Tag: #Honesty

Honor – and Ruin: NOT PC

Honor – and Ruin: NOT PC
Define hon·or – noun
  1. high respect; great esteem. “His portrait hangs in the place of honor”
  2. adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct. “I must as a matter of honor avoid any taint of dishonesty”

What has happened to honor? Aren’t we supposed to honor our government officials – if not the person, then the office? That’s how I was raised…. Unfortunately, politicians are making such a laughing stock of their positions and their office, and straying so far from our constitution and our laws, it’s becoming more and more difficult. So many think they are above the law. They can hold a position, an ideology, that they present as what we the people need – but it doesn’t apply to them.

I “should be” grateful that they want to oversee and control my life, providing me with what they think I need. Since when is that even remotely okay? I live in America. The United States of America. We have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights. Some of my ancestors migrated here in the 1800’s and early 1900’s – and some were born here. We (almost) all have ancestors who came here to escape poverty and/or lack of freedom, and they came legally as immigrants. Some came as indentured servants, and some came as slaves – of all colors. When my ancestors arrived, they did several things: find jobs (not welfare), and learned the common – English – language.

Some became well-off financially, and some struggled, but I believe that regardless of their financial circumstances, they came and stayed because of the freedom afforded them. Freedom of speech, freedom to protect themselves instead of having to rely on the police or a police-state. Freedom to move around the country without governmental restrictions. These are all reasons that I choose to stay and protect my country.

You see, true immigrants don’t move to another country to make into a mirror of where they come from. We don’t move from one community to another in order to change it to what is familiar. We move so that we can find like-minded people whose ideas and beliefs mesh with our own.

Why do people come to America today? The majority, the ones who do it legally, do it because of the promise of freedom. They leave their country of origin because of oppression; because they believe they can have a better life here. They learn English and they find work.

I believe that we the people had better get a grip! Honor isn’t being taught in our homes or our schools, and it isn’t even up to our schools! We aren’t teaching our kids to honor their parents or other adults. We aren’t teaching them to honor our country, or our Constitution. We aren’t teaching them the principles this country was founded on – freedom and honor.

Without those, we are ruined.

Kiss of Friendship

“A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations. But it will go well for those who convict the guilty; rich blessings will be showered on them. An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship. Don’t testify against your neighbors without cause; don’t lie about them. And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!” ” – Proverbs 24:24‭-‬26‭, ‬28‭-‬29 NLT

I can’t think of anything that bothers me more than finding out a friend/family member gave me an answer to a question that wasn’t honest. Telling me what you think I want to hear isn’t being honest! Telling someone else that you think I’ve made a bad decision and not telling me, or getting frustrated with me and not telling me ….. that’s not being honest with me, either. I would rather hear the truth, even if it is upsetting to me, and know that you said it because you care.

Really.

I’ve been reading through social media posts (again), then I read the verses (above) from Proverbs. I wish that every commentator, every blogger, every politician, every news person, would read them, then apply them.

Just my 2 cents.

Are You Thirsty?

“My soul thirsts for GOD, for the Living GOD. When can I go and meet with GOD? ….. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in GOD, for I will yet praise Him, my SAVIOR and my GOD.” – Psalm 42:2,11 NIV

Psalm 42 was written as a poem to be sung by the sons of Korah, the highest choir of the land for King David. The psalm tells us that though our road to heaven is trying, it is the same for the king. It helps to know that we aren’t alone in our struggles. However, we have a major advantage over King David and his people: we have seen JESUS, the Living GOD, MESSIAH, Who has come and fulfills the prophecies! JESUS is the embodiment of what the prophet Isaiah spoke of in this passage, which JESUS refers to in John 37.

“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.” – Isaiah 55:1‭-‬2 NASB

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast [the Feast of the Booths], JESUS stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” – John 7:37‭-‬38 NASB

Have you drunk of the Living Water, or do you depend on yourself and the world to satisfy your thrist? Without JESUS, you will never be satisfied.

Truth, unvarnished and unrepentent.

Good works, being a “good” person – these will not satisfy your soul, and at the the time of Judgement, when you face the LORD on His Throne – only one thing matters: have you received the Salvation freely offered, the Living Water of JESUS CHRIST? Not Buddha, not Muhammad, not Nostradamos or any other human prophet; not the greatest good deeds nor the best intentions…… only JESUS.

Are you thirsty?

