Psalm 50:14-15 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)


Here God is speaking to his saints, to all who have, by faith in Jesus Christ, repented of their sins and followed God in obedience to His commands. They are all who are in a covenant relationship with the Lord by faith in Him. And He is encouraging them to sacrifice thank offerings to Him, not as ritualistic acts of worship of God, but in actions and behaviors which fulfill the vows they made to God when they believed in Christ, if they made such vows. For by faith in Jesus we deny self, die to sin, and we obey God in life practice.

Now, it sounds like God’s people were needing some kind of counsel and correction here, for in verse 7 He says, “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you.” And God’s people (Israel) today are all who have believed in Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. So this is God today encouraging His saints to fulfill their vows to Him and to call on Him when they are faced with life’s difficulties, or with temptations to sin, and He will deliver them, and then they will honor Him as they should.

Psalm 50:16-21 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)


Now “the wicked” being spoken of here are not all who have never confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives. They are many who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and heaven as their eternal destiny. They give the outward appearance of being “children of God,” whose faith is in the Lord Jesus. And they recite the Scriptures and perhaps even teach the Scriptures to others. But they are those who hate God’s instructions and so they cast God’s words behind them in order that they might continue in addiction to their sins.

And the picture the Lord is giving me of them this evening is that of those who fake their Christianity on the outside but who are of immoral character in heart, mind, and deed. They are malicious, morally unclean, deceivers, manipulators, opportunists, liars, untrustworthy, and egocentrics. They are habitual liars who are morally descending whose heads are swelled with pride and self-glory, whose words cannot be trusted. And God is calling them out. And He is exposing their hypocrisies. And He is rebuking them.

For they act as though they love the Words of God but while they cast God’s Words behind them, and they do not do what they say. They befriend thieves and liars who will support them in their sins. And they join in with adulterers in acts of adultery against God and against their spouses. And they cover up their evil deeds with lies. And they malign those who may be exposing their evil deeds for what they are or who may be trying to help them to freedom from slavery to sin. And here God is rebuking all such people as this.

Psalm 50:22-23 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)


But God is still a merciful God. No matter how far into sin anyone has gone, or how much evil they have committed, or how many lies they have spoken, or who all they betrayed and did evil to, God is willing to forgive them if they will deny self, die to sin, and follow him in obedience, in the power of God, by repentant and biblical faith in Jesus Christ. But they must own up to their sins. And they should make every attempt to right the wrongs they committed. And God will forgive them and He will save them from their sins.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

You Who Forget God
An Original Work / July 29, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Broken Cord

An Original Work / August 29, 2018
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior
And your testimony is separate from Him.
Your words not matching your actions today.
Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.
Live what you testify in truth always.

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,
For you profess one thing, but other you do.
Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.
Not living in truth to what you confess.
Lying about it puts you in a mess.

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.
Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.
Your heart is not given to your Lord God.
Because of how you live, you are a fraud.
Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

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Carl Emerson said:

Yep - got it, thanks for your input.

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Here a quote from my paper...

Scripture warns that communities can become accustomed to feeding those
already well supplied while neglecting those most in need of care. The Apostle Paul’s rebuke to
the Corinthians—who remained dependent on “milk” despite long exposure to teaching—signals
that spiritual abundance does not necessarily correspond to spiritual maturity (1 Cor. 3:1–2). In
many contemporary church settings, resources, attention, and pastoral energy continue to
circulate among those already secure, while faithful workers laboring in marginal contexts
subsist with minimal support or advocacy.

Akita Suggagaki said:

So many books to read but this does look interesting . Could you give us a brief synopsis of his main point?

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The link I gave goes to the book, and the Preface addresses your question. If I might vastly oversimplify what Rulers of Evil is about, it makes visible the various elephants in the room of the origin of the U.S. Like much history, only those who end up controlling thought-space in the information institutions of a society get to write its mythology, but a few earnest souls dig into its history. Saussy is an example. Reading it is like Neo taking the red pill in The Matrix movie ...

The claim that Catholics honor the Sabbath more than Adventists because they have Saturday mass misunderstands what the Fourth Commandment actually requires. The Sabbath is not merely an hour of worship- it is the holy day that God sanctified and commanded His people to Remember from sunset to sunset Exo20:8–11; Lev 23:32. The command includes ceasing work and labor and treating the entire day as holy unto the Lord.

