Help from unpredictable quarters

Be open minded – unexpected sources of help come from unpredictable quarters.

‘But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.
And when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
and went to him and bandaged his wounds…’
Luke 10:33

An uncovering book to explore

Now Summer has come to us we have more time to sit outdoors and relax. Ideal time to take up the Book of books to read in it. We have the whole of God’s Word to read and inspire us whenever we feel like doing so. Though many people like to postpone Bible reading. Some are also afraid to be confronted with the words which they might find inside. To prorogue reading the Bible shall keep a lot of wisdom from them. Holding off Bible reading will withhold us from useful help. Protracting a confrontation with the Word of God shall only make it more difficult for the person to find a satisfying life which shall be righteous in the eyes of the Most High Divine Creator.

“Which Book, Holy Bible” – NARA – 516150 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To understand past and evolution to the future, our position in life, our way to follow, we could use that what is brought to us in that old library of 66 books.

Many want others to believe that it is

dang hard. {J.S. Parks Five Primers On How To Study The Bible}

but it does not have to be so hard as they say. When you start with the right open mind and good attitude you should be able to trace back those old sayings and enjoy the different genres of literature the Bible presents. Like any book we come to read we do not have to expect to see clear (in everything) straight ahead. We do need time to reflect and to let the material come into our mind, having it come to grow, like a mustard seed.

Though those writings may be written long ago for people who lived ages ago, the words still are very useful and edifying for today. Whatever mood we are in those words can enlighten us and change our mood for the better. When we are willing to have those words come unto us they shall do.

Every time you open the Bible, believe that God has something for you. Believe it. At every moment, good and bad, up or down, in all seasons, the Bible will speak.  The Holy Spirit convicts you of all truth. Be ready for it to push against you, to disagree with you, to challenge what you always thought was true. The Word of God is a sword that will cut you to your soul, exposing all. {J.S. Parks Five Primers On How To Study The Bible}

The Bible is much more than just the message of Jesus. It is the message of God. Some might want you to believe that as an unbeliever you are nothing with the Bible. They say, like J.S.Park, that it is crazy to those without Jesus, and want us to believe that it only can be the saving truth to believers. but the Biblical message is a message of hope, peace and message of salvation for all.

We should know that all Scripture is breathed out of God, useful for everybody and for everything we do and who we are. No matter if you believe or to have faith, confidence, or trust in this or that or do not believe in this or that or trust what one has heard. Be sure not everything what so called believers belief is true. Many, not to say the majority in Christendom belief nonbilical things. The ones who try to keep to the Bible in Christianity are often fought against and shunned by so called ‘Christians‘. Therefore it is not bad to come to see what is really written in that book of books.

To come to a real good exploration of the Bible you should start with a fully open mind, undone from the traditional human doctrines and willing to read what is really written there on those uncovering pages.

Lots of people want to get as much gain as possible from everything what comes into their hands. They should know that we are not here to  hoard treasures down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. We are better to find more useful treasures by reading in the Bible.  From those words we can learn a lot and build up a stronger character. It shall also learn us how to stockpile treasures in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars.

Your eyes are windows into your body and you have to use them to see into yourself. The Bible is your looking glass and your best tool to get to know yourself and those around you. Perhaps you will not see it at first, but given time you will come to see. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have! Pulling up the blinds are the shutters you will come step by step to more insight and closer to the truth. You also shall start feeling how higher forces will come to guide you.

This doesn’t mean you’ll “feel something” every time you read Scripture. But meditate on even a tiny scrap of a verse and let it sit. The Bible has the very words of God pouring out His heart for you. He is big, but by His Word, He is so close. Hear it as a friend speaking, as a leader leading. Be encouraged and convicted. {J.S. Parks Five Primers On How To Study The Bible}

Quadruple combination opened to the Book of Isaiah – note the cross references between Biblical and Latter-day Saint scripture in the footnotes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Those writings from the old times are still of use for us. It are the Words from God and from people God wanted us to hear their voices. Words from good and bad people are written down so that we can learn from what went right and what went wrong. They are words which we should embrace and believe. They do come from the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless as in our times. (Romans 4:23-24)  Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. (Romans 15:4)

In the knowledge that  every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another — showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way, it is a major manual to guide us through life in easy and in difficult times. Knowing also that some very difficult times soon may arrive, we are better to prepare ourselves for that great war which shall come over humankind. A forewarned is forearmed.

