Sunday, February 25, 2007
Response to a Large Comment
When I first came to this blog, it gave me some things to ponder.
Now after months, I realize that this is a very negative blog.
You seem to be the type of person that sits there and complains about something, stirring it up, acting like you know everything, you're right and everyone elese is wrong.
Jesus put everything so "simple", yet people like you and others can take something He said and make it into a book. Making it so complicated.
Second, not everyone will understand unless they want to. Seek and you shall find, ask and it will be given. As simple as it is, most people will not understand, ask, seek, or care.
As for the ones that Love The Lord, and are trying to know and follow Him, it takes time...lots of time.
Do you really expect everyone to be at the level you're at? Maybe everyone is not as smart as you, and maybe that's why Jesus kept His message simple!
And as far as politics go, stop mixing it in with your blog or others will begin to wonder what your agenda really is.
Now we all have choices, God made it that way. You can chose to delete this comment, or keep it. What you decide shows me who you really are.
Seems to me that you don't have much faith in God, because you don't think that He knows a persons heart.
Instead of knocking down, why don't you try building up?
- Panderia -
Posted by Panderia to Religion's Crime Against God at 6:46 AM
Panderia,
Thanks much for your detailed comments. I wish I would get more comments like yours; that would certainly keep me on my toes. I am extremely aware I have much more to learn concerning living a Godly life. I do at times express that need. I will address each of your comments individually.
1) Most people who go to church believe they are Christians. Only one problem: when those people disobey what is commanded mostly in the New Testament, without their knowledge, they are rejected as applicants of eternal life. There are dozens upon dozens of commands that are not adhered to by a majority of church goers, because churches don’t preach on them. Go to post # 144 or #127, they are very similar. They will tell only a few of the commands that are not obeyed by many church going christians. Then go to John 14:21. This verse is only a one of a slew of verses that tells the same principle. "Whoever has my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me."
2) With love as one’s guide, if you see someone in a dangerous position, is it necessary to tell that person of the danger? If one was indifferent or was not aware of the danger, nothing would be said or done. But one who is aware of the danger as clearly described in God’s instruction book, and because of love for that person, does all in his/her power to tell of the impending danger, is that being negative? Concern for the misinformed is Godly love in its highest degree.
I am continually searching in my own life for attitudes, etc. that hinder my relationship with Jesus Christ. I do the exact same thing for people I don’t personally know, and then make it known. Is that negative?
3) I never attempt to put across that I know everything. Nevertheless, since I have been studying the condition of organized religion and God’s requirements for holiness, for many, many years, I can easily prescribe the needed remedies. I don’t have a high school education, both my parents were illiterate and could not speak English. All my ancestors were peasants.
With that said, I have at least two unique qualities; where they came from, I don’t know. The first is, I detest seeing or even knowing when someone is being deceive or ripped-off. The second: I have a tender compassing/empathy for those who are hurting, for no fault of their own. I may have been born with these qualities, or God blessed me with them at a very early age. No doubt, these qualities influence how I worship my Boss Jesus Christ and attempt to tell in baby language, a few of His, not very pleasant, imperative teachings.
4) I will agree with you about the gospel being simple. I hope I don’t complicate it. That simplicity is expressed in one verse: Love the Lord you God with ALL one’s heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Then Jesus adds one stipulation/condition in Luke 10:28. "Do this and you will live." If we were to obey the aforementioned, the rest could be negated. That is true simplicity, an instruction book with just one sentence. Most of us don’t attempt to obey those next to impossible commands, because they are contrary to our innate, survival of the fittest desires, therefore, the remainder of Scripture is necessary, which can complicate a few Christian principles, especially to those who are not experiencing, if ever in a small degree, the life of Jesus Christ.