Attending a Saturday night mass does not constitute keeping the Sabbath any more than attending church on Sunday fulfills the commandment. A person could attend a Saturday service and then spend the remainder of the day working, shopping, or conducting business. That is not the biblical definition of Sabbath observance. The entire day is to put aside of our own wants and desires and our focus on communion with God and honoring Him Isa 58:13 on the day He asked and blessed and sanctified to do so Exo20:8-11

The same principle applies to Adventists. If an Adventist attends church on Sabbath morning but spends the rest of the day ignoring God's command, they are not honoring the Sabbath simply because they were present at a worship service.

Catholics do not generally hold Saturday mass in order to honor or keep the biblical Sabbath. Saturday evening mass exists primarily because according to Catholic theology, the liturgical celebration of Sunday can begin the evening before (after the Sabbath has ended) Thus attending a Saturday Mass is still considered to them, fulfilling the obligation to honor Sunday https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/legislation/details/9033 which there is no such command in Scripture, its not about keeping the seventh-day Sabbath holy per the 4th commandment Exo20:8-11 to honor God Isa 58:13

God is the only One who knows what everyone does and why they do it Ecc12:13-14 why His righteous judgment is the only One that matters.

jas3 said:

Of these, I think the second point has the most legitimacy. All too often the conservative versions of mainline denominations completely trash their liturgy for some reason. What's conservative about replacing an altar with a praise band and a sleek podium? How can anyone who claims to value tradition throw out centuries-old hymns in favor of Hillsong? Why is it so common for the conservatives to get rid of their pews and replace them with folding chairs, or exchange vestments for a polo and skinny jeans, or put projector screens all over the sanctuary?

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I think both the second and third points have equal legitimacy - insofar as the denominational leadership changed doctrine and in so doing, caused actual temporal and spiritual harm and suffering.

These are acts which caused real suffering, and if the traditional Protestants are able to take back control, I support them. From my point of view those who flagrantly challenged, disobeyed and contradicted the doctrinal standards of their denomination should have been deposed, and should have lost their pensions, rather than being promoted, and conservative parishioners being turfed out of their own parishes as happened in the Methodist and Episcopal churches (perhaps less so in the case of Presbyterianism).

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Id rather not visit X these days.

1Tonne said:

Jesus told us in the Parable of the Sower that not every seed falls on good soil (Matthew 13:3–9, 18–23). The same is true when we share the Gospel. Some hearts are hard, some are distracted, and some receive it only for a time. But some hearts are ready, and the seed takes root and bears fruit.

Our responsibility is not to make the seed grow; it is to faithfully sow it. Don't be discouraged when some reject the message. Keep sharing the Gospel, because you never know when your next conversation will fall on ripe ground, ready for a harvest.

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Amen.

JohnClay said:

The laws of physics could run on a computer. An alternative is that they run on God. A control room with buttons is similar to computer input/output like a keyboard and a screen. Having a control room suggests something other than God is directly controlling physics - that there is a system between God and the physical universe.

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Yes, I agree.

I think the divine throne isn't meant as a chair but as a king's court. Because a king's court is the closest portrayal to what it is at the time the bible was sent down. If the bible was sent down today, I think it wouldn't call it the divine throne, but the divine OS, or God OS, or something similar. That's because the idea can be better portrayed in this age in this way.

It

Laodicean60 said:

I don't understand how the Philippines allow themselves to be bullied. This has been going on for years; it's time to punch China in the face. Because ships have been damaged and Filipino's have been injured.

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China is far more powerful so they are trying to accommodate. If this goes over the edge though another hotspot, that Trump will have to deal with.

Psalm 49:5,10,14-19 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)


Out of The Heart

Not all rich people are bad and not all poor people are good. But riches can corrupt a human soul, yet so can lack of riches, because money is not the root of all evil. The love of money (making money your god) is. The human heart given over to the flesh, rich and poor alike, is the root of all evil, too. For we are all born into this world with sin natures, in the image of Adam, the first man God created, and the first man to sin against God. Since Adam sinned, all of us humans have been born with sin natures, bent toward sin.


What is stored up in our hearts will overflow in our thoughts, attitudes, words, and behaviors. But all this must be interpreted in light of the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles, and not according to the thinking and reasoning of humans, some or many of whom will twist the Scriptures to their advantage and will make a mockery of Jesus’ death and resurrection by their life choices. For Jesus died and was raised from the dead that we might die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands.