Therefore this Summer do not hesitate to take up the Bible and let yourself be carried away by its stories. Through the Word you may be put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for you. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard — God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to the apostles who took care like the other men of God that the messengers of God their words would be told to the next generations. We do well to keep focusing on those precious words. When you are feeling blue or are not happy, feeling tired, or when you feel pleased with what you have, come to see the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts. The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

When reading it we should leave the human words, which tried us to belief certain things, for what they are, and go deeper in to study what is really written in the Bible.  We are convinced when you try to read the Bible, listening to the words like they are written there, it is not such a difficult book at all.

Good luck with it.

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Preceding articles:

Summerholiday season time to read the Bible

Holiday making and dreaming

Home-stayers and their to do lis

Genre – Playing by the Rules

The Need to Understand Genre

A Dutch version / Een Nederlandse versie: Zomertijd ideaal op met Bijbellezing aan te vangen

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Additional reading:

1. Catholicism, Anabaptism and Crisis of Christianity
2. A question to be posed
3. A way to look for Christ, the Bible, Word of God
4. Youth has difficulty Bible Reading
5. Some one or something to fear #3 Cases, folks and outing
6. The Right One to follow and to worship
7. People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers
8. People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations
9. People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions
10. People Seeking for God 6 Strategy
11. Not able to make contact with God because to busy
12. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen
13. Relapse plan
14. Being Religious and Spiritual 6 Romantici, utopists and transcendentalists
15. Being Religious and Spiritual 7 Transcendence to become one
16. Being Religious and Spiritual 8 Spiritual, Mystic and not or well religious
17. Engagement in an actual two-way conversation with your deities
18. Creator and Blogger God 10 A Blog of a Book 4 Listening to the Blogger
19. Challenging claim 4 Inspired by God 3 Self-consistent Word of God
20. Statutes given unto us
21. Written down in God’s Name for righteousness
22. Unread bestseller
23. Do Christians need to read the Old Testament
24. We should use the Bible every day
25. Daily Spiritual Food To prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of God
26. Daily portion of heavenly food
27. Feed Your Faith Daily
28. The importance of Reading the Scriptures
29. Bible, best Book of books to get to know the truth
30. Necessity of a revelation of creation 9 Searching the Scriptures
31. Necessity of a revelation of creation 10 Instructions for insight and wisdom
32. The Almighty Lord God of gods King above all gods
33. God who knows the heart
34. Jehovah God Almighty greater than all gods
35. Glory of only One God Who gives His Word
36. Necessary to be known all over the earth
37. Hearing words to accept
38. Writers needed to preach to non-believers
39. Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
40. Appointed to be read
41. Bric-a-brac of the Bible
42. Absolute Basics to Reading the Bible
43. How to Choose a Bible for Preaching
44. The Third Word: Scripture twisting is blasphemy
45. Interpreting the Scriptures (Part 5)
46. The holy spirit will bring back to your minds all the things told
47. Building up the spirit of the soul
48. Be an Encourager
49. God’s never-ending stream of much-needed mercies
50. Displeasure of יהוה , Jehovah the God of gods, and His wrath against all the gentiles their divisions
51. Believing in the send one and understanding that one does not live by bread alone
52. Salvation, trust and action in Jesus #3 as a Christian
53. The manager and Word of God
54. Accuracy, Word-for-Word Translation Preferred by most Bible Readers
55. The Metaphorical language of the Bible
56. Scripture alone Sola Scriptora

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Related articles

• What need of these things?
• Are you still hearing parables?
• Have you been shaken?
• Old language to confirm the promises
• The holy spirit will bring back to your minds all the things told

What Are You Seeking?

At the beginning of the new academic year we also can think about what people would like to have on their bucket list and priority list for the new year.

