Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. Proverbs 13:24 New International Version
Do you notice the word “carefully” in this sentence? Yes children need discipline but there is a difference between discipline and abuse. To beat or nag them or belittle them in public a child is abuse. To spank a child is discipline.
My mother used to spank us and send us to our room to think about what we had done, why it was wrong and to think of a good apology when we misbehaved. That method of reasoning has been carried throughout my life. In thinking about what I have done, why it is wrong and the correct way to make an apology.
Children need discipline or else how will they know right from wrong when they become adults? Isn’t that the fundamental reason there are so many problems in society today?
Don’t you hate it when you see a screaming child in the supermarket because they can’t get what they want? A good swat soon stops that. How about when travelling long distance on a plane or bus. The parent tries to reason with the misbehaving child. The child laughs because they know there is no punishment and just keeps on misbehaving. Isn’t that annoying to everybody else on board?
My cousin tried that stunt with my grandma in a supermarket only once and he got a good swat for his efforts. He never tried that again with her.
Now of course when they become older like teenagers a different method is used such as taking away privileges.
Prayer: Jehovah Abba, please teach me to be a good parent like you. Teach me when and how to use the rod in order to raise Godly children which is a gift from you. I humbly ask in the name of our big brother Jesus Christ. Amen.
May you have a grateful heart towards He who has given so much to you. indeovi vas ( may you live with Jesus in Latin )
Seleh- stop and think about it.
This photo and article @ Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah 2023 Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it but it may not be sold without authors consent
The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. Proverbs 16:5 The Holy Bible, The New Living Translation
Yes, the wicked will receive eternal damnation for their arrogance but He is also a God who punishes them in this life as well so that others will see His justice.
Being old now I have seen the same scenario played out over and over again.
But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing. Proverbs 6:15 The Holy Bible, The New Living Translation
Do you notice that their destruction does not mean death and there is no hope for healing?
Here is how it is played out.
The Lord will take away everything they love. Then, their bodies will be wracked with unimaginable agony ( which is ten times more intense than pain ). They will try numerous cures to no avail. They will be in constant pain. As well, because they just used and abuse others they will have no one to care about them. They will be all alone. Which being the type that has to be the centre of attention is a living Hell for them. Many of them will live all alone in their house. Others will be put in old folks homes where no one will care about them. That, is a living Hell. This sentence usually lasts for seven years.
Then, when it is time to depart this world they will be all alone in more agony then they could ever imagine. As well, their hearts will be filled with terror because they know they have passed the point of no return. Yes, they could repent but are too proud to do so.
This I have seen played out so many times in the last ten years.
Prayer:Thank you Jehovah Hashopet (Judges 11:27 The LORD the Judge ) that You were patient enough to warn all of us who practice wickedness to repent. Thank You that You are fair Judge who shall melt out the appropriate punishment to the arrogant wicked ones. I praise You in the name of the Supreme Judge, Jesus Christ. Amen May you have a grateful heart towards He who has given so much to you.
indeovi vas ( may you live with Jesus in Latin )
Seleh- stop and think about it.
This photo and article @ Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah 2023
Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it but it may not be sold without authors consent
How good does a person have to be in order to be saved? Perhaps we can best answer that question by asking, how perfect is God?
Jesus said, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
The LORD God told the children of Israel, “You shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2; cf. Deut. 18:13).
The Hebrew word tam or tamim means to be “without defect” or “without blemish.” The Hebrew sacrifices had to be “without blemish,” spotless and entirely without defect (Exodus 12:5; 29:1; 1 Pet. 1:19; Eph. 5:27). Another word shalem means “whole” or “complete.” That which is without defect or blemish is complete.
God’s righteous standard never changes because He does not change. God is the perfect standard or He would not be God.
Jesus used the word “perfect” (teleioi from telos) meaning end, goal, limit. It is the absolute standard of our heavenly Father. Such a person is perfect or fully developed “in a moral sense.” Therefore, in the moral realm it means “blameless.”
Jesus is the perfect example of that divine standard (1 Peter 2:21-25).