Wicked Usurpers Surround

So, what does it look like to be surrounded by wicked usurpers? It has to do with people who seize power and control over other people by force or by intimidation or by trickery. And in context these are people of enormous wealth and influence. And this brings to mind the wealthy and powerful of the world in our time who are indeed usurping authority over the nations of the world, one by one, in order to bring us all into a one world totalitarian regime of “the beast.” We should not fear them or what they will do to us.

But this seizure of power and authority and control is not happening only on a national or political level. This is taking place in the gatherings of the church (or the false church). So many gatherings of God’s people, the body of Christ, the church, have been turned into businesses being marketed to the people of the world. So they have altered “the church” to make it more attractive and inviting to the people of the world. And they have diluted the gospel of Christ to make it less offensive to the ungodly to please the flesh.

Our Response?

We are not to fear them or what they might do to us or say about us to others. We must commit our circumstances to the Lord and trust him with our lives. And despite their threats or what they might do to us we are to keep on obeying our Lord, doing his will, and serving his purposes for us. And we must be those who are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are, and who are bringing the people into the light of the truth of God’s Word for their salvation from sin and for their eternal life with God, even if we are opposed, lied about, mistreated, and rejected by the many.

And not that this is comforting, but those who work evil among us and who do evil to the people of the world, because they can, because they have the money and/or the power and the backing to do so, when our Lord returns to judge the people of the world, they will perish in their sins without hope of salvation and eternal life with God, even if some of them professed faith in Jesus Christ with their lips. And that should make us sad that they chose their idols and their sinful pleasures and thus lost their lives for eternity.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

“But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself.” Psalm 49:15 BSB

Why Should I Fear?
An Original Work / July 29, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

Hymn lyrics by William Williams, pub.1745
tr. by Peter Williams, pub.1771
Music by John Hughes, 1907

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,
Feed me till I want no more (2X).

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield (2X).

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,
Wondrous are Thy works of old;
Thou deliver’st thine from thralldom,
Who for naught themselves had sold.
Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer
Sin and Satan and the grave (2X).

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to Thee. Amen (2X).

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essentialsaltes said:

$5 trillion doesn't last long these days, now that the party of fiscal conservatism is in power.

Republicans start pondering another debt limit hike as midterms loom​

Republicans raised the debt limit by $5 trillion last year. Now they are already thinking about how to head off another dive over the fiscal cliff on President Donald Trump’s watch.

The federal government is set to reach the borrowing limit Congress set in last year’s GOP megabill sometime in the first half of next year.

Note, that's not $5 trillion in spending that they burned through, but $5 trillion in debt.

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I was wondering how they pulled off $5T in debt in ~1 year, but, the first half of next year would be almost 2 years and there was a lot of manipulation going on to deal with the overextended limit in the first months of Trump's term (and perhaps last few of Biden's), so it's bad, but not quite as shocking.

bbbbbbb said:

Ultimately, we have precious few facts to work from. The net result has been a very intricate biography based primarily upon theological speculation.

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Surly you’re not saying the Scripture is insufficient, are you? It is true we have only a small number of hard-core facts concerning Mary life. And when you get right down to it, we have relatively few explicit historical details about Jesus Christ except for his theological teachings relative to some other biblical figures. But that doesn't mean everything else is mere speculation.

Catholic teaching about Mary is based first on the biblical facts we do have: she is the Mother of God (Luke 1:43), "full of grace" (Luke 1:28), the obedient New Eve (Luke 1:38 compared with Genesis 3), and the woman associated with her Son's mission from Cana to Calvary (John 2 and John 19). From those revealed truths, the Church reflects on their implications, much as Christians do with the Trinity, the canon of Scripture, or the two natures of Christ.

In other words, theology is not inventing new facts, rather it is drawing conclusions from revealed facts we do have. St. John himself says that not everything Jesus did was written down (John 21:25). The Church has always held that divine revelation is preserved not only in Scripture but also in Apostolic Tradition.

So the question is not whether there is theological reflection involved. Every Christian tradition engages in theological reflection. The real question is whether the conclusions about Mary logically and faithfully follow from what God has revealed about her and about Christ. We can reasonably assume that what ever Jesus Christ taught Mary consumed in her heart, soul and mind as she knew her Son like only a mother can.

After all, if Jesus is truly God, then the woman who bore Him is not an ordinary figure in salvation history. The more we understand who Christ is, the more significance Mary's role naturally takes on.

