Hello Everyone, Google wrote me and told me only those people who join Google+ will be able to read my blog. I'm sorry about that. Google+ is free however, and is kind of fun. I just thought I would let you all know. Thanks, Belle
Wednesday 30 December 2015
Tuesday 29 December 2015
A God of Peace.
He is a being filled with peace.
“Don't worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”
Philippians 4:6,7
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” Colossians 3:15
Who am I?
This verse has always helped me have peace. But I only realized lately that it is peace that will guard our hearts. It makes perfect sense because when you are at peace you will not lose your temper, harm someone, covet anything, be afraid of anything. Peace is a guardian against any sin.
Remember when Jesus was in the boat with his disciples and a storm came up. Jesus was asleep at the bottom of the boat. The disciples were battling the storm but the ship was in danger of sinking. They woke Jesus and said, "Don't you care we are going to die?"
Jesus calmed the storm, but then asked, "Why were you afraid?"
I remember thinking, "Of course they were afraid!" But, what if the peace of God was in their hearts. Would they still have been afraid? No.
I think the lack of fear is believing that no matter what is happening in your life God can deal with it. If you are in a storm on the ocean, it is up to God if you live or die, so why worry about it? If your husband leaves you with two children, God will help you, so why be afraid and worried. Peace of mind, no matter what is going on. Yes, that is my goal.
Saturday 26 December 2015
The Wrath of God? Why?
Who am I?
Have you ever wondered about the wrath of God? What makes God angry?
Well, first we will look at the wrath of me, Belle.
I was reading Huffington Post last night and read an article about Pharmaceutical companies that made me so angry I could understand God's anger at sin.
The article began with Martin Shkreli, and how he has been arrested for conning wealthy investors. He was CEO of a drug company; they never said which one, which seems fishy to me. Here are just a few examples from the article.
"Shkreli took over a company with the rights to a 62-year-old drug used to treattoxoplasmosis, a devastating parasitic infection that can cause brain damage in babies and people with AIDS. He then promptly raised its price from $13.50 to $750 a pill.
Last month, Shkreli got control of a company with rights to a cheap drug used for decades to treat Chagas' disease in Latin America. His aim was to get the drug approved in the United States and charge tens of thousands of dollars for a course of treatment.
And the prices of new drugs are sky-high. Pfizer's new one to treat advanced breast cancer costs $9,850 a month.
... Big Pharma has wielded its political influence to avoid cost controls, to ban Medicare from using its bargaining clout to negotiate lower prices, and to allow drug companies to pay the makers of generic drugs to delay their cheaper versions."
You can read this article at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/of-rotten-apples-and-rott_b_8861526.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
When I finished reading, I was full of anger and pictured Jesus turning over the money tables of these corporations.
In Canada, the government tries to keep drug costs down, but guess what happened recently? My husband got an infection. He already has carcinoid syndrome, a rare form of cancer, so the doctors wanted to treat him with this special antibiotic. Well, there was none available. None available? I didn't understand that.
Then my mother needed another vial of Vitamin B12 because she has pernicious anemia. She said they didn't have any at her drug store. I was surprised, so I called around and yes, there was a shortage. I finally found a store that had two vials left so I got there as soon as possible and bought one.
When I got home, I was curious; why was there a shortage of drugs in this first-world country? I went online and found out the drug companies were slowing production. They wanted longer patent times and more money. They didn't care if people died, became sicker, had pain - nothing. All they cared about was money. Money, so they could buy a bigger house, a fancier car and go on vacations to Europe. Money, so they could buy the finest clothes, the best food and pay the nanny. Money, so their kids could go to the best schools, have the latest in technological gadgets and drive their own cars.
Remember Enron? I heard a tape of two executives of that company laughing about Grannies in California who wouldn't be able to pay their electric bills. I wish Jesus had marched into Enron offices with a whip of cords.
These people had better enjoy their evil money now, because people who do these things for money will not be going to heaven. They wouldn't enjoy it there anyway because there is no money there. Everyone is equal there; there is love all around and through every being in heaven. Life there is selfless instead of selfish.
Who is God?
Well, he is someone who hates this kind of sin more than I do. His wrath is against sin why? Because sin always hurts people. Always. God does not want us to hurt people. Ever. We can't be that good though without God in us, so if you want to be a better person you have to ask God to come into your life and give you a new heart.
