Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble saint is most jealous of himself. He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints…and to be quick to notice their deficiencies. But the eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home, and sees so much evil in his own heart, and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts… Pure Christian humility disposes a person to take notice of everything that is good in others, and to make the most of it, and to diminish their failings, but to give his eye chiefly on those things that are bad in himself.

Jonathan Edwards

My Tumblr-Experiences...

What to do on Tumblr?

-Be a sheep, follow the Herd

-Like/Reblog things for good Causes

-Like/Reblog hot girl pictures/videos

-Like/Reblog funny stuff

-Like/Reblog funny cat/dog videos

-Like/Reblog things that make people happy

Don't follow the Rules and then people WILL spread hateful Propaganda about you, by twisting your Words, by abusing/bulling you and pushing forward their own Agenda.

True Story.

@staff doesn't care.

No one does.

No Confidence in the Flesh

4 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything…

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(via You Might Be A Pharisee If ....)

Just when we become proud of our own spiritual advancement we are most in danger of spiritual catastrophe!

Democracy Down

I’m beginning to see why liberal democracies are struggling to fend off far-right extremism. They proclaim an egalitarian, inclusive, kumbaya ethic, yet their hypocrisy literally bleeds through. They proclaim the rights of workers but defer to capital interests. They promote democratic values at home, but quickly toss those out the window in the “national interest.” They proclaim peace but spend enormous amounts on the military, support oppressive regimes, and turn a blind eye to atrocities. They proclaim the prosperity of free markets, but poverty, disease, and addictions are rampant and are ignored. They claim membership of a “rainbow coalition,” yet a benign, paternalistic sense of white superiority persists. It’s like white people who sunbathe all the time. They bask in the glow of their altruism, enlightenment, and self-righteousness. As cancerous growths appear, they run to the doctor, have lesions cut out, and go back to sunbathing, even after the doctor warns them not to. They continue to ignore the warning signs and then are shocked when they discover a malignancy. That is how the MAGA-GOP in the US and far-right parties in Europe gained ascendance. We must do what we can to stop the malignancies, but they will return if we don't address root causes.

Deceived

Galatians 6:3For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISM This belief is not only Calvinistic, but also begs the question: what nation (singular) do they think they are citizens of, since there are Seventh Adventists from almost every nation under the sun? Probably the “new Israel” I would imagine, as they are under the impression…

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on preaching to the choir

“What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but…

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Considering Psalms, 15 – Psalm 65, 1

Please read Psalm 65 in whichever reputable translation you prefer in preparation for this reflection. The translation I am using is the Complete Jewish Bible, translated by David Stern, 1998, supplemented by The New American Standard Version, 1995. There is considerable divergence of translation among versions for some of the Psalms when the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. In this case,…

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Should We Judge Others?

Judging others seems harsh. Afterall, who are we to judge? I have wrestled with this question in my occupation as a pastor. The Bible gives multiple answers that seem to contradict each other at first glance. I hope to be able to show you how they work together to give you a comprehensive guide to what kind of judgements you should make and what kind you should not. Let’s start with the most…

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Self-righteousness won’t be useful today.

Dealing With Other People’s Sins (Part One)

Compromise

Stating the obvious, there’s been a lot of compromise in the Church over the years. Some might argue, more so now than ever. One may also say, hypocrisy has grown out of proportion. Nevertheless, there are believers who desire purity, both in themselves and the Church. They desire a life without compromise and hypocrisy. Do you yearn for that purity?

Even while combatting sin, one could enter into compromise and hypocrisy, without realizing it. How so? The short answer is self-righteousness. It is very subtle in nature. It has a way of ensnaring even those with the best of intentions, by using religious bread crumbs to lead them down the path of pride. After all, self-righteous is nothing more than pride pretending to be holy. Once a person becomes self-righteous, he or she has already compromised.

When it comes to witnessing to the lost, self-righteousness pushes more people away from Jesus than the other way around. How receptive would you be, if you felt you were being judged by a hypocrite? Apart from love, there is no such thing as truth. Self-righteousness enjoys feeling superior to others, while “putting them in their place.” The appearance of holiness is more important than the lost soul.

To be clear, people have neglected speaking the truth in the name of being seeker friendly. In some instances, they fail to mention repentance as being part of the Gospel, because they’re afraid others might be offended. Truth does offend people, especially if they feel exposed.

John 3:19-20 And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the Light, neither cometh to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Broadly speaking, we have handled other people’s sins poorly in some instances. Instead reconciling them unto God, we’ve imputed their sins against them. In other words, we became a stumbling block, because of our self-righteousness. How does one deal other people’s sins without compromise?

Deal With Yourself First

Matthew 7:1-5 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote (speck) that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam (log) that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Do you find it frustrating to see someone point the finger at someone, while he commits the same transgression? It happens all the time, people point out the very faults in others that they themselves carry.

Romans 2:1-3 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

If we find yourself pointing the finger at others, it would be good idea to look in the mirror. We have to deal with our own issues before we can legitimately help anyone else. Clearly, it is easier to deal with someone else’s garbage than our own. The problem is we can get so focused on “fixing” everyone else, we fail to receive that which we need. Without the clarity that comes with repentance and healing, our ability to help others is greatly impeded.

Dealing with ourselves requires humility, and the willingness to see what God desires us to see. If we do not humble ourselves, self-righteousness will have its way, and that is not a good place to find ourselves.

perfectfaith.org

If my own righteousness is all that I am relying on, then I have no hope of finding favor in God’s sight. This is perhaps the hardest part of the Christian message to get across to people – the fact that we are not automatically headed for heaven. The truth is that our sin – not just the wrong things that we have done, but the very attitudes of our hearts – drives us away from God. That’s why the gospel has always been better received among the prostitutes and drug addicts and losers than among the rich and famous. These people don’t find it hard to believe that they have nothing to offer God.

Iain Duguid

When Churches Split

How do you navigate a divisive issue in the church?

In 1996, Bob Dole was running for President against the incumbent, Bill Clinton. It was, like all presidential campaigns, hard fought and, at times, nasty. I mentioned in a sermon that both attended the same church in Washington, D.C. — Foundry United Methodist. I said I thought that was remarkable until I realized that our own congregation included both Frank, whose liberal views were…

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Man-Made Means to Earn Grace-Based Salvation

1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh — 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh…

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What do you do with a man who is supposed to be the holiest man who has ever lived and yet goes around talking with prostitutes and hugging lepers? What do you do with a man who not only mingles with the most unsavory people but actually seems to enjoy them? The religious accused him of being a drunkard, a glutton and having tacky taste in friends. It is a profound irony that the Son of God visited this planet and one of the chief complaints against him was that he was not religious enough.

Rebecca Manley Pippert

Passings Judgements

Romans 2:1-4 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape…

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