Good Morning, Everyone! :hibye: Daily Scriptural Text for Saturday, February 10, 2007:
15 Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.--1 Timothy 4: (15 and) 16, New Living Translation.
Complementary Scripture:
7 By faith Noah, after being warned about what was not yet seen, in reverence built an ark to deliver his family. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
--Hebrews 11:7, Holman Christian Standard Bible.
__________
My comment: For many, many decades, Watchtower Religion sought to peddle the notion that their members (by their door-to-door canvassing), were actually participating in the separating of people as being either "sheep" or "goats"; and, were thereby participating in the "judging" of people! (Matthew 25:31-33 tells us who actually does the judging!) What a repugnant notion I found (and, still find) that to be. In the mid-1990's, -- right about the same time they "re-defined" the "generation" of Matthew 24:34, :rant: which would, ... "by no means pass away until all these things [given as the "sign" of Christ's presence] occur" -- they received "new light" :dontknow: and revised the sheep/goats/judging doctrine, too; they magnanimously handed the judging over to Jesus. (How decent of them, don't you think?) :whistle: In so doing, they demonstrated that they were only about 1900 years behind the Word of God, itself.
22 "Even the Father judges no one, for He has given all judgment (the last judgment and the whole business of judging) entirely into the hands of the Son."--John 5:22, The Amplified Bible.
So, there; it's good to have that Scripturally established. And, yet, according to the inspired words of the apostle Paul to Timothy, as contained in our Scriptural text for this day, we can participate in assisting others "on the road" to salvation. How do we do this?
"Keep a close watch on how you live."
"Stay true to what is right."
Hmmm. So, it's not about them. It's about us! How are we doing in our own daily life? Are we improving in our "walk," as a footstep follower of Jesus Christ? Are we managing to constantly improve in our own, ... "stay[ing] true to what is right"? :ok: Yes, it is so true. We "teach" primarily by our own living example. Our example of how a Christian lives is never "a sounding piece of brass," or "a clashing cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1.) Our daily life, -- as we "stay true to what is right," -- is going to do more to positively influence others toward having a desire to come to know God and Christ better, themselves, than any amount of "preaching." I have often quoted Dr. Albert Schweitzer on this topic in the past, so perhaps one more time won't hurt:
"When it comes to influencing others, example is not the main thing. Example is the ONLY thing."
The same inspired apostle Paul also gave us sound advice as to how to proceed with our own personal lives:
2 ...  go on leading a calm and quiet life with full godly devotion and seriousness. 3 This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God.
--1 Timothy 2:2-4, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Have A Serendipitous Saturday, Everybody! :thumbsup:
By our EXAMPLE, Others May Be Won "Without A Word"! :friends:
Much LOVE to ALL! :love: isomam
02-10-2007, 12:14 PM
02-11-2007, 09:03 AM
Serendipity,
Entered the English language after the publication of the letters from Sir Horace Walpole to Horace Mann.
(Now there is a name that needs avoiding....'Orace the 'Orrible)
In one of the more precisely dated pieces of historical evidence, Walpole wrote on 28 January, 1754, 'this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.'
He goes on to explain that he derives the word from a 'silly' Persian fairy tale called the 'The Three Princes of Serendip.'
A Brief Telling
The fairy tale tells the story of how the King of Serendip sent his three sons out to find the most precious thing in the world and bring it back to him. The sons split up and begin their hunts.  As each of them travels, they stumble, more or less by accident, into different situations which change their idea of what might be the most precious thing. They return to their father, only to discover that he has found what he considers to be the most precious thing right outside the wall of his palace. The moral of the story seems to be that each man must find on his own what it is he values most, but that first he must be willing to look.
('Quiz' is an equally interesting word to investigate)
Entered the English language after the publication of the letters from Sir Horace Walpole to Horace Mann.
(Now there is a name that needs avoiding....'Orace the 'Orrible)
In one of the more precisely dated pieces of historical evidence, Walpole wrote on 28 January, 1754, 'this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.'
He goes on to explain that he derives the word from a 'silly' Persian fairy tale called the 'The Three Princes of Serendip.'
A Brief Telling
The fairy tale tells the story of how the King of Serendip sent his three sons out to find the most precious thing in the world and bring it back to him. The sons split up and begin their hunts.  As each of them travels, they stumble, more or less by accident, into different situations which change their idea of what might be the most precious thing. They return to their father, only to discover that he has found what he considers to be the most precious thing right outside the wall of his palace. The moral of the story seems to be that each man must find on his own what it is he values most, but that first he must be willing to look.
('Quiz' is an equally interesting word to investigate)
02-11-2007, 09:47 AM
What a powerful scripture John 5:22 is Iso--I feel that being judgemental creates a barrier between us and the love we need to be cultivating towards others. I see how easy it is to be judgemental without even being fully aware of it happening. It is one of the things that makes a Big BIgger BIGgest difference between being spiritual/worship and 'religious.'' We don't have the means to be really good at judging as we never have the full story nor do we have all the details but we do have the ability to love--and to cultivate the kind of love that Jesus had sharing something of the very best of ourself with another and wishing for them the very best too--I am no one to judge anyone and fully realizing that made a real shift in how I see most everything and everyone around me--but it truly is All about Love :heartbeat: we can handle that :grouphug:
and Manhu--I Love the world serendipity too--I always think of it as having found the most wonderful thing in the most unexpected place-- :friends:
and Manhu--I Love the world serendipity too--I always think of it as having found the most wonderful thing in the most unexpected place-- :friends: