I Don't Want to be with the Goats

When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a Shepherd divideth His sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right Hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on His right Hand, Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.  Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink?  When saw we Thee a stranger, and took, Thee in?  or naked, and clothed Thee?  Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.  Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was hungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in: naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not.  Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord when saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee?  Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.  Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 31-46.
We aren’t just supposed to say, “I am a Christian so I will have Salvation regardless of my actions.”  There is a passage in Romans that talks about whether we are saved by our works alone, which is definitely not going to happen.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin: but yield yourselves unto God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the Law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the Law, but under grace?  God forbid!  Romans, Chapter 6, verses 13-15.
We are to be examples of how God works in our lives, not just to those we consider worthy of our attention.  We are to include those who are down and out and those that society deems as unworthy.

Because this an example of how I’ve applied these Bible passages to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passages.


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

God Doesn't Want Us to be Taken In

And many false prophets shall rise, and deceive many.  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  Matthew, Chapter 24, verses 11-14.

Many will try to entice us to believe things that won’t lead us to Salvation.  They will encourage us to belong to churches that sound like they follow God’s Will, but really misconstrue what is said in the Bible.  God doesn’t want us to be taken in by these people, but wants us to continue to share His Word with others.
Here are some related passages:
*Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ, or there; believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before, Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  Matthew, Chapter 24, verses 23-26.
*But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.  2 Timothy, Chapter 3, verses 13-16.
*BUT THERE were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the Way Of Truth shall be evil spoken of.  And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.  2 Peter, Chapter 2, verses 1-3.
*Then said the prophet Jeremaiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.  Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth; this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.  So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.  Jeremiah, Chapter 28, verses 15-17.
*And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.  Then came the Word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie: Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among his people: neither shall he behold the good that I will do for My people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.  Jeremiah, Chapter 29, verses 29-32.

Because this is an example of how I've applied these passages to my life, they don't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passages. Debbie


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

Are We Different Outside the Church?

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Matthew, Chapter 23, verse 23.
Of course we don’t give spices when they pass the offering plate around at church.  This passage reminds me of some who put large sums of money in as an indicator of their faith in God, yet their daily actions show quite the opposite.  Outside of church, they may be critical and judgmental of others, not generous to those less fortunate or unforgiving of others.  The thing that matters to God is how we live our lives as examples of His positive influence on us, not how much we put in the offering plate.
Here are some related passages:
*Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.  Matthew, Chapter 23, verses 25-26.
*Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.  Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.  Matthew, Chapter 23, verses 27-28.
*Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.  Matthew, Chapter 23, verses 29-30.

Because this is an example of how I've applied these Bible passages to my life, it doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 
re with others about co-workers?
Please share by clicking on comments below. Thanks! Debbie

Highest Regard

But be not ye called Rabbi: for One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.  And call no man your father upon the earth: for One is your Father, which is in heaven.  Neither be ye called masters: for One is your Master, even Christ.  Matthew, Chapter 23, verses 8-10.

God wants us to hold Him in highest regard and no other.

(I read this before I posted it and wondered if I should add more than the one sentence I have in the book. I think that, sometimes, God wants things simple to make a point.)


