Finding GOD's Truth in the Bible

I am always thinking about how GOD works out His Plans.

I guess I am just trying to figure out what He is doing in the world, in my world, in the lives of others.

We all have interpretations about what the Bible says.  That is why we have so many denominations, why we are divided, why we think our ideas are the right ones.

I guess I do the same thing.

When I was searching for my answers about GOD, I made my own decisions about what GOD was trying to show us.  Nothing big, just the conflicts we seem to have.  I needed to decide which view I thought was the right one.

I listen to a video sermon from Adrian Rogers called the Final Judgment.  There are points he makes about the two places called HELL and DEATH, the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, and the LAKE OF FIRE.  I understand the concept of Death and Hell being temporary spaces we go to when we die to wait for the big Judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment.  Death is for the saved, Hell is for the unsaved.  The Lake of Fire is the final place for those who are not saved, not in the Book of Life.  

And then there are all the Martyrs -- the souls who wait under the Throne for the Day of Judgment - to be avenged.  They seem to be a separate group.

In the sermon about the Final Judgment, Adrian Rogers makes one statement about the White Throne Judgment that I don't understand.  He says that anyone who is saved will not have to stand before that final White Throne Judgment.  I am not sure that is the right way to see our future.

I say this because of the martyrs.  They are the only ones I have found who will never face the second death at the Great White Throne Judgment.  

I think we will still face the White Throne.  My view of our sins is that when we confess and repent of our sins, accepting Christ's substitutionary offering for them, they are removed from our "book" in judgment.  Christ's sacrifice covers them.  They are no longer part of our judgment process because we have confessed and repented and accepted Christ's death as our atonement for them.  

This is how I understand the process of forgiveness. 

Consequences of our sins never go away.  Forgiveness is a different thing.

This is what I decided when I studied the Bible to find answers.

Every denomination has their own definitions of what the Bible says.  I think we have to search for our own understanding.  We are all just humans.  Only GOD really knows what He means.  Some parts of what He says are hard to know.  It takes many years to go through all the different passages about any topic, and there are things I will never know about history that is related to some of the Bible's stories.  BUT -- I am still responsible for seeking out these answers myself.  

We have to find a way to become One Body.  Talking through all these differences is the only way I see this happening.  

I hope we can create a global effort, one the world will be able to access and be a part of.  It may be the only good thing the internet can accomplish, for all of us.

I hope GOD allows us to do that.

Where is America going?

 

There are fireworks going outside.  The neighbors do their own.  I haven't done anything with fireworks since my kids grew up.  

The 4th of July is now about America to me.  Our nation.  What is happening to it.  How it has changed over my lifetime.

I used to think everyone wanted to be an American.  Then I realized that everyone loves their country, they just don't like their government.  I think that is happening to America now.    

I suppose this is part of getting old... or seeing prophecy become reality.  I'm not sure what happened.  I know that our government has changed.  It is becoming more about mandates and control.  Of course, I didn't really pay attention to everything the government was doing.  Now that I have discovered some serious topics and the part the government played in those topics, my respect for our national leaders has become jaded (I think that is the right word.) - less trusting.

I learned a lot about government through my years of poverty and Welfare.  

Other issues happened after I was alone, no longer a mother, and had more time to even think about things.

I have been watching more YouTube videos about poverty, housing, and economic issues.  My feed seems to bring up a lot of videos from Australia, some from the UK, and others from all over the US.  It lets me see that these problems exist all over the world.  

When you are the one that is suffering, it seems like the place where you are is the only place in the world something exists.  People in the UK feel the pains of struggling to survive as much as the people in Australia.  We haven't had the ability to know about each other's lives before.  The internet is changing this.  YouTube is changing this.  

I really don't know where America is heading.  I hope it will survive, but there are no guarantees.  The world government we are heading into has the entire North American continent as one region.  I am wondering if our Constitution will matter when that time comes.  All these issues that reach the Supreme Court may not even exist in a world government.  We will all be ruled by the global format.