References: https://www.biblestudytools.com and

https://bible.com/bible

Scarred

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” – Romans 15:4 NIV

I heard a song today. It’s been out for a year, and I know I’ve heard it played, but today I heard it. Have you ever experienced this? The song is called Scars, and is by a group called I Am They. A part goes like this:

I’m thankful for the scars
‘Cause without them I wouldn’t know Your heart
And I know they’ll tell of who You are
So forever I am thankful for the scars

Why would I be thankful for scars? The world promotes and values flawless beauty, and scars are disfiguring. They are ugly marks on our bodies ….. but they also show the world that we have survived. I think scars are beautiful. They show something deep and determined and resilient about the bearer. Our Saviour is a perfect example. The scars that JESUS carries on His hands and His feet and His side show an incredible depth of love. Who is more perfect than the Son of the Most High GOD, Creator of the Universe? He willingly placed His perfect body in the hands of His enemies, who beat Him and crucified Him. I can imagine the Enemy was howling with laughter at the damage being done to JESUS’ body before His death. And yet, can you imagine anything more beautiful than those scars? They symbolize our freedom from an eternity in hell, and they are the very visible signs of His absolute love for us.

Scars are beautiful.

Scars – Publishing: © 2017 Wordspring Music (SESAC) (admin. by W.B.M. Music Corp.); EGH Music Publishing / Be Essential Songs (BMI) (admin. at EssentialMusicPublishing.com); I Am They Publishing / Be Essential Songs (BMI) (admin. He left at EssentialMusicPublishing.com)
Writer(s): Matt Armstrong, Ethan Hulse, Jon McConnell, Matthew Hein

Dating 🤔

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:13‭-‬14 NIV

Will that prize include a companion here on earth? “Forgetting what is behind …..” Have you tried relationships, and they never seem to work out? Got a bad taste from people who have falsely represented themselves, taken advantage of you, and hurt you? For me, the goal is to measure anyone I might be interested in against The Christ. Not looks or success, and not by how the world views them. I want a relationship with someone who lives this verse:

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” – Luke 16:10 NASB

Back to Paul’s advice:“Forgetting what is behind …..” We have to be very careful to differentiate between the past that we have put behind us (have we really put it behind us?) and the present we aspire to. Knowing how imperfect I am, and all of the mistakes I have made – and still make – can I judge someone else for not being perfect? Well, the answer is that yes, I absolutely can judge them, but then I am guilty of being unrighteous, in little and in much.

Life will never be easy. The question is, shall I try to make it easy on myself using my “superpowers” of control and perfection, or shall I let the real One take it, the One Who really is perfect and has complete control?

What do you think?

Can’t We Be HONEST With Each Other?

I have discovered that there are people close to me who gossip about me behind my back. Knowing the tendency of all humans to gossip it probably shouldn’t surprise me, but it struck me – hard – right in the heart to find this out. These people believe that my joblessness over the past few years is because I haven’t looked or wanted to work. They consider me a freeloader and a complainer, but haven’t been honest with me about their feelings. Ouch. I would rather have a person for a friend who gives me their honest opinion, and who doesn’t gossip about me to others. How do you feel about this?

As I contemplate this, I sincerely apologize for using this blog and my friends to complain. That was not my intent! I confess to using friends and family as a sounding board; to bounce my concerns and prayers to help me in my decision making about relationships, job opportunities, and life in general. Their – and your – thoughts and opinions matter to me. Why is it so often after the fact that people tell us we made a poor – or a bad – decision? Should we have to plead with our confidante to be honest with us?

“And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” ” – Luke 24:25 NASB

We are, indeed, foolish men* who are slow to listen and believe! (*The fundamental ‘man’ consists of both male and female, man and woman, as humankind.) Betrayal comes in all forms and from all sides …… except from Above. The only One in all of the heavens and on all earth Who will not betray us, in word or deed, is our LORD and SAVIOUR, JESUS, the CHRIST. He will never betray us or lie to us. Remember, a lie of omission is still a lie.

We listen to our friends and family before we listen to GOD and His Prophets, who wrote GOD’s Words of instruction and guidance into the book we call the Bible. It’s no wonder JESUS calls us “foolish men!” If I want to complain, I should probably turn to JESUS in prayer. I can let Him know how I really feel, and He won’t judge me! Sometimes we need a human face in front of us that we can vent to, but we need to know that that person is safe. No repeating, no gossip. Do you have that safe person in your life; are you that safe person for someone?

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He Who searches the hearts knows what the Mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the Will of God.” – Romans 8:26‭-‬27 NASB

He protects us, He intercedes for us, He will never betray us,
He will always be honest with us. Thank you, JESUS!

Even our closest and best friends and family don’t know…..