The Deception of Religion

But I Follow After

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:8-14

As I read through the above text today, I saw a breakout to the text which I hadn't seen before.  I am sharing it below, not to redefine how you see the text, but to outline what I saw in case it benefits your own studies.

There seemed to be a relationship to the words that I hadn't previously noticed.  Paul expresses several goals in this text, as well as what is needed to reach each goal.  His goals are to:

Goal	Requirement
Win Christ	Suffer the loss of all things by counting them all as loss and considering them all as dung in exchange for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.
Be Found in Christ	Made right with God and being imparted His righteousness through faith in Christ, not pursuing my own righteousness (self-righteousness) by attempting to follow the law (or any other self-effort).
Know Christ	Experience the power of His resurrection, share in His sufferings, and be made conformable to Christ's death.
Attain the Resurrection of the Dead	All of the above: win Christ, be found in Christ, and know Christ.

Jezebel By Any Other Name

Someone referenced the news article, Bill Cosby’s wife says accusers ‘consented’ to drugs and sex, saying that her stance is an example of unconditional love.

This is not unconditional love. If you don't take anything else from this blog, I hope you get this absorbed into the deepest part of your being: the requirement for love to be present is selflessness.  If someone is pursuing their own interests, reputation, pleasure...that is NOT love.

Neither does this show that Camille Cosby is a "ride or die" chick, as she is being called by some now.  What this really presents is a glimpse of the behind the scenes reality when sodomites marry, presenting only an illusion/mockery of the institution of marriage (if you don't know what that means, see the link).

You have the weak, lust-filled man who is up front as the puppet, while the hard, "without natural affection" woman pulls the strings.

It is tragic. It is sickening.  It is damnable.

Go Tell That Fox!

"The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected." Luke 13:31-32

It just tickles me to no end to read things about my Lord and Savior which shows that He was a real person.  The world likes to paint a caricature of a Jesus who is always smiling with open arms as people spit in His face. Yet Jesus told it like it was.

One of the first things that stands out in this text is the hypocrisy of religious people. The Pharisees come to Jesus under the guise of warning Him about Herod, so that He would not be killed. Yet, they wanted Jesus dead too and were conspiring to kill Him (Matthew 26:3-5; Matthew 21:45-46; Luke 19:47-48; Luke 22:2; John 11:47-53).  In fact, when Jesus later confronted them about this fact, they denied it, claiming He had a devil.  (John 7:19-45; John 8:37-59).

Isn't that just like religious folks?  They smile in your face, but all the time are plotting to stab you in the back. And when you call out their lying out, you're the one who is supposed to have a demon!

Nesting

When a woman is pregnant and close to giving birth, it is said that she might feel a burst of energy and the instinctive need to start ensuring her house is in order to prepare for the child's soon arrival. They call this "nesting".

Well, I am not sure if that is what is going on with me, but I feel the need to get things in order.  I feel as if I am preparing for a transition, and not in the religious/worldly way that term is often thrown around.  I have no idea what God is preparing me for, but I have really felt the urge to close out a lot of those "I'll get to it one day" items and to get my house in order.

God had already shown me some years ago that this blog would have its end.  That was almost 4 years ago, and I think, "Gosh Lord, it sure has been a long time since then."  Yet, then I remember that God informed David that he would be King some thirty-odd years before it actually happened, so...

No, I am not comparing myself to David or saying I will be a king.  LOL  I am merely noting that sometimes God gives us advance warning of a change because He was to take a while to forge us into what we need to be in order to take that next step with Him.

God Wants to Save You

God wants to save you, but you must make a choice: an eternity with Him or an eternity without Him.

The Lord doesn't force you to choose. He leaves it up to you.

He also doesn't hide anything from you; He openly tells you the result of each choice.

• An Eternity with the Lord - An abundance of life (Matthew 25:46; John 10:10; I John 2:25). No more death and no more tears (Isaiah 25:8).  There is a specific place prepared for you akin to a mansion (John 14:2).  You will be clothed in righteousness and covered by the presence of the Lord, to worship Him night and day (Revelation 7:13-15).  You will never be hungry or thirsty again and Jesus will comfort your every concern (Revelation 7:16-17).  There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore and you will receive all that is in the Kingdom of God as your inheritance (Matthew 25:34; I Peter 1:4; Revelation 21:4-7).  Priceless riches permeate the city, made of pure gold and precious stones (Revelation 21:18-21).  There is no concept of aging and you will enjoy the fruits of your own labor, for every work you perform will be productive (Isaiah 65:19-23).  There will be no more curses, no more night time at all, and no need for any light outside of the light that comes from Jesus; you will reign with God in the Kingdom (Isaiah 60:19-20; Revelation 3:21; Revelation 21:22-25; Revelation 22:3-6). You will have fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
• An Eternity without the Lord - Everlasting fire, everlasting contempt, everlasting punishment, and everlasting destruction (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:41-46; I Thessalonians 1:9). Eternal fire where the worm never dies (Mark 9:44-49; Jude 1:7).  A resurrection unto damnation (John 5:29). Eternal torment in a lake of fire and brimstone causing weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42-50; Luke 16:22-24; Revelation 14:10-11; Revelation 21:8).

Just consider these options at face value.  No one in their right mind would choose an eternity of torment in Hell fire over an eternity of joy, peace, and love. Yet people do every single hour of every day. Why? Because they have fallen for the okey-doke.