While some insist that Christians are mind numb idiots void of feeling or personality once we accept Christ & God as Lord over all... There is alot to learn about God & His charactor to develop... Like with people you love or look up to, if you believe God & trust Him, you will will want to be where He is & be LIKE Him...

Me thinks "Faith" is proportional to belief...

Chip Off The Ol’ Block

READ: Ephesians 5:1-5
Be imitators of God as dear children. —Ephesians 5:1

I’ll never forget the time I was asked to bring my family to a banquet where I was to be the speaker. After dinner, my son Matt came up to me and asked to sit on my lap. “Sure,” I said and picked him up.

Over the course of his young life, Matt had watched me strike up conversations with lots of strangers. As an unrepentant people-person, in restaurants I would often look at the server’s name tag and start my order with, “Hey, Barbara, how are you today?” To which my kids would inevitably say, “Dad, you embarrass us!”

But now, sitting on my lap, Matt turned to the “big-shot” organizer of the banquet next to me, read his name tag, and stuck out his little hand, saying, “Hey, John, how are you?” A proud moment for me! He was acting just like his dad—a chip off the ol’ block!

This is exactly what Paul had in mind when he exhorted us to “be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1). But life has a way of making us anything but like God. We are often uncaring, short-tempered, grumpy, and unforgiving—flat-out too much like ourselves and not enough like Him!

Remember, we are saved to bear the Family resemblance, to become increasingly more like Jesus and less like ourselves. — Joe Stowell

O to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear. —Chisholm


Every child of God should have a growing likeness to the Father.


http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml

O Gideon!!!!!!

But that the Word would come and faith like yours as given by God be upon me!!!!!!

Oh, that as Gideon I might be schooled in the excellency of the gifts from God, and by God alone.!!!!!!!!!!!!!


excellent point, QS

We are often uncaring, short-tempered, grumpy, and unforgiving—flat-out too much like ourselves and not enough like Him!


uncaring.....jesus told one diciple to not go bury a deceased relative, saying let the dead bury the dead, and sent 300 head of swine to their death over a cliff, a dispicable example of love

grumpy.......jesus got so grumpy that he told his own diciples they were uncaring and slothful for falling asleep while he was praying and meditating, and told many that had come for miles to hear him speak to leave him alone, and rowed to the other side of the river, leaving all traveling afar for nothing..........a pompus a hole

short tempered.......jesus got so mad that a whip was used on his fellow man, and for no apparent reason, even cursed a perfectly good fig tree to wither and dye, saying because he wanted to........a spoiled brat

unforgiving........jesus called some a brood of vipers, of their father the devil, and likened others to whitewashed houses, full of dead mans bones.........

terrible unforgiving words that show no loving within........

all these are quite the opposite of this "holy love" that is so worshipped and tried to be attained with self will power, going completely against the heart that with good reason, just as jesus showed, give way to cause and effect, and the more it is admonished to be aquired, and said to be the holy grail of evidence of god and truth within one, the further one fall into the will of the mind to become as self righteouss..........

yup

david, if there was not the Holy Spirit, there would be this view only for some.

such as why you and abra agree in interpretations and why abra calls you a prophet.

yet the truth gets you both very angry and out of joint.

ckeck in with your anger.

It is blocking your better judgement.

reducing discourses to the display of your hatreds is welcome. It shows your hidden agendas to the others.

We that you hate and despise already know your hidden agenda for what it is.

It need not be revealed as proof to us of your spiritual blindness, we knew in advance.

so, who is deceived? the ones that will see your naked hatred? because the christians forced you against your free will to display your hatred in anger, contemptuously?

goes against all the nicey nicey doesn't it?

oh well.

sooner or later you all best yourselves in knowing christianity better than christians.

it is what you do.

But we are what we are.

the difference is clear.

we glorify God and Jesus Christ with thanksgiving and praise.

you declare that it is hate speech and get that perspective from your own professed superiority in comprehending scripture.

If it wasn't so sad it would be extremely funny.

go it down before you hurt yourself,

dear wouldee, there is no anger in these words my friend, only freedom, and no words have true meaning less they come to pass.......

if you are prepared to do do battle with the god of the heavens of the host, and try to suffer these that stand in faith, seeing that jesus and god see all mankind as equal, and that there be no fear nor condemnation in christ, then you shall be met with all the force that even created the very universe...........

HA!!!!!

and you are sent by God to threaten me or warn me according to your understanding?

I thought you said god is all in all?

what need of you, have I, in that regard?

you hold that being born again with the Holy Spirit is unecessary to be christian. Oh you, you say you are not christian.

then, you know not my Father. I am his adopted son. Jesus is the only begooten true Son of God, and He is brother and Lord to me.

You are as nothing, and speaking for God, are you?


way out of line there david.

the threat is your veiled anger and pride seeking demands and commmandment.

NOT.

go sit down before you hurt yourself.

You make no sense tonight.

you do, however, reveal your love of authority and attention.

Not that it makes a difference, but you should be more careful than that with your hidden agenda.

you exposed it prematurely.

indeed i am as nothing dear wouldee, and words of any only serve in the day of truth that the light shine into the book of life the mind, and wisdom is opened up, and each word professing oneself as a son shall be remembered, and the memory any true son give up his spot to be as last, for his fellow man, shall be remembered in anguish and grief........

for those judged on works, yes, as the Holy Bible teaches.

For those of us with the Holy Spirit, we are already judged on our works.

they are under the blood, so to speak, or we would not have been given this responsibilityu given us.

It is no picnic. It is no escape. It is hard work.

No house party here, david.

The work is getting the man out of the way, that the Holy Spirit may work.

That is a mouthful, isn't it?

Do not take it up, david.

I know the speech LOL

"Who is wouldee to speak for God?."


