To Have and Have Not

To Have and Have Not

Matt 13:11-13 NIV
11 He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

Matt 21:43 NIV
43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

Matt 25:14-30 NIV
14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Mark 4:25 NIV
25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

Luke 8:18 NIV
18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

Luke 10:41-42 NIV
41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Luke 19:26-27 NIV
26 "He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.

Worrying is Useless

Worrying is Useless

Luke 12:22-34 NIV

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
NIV

You Can Take It With a Grain of Salt

You Can Take It With a Grain of Salt


















Revelation 8:8-9 NIV

8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, (God used man's technology,an oil drilling rig, against him?)
all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. (burned and collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico?)
A third of the sea turned into blood, (a third of the Gulf became covered with spilled oil?)
9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, (birds, fish, and various sealife?)
and a third of the ships were destroyed. (not being able to fish, their usage was destroyed?)

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In his vision, St. John could only describe what he saw using things he was familiar with. Therefore, an oil rig might have resembled a mountain, oil might have resembled blood. It stands to reason that the sealife died because of the blood (oil). The ships could be taken to mean "the fishermen" who lost their livelihood... not necessarily the destruction of the ships themselves.

One problem I used to have with this book is that I'd ask myself "are all these events going to happen globally?" I've personally come to the conclusion that these plagues, or whatever, will be located in various parts of the world at different times (they won't be simultaneous). Therefore, an earthquake in Haiti, a volcano in Iceland... you get the picture.

St. John was shown these catastrophes while exiled in Patmos, an island in Greece. He was given a whirlwind tour of the End Times which spanned an unknown period of time. The visions themselves may have taken hours, days, weeks... I don't know.

Another confusing aspect of Revelation for me used to be: Will these cataclysmic events all come directly from the Hand of God? Today, it is quite clear to me that they won't... some of them will come from God thru the hand of man (witness the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill).

What's more, and don't laugh, some of these plagues will emanate from curses - - - some directly from God and some from other nations (which will remain nameless for the time being). That's why we need exorcists, deliverance ministries, and spiritual warriors to step up and unite in prayer and ask God for discernment.

Truth Seeker

Putting God's Word Into Practice

Putting God's Word Into Practice

Matthew 7:24-27 NIV
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Luke 6:46-49 NIV
46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

Count the Cost

Count the Cost

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The Cost of Following Jesus

Luke 9:57-62 NIV
57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

59 He said to another man, "Follow me."
But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."
62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

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The Cost of Being a Disciple

Luke 14:28-33 NIV
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Omnipotence

Omnipotence

Genesis 18:14 NIV
14 Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Exodus 14:21-22
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Job 42:1-2 NIV
1 Then Job replied to the LORD :
2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Jer 32:17 NIV
17 "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Jer 32:27 NIV
27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

Mat 19:26 NIV
26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Mar 10:27 NIV
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Lk 1:37 NIV
37 For nothing is impossible with God."

Lk 18:27 NIV
27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."