The wrath of God is him leaving us to our own devices and reaping the cost.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. Romans 1:24
But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.
Acts 7:42
“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. Psalm 81:12
Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture? Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone. Hosea 4:17
God doesn't want to let people go, but he must accept people's decision not to follow him. He works hard and for years on people's hearts, but there comes a day when there is no use in it and he turns away in sadness.
"But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed. God "will repay each person according to what they have done." Romans 2:6
God won't punish people by keeping them alive forever in a place called "Hell." No, each person will be punished according to what they have done in this life. Jesus said, "And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn't prepared and doesn't carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly."
Luke 12:48
After punishment is an unconscious death lasting forever. They will be as if they had never been. "The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy." Psalm 145:20
This gives God no pleasure, it is something he must do to preserve the universe; to make the universe finally free from sin and evil.
"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” Ezekiel 18:32
Have you ever wondered about the wrath of God? What makes God angry?
Well, first we will look at the wrath of me, Belle.
I was reading Huffington Post last night and read an article about Pharmaceutical companies that made me so angry I could understand God's anger at sin.
The article began with Martin Shkreli, and how he has been arrested for conning wealthy investors. He was CEO of a drug company; they never said which one, which seems fishy to me. Here are just a few examples from the article.
"Shkreli took over a company with the rights to a 62-year-old drug used to treattoxoplasmosis, a devastating parasitic infection that can cause brain damage in babies and people with AIDS. He then promptly raised its price from $13.50 to $750 a pill.
Last month, Shkreli got control of a company with rights to a cheap drug used for decades to treat Chagas' disease in Latin America. His aim was to get the drug approved in the United States and charge tens of thousands of dollars for a course of treatment.
And the prices of new drugs are sky-high. Pfizer's new one to treat advanced breast cancer costs $9,850 a month.
... Big Pharma has wielded its political influence to avoid cost controls, to ban Medicare from using its bargaining clout to negotiate lower prices, and to allow drug companies to pay the makers of generic drugs to delay their cheaper versions."
You can read this article at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/of-rotten-apples-and-rott_b_8861526.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
When I finished reading, I was full of anger and pictured Jesus turning over the money tables of these corporations.
In Canada, the government tries to keep drug costs down, but guess what happened recently? My husband got an infection. He already has carcinoid syndrome, a rare form of cancer, so the doctors wanted to treat him with this special antibiotic. Well, there was none available. None available? I didn't understand that.
Then my mother needed another vial of Vitamin B12 because she has pernicious anemia. She said they didn't have any at her drug store. I was surprised, so I called around and yes, there was a shortage. I finally found a store that had two vials left so I got there as soon as possible and bought one.
When I got home, I was curious; why was there a shortage of drugs in this first-world country? I went online and found out the drug companies were slowing production. They wanted longer patent times and more money. They didn't care if people died, became sicker, had pain - nothing. All they cared about was money. Money, so they could buy a bigger house, a fancier car and go on vacations to Europe. Money, so they could buy the finest clothes, the best food and pay the nanny. Money, so their kids could go to the best schools, have the latest in technological gadgets and drive their own cars.
Remember Enron? I heard a tape of two executives of that company laughing about Grannies in California who wouldn't be able to pay their electric bills. I wish Jesus had marched into Enron offices with a whip of cords.
These people had better enjoy their evil money now, because people who do these things for money will not be going to heaven. They wouldn't enjoy it there anyway because there is no money there. Everyone is equal there; there is love all around and through every being in heaven. Life there is selfless instead of selfish.
Who is God?
Well, he is someone who hates this kind of sin more than I do. His wrath is against sin why? Because sin always hurts people. Always. God does not want us to hurt people. Ever. We can't be that good though without God in us, so if you want to be a better person you have to ask God to come into your life and give you a new heart.
And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
“But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.
“ ‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’ ” Zechariah 7:8-14
The wrath of God is him leaving us to our own devices and reaping the cost.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. Romans 1:24
But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.