I speak for me, david, from within my own sound judgement.

If i say, thus saith the Lord, then you have cause for concern, david.

If I leave my words out there and God were to answer another's heart already with the same, then I am but an echo.

But the hearer of the echo must discern where the words come from, not me, and I do not impose that they are God's words.

Let God speak for God and let men judge their own hearts and know what it is that leads their own heart.

If it be called God to any, so be it.

See things for what they are, not what you might imagine them to be.

Being judgemental towards my words is best served, as you say, by receiving or rejecting them.

Laying a personal guilt trip on me doesn't work.

I see through that.

It never matters what any thinks of me as a person.

But it is the one that takes issue with me that has something to lose by my words not advantaging their own.

That is not my concern.

I will not coddle.

I will speak sincerely to the sincere, but with the deceitful, I shall speak in no uncertain terms and be very plain and very clear in that I am not buying what they are selling.

Let each man's work stand on its own merit.

Boy wouldee!!!

You're everywhere, and swinging quite the bat I see!!!

So you are on contract!!!

But do you have a plan!?!?!

You seem to hit on 'every infidel' whom shows up!!!

Hit in the name of Jesus of course!!!

And only infidels of course!!!

Must play well in the 'christ café' huddles!!!

Good for you wouldee!!!

Self esteemm needs nurturing like anything else, right?!?!?

Well I can certainly see people following the example of Jesus that you have made note of here David.

Talk is cheap. Actions are what really count.

Let us all aspire to be perfect. Let us all aspire to surpass even Jesus in our ability to love one another.

JB

have you heard any vain utterance that i speak for god......

have your ears laid upon any tinkling of words of profession of my greatness.....

the words written are as they are written, and stand alone, waiting for the time of fulfillment, for the purpose of accomplishing the great brotherhood of man that you seek to divide and pillage, for the sake of professing ones own greatness and good works, but pride lay at the door, and ensnare the sons of cain, that worship the fruit of the hands of self righteouness, and seek to slay the lambs that have walked the trampled bloody path thru a holy spirit to gain freedom to love their fellow man.............

if you profess a guilt trip has been laid upon you, then you profess with the mouth aloud the secrets of the heart, that confess with the tongue it has felt pangs of guilt, and as you look into these once spoken words when the sand of time bridle you, the seeing that a holy spirit has led you as a lamb to the slaughter will had, and such has caused you to betray your fellow man, and the weight of it shall be as great as judas the betrayer, and you will be led without any ability to withstand, into the land where illusions of imagination dance and become as reality, and all that you scoffed and jeered as childs play, shall come back and visit the doorsteps of the mind, and each word of contempt for the least of these, shall cut as a searing sword, cutting the heart asunder, and no love shall pass the thresh hold of the heart and household, until each that you have condemed and stumbled in haste of self greatness, has tasted of the river of life of love and truth and freedom, and these spit upon shall not return distain and hate with the same, but indeed are as ones that see the true life and likness of the lamb, and shall extend the hand and words of forgivness, and redemption shall be found, and joy be as restored, and dancing again as a youth, and singing as a fool to the old rock and roll, and hugging with tears, and the fears are as laid to waste, and indeed these words of the restoration that is to come, shall serve as and anchor, that hold as a hand during the firey days of tribulation ahead, as the coals of all ones words are heaped upon the head.........

JB......lol

although words may be as cheap to some, words spoken control and steer the ship of each heart, always providing playback for a guide, and have the power to create all life, in front of the very eyes, and guide each soul from deep inside, and each being alive be as unique and only one, and no words and actions strived to be followed of another, can give way to the wisdom that be ones own scribe, and only the truth of each one, buried deep within as spirit and life, can set the scribe to auto pilot, sailing free to glide, floating on the surface of every storm, no waves to beset and no fear of capsize, and this knowing make all fear of badness, seek shelter and a place to hide, leaving no need of chasing illusions of goodness, that only lead to vanity and pride.....

WOW! You pegged this correctly ...

David you have a warped sense of God, who He is & His love for humanity.

Then again... people have been decieving themselves since the beginning of man. LOL

UH oh! Now yu went and did it wouldee...yu done sent blood streaming UP!...I can already see the steam coming from some's ears as I type this.

You meanie Christian you!!!!


LOL

"I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability."
-- Oscar Wilde

Nobody cares anymore about the utterances of the insane or delusional.

yet, you still post?

OK.

you can change that.

you don't need my permission, dear.

indeed there comes the day as spoken when all seeing and hearing is thru ones own glass, and such percieve all others to be as themselves, thinking others having the same minds, seeing thru the same hatred, and anger, and malice, and seathing, and perceive all thru self emtoions, and sight as this cut off the sight of the heart, even rendering it blind in the glare of it's own pride, as not one tittle of the writing of these words is as your ears and eyes declare, but the constant content and knowing by seeing how all mankind is created and equal in the sight of wisdom, give forth a light never found in emotions, that when peered thru dilute any truth, and each action and words being fulfilled of the prophecies of days of old and new, are only for the fulfilling of the new beginning, but such things are hidden from eyesight of the heart that is proud, and think itself as wise, and send forth hate as demons onto fellow man, and these have been intentioned to no rememberence of the teachings of the lord declared as truth, that one that raise oneself up, and declare oneself as first, and righteousss in the sight of god and truth, shall be cut off from the face of the lord and truth, and shall be as last, and shall have only the crumbs leftover by the dogs, but indeed even the crumbs of the lord which is all truth have power to bring forth life from a vessel that house only dead mans bones......

I go with what works...not pie in the sky man made assumptions.

David you should consider the spec in your eye before you assume things about other people.

thank you for your wise wisdom and insight, as the log is what a wrestle with daily, and lay bare to heart, but if you deem it only a spec, than you are as most gracious.........