Like at the beginning of the New Western Calendar Year those living in industrialised and economic democracies can compete with the North Americans having their eyes fixed on material matters and on the self.

When we look at the list of the top ten New Year’s Resolutions for 2014 it says all about the mind which has gone a long way off track from creation and its Creator.

Like the medical world prefers to treat the visible sings but not the cause of the illness. A lot of people are not at all interested to work on their (bad) habits. They like enjoying themselves at no price. They also want to be first in the picture and would like to boost their popularity as much as they can. Social media are there for them to help to reach their goal.
But are they really aiming at the right goal? We do not think so.
They also are not interested to find the way to that small door or ancient gate, written about in very old books.
They do not appreciate the value of those very old books. They better would spend some more attention to them.

From old times they where there to help, guide and support those who wanted to pick up that Book of books, called the Bible. It has helped millions of people by now. It still can help you and those around you to bring inner-peace. A peace which shall last for ever.

It may take years to come to that inner-peace and it is also very difficult for people to put aside the doctrinal churches of so many denominations. But when you shall find the truth in the Word of God, taking the words for what they say and not thinking ‘God‘ when there is written ‘Jesus‘, but than taking it to be Jesus, the son of God, than you will find inner peace so much quicker.

Good luck with your Bible reading and studying the Word of God.

God bless.

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Find also:

1. Allowed to heal
2. Relapse plan
3. Denis Wright looking at the world of human beings
4. Mourners Celebrate Life Of Inspirational Cancer Teen
5. Searching for fulfillment and meaning through own efforts, facing unsatisfaction and depression
6. See the conquest and believe that we can gain the victory
7. Feed Your Faith Daily
8. Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still
9. The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places
10. Obtain favour from Yahweh
11. Bible, Word of God, inspired and infallible

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• True Peace (ellen5e.com)
  Those that don’t really know Jesus do not really know peace. Their souls deep down know that they are at enmity with God. Something is not right. They search and cannot find it. They try the world’s way of selfish ambition and self-rule. The Bible refers to this as the man who built his house on shifting sand. There is no solid foundation, because when the current scheme, relationships, pursuits fail (and they will) they simply try something else and start the cycle all over again.
  Our rock-solid, devoted & loving relationships with God and other people is in very strong contrast to their hate for our proclaiming the truth of God’s word.
• Activators of grace and peace (dailymedit.wordpress.com)
  Grace and peace are like twins. Grace fuels you forward, peace makes you grounded. The bible says: it is good that the heart be established with grace not with food which has not benefitted those who are given to it. So Paul was saying in the focus verse that it is better to “eat” grace than to eat food for energy. It is more sustaining.When God wants to send help it comes in the shape of grace. The help which Jesus is the embodiment of, which was sent to the earth was said to be full of grace. Jesus is a grace-package (John 1:14). And when Paul wanted to write about Jesus he identified him with his grace, saying the grace of the lord Jesus be with you (2Corinthians 13:14).
• Religious mentality (thelivingmessage.com)
  There are so many different religions in the world today and just as many if not more denominations of Christian belief too. Why are we so split up into different doctrines and belief systems? Mainly, because of Satan himself. I know, there are many, many people who don’t believe in him and those who say that he doesn’t exist at all. He enjoys taunting them and playing with their minds, especially when they don’t think that it is a real entity which is doing these things.
• 10 Things Your Childhood Pastor Didn’t Tell You (But Should Have) (patheos.com)
  There are around 40,000 different Christian denominations all with their own particular nuances and ways of expressing the Christian message. I fear too many of us grow up thinking that our group is the one group who “gets it”, but with 40,000 different expressions of Christianity out there, chances are slim that you grew up in the one faith tradition who had it all correct. Each expression of Christianity has inherent strengths and weaknesses, all of which should be considered on the individual merits.
• Triangulations : The Deadly Yahweh Dilemma (triangulations.wordpress.com)
  Here is my list of theological dilemmas (“doctrines”) that divide up Christianity into its many, colorful and flavorful varieties.  To this list I am adding another theological question by which to understand Christians:
  The Deadly Yahweh DilemmaIt is obvious to any Bible reader that in the Jewish scriptures Yahweh displays far more deadly attributes than Yahweh does in the Christian scriptures. Exceptions exist of course: with kind, wonderful images of Yahweh in the OT and a horrible Yahweh seen in the NT (see the Book of Revelation). But overall, the differences is clear — the Deadly Yahweh Dilemma has existed since the beginning of Christianity and Christians have devised several different clever solutions.

