Are we meant to be social, to have friends and family? Gen 2:18, “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” God knows we need friends and family. God is calling each of us to lovingly encourage each other toward good works and away from evil ones, 1 Thes 5:14-15, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.” Does God use our friendships to improve our character? Is this why He encourages us to come together regularly?
Merriam-Webster defines treasure as: “wealth (such as money, jewels, or precious metals) stored up or hoarded; wealth of any kind or in any form; a store of money in reserve; something of great worth or value; a person esteemed as rare or precious.” Treasures come in many forms and are valued based on the wants of the people doing the evaluating. God spends more time on treasures, money, and every other kind of treasure than any other subject in the Bible. Why? Because He knows we humans love what we treasure, Matt 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” He also knows we are incapable of loving two competing ideas without it creating stress and disease, Matt 6
Does God value truth? Zech 8:16-17, “These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord.” Apparently, God hates anything short of The Truth. What more is there to say? Unfortunately, there is much more to say, for today, we are surrounded by lies being passed on as the truth. The confusion about what really is The Truth is overwhelming. So, can man create a truth better than God’s? Is 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your way
During His earthly mission Jesus continually asked us to forgive others, Matt 6:14-15, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” and while hanging on the cross, He demonstrated He is not a hypocrite, Lk 23:34a, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do...” for He forgave those who were about to end His earthly life. The work of His first appearance was not a work of judgment, but one of salvation, Lk 23:42-43, “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say un
Merriam-Webster defines an opinion as: “a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter” or “a belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge” or “a formal expression of judgment or advice by an expert.” So, even experts are only sharing their opinions, albeit more educated ones. Opinions become rigid when we isolate ourselves, Prov 18:1, “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.” In our modern society, we can surround ourselves with the voices of like-minded people, who willingly share their opinions as facts, but this serves only to move us further and further from The Truth. We hide t