Acts 7:42
“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. Psalm 81:12
Like a stubborn heifer, Israel is stubborn; can the LORD now feed them like a lamb in a broad pasture? Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone. Hosea 4:17
God doesn't want to let people go, but he must accept people's decision not to follow him. He works hard and for years on people's hearts, but there comes a day when there is no use in it and he turns away in sadness.
"But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgement will be revealed. God "will repay each person according to what they have done." Romans 2:6
God won't punish people by keeping them alive forever in a place called "Hell." No, each person will be punished according to what they have done in this life. Jesus said, "And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn't prepared and doesn't carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly."
Luke 12:48
After punishment is an unconscious death lasting forever. They will be as if they had never been. "The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy." Psalm 145:20
This gives God no pleasure, it is something he must do to preserve the universe; to make the universe finally free from sin and evil.
"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” Ezekiel 18:32
Wednesday 23 December 2015
Immanuel.
Jesus wasn't loaned to us. He was given to us forever. He is still what he called himself so many times, "The Son of Man," yet he sits on the throne with his father. They have united with their created beings. What did Jesus give up to become a man? What did God the Father give up when he gave his only son? We don't know now, but perhaps someday.
"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this."
Isaiah 9:6,7
"All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means 'God is with us')."
Isaiah 7:14
"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
Monday 21 December 2015
God is Always With Us.
Who is God?
Someone who is always with us.
Jesus said, "What is the price of five sparrows--two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." Luke 12:6
"Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matt. 28:20
"When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." John 14:20
"For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." Hebrews 13:5
Who am I?
My daughter lives an hour and a half away from us. She came to town to do some Christmas shopping for a couple of days and had to leave this afternoon. It had started snowing and she was nervous about the drive home.
I said, "Don't worry. God will be with you." She smiled and said, "I know, Mom."
But I had to add, "That doesn't mean nothing bad will happen, but he will be with you if you crash and as you lay in the snow looking up at the stars." Then we really laughed.
I have no trouble saying that. God has never promised nothing bad will ever happen to us. Although, when you read the Psalms it does seem like David thought that. I believe God is with us every moment, but I trust him to decide what is going to happen to me. He will be with me through it all.
Thursday 17 December 2015
Looking for Love in the Right Place.
Who is God?
God created us with the drive to love and be loved. I think that is the strongest drive we have next to food and shelter. God created us that way because he is love personified, as the Bible says. He created us in his own image and therefore we love to love, we love to create, we love to enjoy life.
Who am I?
Someone who looked for love in all the wrong places. It is something we all do, I think. First, I looked at home, to my parents, brother and sister. They loved me, but not perfectly. Love felt conditional. It felt they would love me if I was good and did what they asked.
At school, I looked for love in friends. But friends betrayed me and I betrayed friends. There was no unconditional love there either.
I looked for love in boyfriends. But boyfriends would come and go, mostly go. My heart was broken a few times and I broke a few hearts.
I looked for love in my husbands. But it wasn't perfect, unconditional love. There were things about me they didn't like. There were things about them I didn't like. There was conflict, anger, divorce, threats of divorce.
I looked for love in my children and got perfect love, until they were teenagers.
I looked for love in my grandchildren and got perfect love. Then they grew up and moved on.
I looked for perfect, unconditional love when I turned 65. I looked to God and I found it. Finally.
I have been with God since I was nineteen. At first, I couldn't believe he loved me. Then I started to believe it. Then I got mad at him and almost hated him because of the suffering of myself and my family. Then I came back to him. I sort of believed he loved me. Then I had no one to turn to but him. No one at all. So, I spent lots of time with him every day and heard the sermons of Ty Gibson. Now I know he loves me. He loves me so much I'm excited and happy in his love. I love him like crazy. I can't wait to see him, to hold him, to speak with him, to touch him, to kiss him, to walk with him.
Yep, I finally found perfect, unconditional love in God. I hope all of you, whoever you are, find it too.
Tuesday 15 December 2015
Emotions and God.
Photo by Proimos
http://www.flickr.com/people/34120957@N04
He is someone who cares about how we are feeling each day.
"When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. "Don't cry!" he said." Luke 7:13
"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6
Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.
Psalm 37:1-11
Who am I?
Someone who let her feelings run amok day by day. Someone who took years to learn to give her feelings to God. Someone who now knows what a dangerous trap feelings can be.
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