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

Freeloader Christians

And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?  And he was speechless.  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  For many are called, but few are chosen.  Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 1-14.
I guess I’m on a party theme.  This passage is about a wedding, but when I went to explain this, the thought in my mind is to compare it to a surprise birthday party for your boss.
This is a black tie affair and you’ve sent out invitations to all your co-workers, asking them to R.S.V.P.  It’s several days before the party, but only a few people have called to say they are coming.  You have reserved this big banquet hall and have paid for the caterers.  Getting nervous, you call the people who haven’t responded.  Well, you get one lame excuse after another.  You overhear a couple of co-workers in the restroom saying that they are going to a golf tournament that day, but they told you they had a sick family member.  You decide very quickly that you can do without friends like that, but your boss will be embarrassed if the banquet hall is almost empty.  You don’t want him to be humiliated, so you think of a plan, fast!
You decide to go invite the people who work in the stock room and the mail room.  They hardly ever interact with your boss, but it’s better than having an empty banquet hall.  You give them the invitations, with directions to the banquet hall and busy yourself with all the last minute preparations. Now you can relax, because you know the banquet hall will be full of people.  You start to realize that these lower status people are more dependable and more deserving than your so-called friends who gave you lame excuses.
On the day of the surprise party you welcome all the loyal stock room and mail room workers.  You thank them for coming and tell them where to hide to surprise the boss.  Just then, some guy comes in dressed in khaki shorts and a Polo shirt.  You ask him what he could have been thinking about when he decided to come dressed like that.  You tell him to leave, because he’s not welcome at this black tie affair.  Those who put some effort in and did what they were supposed to were welcome regardless of their financial or social standing.  You don’t want a freeloader who doesn’t even put the effort into properly getting ready for the party.
Well, sometimes I’m a “Freeloader Christian,” too.  Jesus asks all of us to put some effort into being one of His chosen few.  He even gave His own life for us, so we could be invited to His party in heaven on the Last Day.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t have qualified for an invitation of that magnitude.  Some of us will do our part, although we can never truly earn admission to such a swanky affair.  Jesus did that for us.  We have a free ride on His coat tails, provided we aren’t being an ungrateful freeloader.
Well, Jesus calls each and every one of us, but how many of us come up with reasons why we can’t go to church, why we are too busy to pray or too embarrassed to let others know that we are Christian?  Well, if we don’t respond when He calls us, He will invite others to take our place in Heaven with Him.  That’s not what I want!
Here is a related passage:
*Then said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.  And they all with one consent began to make excuse.  The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.  So that servant came, and showed his lord these things.  Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.  And the servant said, Lord, it is done as you hast commanded, and yet there is room.  And the lord said unto the servant, Go out unto the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.  Luke, Chapter 14, verses 16-24.

Because this an example of how I’ve applied these Bible passages to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passages.


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

Dragging Your Feet Christians

This is the reply of Jesus to the chief priests who were asking Him questions, trying to trick Him.
But what think ye?  A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son go work today in my vineyard.  He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.  And he came to the second, and said likewise.  And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.  Whether of them twain did the will of his father?  They say unto Him, the first, Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.  For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him:; and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.  Matthew, Chapter 21, verses 28-32.
Jesus makes a pretty bold statement here, saying that the commonly despised tax collectors (publicans) and the prostitutes will go to heaven, because they believed in Jesus when John the Baptist told them.  I’m glad God is no respecter of status, but I’m concerned about the second brother who is a “Dragging Your Feet Christian.”
When his father asks him, he spouts off (paraphrased), “Sure, I’ll help you, Dad,” but he never did what he promised to do.  Actually, that seems worse than being honest and saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t do it right now,” because at least people can plan accordingly and not depend on that person to accomplish the task.  I do this when I read how we’re supposed to share our love for Jesus with those who might not know Him.  I say, “Sure I will, God.  I really love You and I want to do whatever it is that You want.”  Do I do it?  Nope.  I just plan to share my faith with others, but I’m still dragging my feet.
Well, the father in this parable forgave the son who said he wouldn’t do it but changed his mind and did it after all, but that wasn’t the case for the other son.  I don’t want God saying, “Debbie said she’d share her faith, but did she?  Yeah, she wrote this book, but she never went out of her comfort zone and really took any risks.  What would have happened if Jesus never took the risks to be humiliated, crucified and rise from the grave?  He went through all of that for her and she thinks she can fool Me.  She says that she’s only too glad to help out, but doesn’t do a single thing.  I’ve got her number!”

Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

Are the People on Welfare Rich?

And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?  and He said unto him.  Why callest thou Me good?  There is none good but One, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the Commandments.  He saith unto Him, Which?  Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  The young man saith unto Him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.  Then said Jesus unto His disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.  When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.  Matthew, Chapter 19, verses 16-26.
Now, it can be easy to ignore this passage and think that this just doesn’t pertain to me because I’m not rich.  Being rich is a relative thing.  (I wanted to say some corny thing about all your relatives coming around if you were rich.  Forgive me, but I couldn’t resist!)  Don’t you think those from a Third World Country would think that American’s on welfare are rich?  We have so much, but don’t realize it when we compare ourselves to others who seem to have so much more.
I think it’s about how all our stuff and the desire for more stuff, money or wealth interfere with our total focus on God.  Everything we couldn’t bear to put in a Salvation Army, Goodwill or other charitable bin has some control on us.  Its importance has worked a very subtle wedge in our relationship with God.
I was trying to think about which things might be excluded from this.  First, I thought about my toothbrush, because it seems like an essential item.  Then I thought that the disciples didn’t have toothbrushes when they followed Jesus.  If Jesus told me I needed to follow Him and be willing to give up my toothbrush I would need to, no questions asked.
Next, I thought about my shoes, because I thought they were essential.  I realize having 27-35 pairs of shoes in my closet right now for casual, work or dress wear throughout the year is highly questionable.  Well, I looked in the Bible and found this passage:
And the people asked Him, saying, What shall we do then?  He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.  Luke, Chapter 3, verses 10-11.
I think this is a good rule of thumb.  I don’t know much about the philosophy of those who write books about simplifying your life by giving up things, but it seems this passage would support the general principal of how things become too important to us.  There is no way I want the extra pairs of shoes I own to become a wedge in my relationship with God.
I was just thinking that if I could get my shoes down to one pair of tennis shoes instead of five different types, a pair of dress shoes, etc. and give the rest to a charitable organization, I would be more in-tune with what God wants for me.
Here are some related passages:
*And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good?  none is good, save One, that is, God.  Thou knowest the Commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.  And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.  Now when Jesus heard these things, He said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me.  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.  And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, He said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?  And He said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.  Luke, Chapter 18, verses 18-27.
*Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.  Psalm, Chapter 62, verse 10.