5) On this one, I will also agree with you. No one can force anyone to believe or understand. I hope this blog can spur a few to have a desire to believe in Jesus Christ and understand it is only for their good, regardless how unnatural it seems, according to their human nature and the standards of this world.6) Again, I will agree with you. It does take time to know all the ins and outs of the great deceiver, Satan the devil, and all the great and precious promises of our Lord. I truly believe this blog deserves an A+ in exposing the tricks of that false angel of light (the devil) who most of all desires to be worshiped by naive "christians", even if they mistakenly call him Jesus Christ. Matthew 4:9.
7) Please, I beg you, don’t say I am smart, most likely my "IQ" is so low that I couldn’t qualify to enter grade school. In fact, it is much more difficult for intelligent people to believe the gospel, than for lowly people. That theme rings throughout the New Testament. My most earnest prayer is that bloggers that read this message excel ten-fold, of what I now know and am experiencing. If they don’t, it is not God’s fault or this blog’s fault.
8) Concerning politics: the main, if not the only, reason I am interested in politics at this time is because George Bush claims to be a born-again evangelical Christian. That is the biggest lie and the greatest crime against Jesus Christ that has ever been perpetrated since the beginning of creation. And every chance I get, I will expose him for what he really is. How many Evangelicals has he led astray?
9) Concerning the amount of faith I have, you may be correct. And yes, God does know a persons heart; the only thing is, what is in a person’s heart will without exception spill-over into a person's life. God does not judge us by our heart but by our belief in Him and by our actions. John 15:8. "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, SHOWING YOURSELVES TO BE MY DISCIPLES." [emphasis added]. In other words, all we do once we are saved,are not as works to gain Salvation, but is undeniable evidence of our faith and obedience to Christ.
10) And lastly, one cannot build a new house in the same location (person) until the old one is partially or completely removed to make room for the new person. The knocking down is necessary before the new building-up can be started. Hopefully the removal of the old misinformed self will not be tumultuous.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
A President's Day Surprise
Be sure to read all the way through. The tag line is the best. This is not a joke. Citations and net link at bottom.
A report published Monday, by the Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania, detailed its findings of a four month study of the intelligence quotient of President George W. Bush.
Since 1973, the Lovenstein Institute has published its research to the educational community on each new president, which includes the famous "IQ" report among others.
There have been twelve presidents over the past 50 years, from F. D. Roosevelt to G. W. Bush, who were rated based on scholarly achievements:
1. Writings that they produced without aid of staff.
2. Their ability to speak with clarity, and several other psychological factors, which were then scored using the Swanson/Crain System of intelligence ranking.
The study determined the following IQs of each president is accurate to within five percentage points.
In order of presidential term:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt [D] 142,
Harry S Truman [D] 132,
Dwight David Eisenhower [R] 122
John Fitzgerald Kennedy [D] 174,
Lyndon Baines Johnson [D] 126,
Richard Milhous Nixon [R] 155,
Gerald R. Ford [R] 121,
James Earle Carter [D] 175,
Ronald Wilson Reagan [R] 105
George Herbert Walker Bush [R] 98,
William Jefferson Clinton [D] 182,
George Walker Bush [R] 91
In order of IQ rating:
182 . . William Jefferson Clinton [D]
175 . . James Earle Carter [D]
174 . . John Fitzgerald Kennedy [D]
155 . . Richard Milhous Nixon [R]
147 . . Franklin Delano Roosevelt [D]
132 . . Harry S Truman [D]
126 . . Lyndon Baines Johnson [D]
122 . . Dwight David Eisenhower [R]
121 . . Gerald R. Ford [R]
105 . . Ronald Wilson Reagan [R]
098 . . George Herbert Walker Bush [R]
091 . . George Walker Bush [R]
The six Republican presidents of the past 50 years had an average IQ of 115.5, with President Nixon having the highest at 155. President George W. Bush rated the lowest with an IQ of 91.
The six Democratic presidents of the past 50 years had an average IQ of 156,with President Clinton having the highest IQ, at 182. President Lyndon B. Johnson was rated the lowest with an IQ of 126.
No president other than Carter [D] has released his actual IQ (176). Note the institute measured him at 175.
