhile to get to it!).
While I fully agree with that sentiment, I think there is something as bad as that, if not worse: there are those who do not even CARE about right or wrong. It makes no difference to them one way or another. It is one thing to hear or read audacious, asinine “defenses” in order to deny any real wrongdoing. It is quite another thing where their silence speaks of a deep and dark void of nothingness—no reaction at all.
Or, you might hear diluted versions of admitting wrongdoing; a spiritualized “math equations” where right and wrong are dumbed down to numerical quantities. And no, not quite like the Pharisee who celebrating NOT being like a tax collector. The Pharisee didn’t really admit any wrongdoing on his part, only focused on he is “more right” because he is “less wrong” than the tax collector.
More like, an abusive spouse claims he has not been the most right he could be (so it is as IF he is admitting wrongdoing), but his victimized spouse is way more guilty of more wrongdoings than he is. So he “subtracts” or “decreases” a part of his supposed unrighteousness, due to the fact that the “sum value” of his spouse’s righteousness is not as it should be.
The wages of sin are death; there is no numerical value attached to it. While sin can and does pile up, thereby piling up the wages of such doings, death is death. Denial of and/or mass indifference to this fact does not increase or decrease the existence of spiritual death.
It only took one man to bring death into the world, and it only took one Man to overcome and undo what that death did to the world.
The caveat is this: never admit a wrongdoing that the Lord does not hold against you. If you did not sow the sin, you did not reap the death. As rigidly righteous as He is, I’ve been more amazed at what He does NOT hold against me, while those that claim to be just as rigidly righteous as He is, will hold far more against me than He ever did, or does.
And to be fair, He DOES hold things against me that I never realized or recognized as sin, because I did not know what His righteousness consisted of.
And that is where I have found myself making huge and harmful missteps that created nothing but messes: professing Christians often feel pressured to have all the answers, or at least act like they do. It was like being called on in class and expected to know what I had not yet studied, or had not been skilled enough at. Rather than admit that I did not know or was not sure, I panicked and tried to either sound more right than seem less wrong.
You go to school to learn because you admit that you do not know everything. It is a terrible experience to be taunted for not knowing the answers, or at least not learning them fast enough. It is perfectly okay to say “I do not know,” but of course, hopefully you end up seeking and searching for what you do not know about. Maybe you won’t find the answers, but that is not the point. No one becomes born again in order to know everything, and no one becomes born again because you already knew everything.
I once told a young lady that I’ve been a Christian for years, but I was more surprised at how many MORE questions I have! And frankly, how much more I do not know; how much more I need to know. I learned the hard way of how much damage is done when you either do not care one way or another, or you only care about being less wrong, more right than others.
She had asked me some tough spiritual questions that I admitted I was not sure how to answer as I too am still confused about life and death issues. But surprisingly enough, I think she was comforted by that. Two persons admitting ignorance and/or inferiority is far more authentic than one or both persons engaging in arrogance and/or apathy.