heartstrings

I would rather have someone like Ron DeSantis or Ted Cruz but, I'm most likely going to have to choose between our present corrupt, senile, puppet ruler and Donald Trump. At least Trump loves his country, unlike traitor-Joe.

In a video ( I watched very little of it) Ray comfort says "nowhere in scripture do you find the apostles saying 'Jesus loves you' to sinners". Actually, Ray, one of the apostles wrote this down: Mark 10:21 "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." So, if God, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, inspired Brother Mark to write this for us to read, it stands to reason that God wanted us to know that God loved this particular sinner, and, knowing that the scripture also says that "God is no respecter of persons" (Romans 2:11) then it also stands to reason that God wants all sinners to know that He loves them as well. Understand that people will be eternally separated from God, in the lake of fire, if they reject God's love, but that in no way negates the love God has for sinners. I just don't get this "trend" of teaching "God hates sinners" and "God doesn't love sinners" or "God loves sinners but He also doesn't". I do know that God is not the author of confusion.

Proverbs 15:1 says A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. But I have read where Jesus called the Pharisees/scribes things like "fools", "whited sepulchres", "hypocrites" and a "generation of vipers". Now I seriously doubt that Jesus let it get into an arguing match but, I think this pastor was initially right in telling this policeman what he was. And the cop confirmed it. I just wish the pastor hadn't argued and that he stood his ground instead of running. What say ye? https://www.facebook.com/reel/1401798970766981

Utter foolishness. There will be lawsuits; if not already.

A person can be "locked" inside their body unable to move or speak. But if they can hear the Gospel, they can obey the command to believe and repent. Believing and repenting is not a work. It's all faith.

The way I understand it, it refers to the fact that married folks run into troubles, get on each other's nerves from time to time, and have occasional conflicts( or more than occasional). I once heard an old visiting preacher say "me and my wife have never had a cross word" and I thought to myself along the lines of......"yeah, and you'll lie about other things too".

You left out verse 9, but I believe the passage relates to this.... 1 Corinthians 7: 25Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. 26I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be. 27Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. 28But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you. Both passages indicate that it is good NOT to marry. Why? So that one can better focus on serving God and because, as 1st Corinthians 7:28 says, those that marry "shall have trouble in the flesh". But if you DO marry, you're not sinning, even though NOT to marry is good. This is because some people get along just fine unmarried while other people can't. BUT, if you are already married, you are commanded to stay married to that person at all costs unless they commit fornication which I believe includes any kind of fornication like molesting children, committing homosexualty etc.) Matthew 19:9

Matthew 19:8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. So, if "from the beginning" men were intended to never "put away your wife", that kind of sounds like "until death do you part" right? Of course it does. God intended one man for one woman, from the beginning, and He intended it for life.

Depending on what it was, I would think that the best place for you to have brought up your "concern" was in a business meeting. That way it's brought out in the open for everyone to consider. I would NOT go to the pastor, then go to someone else just because the meeting with the pastor didn't bring the results you were after.

This man(now deceased) was a renowned economist and an instructor at George Mason University. https://www.prageru.com/video/is-capitalism-moral

Well, Bro Tony, I also worked for one of those multi-billion dollar companies wherein the CEO, COO, whatever, was making millions, I got tired of being limited to their paycheck so I quit(officially retired) and started my own company. Then, about 18 years later, I started another enterprise in addition to the first. Now, if I don't make enough money, I have no one to blame but me.

How do you "overhaul" something which sustains itself? without "regulating" it?

I prefer the word "free enterprise". But a "capitalist" system is far better than anything else that exists. Sure beats socialism/communism by a long shot.

That was posted on facebook by a dear friend of mine. Actually, no, it wasn't offensive at all. You're in a church setting, saying things you know most of your hearers agree with and everybody clapped at the end. But I can tell you how to make it offensive. Define the "nuclear family" with the man as the "head", like the King James does, and by all means relate his roles as "loving his wife", "giving himself" and "providing" like the King James does. Then don't stop short like you just did. Define the wife as being "subject" and her role as "submitting" and "obeying". I wonder of they would clap for you then? And just so everyone knows, I treasure my Wife and don't treat her like a "doormat". But many pastors treat their men like "doormats" while getting lots of admiration from some of the ladies. I wonder about such men. Maybe many are just simply afraid to proclaim the whole counsel of God? Ephesians 5[22] Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. [23] For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. [24] Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. "Nuclear families" have long been and are being destroyed because everything is out of order.