Among comments made concerning the specific testing of President G. W. Bush, his low ratings are due to his apparently difficult command of the English language in public statements, his limited use of vocabulary [6,500words for Bush versus an average of 11,000 words for other presidents], his lack of scholarly achievements other than a basic MBA, and an absence of anybody of work which could be studied on an intellectual basis.
The complete report documents the methods and procedures used to arrive at these ratings, including depth of sentence structure and voice stress confidence analysis.
"All the Presidents prior to George W. Bush had a least one book under their belt, and most had written several white papers during their education or early careers. Not so with President Bush," Dr. Lovenstein said. "He has no published works or writings, which made it more difficult to arrive at an assessment. We relied more heavily on transcripts of his unscripted public speaking."
The Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania think tank includes high caliber historians, psychiatrists, sociologists, scientists in human behavior, and psychologists. Among their ranks are Dr. Werner R. Lovenstein, world-renowned sociologist, and Professor Patricia F. Dilliams, a world-respected psychiatrist. For more information on the Lovenstein Institute, go to http://lovens tein.org//
Hmmmm - The smartest president didn't know enough to keep his pants zipped, and the dumbest one thinks he can run a war.
The following comments are from althinker. It is no wonder our national debt is over $18 trillion, and America is now involved in an unwarranted war that can have no good ending, but it will give us more shame, more of our troops dying, and putting our children in further debt. Since Bush has a below average "IQ", while 100 or C is average, below that is graded as a D. I always thought there was kinda of dumb look about him when speaking without the help of scripted words. I guess I was correct.
There is a good possibility this "IQ" information is a hoax, but for the small chance it is authentic, I will leave it. I apologize to anyone who is insulted and if this message defamed any of the former presidents. At the same time, this gives me an opportunity to express my Godly feelings about President G.W. Bush. He is the most powerful and destructive antichrist in modern times, if not all times. Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, saw Bush as he really is (the devil) when recently speaking at the United Nations.
This is the reason: Bush takes the name Evangelical Christian, goes to church and shakes the hand of the pastor on Sunday. At the same time, he has caused and is still causing the greatest crime against Jesus Christ of all times, by living as the worst, stupidest and most dangerous person of all times in any political office. Said another way, he disobeys just about all the commandments in the New Testament.
There is a good chance that, Bush the "christian" antichrist, has started the begining of the end (Armageddon) of this world. Never in Christian history, has any one person been so powerful in worldly affairs and claimed to be a born-again Christian.
This blog is dedicated to exposing crimes against God. These above words are not just off- the top-of-my-head, but as one who personally knows what is expected of all who worship Jesus Christ. If I am mistaken in my analysis of this demonic monster, send me comments, and back your comments with the New Testament.
Monday, February 19, 2007
# 188: Invisible Substance
1st Corinthians 8:5. “For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth (as in deed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), yet for us there is but ‘ONE GOD’, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we live; . . . .” [Emphasis added]. Then those who don’t know what that ‘ONE GOD’ requires, can easily be tricked into believing in the god of this age (Satan) who masquerades as an angel of light, without giving anyone a clue of his trickery. 2nd Corinthians 4:3. “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” Also, 2nd Corinthians 11:14. “And no wonder, Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
For us who want to make sure we are worshiping the Creator of all things, and not some other phony-baloney god, there are ways to make absolutely certain we are not being tricked. The very first attribute of the genuine God is that He is a God of love; said another way, the eternal God’s complete nature and essence is love, to the point where it is accurate to say, “God is LOVE.”
How will we know if our God is the genuine loving God? Answer: He will command, better yet, demand those who worship Him, to live lives of love for Him and love for others in need, even love for those who mean to do us harm. That God who's most basic and essential quality is love, is a great indication he is the only true God. Having or earnestly desiring the true Gods quality of love is required by Him, from those who worship Him. That love is not just sweet words of love, but actually active love. If that active love, as described in the loving God’s instruction book/s is missing in anyone’s life, and that person still claims to believe in God, that is ample evidence their god is a false god. Never forget this: in God’s sight, there are only two types of people on this earth: those under the power of the only true God, which includes those who will be under his power in the future, and those under the power of Satan. There are no gray areas.
