Instant Gratification
Genesis 25
Building a Community centered on Love
This blog is where I do a Bible Reading. I read a passage from the Bible and then I write down my own thoughts on what I read. I would love to know your thoughts as well!
Showing posts with label choice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choice. Show all posts
Saturday, 3 September 2016
Bible Reading #208 - Instant Gratification
Saturday, 30 July 2016
Bible Reading #200 - My Choices, Your Fault
My Choices, Your Fault
Genesis 16
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #72
Making Good Choices
1 Samuel 2
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 12) "Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord." (v. 17) "This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt."
My Thoughts
Eli's sons had made some very bad choices. The Bible says that they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt. What they were doing was taking choice parts of the offerings that people made, before the fat was burned up, and fattening themselves on it. That was not what was supposed to have been done. They were only supposed to take a random portion, after the fat was burned.
Eli chose to favor his sons in the situation and not do as much as he could've. Eli only rebuked them, but he did nothing more when they did not listen to Him. Because of this, God took away the blessing that He gave to Eli, that God had chosen him to be His priest. He said that Eli's sons would die on the same day and that another would be raised up to be the priest.
Always do according to what is in God's heart so that your life will be built on Him and you live in Him. We all make many choices each day. Some are just small things, but are not insignificant. Some choices are recurring, when you continue to do the same thing or make the same choice often. Just be careful of the choices that you make.
We should always make wise choices and not make them hastily. I know that there are situations where you don't have a lot of time to make a choice. If we start making wise choices when we do have time to think about them, then when those split second decisions come, we will better be able to make the wiser choice faster. It's a skill like anything else, and it takes practice.
If you are ever unsure of a particular choice, talk to God about it. God knows best and He will help you to make the wisest choice. What Eli's sons did was not a split second decision. That was a conscious choice that they made to disobey God and to do what they knew was wrong. They chose wrong, knowingly and willingly. Don't be like them. Ask God for wisdom so that you can make the wisest choices that will lead you where God wants you to be.
Eli chose to favor his sons in the situation and not do as much as he could've. Eli only rebuked them, but he did nothing more when they did not listen to Him. Because of this, God took away the blessing that He gave to Eli, that God had chosen him to be His priest. He said that Eli's sons would die on the same day and that another would be raised up to be the priest.
Always do according to what is in God's heart so that your life will be built on Him and you live in Him. We all make many choices each day. Some are just small things, but are not insignificant. Some choices are recurring, when you continue to do the same thing or make the same choice often. Just be careful of the choices that you make.
We should always make wise choices and not make them hastily. I know that there are situations where you don't have a lot of time to make a choice. If we start making wise choices when we do have time to think about them, then when those split second decisions come, we will better be able to make the wiser choice faster. It's a skill like anything else, and it takes practice.
If you are ever unsure of a particular choice, talk to God about it. God knows best and He will help you to make the wisest choice. What Eli's sons did was not a split second decision. That was a conscious choice that they made to disobey God and to do what they knew was wrong. They chose wrong, knowingly and willingly. Don't be like them. Ask God for wisdom so that you can make the wisest choices that will lead you where God wants you to be.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Friday, 6 November 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #47
You Reap what You Sow
Hosea 10
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 12-13) " Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you. But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception..."
My Thoughts
Have you ever heard that phrase, 'You reap what you sow?' It is very true. It is very similar the other phrase, 'What goes around comes around.' If you are not a very nice person to others, no one is going to want to be nice to you. Were you to continue doing things that are wrong, you are going to face the consequences of your choices. The consequences of our choices are the fruit of our labor. That's another phrase. So many phrases this time!
These phrases may continue on from here a bit, sorry if you don't like it, but please continue to read! The two main phrases here, fruit of our labor and reap what you sow, have plant imagery. This is to help us understand better because the meanings here are extremely similar. Only one type of plant will come of a particular seed, and the fruit that it bears will be the same. So as it is with our choices, whether the intent of our choices is either good or evil.
For example, if you lie often, no one will trust you and people are either not going to tell you anything important or they may lie back to you. If you are honest, you will be trustworthy and people won't try as hard to hie things from you. That example brings me to the question, "What about if someone tells you something that you don't have a right to tell anyone else, but someone else asks you about it?" Well in that case, you don't lie about it, but you tell them that it's not your right to say anything about it. Depending on what it is about of course. If it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, then action needs to be taken.