The Holy Spirit convicts with Sin, Righteousness and Judgement. So you must acknowledge that you are a wicked sinner, bound for Hell, and deserve it, and turn to Jesus for salvation accepting His finished work on Calvary. That is all done in the heart, and every bit of it is by faith. You are, in essence, turning to Jesus, in faith, from sin and self. But "repentance' is, and should be, an ongoing occurrence or process in the Christian life.

Money is made and value is created by production of goods. The stock market produces nothing, politicians produce nothing. The IRS produces nothing. It has to pay thousands of employees, and millions (or billions) for administration infrastructure, and it's all dead weight and waste. Every year, citizens, workers, and business people; producers of goods, must waste countless hours and spend millions of dollars filing tax returns. My Wife does our taxes, since we own and operate 3 businesses, and it takes her several days to do it. That is lost production for our businesses and wasted time out of our lives. It's not only lost production for every worker and business owner, but it's a huge loss in "gross national product" for the nation as a whole. It's totally senseless waste of time and resources. Yes, please, a flat tax would be good for the whole country.

The problem is "truth" with no "spirit" and "spirit" with no "truth". When the Holy Spirit deals with a person's heart, He deals with their sin, God's righteousness, and their judgement. In other words, you're a wicked sinner, on your way to Hell, and you deserve it, But God is holy and righteous and, having the highest, most unfathomable love that exists, God loves you and does not want you to go to Hell. But by feeding people a steady diet of "God hates you" without showing that He LOVES you and that he demonstrated that love by sending His only begotten son to die for you, you are putting out what you claim is "truth". But "truth" without "spirit"(including the love of God) is not truth at all. Neither is teaching "love" without telling people they are rotten sinners deserving of Hell. You have to proclaim the whole message; sin, righteousness and judgment or your "gospel" becomes "another gospel". In short, while you're still breathing, there is hope because of God's grace. God commands us to even "love your enemies" so that we can "be like Him". That's a tall order. And God would not tell you to do something which is more noble and righteous than He would do Himself.

I cannot say what attitude I would have if someone did something such as hurt one of my family. It would be difficult to be Christlike for sure and I hope I never have to find out. But then, we are not Christ either. He does tell us to "love our enemies" so that we will "be like our Father". Again, that also confirms to me that God loves sinners, which are, in effect, His enemies.

I keep seeing calvinists, in my Facebook feed, pushing the idea that "God hates the sinner". So I would put forth another example of God LOVING the sinner. Would you agree that the "rich young ruler" went away lost? If so, then we could agree that he was still a sinner because, of course, not one person who ever lived has kept "all the commandments" except the Lord Jesus. So here we see, in Mark chapter 10, God loving a lost sinner, just as lost as any other sinner. It's as plain as day. Mark 10 17And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 23And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

I cannot do this passage of scripture justice in this thread, nor in the time I have today, but I would point out a few observations about the husband's role in Proverbs 31. #1 He found a good wife. 10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. #2 He trusts his wife implicitly and for everything. 11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. #3 He gives her the full freedom to purchase and own property and start a business. 16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. #4 He's an important man in the community and participates in civic duties. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. #5 Again he gives her the freedom to be an entrepreneur, 24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. #6 He loves and appreciates his wife and compliments her frequently. 28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. #7 Bonus, because of the happy home life, fostered by both Mom and Dad, the kids Love and appreciate Mom as well. This passage shows what a home life can be, when both Mom and Dad love, honor and appreciate each other. It causes them to build one another up instead of living with stress and turmoil in the home. It brings love, honour and prosperity. The Virtuous Woman, in the passage, is quite well off financially, and even has servants. Dad is happy, Mom is happy, the kids are happy. But if our spouse were to falter in their particular role, that is no time to quit doing our part. Dad is to continue loving or Mom is to continue loving until everything gets back on track again.