Another way of finding out which God is the real one, checkout the book/s that is/are attributed to that particular god. For example, the Christian holy book is called the New Testament, which is the fulfillment of the Old testament. The Jewish holy instruction book is the Tora/Pentateuch which is in several ways similar to the Old Testament, which also contains the first four books of the Bible. The Islamic book is the Quar’an, also spelled Koran. I am not certain the name of the Buddhist instruction book/s, but checkout that one/s also. Another religion which has many gods is the Hindu religion. I know very little of that religion, but I don’t think they believe in one god that is superior to all other gods.
The true God will demand obedience to all that He commands, as evidence of His worshipers' sincerity of belief/faith. Galatians 5:5 “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Ephesians 5:6. “. . . God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” If anyone claims to belong to the true God but is not obedient to His commands, he or she would be disqualified/rejected, without their knowledge, as being a worshiper of the ‘ONE GOD.’ Then there is the god of this world, which does not require obedience; he is the great deceiver; the devil pretending to be almighty God. That clearly says, those who are ignoring the New Testament commands of love, most likely, are worshiping that deceptive god.
For those who will attempt to take the aforementioned study course, it is best to first read and study the instruction book of Jesus Christ, The New Testament, and use it as a standard of comparison. The reason I say that is because that book emphasizes love and obedience as a result of faith, many times more than all other religious instruction books.
Another sure way to find the true God is to look at the lives of those who belong to certain Christian denominations. Do their lives correspond to New Testament teachings? If they don’t, you will know for certain, that is a church to keep away from.
One big problem: there are a multitude of different Christian sects in America that believe contrary to what the Christian instruction book openly displays. I personally have studied many of those different church doctrines, and came up empty as to find one that is close to the New Testament. What the majority of these sects do is to downplay the importance of pertinent hard-edged verses which are disagreeable to our human nature; for-instance: 1) Verses which command an active desire to love God with one’s all, 2) love for neighbor as one loves themselves, 3) absolute obedience to Christ’s teaching, 4) the fatal harm in having or desiring wealth, along with a plethora of deadly, but pleasing, human tendencies that have been meticulously describes throughout this blog. In short, that is the major malady with organized religion. That seems to be indicative of the fact that these “christian” churchs are worshiping false gods who want to placate its worshipers by offering them all the pleasing things their hearts desire, in this greedy and ungodly world.
Let me repeat. Before anyone can start to analyze who is worshiping the true God and what He requires, one must become intimately acquainted with exactly what the New Testament teaches. This cannot be done overnight. It will take some time to study the complex to some, yet extremely simple road to life. Please, if you are a church goer, don’t depend on your church leaders to candidly tell you what has been and is still being Scripturally avoided/ignored, since who knows when.
This is what I recommend: buy a modern version of the New Testament–I prefer the New International Version (NIV). Just keep away from the King James version. It is antiquated and is great if you were living in the 17th century. Along with that, buy CDs of the Bible. I am not sure if one can buy the New Testament without buying the Old Testament. There are 16 CDs in the New Testament, and 48 in the Old Testament. I would concentrate on the New Testament first. When one is completely familiar with it, then start to listen to the Old Testament. Just think about it: if one listened to one CD a day, in 16 days they could have the complete New Testament under their belt. Don’t stop there; listen to it again and again. Play them when driving. When at home, as one listens to the CDs, when possible, follow along with the written Bible. Highlight all verses that you desire to remember or seem way-off-the-wall. Attempt to read or listen to the New Testament everyday. Also, one can listen to the CD when doing things at home which don’t need concentration.
