Thoughts on the Bible

1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ - Choices

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬

Notice that all of these are choices. Rejoice or be happy, that is a choice.

Prayer is a choice. Pray for what you want (your hopes) and how you can better align with Gods Word.
Gratitude or give thanks in everything.

These are all decisions we must consciously make. Why? Because in our fallen world the natural way is to be miserable, pray when we’re in trouble and live with ingratitude. That is mental gravity, always there and always pulling us down. But, the Lord commands you to go a different way. God will never tell you to do something you can’t.

Mark 9:23 - Possibilities

“And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬

It seems to me that belief (or faith) is what you understand to be true. It takes both, understanding and truth. You don’t need 100% understanding or 100% knowledge of truth to believe something. But, if you don’t understand something or don’t think it is true, you cannot believe it. To help, or grow your belief (or faith) it requires you increase your understanding or the truth. Nowhere in Scripture will you find an example of blind faith or nonsense. It is logical, reasonable and evidence based decisions that lead a person to belief (of faith) in the God of the Bible. The gift of the Holy Spirit is what gives us the ability to understand it to be true.

Hebrews 11:1 - Faith

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:1

It important to know what Biblical faith is and is not. Biblical faith is built on evidence and testimony then understood with logic and reason. That is how assurance and conviction grow. Blind faith, or nonsense, is how the world defines faith. The worlds definition of faith is delusional fantasy and is not found anywhere in Scripture. The Lord has given us everything we need (in creation, our consciousness and the Bible) to understand but we need the Holy Spirit to know it is the Truth. How you define faith is foundational to maturity.

Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬‬ - An anchor of the soul

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,”
Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬‬

This verse reminds me of the ships of old, when pulling into a rocky port with rough seas, would send a smaller rowboat in, holding a small rope connected to the ship. Once the rowboat made it safely inside the harbor, the small rope was used to pull in the heavier rope attached to the ship. Then the heavy rope was securely bound to the harbor port and the ship would pull itself in safely to shore.

Life is rough and we can be tossed against the rocks at anytime. It is our hope, secure and steadfast that guides us. Your goals, or what you hope FOR is good. But, Who you hope IN is infinitely more important.

Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10 - Good Works

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Ephesians‬ 2.10‬‬

There is work to be done that is right in front of us. “Good works” requires judgment and wisdom. Good is defined by God and what He has said in the Bible. The world’s definition of “good” is the opposite of God’s. The only way you can discern good from bad and apply a proper value is to read the Bible for yourself.

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