I've heard a pastor say, on more than one occasion. "Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a woman is to love her husband" which was right in the middle of one of these "it's all the man's fault for not leading" sermons. No, it does not directly tell women to love their husbands, that part is true; it tells husbands "love your wives" in more than one passage. . Does that mean that God does not want women to love their husbands then? No. Titus2 1But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands(mentioned first), to love their children(mentioned second), 5To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. I would say that at least 99% of young mothers would say and demonstrate that they "love their children". Many if not most would say "I put my children first". Well, if that young woman is still married, therein lies a devastating problem. Titus 2 verse 4 says that young women must be taught by 'aged women" to love their husbands, to love their children. Why would a young woman who already loves her children need to be taught to do so? If young wives don't love their husbands first it makes for a less than happy environment for the children, and they suffer because of it. There are some things young ladies need to know that only older women have the qualification and the life experience to teach and some things which would not be received well if taught by any man; even a preacher, or a husband so, the Word of God, in all it's wisdom prescribes Godly "aged women" for this responsibility. A Godly woman can teach young women how to truly love hubby and the kids and how to avoid "tearing their homes down with their hands". So, older ladies can either teach "Feminism 101" or how to have a happy home like the lady in Proverbs 31. There again, this is another example of "leadership".

You know, we live in a rural area too. I always went to work, worked 2 jobs and built a house on the side while my Wife was a stay at home Mom. She homeschooled our children. But you wouldn't believe the talk and the peer pressure that came even from other members of our IFB church whose wives worked and believed kids should go to public school. They believed that our kids wouldn't know how to get along socially and these busybodies didn't keep those beliefs to themselves either. I could relate other things they did to undermine me in raising my kids but I won't. But I can say, despite the homeschooling, all three of our kids have good jobs, none of them are socially inept and have way more friends than I could count.

And about cases of abuse. The Bible only gives one exception for leaving one's spouse and that is "fornication". So I've often wondered if physical abuse falls under that category. As it is, I don't have any experience with that. I did hit my sister one time, when I was about 6 years old. And when my Dad got done with me, I never hit a girl again. I never knew my Dad or any of my grandfathers to strike a woman either. I did know of one man, in my former church, who struck his wife, but he didn't attend our church for very long.; and they're still together; go figure.. I know of a friend of my wife's whose father beat her mother repeatedly and the mother stayed with him until it got so bad, she had to leave. He even shot at her with a gun on a couple occasions. So, even without a Bible verse to back it up, I would say, yes, get out, press charges. An idiot like that needs to be in prison.

Thank you Salyan, One of my points, as much as I can relate it, is that both spouses need reproof and encouragement. Both Paul and Peter offered these to both spouses in the same writings. consecutively and that is the way it should be done. Likewise, a pastor/preacher should never upbraid the ladies in a sermon without giving the men their equal turn and visa versa. The same is true for encouragement. And Mother's Day or Father's Day shouldn't be the day to rebuke and correct; there are 50 other Sundays out of the year to do that. The same could be said for "leading" someone who won't "submit". But again I would point out 1 Peter 3:1If we say "they won't do their part so I won't do mine", nothing can go forward and it only makes things worse. In 1 Peter 3:1 the wife is actually "leading" by submitting to her failing-to-lead-husband and living Godly before him because it says "if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;" Likewise, the husband is admonished, about 7 verses down, to do his part too. The best example I know of how it should work, in the Word of God, is in Proverbs 31. Read through it and you can see that each member of the family is prosperous, content, and each builds the others up. The husband is a respected man in the community, all his needs are met by his wife, the kids are so happy that they "praise" their mother and so does the husband. Is she a "virtuous woman" because her husband constantly shows his love and appreciation for her? Or is he a prosperous man because of how she honors him? Who knows? But the fact is, in the Proverbs 31 example, the members of the family build each other up instead of selfishly tearing one another down. If one stumbles and falls for a bit, the rest are still doing their part to help get it back on track.

I'm sure. This man has endured more push-back from the communist, totalitarians, LGBT's, the murdering baby killers than any politician I've ever seen. They have tried every dirty trick they can dream up to keep him from being president. It's because he loves and appreciates our country and way of life which is contrary to the desires of our enemies who want to destroy it. Yet some Christians expect him to be perfect. He's not going to be perfect. I wish he was. I wish I was. Even fine men in the Bible weren't perfect. Moses got angry. Noah got drunk and cursed his own grandson. Abraham took another wife. Jacob was a cheater. Solomon was basically an idolater and adulterer. David was an adulterer and murderer. Saul was an unsavory character as well. Yet all these men were believers.. No president we put in there is going to be a saint. So, Trump still isn't my first choice and I think we could have better., But he's a far better choice than what we have now. Yes, I would vote for him if he's the best choice we have. Or I may vote for DeSantis if he is running and nominated. But, in this case, if you "vote your conscience" for an underdog who has no chance of winning, you waste your vote. Just my opinion.