There will be some parts that will be extremely difficult to understand. The most difficult will be the book of Romans, and other letters written by the apostle Paul. Even the apostle Peter writes that some of Paul’s letters are hard to understand. 2nd Peter 3:16 “. . . His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.” When you come to Christian principles that need explanation, send me a comment or question.; I may be able to help. Another resource which will be extremely helpful is “Religion’s Crime Against God.” God and I will guarantee, this blog will water-down nothing, but tell it like it is, regardless how ridiculous it may sound.
I have been diligently attempting to live my life in accordance to Christ’s teaching, and after forty year or more, I am still learning. For instance: post #187 on pride and humility. Regardless what the hurdles are that confront us, with God’s help you can and will overcome. I have. Therefore don’t expect to learn in a few days what God required; it will take a long time. I wouldn’t switch my life for all the fame and fortune this world can offer.
Then comes the hard part: implementation: changing our ways of living to conform to what is being learned. There will be many spirituals principles that will be so difficult to put into practice, that you may have to say, “Lord, I am not there yet,” And if you are sincere, in time you will be able to comply. This is the most important aspect of studying the Bible: where is your heart? If you make every effort to obey Jesus Christ--and it will be difficult-–you will please our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, and also display your sincerity. The sad part of Sunday morning christians is they are sincere, but without Scriptural obedience, their sincerity is folly. I have said over a dozen times in this blog, that the genuine Christian life will be the most challenging life in existence. There is nothing easy about it, which is totally contrary to what organized religion teaches. Indeed, they want you back next week. And any hardball teachings will make the laity say, “ I am not coming back to this church again.”
Another thing that makes me extremely inwardly angry is most of these churches claim to be Bible believing. Sure, the parts they believe which takes little or no effort to live by; a passive belief in Jesus Christ as Savior is all that is required, without the word Lord (boss) ever mentioned. And when it is mentioned, are Christ’s teachings obeyed? He is our boss/owner if we truly are Christians. Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?" How foolish can a majority of people be, who claim to be Christians?
Another question we must grapple with: is there really a God, or are we groping in the dark with cane in hand? Since there seems to be no empirical evidence for the existence of God, are we Christians just making fools of ourselves, as some believe? The answer is an emphatic no!
According to our laws of physics, there must be something out there, a force, energy or mind that exists outside the physical world, of which physics cannot explain. This is what I mean: most physicists believe that a minutely small, densely packed object exploded and eventually the universe was created. That belief begs the question: where did that extremely small object that created the Big Bang come from? They have not been able to answer that question at this time. It is absolutely stupid to think that something can create itself out of nothing and for no apparent reason. And if there was an unknown force or energy, how or where did it come from. Those unknown facts vividly tell that some metaphysical mind or power exists beyond the laws of physics. That is where the laws of physics breakdown, and a supreme, spiritual mind, with a specific purpose, makes its/His entry: (Almighty God). Anything that has life has one purpose: to duplicate Itself. Mystery solved
And if by some chance the Big Bang theory is correct, it was God who started it all, which the most intelligent minds in the world cannot accept, and for the simple reason that God cannot be scientifically evaluated with empirical evidence. Could anyone imagine what those great intellectual minds could have done to make this a better world, if they were to believe in the existence of a real, genuine, true God?
But atheists do have a legitimate reason for not believing there is a God. The shambles the world’s religions are engaged in, including the christian religion, is evidence enough to them that God is all a hoax. Islam goes for revenge and hatred, Judaism promotes greed for wealth, power and fame, Hinduism goes for statues as gods, while the leaders of the Christianity (con-artist) go for trickery. Let us not forget, a few of the worlds less significant religions: Brahmanism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Lamaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, voodooism, etc.
For atheists to believe in God, most likely, means they must accept these money and blood sucking religious scams. They say, “Thanks but no thanks, it makes more sense to believe there is no god then to believe in a god that religious hypocrites believe in. You assume your god is defending the way most of the worlds religions are ungodly by making-up this excuse for god:” “It is my prerogative not to interfere with what mankind’s religions do to my holy image. I am not intimidated by the foolishness of humanity.” I don’t know if God feels that way, but when looking only at various rogue forms of organized religion, per se., personally, I can agree with their atheistic way of thinking.