JoeT

‘Demon Hunter’ GOP Gov Nominee Challenges Dem Opponent to Debate — But There’s a Catch​

“I wanna make an announcement right now regarding the debate. Here in the general, I’m only doing one debate. That is my strategy. ... I’m challenging you to a debate with no moderator."

ICE Declares State and Local Laws "Shall Not Apply" to Detention Facilities​

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has published draft contract language explicitly stipulating that state and local laws "shall not apply" to its private detention network.

Legal Conflict and Court Ruling

The procurement documents were released on July 10, coming just one day after a federal ruling directed private operator GEO Group to permit Washington state health inspectors inside its Tacoma facility.

Addressing a new contract signed between ICE and GEO Group during ongoing litigation, U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle ruled that contractual language cannot override state legislation.

“Preemption requires Congressional intent, not a contract,” Settle responded, “and GEO's new contract cannot preempt state law, even if it purports to.”

Republicans trapped in 'high-stakes game of chicken' as candidate's campaign spirals​

The Republican Party's top spending committees are locked in a "high-stakes game of chicken" over Paxton's floundering Senate campaign—each hoping the other will kick in tens of millions needed to save his sinking candidacy.


Homer: Hey, what’s the problem here?
Lisa: We were fighting over which one of us loves you more.
Homer: You were? (sniffles) Aw, well, go ahead.
Bart: You love him more.
Lisa: No, you do.
Bart: No, I don’t.
Lisa: Yes, you do!
Bart: No, I don’t.

Akita Suggagaki said:

As of July 23, 2026, 2,318 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026.
For the full year of 2025, a total of 2,289 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States.

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Now I'd like to see the Venn Diagram for

Conspiracy Theorists who argue against the measles vaccine
and
Conspiracy Theorists who argue that pharma companies want to sell you a treatment, rather than a cure.

As US measles cases rise, biotech firms start developing new treatments​

Good, American patriots voted for this. It was a great mistake for Bush to embrace social communism healthcare.

essentialsaltes said:

Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn $83 million verdict in E. Jean Carroll case​

Trump’s attorneys asserted a 2024 high court decision granting presidents sweeping immunity for actions taken in office shields him from liability in the case.

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I thought he already did this one when he tried to get this defended by the DOJ for that reason and was refused? It's hard to keep track.

I guess this depends on whether Donald slandered her as part of his duties as president or as a private citizen.

David Lamb said:

I find disconcerting, and difficult to follow the way you answer a post about one Bible passage, in this case, Acts 19:6, with a reply that is entirely about another Bible passage (Ephesians 4:5). Of course it is fine to refer to other passages in the course of a reply, but to answer a post about Acts 19:6 without even mentioning that verse seems strange.

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And I hve given you many choices !!

#1 EPH 4:5 ONE LORD ONE FAITH ONE BAPATISM. !!

#2 ACTS 9:6. !!

#3 MARK 16:16 HE that belikeveth and is BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED , BUT. he that BELIEVETH NOT. SHALL

BE DAMNED ??

#4 1. COR 12:13 says. that we are all BAPTIZED into. ONE // HEIS , BODY !!

#5. And where is the Greek word SUBMERGED ??

#6 And I have many MORE. !!

dan p

Highest One - Thrive Worship
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essentialsaltes said:

Canadian tourism slumped in the U.S. last year amid heightened tensions​

Millions of Canadians shunned traveling to the U.S. last year, choosing to take more trips within the country and overseas, Canadian government data shows.

Visits by Canadians to the U.S. in 2025 fell roughly 25%, resulting in billions less in tourism spending, according to the report. Canadians spent $13.3 billion in the U.S. last year, down from nearly $15 billion in 2024. The drop came amid heightened political and trade tensions between the Trump administration and Canadian officials.

travel survey data show that Canadians last year logged 7.1 million fewer visits to the U.S. than in 2024, spending more time vacationing in Canada and abroad. Domestic travel by Canadians rose by 5.1 million, a boon to the country's economy, while total visits to destinations outside the U.S. rose by 1.3 million.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said the Trump administration's policies have benefited tourism in the U.S.

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Trump is supposed to be a business man. Common sense would, be to be nice to people and countries. That visit, work and bring money to America.

Desk trauma said:

The socialist is not doing enough DEI?

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As best I can tell from actual news of NYC politics and watching endless NYC based fiction, NYC politics is mostly about affinity groups getting their slice.

If you have a 14-member body and a group represents 8% of New Yorkers, they'll complain they only got 1 seat (7% of seats) instead of more.