So, in the case of a lie being the choice, the seed is deception. The fruit is distrust and deception and that is what you will gain from it. Is that really what you want to get from others? If not, then don't let that be what you give to others. Sow love, encouragement, blessings and that is what you will receive in return. You will be blessed, encouraged and loved. Investing these ways in other people is just like investing your money and it is more important and more beneficial and more valuable.
When you invest in people, you are literally making an investment. It is a much better investment than something of monetary value though because money does not last. Your spirit does and we should all be doing everything we can to grow spiritually rather than ignore our spiritual well-being only to suffer when the material things we have invested in mostly are left behind and no longer mean anything.
Focus on building good relationships with people instead of building your wealth. Your wealth will not and can not be there for you in hard times, but people can. If there is someone who looks up to you, invest in them. Invest your time in them and build your relationship. Focus a little bit more on that this week, you will not be disappointed.
Previous PostNext Post
These phrases may continue on from here a bit, sorry if you don't like it, but please continue to read! The two main phrases here, fruit of our labor and reap what you sow, have plant imagery. This is to help us understand better because the meanings here are extremely similar. Only one type of plant will come of a particular seed, and the fruit that it bears will be the same. So as it is with our choices, whether the intent of our choices is either good or evil.
For example, if you lie often, no one will trust you and people are either not going to tell you anything important or they may lie back to you. If you are honest, you will be trustworthy and people won't try as hard to hie things from you. That example brings me to the question, "What about if someone tells you something that you don't have a right to tell anyone else, but someone else asks you about it?" Well in that case, you don't lie about it, but you tell them that it's not your right to say anything about it. Depending on what it is about of course. If it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, then action needs to be taken.
So, in the case of a lie being the choice, the seed is deception. The fruit is distrust and deception and that is what you will gain from it. Is that really what you want to get from others? If not, then don't let that be what you give to others. Sow love, encouragement, blessings and that is what you will receive in return. You will be blessed, encouraged and loved. Investing these ways in other people is just like investing your money and it is more important and more beneficial and more valuable.
When you invest in people, you are literally making an investment. It is a much better investment than something of monetary value though because money does not last. Your spirit does and we should all be doing everything we can to grow spiritually rather than ignore our spiritual well-being only to suffer when the material things we have invested in mostly are left behind and no longer mean anything.
Focus on building good relationships with people instead of building your wealth. Your wealth will not and can not be there for you in hard times, but people can. If there is someone who looks up to you, invest in them. Invest your time in them and build your relationship. Focus a little bit more on that this week, you will not be disappointed.
Previous PostNext Post
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #30
Not Your Fault?
2 Kings 21
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 8-9) " '...I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their forefathers, if only they be careful to do everything I commanded them.' But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites."
My Thoughts
Manasseh was a bad king, as he did evil in the eyes of God. He built altars to the 'starry hosts' and asherah poles in God's temple. He defiled the temple that God had said He would put His name forever. Not only did Manasseh commit evil acts, but he led the Israelites astray and caused them to commit evil acts as well. Even though Manasseh was leading them astray, they still chose to follow his lead.
So, if someone leads you to do something that is wrong, is it your fault? The short answer to that question is 'yes.' If our government said that we should take advantage of the poor and attack them because they don't belong in society, and we do so, we are the ones committing the acts. The government would also be at fault for telling us to do so and for leading us wrong, but we are at fault for following.
There are certain circumstances where I do not believe that God would hold someone accountable. In a situation where you are literally forced to do something for example. So, how do you know whether you can say, truthfully, that it isn't your fault what you did? You determine that by seeing whether you actually had a choice or not. If you are following what someone says to do, that is a choice. If you are consciously making a choice to do something, then you would be accountable. If you are forced to do something, or in other words, you have absolutely no other choice, then you would not.
A lot of times, we all say "I had no other choice!" Usually, this statement is a figure of speech. We actually did have another choice, or more, but the one we chose seemed the best. dilemmas like this often come up, don't they? In a case where you have multiple choices, but none of them are appealing, then you choose the lesser of the evils. As I keep saying, always pray before you make any important choice and ask God for guidance.
Be mindful of the choices you make and of who you are following. No matter what anyone says or does, if you willingly make a choice to do something wrong, you are the one responsible for that mistake. Don't willingly put yourself at fault for bad decisions.
