God Has Times to Fight for the Cause

And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the Light of the Lord.  Isaiah, Chapter 2, verses 4-5.

This is a very famous passage.  There is another passage in the Bible that is the complete opposite, telling people to beat their plowshares into swords and spears.  Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say I am strong.  Joel, Chapter 3, verse 10

These passages tell me that God has times when we are to fight for the causes He wants.  Then there are times when we aren’t to fight and are to try to maintain peace in all aspects of our lives, if at all possible.

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie

Those Who Believe in the Sin now, Pay Later Tactic

Hear the Word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the Law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.  To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?  saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.  Isaiah, Chapter 1, verses 10-11.

We all know what happened to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.  I think God is saying that they can give offerings until “the cows come home,” but it doesn’t buy them forgiveness for their very worldly lives.  It reminds me of people who live in the “fast lane” and feel that if they put large amounts of money in the offering plate, it absolves them from the things they do in their lives.

Do you think that God overlooks things like cheating on their spouse, unethical business choices or hateful behavior to others because they’ve put lots of money in the offering?  God wants us to ask Him to forgive us and then, out of love for Him, we are to try to live as examples of how He works in our lives.  This “Sin now, pay later tactic” just doesn’t work for God.

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie

Some People Spend Their Whole Lives Angry and Bitter

Thus is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.  For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten, Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished: neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9, verses 3-6.

It seems that some people spend their whole lives angry and bitter.  They should have gotten the promotion or job that they wanted.  They deserved a nicer house or car instead of what they have.  I try to stay away from people who are always griping about how things should have been better, because I tend to feel depressed after talking to them.

We have choices in life.  We can spend our lives content or always upset when things don’t turn out the way we want.  When I don’t get what I want, although I might be a little disappointed, I recognize that God knows what is best for me.  It’s a choice we make when we choose to harbor resentments for all the things that don’t go the way that we think we deserve.  Personally, I don’t want people avoiding me because I’m always griping.  What’s more important, I don’t want God avoiding me thinking, “Debbie’s always griping and ungrateful for all I’ve given her.  I think I’ll focus on someone else who appreciates what I do for them.”

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie

They Could "Dish it Out"

Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: For often times also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7, verses 21-22.

As a teacher, the children who came to me crying because someone called them names often were those who were notorious for calling other children names.  They could “dish it out,” but couldn’t handle it when it happened to them.
Isn’t it funny that adults are very similar?  We come unglued when someone says something rude or hateful to us, when we are often guilty of being rude and hateful to others.  Somehow, it seems different when someone else does it.  Maybe we can learn to be more forgiving of others, in the same way that Christ forgives us for all our actions.

Our children see how we handle frustrating experiences and will tend to handle things similarly as they grow up.  We need to be forgiving, even if someone’s just crowded into our parking spot when we had our car all lined up for it!

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie

Those Who Put Others Down

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7, verse 20.

My mother used to tell me that there are some who put others down just to make themselves feel better.  This saying has comforted me over the years.  The thing I never paid any attention to is whether I did this myself.
None of us is perfect, except Jesus.  It’s funny how easy it is for us non-perfect human beings to find fault in others.  It appears that we think that looking down on others makes us better people.  NOT…as the kids say!…or No way, Jose!…or Not on your life!  I could go on, but you get the idea.

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie

Being a Yes Man

It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7, verse 5.

This reminds me of when I ask my husband to read over something I’ve written.  He starts looking at it, making comments about corrections he thinks should be made to my paper.  It’s really very frustrating to me.  The thing is-he’s right.  When I incorporate the corrections he suggests, my paper flows much better than it previously did.  Although it’s still frustrating to me to have him edit my papers, I know the advice he gives me will be beneficial in the long run.

If I asked someone else for advice on my writing and they told me everything was wonderful regardless of the errors, it would be like hearing the song of fools.  They just tell you what you want to hear, but they don’t provide the input that is beneficial.  I would much rather have the advice of the wise than a “Yes Man,” any day.

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie

The Money Game

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 5, verse 10.

When we used to have family gatherings, my grandfather would have all the children and adults gather in the front room for the “Money Game.”  He would build everyone’s anticipation as he jingled all the coins in his pockets.  After a hush filled the room, everyone watched intently as he slowly dropped the coins onto the floor.  Young and old were trying to mentally tally the coins as they lay there, ever so briefly, before he gathered them up again.  Someone would take down everyone’s guesses and the person who guessed the exact amount got to keep the money.

I spent my time focused on the money and whether I won or not.  Instead, I should have been focused on the “wealth of family interactions” and the extra excitement my grandfather provided, creating a lifetime of memories for everyone involved.

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie

God Wants Christians to Be Flexible

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, verses 1-8.

This passage brings back memories of a Simon and Garfunkel song, but this has a deeper meaning.  I think the song was popular for many reasons.  It made us realize that there are various stages in our lives and different reactions are appropriate, depending on the occasion.  I think this passage tells Christians to be flexible, because God will help us handle whatever comes our way.  There are going to be births and deaths, wars and peace, etc.  How we handle these sets the foundation for how other people, especially the younger generation, handle the trials, tribulations and joys in their lives.

If we get depressed, drink, take drugs, yell at others or mope around all day when we have troubles, what do you think our children are going to do when they have problems in their lives?  If we use times of joy to get involved in the excesses of life, including eating, sex, drinking, drugs, etc., what do you think our children are going to do when they have great joy?  We need to make sure we handle situations in ways that we would like our children to emulate under similar circumstances.

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. 
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie