Lord have mercy! Praying for the persecuted Church worldwide!

PloverWing said:

I think everyone wants the war to end. Trouble is, we disagree on what that end looks like. Putin wants Ukraine to stop fighting back, so he can have the land he wants. Ukraine wants the Russians to get out of their country. But nobody wants the war itself.

Click to expand...

Not everybody. War is profitable for some.

Color me surprised!

I hope PP gets shut down for good! Time and time again they have shown their true colors! ugh!

The answer is footprints!

Good! I'm happy they took action! Bigotry should never be tolerated!

Very interesting! Thanks for posting!

Thanks for sharing.

Prayers for the Canadian PM!

Loving God, holy is your name, surround this man with your loving presence, holy angels, and fill him with your abundant grace. Take away al of his worries, anxieties, and fears, and give him a deep sense of peace in your presence. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen!

Fascinating!

Ora pro nobis!

May he rest in the peace of Christ!

Kind of bored too. Am I lazy or is it winter time.only 10 days till spring. Not looking forward to it. It’s been strangely warm. More ahead? About the inauguration…

Der Alte said:

Many of the posts I have made were dismissed by someone saying e.g. "that only applies to this 'age' not the next."

Click to expand...

Universalists have varied opinions just like all other sects

Der Alte said:

Only when they try to refute something that counters UR by by inserting age/ages when it does not occur in the text.

Click to expand...

Never has been an issue for me and other universalists

LoveofTruth said:

What do you think the word "perfect" refers to? .... Paul is clearly in both cases referring to being perfect and the resurrection of the dead, when he gets a glorified body and when he shall see Christ face to face. And be "known, and "apprehended" same general meaning, as he is also known and apprehended. The similarity is very strong in these two sections. So the gifts have not ceased and that which is perfect does not refer to the holy scriptures. They already had the holy scriptures OT that were able to make them wise unto salvation through faith and to make them perfect unto every good work 2 Timothy 3.

Click to expand...

I believe you are correct in your understanding of what "perfect" refers to. It is certainly when Jesus returns. Because we live in a world where the devil twists things, we need an injection of God's Holy Spirit to undo his works. Be the works of unbelief, sickness, etc.

It is rather sad however that Jesus said:

Luke 18:8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

God is willing for us to operate in His gifting, but generally, for the most part, people do not have faith to see the gifts working.

iluvatar5150 said:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/11/politics/opm-spokesperson-fashion-influencer-videos-invs/index.html

As the Office of Personnel Management oversaw the layoffs of thousands of federal workers and pressed others to justify their positions, the agency’s chief spokesperson repeatedly used her office for a side hustle: aspiring Instagram fashion influencer.​

​

In at least a dozen videos filmed in her OPM office, political appointee McLaurine Pinover modeled her outfit choices for the day, while directing followers from her Instagram account to a website that could earn her commissions on clothing sales.​

Click to expand...

Unfortunately those in charge of efficiency and following rules can be the worst violators. It's pretty much like some cops, even those working in internal affairs, having an illicit side hustle going.

Michie said:

Whatever. Lots of things are apart of our culture . Does not mean it good.

Click to expand...

Agreed!

The subject matter is our faith in Jesus Christ and what that should look like, in practice, according to the Scriptures, and according to the examples and the teachings of Jesus Christ and of the Lord’s New Testament apostles. And this has to do with the righteousness of God, godliness, and becoming partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. In other words, it has to do with us, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, dying to sin and obeying our Lord, by his grace, in his power.

Now, as part of our faith in action, in practice, by the grace of God, we should be putting on the character of our Lord in how we think, speak, and behave. As we grow to maturity in our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, we should be becoming more and more like him in thought, word, and deed. And this is not of our own flesh, because the flesh cannot produce the character of God in us. This is of the Spirit of God as daily we yield control of our lives over to the Lord and we choose to walk in his ways and in his truth.

So, what are some of these character traits which should now be evident in our lives? The first one listed is moral excellence. And that is HUGE! For this is not something that is being taught much or stressed much in modern day “Christianity.” In fact, what I am seeing is the opposite of that. I am seeing all kinds of work-arounds in order to avoid the Scriptures that teach that moral impurity, sexual immorality, the lusts of the flesh, and adultery must be put out of our lives, and they should have no part in the Christian life.

Knowledge is important, for without knowledge we lack understanding, but the knowledge must come from the Lord and from His Word, and not from the flesh of humans nor from humanistic philosophy. So make certain that the knowledge that you are gaining is godly in nature, that it is taken from the Scriptures (taught in their appropriate context), and that it agrees with the divine character of God and with his expressed will and purpose for our lives, as his followers. For there is a lot of knowledge out there that’s bad.

Now each of these qualities builds one upon the other. And all of these qualities must be grounded in the truth of God’s Word. For, if we are lacking in moral excellence, we will also be lacking in self-control, but along with moral excellence will come self-control. And we learn self-control through the knowledge of God’s word and via the Spirit living within us, by faith in Christ. And we learn self-control when we yield control of our lives over to the Lord and we choose to do his will and to not give into our flesh, by the Spirit.

And perseverance is critical to our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord and to our salvation from sin and the hope of eternal life with God. For the Scriptures teach that, by faith, we die with Christ to sin, and we walk in obedience to his commands, by the Spirit. But if sin is what we practice, and not obedience, and not righteous and godly living, then we won’t inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. We must obey our Lord and die to our sins, in practice, from now to eternity, by God’s grace.

And godliness is following the example of Jesus Christ and how he lived, and it is walking by the Spirit, and not by the flesh, in walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living. And to be holy is to be separate (different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, if we are willing and obedient, and if we will submit to his work of grace in our lives, and if we cooperate with him as clay in the hands of the Potter being shaped and molded into the image of Jesus Christ.

And kindness never lies to people. You may call it kindness, but it is not kind to tell people lies, even if those lies make them feel good. If we are truly kind, as Jesus was kind, we will speak the truth in love to people, for their good, for their welfare, for what is truly best for them, especially in light of eternity. So we will not dilute and alter the gospel message to make it more acceptable to human flesh, and we will not shy away from sharing the truth of the gospel out of concern of hurting other people’s feelings.

For love, which is agape, prefers what God prefers. And what he prefers is all that is morally pure, upright, godly, honest, faithful, decent, and obedient to his commands. So, if we love other people with this kind of love, we are not going to do evil to them, at least not knowingly and not deliberately and habitually. We will not sin against God and our fellow humans with full knowledge and purpose to cause them harm and ill will. But we will do for them what is for their good, but good in the eyes of God, not in the flesh.


So, what is this teaching us? How we live matters for eternity. If we live for God, we walk in his ways, we obey his commands, and we die with him to sin, not just once, but daily, in practice, we have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God. Nonetheless, if we go our own way, doing our own thing, living in sin and for self, disobeying our Lord and his New Covenant commands, deliberately and habitually, then we will die in our sins, and we will not have eternal life with God in heaven. Read the Scriptures.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 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 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

In Harmony

An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Based off Romans 12:9-21; 1 Peter 3:8-17

Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Login to view embedded media
Moral Excellence and Self-Control
An Original Work / March 12, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Revelation 21
English Standard Version

The New Heaven and the New Earth

"21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

"5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son."

"8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

"9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

"15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement."

"18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass."

"22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life."

I Am Loved - Mack Brock:

Login to view embedded media

Michie said:

It’s a completely different article advertised within the article I posted.

Why America Must Reject Isolationism and Its Dangers | TFP

As the present liberal order crumbles, many are proposing alternatives that call for major changes to the flawed, globalized structures that now shape the world. Some sectors of the public are turning to nationalist and populistic movements that turn inward and call for walking away from world...

www.tfp.org

Click to expand...

Thanks!! I'll go skim it again. A little more slowly this time

Thanks again for warning us about this

--David
p.s. - it seems odd/confusing how (or why) the article does this. For instance,

Why America Must Reject Isolationism and Its Dangers​

“Do you love thrilling, wicked, sexy, or even dangerous things? Paranormal Cirque will expose you to a unique creation of combined theatre, circus, and cabaret with a new European style flare.” Thus reads a description of the shows promoted by the organizing group Cirque Italia.