For sure, in their way of thinking, God cannot exist, because of religion’s treachery and foolishness. They are not aware that there is a small number, mostly unseen or unheard, who truly desire to worship God as He requires. Let us make absolutely certain we are among that small group. Amen.
# 187: Anatomy of Pride & Humility
I will pose several questions, while attempting to find answers.1) Why does God detest pride? 2) Where does pride come from? 3) How can we get rid of pride? 4) Is it possible to eliminate all pride in one’s life? 5) What harm does pride do to a Christian life? Is it okay for a Christian to have a little pride; if it is, what type of pride is acceptable to God? 6) Where does genuine humility come from? 7) Do the wealthy who are the proudest of all, really need Christ’s Salvation? 8) What makes a humble person? 9) How can a person become great in God’s sight, simply for the pleasure of pleasing Him? 10) Why does God choose the weak, the poor and the unlearned to be the greatest in His kingdom? 11) How does pride and greed become partners? 12) How come the Bible is so contrary to what our human nature desires?
Before attempting to answer those questions, it is necessary to be certain, or at least think we are in good standing with God according to what the New Testament teaches, and not according to what church leaders teach. There is no sense in working on removing pride when there are more important aspects of Christianity to consider first. What I mean, pride may not be an issue to most people who call themselves Christian, or are not aware of its destructive power. For those in that category, it might be best to skip this section and go first to others posts of more rudimentary importance, like repentance, belief in Christ, Salvation, obedience, love for God and neighbor, etc.
I am not certain I can answer all those questions, but with God’s help through fervent prayer, God hopefully will give some answers.
1) Why does God hate pride? We must always remember our God is a jealous God. Exodus 20:5. “for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God . . . .” Exodus 34:14. “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” He desires to be worshiped exclusively. And worldly pride is a harmful form of SELF WORSHIP. All holy pride belongs to God. Most types of pride we may have, are dung to God. When we have worldly pride, we receive pleasant feelings from our object of pride, instead of getting satisfying emotions from being loved and loving and praising God. Said another way, we are giving special attention to our source of pride instead of to God. It is just like being married and flirting with the opposite sex. Your partner will be jealous of those you are flirting with, and therefore, is not pleased with your actions. And if the flirting continued and gets serious, there will be disaster for that relationship, waiting in the wings.
2) Where does pride come from? The main source of pride comes from being deficient in how we feel about ourselves in certain areas of our lives. If we truly believe we are/were all we could be, without the human acknowledgment of others, pride would be nonexistent, and humility could take over that life. At that point in time, with our permission, Jesus Christ comes into the equation and give us His life. Now, if Christ is truly living His life through ours, why do we need to take pride in worldly things. His pride was in being the Son of God. Our pride should be the same, giving praise to God for His wonderful work. Which is to say, if a person was a multimillionaire, and took pride in his/her accomplishments, his/her pride is what gives satisfaction, as much if not, more than the money. That person is severely lacking, more than most people, to need financial success in an attempt to fill a haunting void. Also, pride often displays a deficiency in self-esteem (wanting to be, as good if not, better than others). One thing the vast majority of us have in common is we secretly desire to be respected and admired; along with that, we want to feel valuable and important. Guess what? Pride deceptively does all that. The foolish thing we are not aware of is pride may seem to satisfy emptiness, but without knowing it, it is in vain; it is self perpetuating; it can never be satisfied. Remember, most pride is secret and silent, even to the owner. It might be wise to read this paragraph several times, to get a handle on what is being said. It is as novel to me as it, most likely, is to you.
3) How can we get rid of pride? Sure, easier said than done. For example, we may have a beautiful home, new automobile/s, etc. We are proud of them, although we may never have verbally used the word proud. We would have to ask ourselves, “Why are we proud?“ Possible answers: Just to keep-up with the Jones, or wanting to be better than them. Or is it just part of the American dream.” Give yourselves honest answers. If you do, you may learn more about yourselves than ever before. But, if justification of your pride becomes the answer, one is only denying they are deficient in the spiritual part of their life (the real you) without evening knowing it.
