Dear Elena (and any of my Brothers and Sisters interested),

 

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your response.  Thank you for asking me for my help you in developing a religious perspective.  .

 

I must remind you, I am not a religious person, but I believe in Jesus Christ and believe there is another world that sees the natural world differently than we are taught, except for the Bible.  That world is know as the Spiritual World, and I desire to focus most of my attention there instead of seeking stuff in the natural world.  I may not be able to help you become religious, but I can tell you what the Bible suggests to help you see the world differently.  Being on the other side of the world, I cannot help, but the Holy Spirit within you can guide you to make a difference in the world and how you see it.  The plan of action that I have shared to others that seemed to work for me is as follows.

As I tell others what I believe, God seems to inspire me to DO things that change my life.  Maybe, He will inspire you to do things different in time.

 

God bless you and your family.

 

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ http://www.liferecoveryministry.org/wst_page3.php and check out item 42

Hello Bob!
How are you?I hope you good!
You know,after I've read all that you sent me I decide to take you
religion.
Can you help me?
Elena.

Dear Laura and Everyone I Know,

 

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.  Thank you for your timely response.  Thank you for confirming what God is showing me.  Thank you for reminding me that I share these words to others to help believers to multiply and for me to obey His Word.

 

As I continue to review your response, I am reminded to focus on my own sins, instead of others, and to be more Christ like.  As you suggested to me many years ago, remember to keep asking myself when you gave me that tie, "What Would Jesus Do?"  As I am staying at my friend's home in Virginia and I see the mental problems with his wife and the verses you share touch my heart. 

 

I don't share the Word of God here, because you already have it in your words adequately.

 

Many of us struggle with denial because the truth is so painful.  We avoid the truth about our sins so we won't have to make difficult changes in our life. But no matter how much we hide form our mistakes, in time they will come back to haunt us.  Allowing our dependency to continue unchecked will lead to painful consequences.  Here we are reminded that those consequences continue into eternity.  A day of reckoning will come!  Have we put our life in God's hands?  As we turn our life over to Him, He will help us build on a solid foundation.  When the day of recooking arrives, we will still be standing.

 

It is possible for intelligence to hinder progress in recovery and dealing with significant life changing experiences (like my friend's wife must encounter).  As we analyze the steps we are asked to take, we may find them somewhat foolish or demeaning.  The truth is, sometimes following God's plan will not make perfect sense to us.  We may wonder how entrusting our life to  God can change anything.  We might even find that following God's will is embarrassing at times.  True understanding often happens only as we take steps to obey God's program for healing.  We may be better off throwing aside our need to analyze and understand so that we can experience God's healing power through simple faith and obedience.

 

Laura, as I am writing this, I beg you to pray for my friend's wife.  I need the power of two to ensure that God's healing power will touch her soul. 

 

And to respond to my own weaknesses and our journey, I share my perceptions here:

 

And we should not glory in men, because ministers and all things else are ours through Christ.

To have a high opinion of our own wisdom, is but to flatter ourselves; and self-flattery is the next step to self-deceit.  The wisdom that wordily men esteem, is foolishness with God.  How justly does he despise, and how easily can he baffle and confound it!  The thoughts of the wisest men in the world, have vanity, weakness, and folly in them.  All this should teach us to be humble, and make us willing to be taught of God, so as not to be led away, by pretenses to human wisdom and skill, from the simple truths revealed by Christ.  Mankind are very apt to oppose the design of the mercies of God. Observe the spiritual riches of a true believer; even ministers and ordinances.  Saints have as much of it as Infinite Wisdom sees fit for them, and they have it with the Divine blessing.  Life is ours, that we may have a season and opportunity to prepare for the life of heaven; and death is ours, that we may go to the possession of it.  It is the kind messenger to take us from sin and sorrow, and to guide us to our Father's house.  Things present are ours, for our support on the road; things to come are ours, to delight us for ever at our journey's end. If we belong to Christ, and are true to him, all good belongs to us, and is sure to us.  Believers are the subjects of his kingdom.  He is Lord over us, we must own his dominion, and cheerfully submit to his command. God in Christ, reconciling a sinful world to himself, and pouring the riches of his grace on a reconciled world, is the sum and substance of the gospel.

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40.

Aloha, Virtues: love, forgiveness & more - Colossians 3:12-14 10-14-05 

Dear Everyone I Know,

 

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.   As I was studying the Bible today, God seemed to lead me to virtues I need to develop.

 

Colossians 3:12-14 (New Living Translation)

 

(12) Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (13) You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (14) And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.

 

Paul urges us to maintain our relationships with other people.  Our addictions has probably destroyed or severely strained all our important relationships, and we have a lot of work to do on this front.  We need to make amends where necessary, seek forgiveness from those we have hurt, and forgive those who have hurt us..  Obviously, there are some situations where we cannot, or should not, directly involve the people we have harmed.  In such cases Paul urges caution, telling us to be gentle and not to hold grudges.  As we seek to make amends, our actions are to be governed by the principle of selfless love.