Immigration will not be an issue if we are all one region.  No borders.  One economic ruling force.  Will we need a wall then?  It is a strange thought.  What will a one-world government look like?

Everything America has stood for, in its best sense, is very great.  I hate to think of it going away.  I am glad I was born an American.  I love my country's historical meaning.  Freedom is a wonderful thing to have.  Morality is why America became so great.  Biblical morality.  And GOD's protection for our faith in Him.

We don't have that protection anymore.  Maybe that is why we are facing so many difficult problems now.  I have often thought about that question of GOD's protection.  We expect Him to keep us from harm, but there is a two-way relationship with that promise.  We haven't done our part.  

People in the church want us to have a revival.  It would help, but it won't solve all our problems.  

Atheists want GOD to be dropped from all things, eliminated.  I don't think they have considered what the world will be like without godly people.

Most people don't want to give up their sin.

I don't think we will be able to solve this part of our problems.

Let's pray hard to try to change GOD's mind.

In Christ,

Deborah Martin

https://work2gather.us  

America and those who cannot protect themselves

 

I was busy watching videos about retirement issues and economic issues, housing problems and opportunities that are new, and thinking about watching a movie before it got so late.  

I sent an email to the Mayor's office in New York City today.  I watched a video about NYC by Cash Jordan and the immigration issues they are struggling with.  I decided to share a memory from my life with the Mayor because that was the only contact point I could find that was related to the issue.  I don't know if I will get a reply that is worth anything, but I felt it was important enough to share.

When I was younger, I can't remember when it was, there was a movement in the US to sponsor Vietnamese people in our churches and other groups across the nation.  I imagine it was somewhere around the time of the Vietnam war, but I can't be sure.  It may have been another people group.  It's been so long ago.  But I vaguely remember it being about Vietnamese people, maybe Vietnamese families.

What I wanted to share with the Mayor is the sponsorship program.  Churches committed to caring for these immigrants.  They helped with housing, jobs, getting settled into American culture, and language issues.  I imagine there are groups in NYC that can do the same thing, especially with the language barriers.  I think families are the most critical need for housing and jobs and building a better future, but I also know singles and couples will be in need.

In Oregon, there are new laws being implemented about homelessness and camping in public spaces.  One interview on the news was a couple with a dog.  The news person asked if they would follow the mandate.  No one talked about the restrictions in shelters against couples and dogs.  I wondered what the government expected them to do, and how to handle the dog issue.  Dogs are a safety issue for homeless people.  Being a couple is a safety issue as well as a human need.  These things don't go away just because you are homeless.  It's been a problem for as long as I can remember.

I think it is foolish of the government to expect people to leave all the things they have struggled to create so they can build a better future just to spend a night in a shelter.  What are they supposed to do with all their belongings, and their dog?  What is needed is a safe space to "live" in their tents as they keep building a better future.

I hate to see this happen.

When I was homeless, I didn't have all the extras.  It was just me.  Just a backpack of some kind.  No pets.  No tents.  No man.  Sometimes a vehicle, sometimes not.  Sometimes kids, sometimes not.  And I tried to find Christian shelters if I could, because I am a Christian.  Things are different in non-Christian shelters and services.  The unsaved don't like the differences in Christian shelters.  This spiritual battle exists in many parts of our lives/world, including within social services.

The Mayor here talked about shelter being a "carrot" to offer the homeless... about offering it over and over again.  Then he said the law has to become a stick (fines and jailtime) to make the homeless change.  This is where the couple with the dog don't fit.  They aren't trying to be difficult, they just want to be together, protect each other, protect their dog, protect their small amount of belongings, protect their lives, and find a better future.  What good will government "interventions" do for their lives? 

So, I will continue looking for better options as I wait for GOD to provide for me and Working Together.  It's all I can do right now.

In Christ,  Deborah Martin  -  https://work2gather.us 

Happy 4th of July to America

We are seeing our freedoms become mandates.  I'm not sure what America will look like in the near future.  I am trying to keep my eyes on GOD and my faith in His ability to accomplish His Will in our time.