Because this example of how I’ve applied these Bible passages to my life only focused on a portion of the passages, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passages.


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

Holding on to Petty Grudges

Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  till seven times?  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.  Therefore is the Kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him and forgave him the debt.  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.  And his fellowservant fell down at this feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me.  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.  So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother his trespasses.  Matthew, Chapter 18, verses 21-35.

God forgave us all our sins by sending His son, Jesus, to die for us and to arise again.  Just think of all the humiliation Jesus had to go through for us.  After all of that torment, Jesus asked God to forgive everyone involved in His crucifixion.  I have a lot of nerve holding onto petty grudges against other people.  It makes me feel like I am the first servant who is forgiven his large debt (all my sins) and I’m not showing the same forgiveness to others who have done so much less.  This reminds me that I need to be more forgiving and tolerant of others because I don’t want to be delivered unto the tormentors on The Last Day.
Here is a related passage:
*But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca [worthless], shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.  Matthew, Chapter 5, verses 22-24.

Because this an example of how I’ve applied these Bible passages to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passages.


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

Hiding Behind My Fear of What People Will Think of Me

And while He yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?  When they which were about Him saw what would follow, they said unto Him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?  And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.  And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far.  And He touched his ear, and healed him.  Luke, Chapter 22, verses 47-51.

I don’t know if I could do something nice like heal a person who was part of a plot to kill me.  I’ve been known to remember situations for over twenty years where someone has been rude or hurtful to me, yet I am dependent on Jesus’ forgiving nature.  If He remembered all my sins the same way I have harbored resentments toward others, there’s no way I would ever make it to heaven.  He forgives me over and over, even when I don’t deserve His forgiveness.  He is there loving me when I find it difficult to love myself.  I’m so fortunate to have Jesus as my Savior and Redeemer.
I write these things and find I’m very two-faced.  I say things like Savior and Redeemer in my writing and realize that I would never be caught dead saying these things in public.  I think that’s because I don’t want to sound like a religious fanatic to others.  I might say that I love Jesus, but that’s usually as far as my profession of faith goes.  I need to pay attention because I could be faced with Jesus saying, “I love Debbie, but I can’t allow her to have Salvation because she is afraid to risk the condemnation of others.  She is afraid that if she says I’m her Savior and Redeemer, others will think she is a religious fanatic!  What a shame.  She had such potential, but if she can’t acknowledge Me, I don’t feel obliged to acknowledge her.  Such a shame!”
Actually, this reminds me about the passage I had just written where Simon Peter denied Jesus three times.  Well, Simon Peter still received Salvation, because he learned from his mistakes and realized how terrible it was that he had denied Jesus.  Simon Peter turned his life around where he became someone who readily proclaimed his love for Jesus.  Now I need to be able to do the same.  I need to turn my life around and not hide behind my fear of what people will think of me.  I’m still very weak in this area and need to ask that God gives me the willingness to let Him guide my actions and my words, now and always, not just when it’s comfortable.

Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage. Debbie




This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections. 

The More the Merrier

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.  Matthew, Chapter 18, verses 19-20.
This reminds me of the saying: Two heads are better than one.  Well, in this passage two people praying are better than one and it’s a situation of: the more the merrier.  So when I’m concerned about someone’s health, I call my church’s prayer chain and raise my hand during the Joys and Concerns portion of the church service.

Of course, God answers prayers in whatever way He determines is best.  Sometimes it isn’t always the way we had hoped things would turn out.  Although it may be difficult to understand, I ultimately need to have faith in God’s decisions and timing for everything.

Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.


This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections.