The spoilers

Jeremiah 12:12 "The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace."

Trying hard to stay out of politics on this post (not too hard as the 'bail out' seems to be opposed or supported across party lines).  This verse jumped out at me during my morning reading, which I cut short due to concern as to the financial situation world wide (not a good thing but am back into the Word).  

And note this truth... 'world wide'.  If anyone thinks that the American economy can go 'into the tank' and the rest of the world can slide through scott-free, are I believe, deceiving themselves.

All that aside; biblical financing is clearly laid out in scripture: 2 Book of Kings 4:7 "Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest."  

First: God provides, live within His providence.

Romans 13:8 "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

Proverbs 22:7 "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."

Though I do not believe that the Lord is commanding us never to borrow money, we are just to be wise in our use of same.  The borrower is the servant (slave) to the lender until the debt is paid.  Only borrow with wisdom, a well thought out plan based on ability to pay and need to borrow (ie: mortgage, car if required etc, most of our debts are probably unneeded!).  

Second: Pay your debts first!  And if you cannot, go to your debtor and work out a solution, bankruptcy is I believe, without every other effort first, reneging on your obligations.  

I think of a secular saying I first heard as a young teen and was a favorite of my father, 'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"("Tanstaafl").  Very popular now with many interpretations but the bottom line is everything has a cost, if not directly to you to someone and always to you in the sense that you will lose the satisfaction of supplying (with God's grace) for your and your families needs.  

Third: work for what you need.  God gives you the ability... use it at whatever He provides for you to do.

Even the fact that salvation is free only denotes that it is free to all, but God's Son paid the price for our freedom!

My thoughts is that there were a lot of shenanigans going on in the stock and brokerage markets and the cows have come home to roost.  Hope no innocents suffer, but many foolish will lose their shirts.  js

Break us to His will

Nahum 1:13 "For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder."

Got home late Saturday evening from the northern peninsula of Michigan, was there for a couple of days at a Christian Men's Retreat (being ex-military I don't like the word retreat used in this context... but cannot think of another word that would not send the wrong message to an unsaved carnal world). It was a good trip; the Lord has challenged my heart that I am still voluntarily allowing myself to serve the wicked counsellor. Though I am doing ‘good’ I am doing it in my own will, ‘self-will’ which I believe will lead to acts of believed righteousness… ‘Self-righteousness’, which is sin. Praying that He will lead me into the paths of righteousness, His righteousness.Praise the Lord we serve a powerful God who can break the yoke of sin. js

Acts 26:28

'Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."

Our childrens club tonight, my daughter and I did a short skit about a youth who was 'king of the basketball court', willing to help another youth learn something about basketball but was offended when the youth tried to give back the secret of eternal life.   The singing and games were a lot of fun, we had extra kids so I asked them if they could sing loud enough to lift the roof off (they sang pretty hard, but young Jakie told me "the roofs still there"...) LOL.

How many will we see at the Great Judgement who were 'almost persuaded'?  js

4th Blog page

I started blogging online back in 2003.  For various reasons the first two were cancelled (one because I did not know how to get rid of a troll, the second because I was beginning to believe it was becoming just vanity), the third exists as a business information service.  This one is strictly to preach the Word.

I am connected to both of the northern countries of North America, both of my first blogs I attempted to cover politics, that will not be my aim with this note, I will strive to stay away from that as the Bible clearly tells me to stick by the right; and all of the parties are far too human and therefore often, far too wrong.

The title of this blog, I believe, speaks for itself.  We are all here on this earth, whether we know, believe or realise it, we all have a destination.  There can only be one of two places.

My text for today is 1st Corinthians 9:19-22, the key phrase being "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."

For those who do not have a Bible handy: "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."

Paul was prepared to go into the highways and byways to seek out the lost and preach.  He did not change who he was but did not let himself get in the way of showing a lost world the light.

You must be born again.  js