 

To live in mutual love, forbearance, and forgiveness;

 

We must not only do no hurt to any, but do what good we can to all.  Those who are the elect of God, holy and beloved, ought to be lowly and compassionate towards all.  While in this world, where there is so much corruption in our hearts, quarrels will sometimes arise.  But it is our duty to forgive one another, imitating the forgiveness through which we are saved.  Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; it is of his working in all who are his.  Thanksgiving to God, helps to make us agreeable to all men.  The gospel is the Word of Christ.  Many have the Word, but it dwells in them poorly; it has no power over them.  The soul prospers, when we are full of the Scriptures and of the grace of Christ.  But when we sing psalms, we must be affected with what we sing.  Whatever we are employed about, let us do every thing in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in believing dependence on him.  Those who do all in Christ's name, will never want matter of thanksgiving to God, even the Father.

 

God bless you and your family.

 

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ http://www.liferecoveryministry.org/wst_page3.php and check out item 40. 

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39.

Aloha, Comparing ourselves with others - 2 Corinthians 10:12 -- 10-14-05

Dear Everyone I Know,

Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus.   Thank you for spending some of your time to read the Word of God and the comments I usually include to help me focus on dealing with significant life changing experiences, especially the one within me as I allow the Holy Spirit to dominate me more and more.

 

As I have been moving around the mainland these past 8 months, I find myself being surrounded by no one who really professes Jesus Christ as their personal savior.  So I figure God must be putting me in these situations to allow others to see how Christ is moving within my own life.  And maybe, sometime in their lives, they will see the Light and come to Him, as I have.  But I am always afraid that I might be comparing their relationship with God by my own standards.  I try to be very careful to give all the glory to God, but I am sure I sometimes make mistakes.  Today, God seemed to remind me.

 

2 Corinthians 10:12 (New Living Translation)

 

Oh, don't worry; I wouldn't dare say that I am as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are!  But they are only comparing themselves with each other, and measuring themselves by themselves. What foolishness!

 

Seeks the glory of God, and to be approved of Him.

 

If we would compare ourselves with others who excel us, this would be a good method to keep us humble. The apostle fixes a good rule for his conduct; namely, not to boast of things without his measure, which was the measure God had distributed to him. There is not a more fruitful source of error, than to judge of persons and opinions by our own prejudices.  How common is it for us to judge of our own religious character, by the opinions and maxims of the world around us!  But how different is the rule of God's word!  And of all flattery, self-flattery is the worst.  Therefore, instead of praising ourselves, we should strive to approve ourselves to God.  In a word, let us glory in the Lord our salvation, and in all other things only as evidences of his love, or means of promoting his glory.  Instead of praising ourselves, or seeking the praise of men, let us desire that honor which cometh from God only.

 

Apparently, the Corinthians to whom Paul was writing commonly compared themselves with each other. They not only made false standard to follow, but they also made themselves and their peers standards of righteousness.  Many of the Corinthians were graphic examples of pride and complacency. Occasionally, we also suffer the pride that causes us to compare ourselves among ourselves because it is so deeply ingrained in our human nature to evaluate ourselves by human standards.

 

A professing Christian who, in his our eyes, sets ourselves up as the standard of righteousness, will compare ourselves to others who appear to him to be less spiritual than ourselves.  Our views are the standard of righteousness, and our ways of worship are the models of proper devotion.  Our habits and customs arein our own estimationperfect.  We look on ourselves as the true measure of spirituality, humility, and zeal, and we condemn others for failing to rise to our level.  We judge everything by our own benchmark: ourselves.

 

Each of us lives under a unique set of circumstances.  We are working on different problems, growing at various rates on diverse character traits. We experience dissimilar trials and have been influenced by our environment in distinctive ways.  A true and accurate comparison is impossible by another human being.  It misses the mark of perfection according to the truth of God.  Only God can truly judge a person, for only He can judge the heart and observe the entire picture.

 

We know that it is our responsibility to examine ourselves intensely.  However, comparing ourselves among ourselves does not accomplish the goal God has in mind for us, that is, the total renewing of our minds.  Individual comparisons deter us from overcoming our problems because it causes us to aim too low and in the wrong direction.  It deceitfully provides us with self-justification for the way we are.  The result is no change and no growth.  This is judgment according to our own standards and the standards of the created rather than the Creator.

 

In athletics, it is commonly understood that, if a person competes only with athletes of equal or lesser ability and skill, he cannot improve his ability and skill above theirs because he will not strive to improve. So, as I move from family and friends homes who dont have the same kind of relationship with God as I do, I may not be growing.  It reminds me of the principle of Proverbs 27:17: "iron sharpens iron" and because I am not around others who love God more than me, maybe I am not growing.  We become like the people we associate with.

 

As I am reminded of all of this, I also know as long as I keep focused in the Word of God, as most of you may see by the way I write, I will keep measuring myself to my weaknesses in comparison to Gods mighty power.

 

God bless you and your family.

 

Your brother in Christ,

Bob Erb @ http://www.liferecoveryministry.org/wst_page3.php and check out item 39. 

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