Michie said:

Ordo amoris isn’t some obscure concept that Vance pulled out of thin air.

The editor-in-chief of Vox, Swati Sharma, recently unleashed a scathing critique of Vice President JD Vance, dismissing his “godawful reading of Christianity.” In her piece, Sharma mocked Vance for invoking the ancient concept of ordo amoris to argue that love must begin at home — prioritizing family, community, and fellow citizens before extending care to distant strangers. She accused him of reducing the Gospel’s call to universal love into a narrow, self-serving America First stance that undermines the very ideals of compassion and global solidarity. According to Sharma, Vance’s position represents a backward, exclusionary outlook that dismisses the transformative power of real love.

However, such criticism misses the mark entirely. It is, in many ways, deluded. Sharma, intentionally or otherwise, ignores the pragmatic realities of human obligation.

First, ordo amoris isn’t some obscure concept that Vance pulled out of thin air. It’s rooted in the writings of early Church fathers like Augustine of Hippo and later refined by Thomas Aquinas. Both theologians stressed that while love should extend to all, it must be ordered. Augustine wrote, “He who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20), emphasizing the importance of immediate relationships as the foundation of broader love. In his Summa Theologica, Aquinas further elaborated that our obligations intensify the closer the relationship — starting with oneself (to preserve one’s life and moral integrity), then family, community, and finally, strangers. Aquinas believed that self-love is not selfishness but a prerequisite for caring for others. He explained that our obligations increase with the intimacy of our relationships: We naturally owe more to those closest to us. For Aquinas, this ordering was a practical way to ensure that love remains effective and genuine.

As is clear to see, Sharma’s claim that Vance is distorting Christian teaching collapses when placed against this longstanding theological tradition.

Continued below.

Is JD Vance a ‘Godawful’ Christian? – The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

The editor-in-chief of Vox, Swati Sharma, recently unleashed a scathing critique of Vice President JD Vance, dismissing his “godawful reading of Christianity.” In her piece, Sharma mocked Vance for invoking the ancient concept of ordo amoris to argue that love must begin at home — prioritizing...

spectator.org

Click to expand...

I wouldn't call Vance a God awful Christian but he, like most of us, is lacking. His understanding of ordo amoris is also incorrect, which Pope Francis pointed out.

SimplyMe said:

That is the exact reason they are meeting, they are meeting to make plans that don't require the US

Click to expand...

Not when it comes to Ukraine.

SimplyMe said:

For example, you have the Chancellor of Germany stating, “My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA.”

Click to expand...

And this is ok with me; it's common sense to be able to defend yourself against enemies, and that includes neighbors.

SimplyMe said:

It is also worth noting that European nations are also re-evaluating some of the contracts for US military equipment, that they are thinking of cancelling orders and instead going with other European manufacturers. Again, this is due to a lack of trust of the US,

Click to expand...

This is capitalism if we are providing sub-standard weapons buy somewhere else. If they don't buy from us because they are mad, so what?

SimplyMe said:

I think it is worth noting that the people who only talk about how Ukraine can't win and all the people that have left Ukraine (ignoring the million or so military aged young men that fled Russia) are the same that claimed that Russia would win the war in the first two weeks, that Ukraine could not stand up to Russian military might. Yet, here we are, three years later with Russia still not having any clear path to victory.

Click to expand...

But, but what happened to all the fear talk from Western propaganda of Russia taking over Ukraine and attacking NATO next?

SimplyMe said:

gain, this is due to a lack of trust of the US, particularly when most modern US weapons have "kill switches," where equipment sold to other nations can be rendered useless by the US through software. While the "kill switch" is to prevent US equipment from being used against the US, for example, if the equipment is captured, there is a fear that the US would use the "kill switch" if Europe would use it in a war where the US did not approve of the war (for example, against Russia if they were to attack again).

Click to expand...

No big deal. I've heard Democrats wanting to reduce military spending, which is also fine by me.

Would they tell a Muslim to remove her hijab?

SMH