Peace is when time doesnt matter when it passes by. Maria Schell
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13 KJV)
In early spring of 1983 I was doing time in Kansas City at the Municipal Corrections Institution, a minimum-security prison that could keep inmates for up to one year. I had received my forth DWI, had been drunk and rowdy, and the judge cut me no slack. Slack was not what I needed. I remember my girlfriend and several of her fellow workers showed up in the courtroom. They had signed complaints against me and were required to be there. The last thing that Evelynn said to me that day was, You need spiritual help. Truer words were never spoken. A few days later a corrections officer witnessed to be about how Jesus was changing his life, I decided to give it a try. I spent the next couple of months reading the Bible day and night. I attended every church service and was present at every bible study. I remember one bible study when a fellow inmate walked through the door and pronounced that he was the son of God. I was a new Christian and was very defensive about my Savior. Those were pretty close to fighting words with me. I remember arguing with the guy and so did the few others that were in the group study. He quoted the Scripture above, John 1:12, went to the door, lifted up his foot, and shook the dust off his shoe and left. He never returned or spoke to me again. To this day every time I read this verse I am reminded of that incident. Was he right? Was I wrong? I am still baffled by what happened that evening. I think that his attitude spoke louder than the words of scripture that he quoted, and so immediately I took offense, or should I say defense. What ever my response was it was wrong, I lost the opportunity to be a friend to someone. In the New American Standard Version instead of calling us sons of God, the term children of God is used. This modern rendering helps me understand more of what the apostle John meant when he wrote this. The Greek word that John used is teknon which means child, daughter, son. The gentleman who shook the dust off his shoes and left the bible study probably knew more about scripture than I did, and If I had given him the time to explain himself he might have opened my eyes to that verses. But I was defensive and his attitude sucked, and we got nowhere real fast. Today may I remember that situation and continue to learn that we are all one family, all children, all daughters or sons, of God. I wish I could meet that guy today, but I vaguely recall his face, and know not his name. I missed it, all because of my arrogant new Christian attitude. Today God is still teaching me by using this scripture every time I read it. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself JRE
If you understand and accept the teachings of Jesus; and if you make every effort to practice them in every department of your own daily life; if you seek systematically to destroy in yourself everything which you know should not be there, things such as selfishness, pride, vanity, sensuality, self-righteousness, jealousy, self-pity, resentment, condemnation, and so forth, not feeding or nourishing them by giving in to them, but starving them to death by refusing them _expression; if you extend the right thought loyally to every person or thing within your ken, especially to the people you dislike; then you are worthy to be called the salt of the earth.
EMMET FOX
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13 KJV)
In early spring of 1983 I was doing time in Kansas City at the Municipal Corrections Institution, a minimum-security prison that could keep inmates for up to one year. I had received my forth DWI, had been drunk and rowdy, and the judge cut me no slack. Slack was not what I needed. I remember my girlfriend and several of her fellow workers showed up in the courtroom. They had signed complaints against me and were required to be there. The last thing that Evelynn said to me that day was, You need spiritual help. Truer words were never spoken. A few days later a corrections officer witnessed to be about how Jesus was changing his life, I decided to give it a try. I spent the next couple of months reading the Bible day and night. I attended every church service and was present at every bible study. I remember one bible study when a fellow inmate walked through the door and pronounced that he was the son of God. I was a new Christian and was very defensive about my Savior. Those were pretty close to fighting words with me. I remember arguing with the guy and so did the few others that were in the group study. He quoted the Scripture above, John 1:12, went to the door, lifted up his foot, and shook the dust off his shoe and left. He never returned or spoke to me again. To this day every time I read this verse I am reminded of that incident. Was he right? Was I wrong? I am still baffled by what happened that evening. I think that his attitude spoke louder than the words of scripture that he quoted, and so immediately I took offense, or should I say defense. What ever my response was it was wrong, I lost the opportunity to be a friend to someone. In the New American Standard Version instead of calling us sons of God, the term children of God is used. This modern rendering helps me understand more of what the apostle John meant when he wrote this. The Greek word that John used is teknon which means child, daughter, son. The gentleman who shook the dust off his shoes and left the bible study probably knew more about scripture than I did, and If I had given him the time to explain himself he might have opened my eyes to that verses. But I was defensive and his attitude sucked, and we got nowhere real fast. Today may I remember that situation and continue to learn that we are all one family, all children, all daughters or sons, of God. I wish I could meet that guy today, but I vaguely recall his face, and know not his name. I missed it, all because of my arrogant new Christian attitude. Today God is still teaching me by using this scripture every time I read it. God is still doing for me what I could not do for myself JRE
If you understand and accept the teachings of Jesus; and if you make every effort to practice them in every department of your own daily life; if you seek systematically to destroy in yourself everything which you know should not be there, things such as selfishness, pride, vanity, sensuality, self-righteousness, jealousy, self-pity, resentment, condemnation, and so forth, not feeding or nourishing them by giving in to them, but starving them to death by refusing them _expression; if you extend the right thought loyally to every person or thing within your ken, especially to the people you dislike; then you are worthy to be called the salt of the earth.
EMMET FOX
