Colossians 2: 1-23
September 3, 2008 by Tina
Filed under Current Issues, Grace of God, Love Of God
1 I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other friends who have never known me personally.
2 My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God’s secret plan, which is Christ himself.
3 In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I am telling you this so that no one will be able to deceive you with persuasive arguments.
5 For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I am very happy because you are living as you should and because of your strong faith in Christ.
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him.
7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
8 Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ.
9 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body,
10 and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.
11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure – the cutting away of your sinful nature.
12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead
.13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.
14 He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.
15 In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.
16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.
17 For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.
18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on self-denial. And don’t let anyone say you must worship angels, even though they say they have had visions about this. These people claim to be so humble, but their sinful minds have made them proud.
19 But they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For we are joined together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God.
20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the evil powers of this world. So why do you keep on following rules of the world, such as,
21 “Don’t handle, don’t eat, don’t touch.”
22 Such rules are mere human teaching about things that are gone as soon as we use them.
23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, humility, and severe bodily discipline. But they have no effect when it comes to conquering a person’s evil thoughts and desires.
So why do people continue to do rituals and practices to try and become close to God? Simply put they do not have Jesus as their personal Savior. Practicing in such ways is not fruitful and bears no witness to the power of the cross! What Jesus did to free us to be able to connect with God! Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God the Father! The bible plainly states that.
In these rougher years ahead it is vital that you have the security that only Jesus can provide! Are you willing to just go along with anything or anyone? If you do not have TRUE PEACE unwaivering then SOMETHING is wrong my friend!
Do not be decieved!!! This is truly a matter of LIFE or DEATH and I am not talking just about you die and that’s it I’m talking about ETERNITY!
Be Blessed!
Jesus Speaking in Parables Matthew Chapter 13
August 7, 2008 by Tina
Filed under Bible Stories
1 Later that same day, Jesus left the house and went down to the shore, 2 where an immense crowd soon gathered. He got into a boat, where he sat and taught as the people listened on the shore. 3 He told many stories such as this one:
“A farmer went out to plant some seed. 4 As he scattered it across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plants sprang up quickly, 6 but they soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. 8 But some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. 9 Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”
10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you always tell stories when you talk to the people?” 11 Then he explained to them, “You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not.
12 To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand.
14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: ‘You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ F73
16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I assure you, many prophets and godly people have longed to see and hear what you have seen and heard, but they could not. 18 “Now here is the explanation of the story I told about the farmer sowing grain:
19 The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the Good News about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the seed away from their hearts. 20 The rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy. 21 But like young plants in such soil, their roots don’t go very deep. At first they get along fine, but they wilt as soon as they have problems or are persecuted because they believe the word.
22 The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the Good News, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares of this life and the lure of wealth, so no crop is produced. 23 The good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a huge harvest – thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.”
24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as everyone slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. 27 The farmer’s servants came and told him, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!’ 28 “‘An enemy has done it!’ the farmer exclaimed.”‘Shall we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
29 “He replied, ‘No, you’ll hurt the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds and burn them and to put the wheat in the barn.’” 31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.
32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches.” 33 Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast used by a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount F74 of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough.” 34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.
35 This fulfilled the prophecy that said, “I will speak to you in parables. I will explain mysteries hidden since the creation of the world.” F75 36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain the story of the weeds in the field.”
37 “All right,” he said. “I, the Son of Man, am the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
40 “Just as the weeds are separated out and burned, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 I, the Son of Man, will send my angels, and they will remove from my Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace and burn them. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the godly will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!
44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field – and to get the treasure, too! 45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a pearl merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.
46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! 47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that is thrown into the water and gathers fish of every kind. 48 When the net is full, they drag it up onto the shore, sit down, sort the good fish into crates, and throw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, 50 throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Do you understand?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.” 52 Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who has become a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a person who brings out of the storehouse the new teachings as well as the old.”
53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he left that part of the country. 54 He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was astonished and said, “Where does he get his wisdom and his miracles? 55 He’s just a carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers – James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.
56 All his sisters live right here among us. What makes him so great?” 57 And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” 58 And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.