Then some may say, “ I can have all the valuable and pleasing things in life and still believe in Jesus Christ.” That may seem all well and good for you, by ‘wanting your cake and eat it too,’ but it is not according to what Christ teaches in the New Testament. Luke 16:15. “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” Pride may not be easy to destroy; it may cost a pretty penny, and even more. The only thing is if one doesn’t eliminate pride, it will somehow destroy one’s chances of eternal life. Just remember, a person cannot be proud in one hand and truly humble in the other. They are antonyms. Take your choice. Don’t ever forget this: pride is one of the most desired attituded on this earth.
4) Is it possible to eliminate all pride in one’s life? There are certain attitudes in life that may be prideful, which cannot be done away with, but could be changed from an attitude of pride into being appreciative: silently giving praise and glory to God, but make sure to keep your mouth shut. I mean things like a loving wife/husband, wonderful, obedient children, etc. or even uniquely wonderful attributes of self or love ones. But never, never verbally, or even silently boast of them. These may be a source of pride, but somehow change the word pride into thankfulness, and wish others could have the same. Which is to say, wish your much desired traits or blessings, first on your enemies and then on others, and really mean it. That does not include material goodies. This is an excellent way to be obedient to Scripture, when it says love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.
5) What harm does pride do in the destruction of a Christian life, in other words, what is the destructive mechanism and how does it work? Most good things in life are a source of pride, while most disagreeable things are a source of humility. Humility is one of the Lord’s main requirements for His people, while pride is one of the most distasteful attitudes, which is frowned on by Him. Why? It involves the word ‘glory.’ We humans don’t use the word glory when referring to our own boasting, silent or otherwise, but by doing so, we are giving ourselves glory. And God is a jealous God and demands all glory belongs to Him. Now true humility allows people to see their faults and the utter dependency on God to carry them through life. 6) Where does genuine humility come from? Why I use the word ‘genuine’ is because a person can act humble–like a professional actor/actress–and still be the proudest person in town. That person is displaying a false humility and hiding his/her arrogant pride. Genuine humility is the byproduct of considering other better then yourselves. Philippians 2:3-5. “Do nothing out of vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not to your own interest, but also to the interest of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. . . . he [Christ] made nothing of himself.” The only possible way a person can have this type of attitude, is to be so secure in the arms of Christ Jesus, that he/she is not worried what others think about him/her. In short, Godly humility is only concerned with what God thinks of him/her, and does not care about human opinion. Remember, pride wants the attention--as previously mentioned but worth repeating--and demands the respect and admiration of all other people. Wow! If that is true and it is, we don’t see much Godly humility; it may be as rare as hen’s teeth.
7) Do the wealthy who are the proudest of all, really need Christ’s Salvation? God does not see much, if any, true humility in wealth, while there is, out of necessity, overflowing humility in the poor who love Christ and obey His teaching. There is the main reason the Bible has much good to say about the poor, while stressing obedience, with not a good word for those who are financially secure in life. In short, God despises pride and adores humility. Therefore, pride will not allow anyone to live and love as Christ commands/teaches. The humble attract perspective followers of Christ, like honey attracts flies, while the pridefully rich, and even the wannabe rich, attract the proud and arrogant, the least likely to desire or need Christ’s Salvation, although many claim to be “christians.” The reason being: they have it made on earth. Luke 6:24-26. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already receive your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all me speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.” Also, a verse from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: Luke 16:25. “But Abraham replied, Son, remember that in your lifetime you received good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.” Isn’t it funny, these verses tell the exact opposite of what the organized church teaches. I wonder why? The answer to that question is scattered throughout this post.
How America became the proudest and richest country on earth (meaning its people) is a disgrace to God, because we are looked on as a Christian nation; which says pride is a Godly attribute. It is no wonder we look at pride and naturally desire it more than all else. Shame on us.
