Coconut
Member
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2005
- Messages
- 4,663
Heart Matters
(or the HEART of the matter)
Mat 15:8 'These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me.
I have been around some (tho not as much as some of you) both in this world, and religious circles...and it seems to me, some men (and women) view God, no differently than they do their husbands and wives. How so?
Why it is as easy for a man to be a 'Christian' now, as it is to be a 'Husband'...simply repeat the words "I DO" ...and you got a Wife by your side...repeat the words "I Believe" and you got God by your side...simple huh!
1Th 4:4 Each of you should know how to live with your wife in a holy and honorable way...
A beautiful loving caring doting wife is a nice thing to possess,someone a man can wear on his arm when he goes out in public, and of whom he can proudly say to his peers, "look at me, I must be quite a man to have a woman like this want to be mine."
I`ve also heard many a tale of what went on behind closed doors ...inside a home that everyone thought was a loving christian home...how that man cared not for his relationship with his wife, never considering how she feels, or what she thinks, he feeds his own selfish desires off this relationship, and never gives a thought other than what he wants and needs...he winds up with a broken home
and cannot understand why.
1Pe 3:15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord.
A wonderful loving caring doting God is a nice thing to possess, someone a man can wear on his arm when he goes our in public,and of whom he can proudly say to his peers, "look at me, I must be quite a man to have a God like this want to be mine."
I`ve also heard many a tale of what went on behind closed doors...inside a home that everyone thought was a loving christian home...how that man cared not for his relationship with God, never considering how He feels, or what He thinks ... he feeds his own selfish desires off this relationship, and never gives a thought other than to what he himself wants and needs...he winds up with a broken relationship and cannot understand why.
Php 1:17 The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition;
Its become popular in the 21st century to be a christian, (not by true definition)
"Christianity" is now a status-quo thing in the free world, you are deemed as a good person if you are a "christian" ... if not a successful one...you are well on your way...if you just go thru the motions of wearing a suit, showing up for meetings, memorizing the company lingo, make the company feel like they are getting a good return for their investment...why you might even get a promotion...if you`re real lucky you`ll get your own office, and the company will pay YOU to help run the business....but if not the payoff in benefits alone are enough to make it worth your efforts...you get to wear that badge of prestige...and a Boss that caters to your every need.
Other religious members dont have to know how you cussed out your wife behind closed doors, because she made YOU look bad by something she said or did...or how you beat your kid because thier 'acting up' embarrased YOU... or what YOU do behind closed doors that not even your wife and children can ever know about...or that your neighbor knows what kind of jerk you really are...as long as you maintain that public image you have worked so hard to cultivate and protect...thats all that matters...it is all about YOU right?
Mat 25:40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Gal 6:7 Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant. If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life.
Php 1:20 My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.
(or the HEART of the matter)
Mat 15:8 'These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me.
I have been around some (tho not as much as some of you) both in this world, and religious circles...and it seems to me, some men (and women) view God, no differently than they do their husbands and wives. How so?
Why it is as easy for a man to be a 'Christian' now, as it is to be a 'Husband'...simply repeat the words "I DO" ...and you got a Wife by your side...repeat the words "I Believe" and you got God by your side...simple huh!
1Th 4:4 Each of you should know how to live with your wife in a holy and honorable way...
A beautiful loving caring doting wife is a nice thing to possess,someone a man can wear on his arm when he goes out in public, and of whom he can proudly say to his peers, "look at me, I must be quite a man to have a woman like this want to be mine."
I`ve also heard many a tale of what went on behind closed doors ...inside a home that everyone thought was a loving christian home...how that man cared not for his relationship with his wife, never considering how she feels, or what she thinks, he feeds his own selfish desires off this relationship, and never gives a thought other than what he wants and needs...he winds up with a broken home
and cannot understand why.
1Pe 3:15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord.
A wonderful loving caring doting God is a nice thing to possess, someone a man can wear on his arm when he goes our in public,and of whom he can proudly say to his peers, "look at me, I must be quite a man to have a God like this want to be mine."
I`ve also heard many a tale of what went on behind closed doors...inside a home that everyone thought was a loving christian home...how that man cared not for his relationship with God, never considering how He feels, or what He thinks ... he feeds his own selfish desires off this relationship, and never gives a thought other than to what he himself wants and needs...he winds up with a broken relationship and cannot understand why.
Php 1:17 The others do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but from a spirit of selfish ambition;
Its become popular in the 21st century to be a christian, (not by true definition)
"Christianity" is now a status-quo thing in the free world, you are deemed as a good person if you are a "christian" ... if not a successful one...you are well on your way...if you just go thru the motions of wearing a suit, showing up for meetings, memorizing the company lingo, make the company feel like they are getting a good return for their investment...why you might even get a promotion...if you`re real lucky you`ll get your own office, and the company will pay YOU to help run the business....but if not the payoff in benefits alone are enough to make it worth your efforts...you get to wear that badge of prestige...and a Boss that caters to your every need.
Other religious members dont have to know how you cussed out your wife behind closed doors, because she made YOU look bad by something she said or did...or how you beat your kid because thier 'acting up' embarrased YOU... or what YOU do behind closed doors that not even your wife and children can ever know about...or that your neighbor knows what kind of jerk you really are...as long as you maintain that public image you have worked so hard to cultivate and protect...thats all that matters...it is all about YOU right?
Mat 25:40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Gal 6:7 Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant. If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life.
Php 1:20 My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.
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