The word “holy” in Leviticus 19:2 gives us the reason for the sacrifices under the Mosaic law. God is holy and man is a sinner. Sin separates man from God. The source of our sanctification is “the LORD who sanctifies you” (20:8). The meaning is to set apart or separate.
God’s standard for man is complete, perfect, moral rectitude. To be acceptable to God every human being must be as blameless and sinless as Jesus Christ.
That standard of righteousness creates a moral and spiritual crisis for all mankind. The Bible tells us we have all sinned and fall short of such moral perfection. “There is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God’s standard is a clean heart and it is evident from studying the Sermon on the Mount that no one can live up to its demands (cf. Matt. 5:20-25, 27). The center of our personality condemns us. Jesus said, “Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornicators, thefts, false witnesses, slanders,” etc. (15:18-20). It is the heart that has to be changed (2 Cor. 5:17).
I have a problem. I am a sinner. But my problem is even greater than I ever imagined. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Our sinning can be illustrated by an archer shooting his arrows from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Central America, at the North Pole. He will miss it every time. It will always fall short. No one will ever get to heaven by his or her own efforts because we miss God’s perfect standard.
God never lowers His standards to accommodate sinful man. His absolute holiness is the standard. He will not accept half-way or half-hearted obedience. God is infinite in His perfections. Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We are to be “brought to completion, full-grown, lacking in nothing.”
How can that be since what has been written describes me? Great! Because that is why Jesus Christ went to the cross and died as a sacrifice for sin. “The wages of sin is death,” and Jesus died your death on the cross. Based on the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus Christ as our substitute, God can now save us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. God credits to our account the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. God dealt in full with our penalty by sending Christ to the cross to die for us. When we believed on Christ, God the Father and Judge declared us acquitted based on the saving work of Christ.
Every Christian struggles with holiness in his life, and all of us will until we see Jesus Christ face to face (Phil. 3:12-16).
God makes us holy by changing us from the inside out (2 Cor. 3:18). It is a progressive sanctification, not a once-for all sinless perfection before we die.
The ultimate goal of the believer is to live in harmony with Matthew 5:48, and “to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.”
We will be established “unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (I Thess. 3:13).
It is to those who strive to attain the goal that the victory is assured. We will reach the ideal goal of perfection when we see Jesus in glory. It will be the perfect gift to the believer (Psa. 17:15); Phil. 1:6; 3:12; II Tim. 4:7, 8; Rev. 21:27; 7:14).
May you have a grateful heart towards He who has given so much to you.
indeovi vas ( may you live with Jesus in Latin )
Seleh- stop and think about it.
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent.
George Whitfield, the eighteenth century evangelist, was correct when he said, “If the unregenerate man could enter heaven, he would be so unhappy in heaven, that he would ask God to let him run down to hell for shelter.”
How could the enemies of God sit down at the banquet of the Lamb of God?
Universalism wants us to bury our heads in the sand.
The carnal mind is enmity against God all the time. So why would such a person ever want to be in God’s holy presence? It is against everything God is for in His universe. It sets the world system and all it teaches in opposition to the LORD God.
The carnal mind is a “depraved spirit that is set on those things which are not proper” (Romans 1:28). How would you know one if you saw it? Romans 1:29-32 says, “Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
It is a dreadful picture of human depravity. The apostle then declared, “Therefore you have no excuse, every one of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things” (Romans 2:1-2).
There is a day coming when “God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus” (v. 16). It is not because we do not deserve it. The Bible testifies that we are all guilty. “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds” (Romans 2:5-6).
After a detailed presentation of our sins against us in Romans chapter three, the apostle Paul concludes, “But glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:10-11). “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” (Romans 2:23).
How many of us have not wished in the depths of our hearts, “Would to God these sins were not forbidden!” Spurgeon asked, “Who among us has not been so foolish as to desire that there were no God?”
But neither solution makes the problem go away. We still stand guilty before God. “Every carnal mind in the world is at enmity against God.”