8) What makes a humble person? Numbers 12:3. “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.” A person who is great in the sight of God Almighty, and knows it, does not have to work or possess things and attitudes that produce secular pride. A person who has Christ-like humility, is not intimidated by washing the feet of others or perform any other humiliating act. The reason is that person is not afraid of loosen any of that greatness God bestowed on him/her, by what man/woman thinks.
Therefore, if you or I know with certainty we are great in the eyes of God, and put all our pride in our Great God and in our Savior Christ Jesus, there is no need for pride in worldly things and attitudes. That most likely is the secret of genuinely humble people.
9) How can a people become great in God’s sight, simply for the pleasure of pleasing Him? Short answer: believe and obey all that is commanded in Scripture, to the point which there is an obsession with loving God with all ones heart, soul, mind and strength. Luke 22:26. ‘Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” With this above formula, pride is destroyed and humility takes its place.
10) Why does God choose the weak, the poor and the unlearned to be the greatest in His kingdom? The reason Scripture speaks well of them is this: 1st Corinthians 1:27. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the WEAK things of the world to shame the strong. He chose that lowly things of this world and despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may BOAST in the Lord.” [emphasis added]. Weak people don’t have much to boast about. 2nd Corinthians 12:9. “. . . for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that so Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insult, in hardship in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
11) How does pride and greed become partners? In order for pride to flourish, one must have things and attitude to be proud of. And greed, to be sure, we don’t call it greed, which is given several euphemism such as prosperity, the good life, etc. is the mechanism which makes pride, which is never satisfied. Luke 12:15. “Then he said to them, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And possessions are the things that are suppose to satisfy, thus giving humanity their much needed pride.
12) How come the Bible is so contrary to what our human nature desires? That plainly tells any person who truly knows God’s will, one thing: what is taught especially in the New Testament will never fly. Organized religion knows that; therefore, to order to keep the seats full and the coffers overflowing, they teach a secular form of Christianity, in order to stay in business.
I understand most people who call themselves Christian would disagree with these principles, since the majority of churches don’t teach it. The Bible, Old and New Testament, is chuck full of this teaching. For that reason I will give a list of verses to corroborate the harm pride does and the good which humility accomplishes. There are more than several hundred verses to choose from.
New Testament verses first:
James 1:9-10. “The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. . . In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.”
2nd Corinthians 5:12. “. . . so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart.”
Luke 1:51. “He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.”
Romans 12:16. “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”
1st Corinthians 13:4. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
1st Timothy 2:1-5. This one sounds like America. “But mark this: there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, PROUD, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lover of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God–having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
James 4:6: “God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble” 1st Peter 5:5. Says the identical words; “Clothe yourself with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble.”
2nd Corinthians 10:17. “But, let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Galatians 6:14. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . .”
James 4:16. “As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.”
Jude 16. “. . . they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”
1st John 2:16. “For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has done–comes not from the Father but from the world.”
Luke 1:52. “He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has filled up the humble with good things.”
Ephesians 4:2. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
James 4:10. “Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
1st Peter 3:8. “. . . love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”
1st Peter 5:6. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”
Colossians 3:12. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Titus 3:2. “. . . and show true humility toward all men.”
James 3:13. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
Now Old Testament verses. There are so may telling of pride and humility, but I will quote just a few, since they mostly display the same principle.
Punishment for disobedience and pride:
Leviticus 26: 8-14. “But if you will not listen to me and carry out my commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: 19. I will break down your stubborn pride . . . .” Also, turn to Leviticus and read through to verse 39. Then we can actually see how serious disobedience and pride is to the Lord.
Proverbs 8:13. “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance.”
Proverbs 16:18. “Pride goes before destruction.”
Enough is enough. I wonder how the Lord sees our great country, especially our Christian religion, with all its pride and arrogance. The answer is scary. After reviewing this post, it was difficult for me to understand. I have to read it several more times before it sinks in.