Previous PostNext Post
So, if someone leads you to do something that is wrong, is it your fault? The short answer to that question is 'yes.' If our government said that we should take advantage of the poor and attack them because they don't belong in society, and we do so, we are the ones committing the acts. The government would also be at fault for telling us to do so and for leading us wrong, but we are at fault for following.
There are certain circumstances where I do not believe that God would hold someone accountable. In a situation where you are literally forced to do something for example. So, how do you know whether you can say, truthfully, that it isn't your fault what you did? You determine that by seeing whether you actually had a choice or not. If you are following what someone says to do, that is a choice. If you are consciously making a choice to do something, then you would be accountable. If you are forced to do something, or in other words, you have absolutely no other choice, then you would not.
A lot of times, we all say "I had no other choice!" Usually, this statement is a figure of speech. We actually did have another choice, or more, but the one we chose seemed the best. dilemmas like this often come up, don't they? In a case where you have multiple choices, but none of them are appealing, then you choose the lesser of the evils. As I keep saying, always pray before you make any important choice and ask God for guidance.
Be mindful of the choices you make and of who you are following. No matter what anyone says or does, if you willingly make a choice to do something wrong, you are the one responsible for that mistake. Don't willingly put yourself at fault for bad decisions.
Previous PostNext Post
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Friday, 16 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #26
Wisdom
1 Kings 3
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 9) "So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"
My Thoughts
God had said to Solomon in a dream "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." How amazing is that? Can you imagine: God says to you to ask for whatever it is that you want! What would you say? What do you ask for? This is similar to thinking of what your three wishes would be if a genie gave you three wishes. Obviously, you always save the last wish and ask for three more, or you just ask for unlimited wishes, right? Okay, realistically now, what would you ask for from God if He gave you the chance?
You could ask for a long life. Wealth, fame, power and authority, eternal happiness, maybe even a super power! Many things, there are, that you could ask for! What did Solomon ask for? He asked for a discerning heart, to distinguish between right and wrong. That is wisdom. Making wise choices is important. Solomon was one of the wisest, if not THE wisest person to live. Solomon's choice pleased God.
As he was king and governed a nation, Solomon wanted to govern his people, who were God's people, wisely. He aspired to be a wise ruler, or rather, leader. Wisdom isn't only important if you are some kind of leader. You make choices, every day, hundreds or more choices. What to wear, what to eat, when to leave the house. Some choices become routine, but they are still choices. Making wise choices will lead you down the righteousness. That's where we want to be.
Every single day, when you wake up, ask God for wisdom. Wisdom for all the choices you make each day. Wisdom for the tough decisions and situations. Wisdom so that when you are stressed, you don't do things that will make it worse. Keep asking for wisdom. It doesn't take much time to say "God, please give me wisdom for the choices I make today." Say it while you go to the bathroom. Make it a part of your routine.
Making a wise decision could mean the difference between loss or gain, success or failure. Try not to be too hasty in making decisions, especially important ones. You'll know if they're important by how you feel about it. If it's hard to choose, or it causes you stress or anxiety, it's probably a more important decision. Pray before you make the final choice, and make sure that you choose what it is God wants.
Previous PostNext Post
You could ask for a long life. Wealth, fame, power and authority, eternal happiness, maybe even a super power! Many things, there are, that you could ask for! What did Solomon ask for? He asked for a discerning heart, to distinguish between right and wrong. That is wisdom. Making wise choices is important. Solomon was one of the wisest, if not THE wisest person to live. Solomon's choice pleased God.
As he was king and governed a nation, Solomon wanted to govern his people, who were God's people, wisely. He aspired to be a wise ruler, or rather, leader. Wisdom isn't only important if you are some kind of leader. You make choices, every day, hundreds or more choices. What to wear, what to eat, when to leave the house. Some choices become routine, but they are still choices. Making wise choices will lead you down the righteousness. That's where we want to be.
Every single day, when you wake up, ask God for wisdom. Wisdom for all the choices you make each day. Wisdom for the tough decisions and situations. Wisdom so that when you are stressed, you don't do things that will make it worse. Keep asking for wisdom. It doesn't take much time to say "God, please give me wisdom for the choices I make today." Say it while you go to the bathroom. Make it a part of your routine.
Making a wise decision could mean the difference between loss or gain, success or failure. Try not to be too hasty in making decisions, especially important ones. You'll know if they're important by how you feel about it. If it's hard to choose, or it causes you stress or anxiety, it's probably a more important decision. Pray before you make the final choice, and make sure that you choose what it is God wants.
Previous PostNext Post
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