The carnal mind declares that by our very nature we are the child of evil. What part of man was affected by the fall? The entire man, every part of him – every power, every passion is at enmity with God. You may say, “Oh, Wil, I am not really that bad.” God says, “The heart is deceitful above all things.” It is desperately wicked.
Why would any carnal person want to be in the holy presence of a righteous God? It would mean to be guilty and condemned twenty-four hours a day. We would never be able to escape His holy, hot wrath. Our sense of guilt would always be a state of awareness.
The only solution to the desperate plight of man is to have a new mind and a new heart. If we have not experienced a change of heart, our carnal mind will always be at enmity against God.
Our thoughts, our decisions, our behaviors all testify that we deserve God’s holy wrath. Every person born into this world deserves God’s wrath and damnation.
Because we are guilty sinners, God must provide the solution. Since the carnal mind is at enmity with God, salvation cannot be by any merit on our part. It must be by God’s grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. If we are at enmity with God, what merit can we have? How can we deserve anything from the person we hate? Therefore, God must step in and rescue us by His grace.
The Spirit of God must lay His hand on you and renew your heart or there is no chance of your entering into heaven.
Jesus Christ can make peace through His blood. If the Spirit of God has convinced you of your sin as you read this, you can become a new creature, a new person, with a new heart if you will ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior.
By our physical birth we are at enmity with God, but by the new birth we are made His friend. Our nature must be changed if we are to enter into God’s holy presence. Here is the most precious promise for every sinner to believe. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
SELAH! Pause – reflect- just think of that!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006 Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent.
A cheerful heart is good medicine Proverbs 17:22 THE HOLY BIBLE, THE New Living Translation
There is so many times I think The Holy Spirit hides things on me. I will search and search and not find what I am looking for.
Then I pray to The Holy Spirit to show me where it is.
I no sooner finish the prayer and what I am looking for jumps out in front of me in an obvious places. I know I searched there but could not see it.
I am certain The Holy Spirit has a wonderful sense of humour. Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah El SIMCHAH GIYL (God my Exceeding Joy John 15:11 ) for blessing me with such Heavenly joy with Your delightful sense of humour. I praise You in the name of He who shared so much humpour in His sermons, Jesus Christ. Amen
This photo and article @ Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent
Understanding and believing are not the same thing. Believing and not putting into practice is the surest sign of a fool. Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah
One day I decided to go the bank to withdraw funds. Fortunately for me the electric wheelchair was on low. It was good fortune because when I double checked it was discovered there was enough money so there was no need to go to the bank.
Feeling very low on energy, I decided not to go to the pool for a workout.
Instead there was a feeling to go to the sanctuary and listen to a Christian meditation. It is a one hour long one on Grace for Purpose Prayers on YouTube called: Always Begin the Day with God Daily Prayers for Blessings, Protection and Favour.
After listening to it, The Holy Spirit suggested I listen to this after finishing my midnight pee ( welcome to old age. You have to get up to have a pee at least once during the night ). The reason for this is because the mind is relaxed so as to ingrain these prayers into my daily actions. Jehovah truly does direct my steps and boy am I ever grateful He does.
I was having problems being a live in care giver that caused untold stress.
After listening to these prayers and praying them every morning the stress level is almost nonexistent now.
Truly all praise, glory and honour unto my loving Heavenly Poppa.
Why not listen to this at a time when you are relaxed and see if it changes your circumstances.
The other blessing was The Holy Spirit guided me to write this article so it will help you.
Wow, what an amazing God we have huh?
Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Kal El (voice of God Isaiah 30:21 ) for blessing me with The Holy Spirit to guide my words and action. I prevents a lot of stress which is replaced with a Heavenly peace. I praise You in the name of The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Amen
This article and photo @ Joseph- Anthony a Son of Jehovah 2023
“Christian consciousness begins in the painful realization that what we had assumed was the truth is in fact a lie,” “A person has to be thoroughly disgusted with the way things are to find the motivation to set out on the Christian way. . . . [One] has to get fed up with the ways of the world before he, before she, acquires an appetite for the world of grace.” Eugene Peterson
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