Unshakable Hope

I follow a Bible reading plan every year, and the plan I’m following this year begins with John’s Gospel. I’ve always thought it was much more than a coincidence that the first words spoken by Jesus (in John’s Gospel) come in the form of a very profound question; it’s a question that everyone should know the answer to:

“What are you seeking? (John 1:38)

When I read that question on January 1^st, I paused to think about what I should be seeking this year. I believe that our New Year’s Resolutions, or lack of, tell a lot about what we’re seeking. The following is a list of the top ten New Year’s Resolutions for 2014. Other than showing that we smoke too much, spend too much, sit too much and eat too much, what does this list tell us about the American people?

1. Lose weight.
2. Improve finances.
3. Exercise…

View original post 429 more words

The Person Who Cannot Despair

Despair is the absolute extreme of self-love. It is reached when a person deliberately turns his back on all help from anyone else in order to taste the rotten luxury of knowing himself to be lost…Despair is the ultimate development of a pride so great and so stiff-necked that it selects the absolute misery of damnation rather than accept happiness from the hands of God and thereby acknowledge that He is above us and that we are not capable of fulfilling our destiny ourselves. But a person who is truly humble cannot despair, because in a humble person there is no longer any such thing as self-pity.

“The desert is the home of despair.  And despair, now, is everywhere.  Let us not think that our interior solitude consists in the acceptance of defeat.  We cannot escape anything by consenting tacitly to be defeated.  Despair is an abyss without bottom.  Do not think to close it by consenting to it and trying to forget you have consented.

This, then, is our desert: to live facing despair, but not to consent.  To trample it down under hope in the Cross.  To wage  war against despair unceasingly.  That war is our wilderness.  If we wage it courageously, we will find Christ at our side.  If we cannot face it, we will never find Him.”  (Thoughts in Solitude)

The Seven Storey Mountain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

– Thomas Merton (1915–1968),  French-born writer who converted to Catholicism after a long and complicated intellectual journey becoming a Trappist monk, was one of the most well-known Catholic writers of the 20th century. He was the author of more than 60 books, including the story of his conversion, Seven Storey Mountain, a modern spiritual classic.

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Find also to read:

1. Cosmos creator and human destiny
2. Control your destiny or somebody else will
3. Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair
4. No time for immorality
5. Old age
6. Companionship
7. Not following the tradition of man
8. Looking for True Spirituality 8 Measuring Up
9. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer #8 Condition
10. What Jesus did: First things first

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Related articles

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  In 1941, a brilliant, good-looking young man decided to give up a promising literary career in New York to enter a monastery in Kentucky, from where he proceeded to become one of the most influential writers of this century. Talk about losing your life in order to find it. Thomas Merton‘s first book, The Seven Storey Mountain, describes his early doubts, his conversion to a Catholic faith of extreme certainty, and his decision to take life vows as a Trappist monk.
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  In despairing over something, [a person] really despaired over himself, and now he wants to be rid of himself.
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  If he had become Caesar, he would despairingly get rid of himself, but he did not become Caesar and cannot despairingly get rid of himself. Essentially, he is just as despairing, for he does not save his self, is not himself.
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  I have just finished reading The Seven Storey Mountain, the spiritual autobiography of Thomas Merton. Its a beautiful book which chronicles his journey through childhood and student days to becoming a Trappist monk. Merton was born in 1915 and experienced an eclectic upbringing in USA, France and London. However, his
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• The Franciscan Heart of Thomas Merton: A New Look at the Spiritual Inspiration of His Life, Thought, and Writing by Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M. (evolutionarymystic.wordpress.com)
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