Devotional Thought: Deism

Deism : belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe. (g)

So many are of this belief. They wonder, how is it that God is involved, if all these evils are happening all around? How is it that, God--who is supposedly love watching those under His care suffer? In fact, months ago, an acquaintance asked, 'don't you get angry at God's injustice: watching the poor become more poorer, the good die, while silent on the evil deeds?"(par.)

Many enquire as they watch horrible scenes unfold daily.

Things no longer remain the same.
Each year gets worse than the previous.
Perilous scenes unfold and perhaps there's a deeper appreciation of life-since death has become a commoner than a stranger


Today, I don't seek to answer that question point to point, as it would take a study to get there.

But here's a submission that has comforted me today:

The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy intelligences, all waiting to do His will. Through channels which we cannot discern He is in active communication with every part of His dominion. But it is in this speck of a world, in the souls that He gave His only-begotten Son to save, that His interest and the interest of all heaven is centered. God is bending from His throne to hear the cry of the oppressed. To every sincere prayer He answers, “Here am I.” He uplifts the distressed and downtrodden. In all our afflictions He is afflicted. In every temptation and every trial the angel of His presence is near to deliver.-DA,p.356

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.~Acts 17:24-28

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.~1 John 4:9,10

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.~John 15:13

God loves you individually:

The Lord hath appeared of old unto me saying: Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.-Jeremiah 31:3 (paraphrased)

Image Source

Disclamer: Not affiliated with the views expressed in the blog below. To read through it :).

http://justicemusings.blogspot.co.za/2011/02/gods-good-creation_07.html (

Never Left Alone-Christ Our Shepherd:Part 2

 
a)" I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep"-John 10:11

Christ not only identifies Himself as Our Savior-the only way through which humanity can be saved (John 10:9 ) but  as One who deeply cares for us and seek our good.

 We see this in Christ's life on earth.Not only did He live a life of self-denial on our behalf (Romans 15:3;Hebrews 12:3-4); He even died for us that we may be saved.

Herein is love , not that we loved God, but that God loved us, and gave His Son as the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10)

"In Christ is the tenderness of the shepherd, the affection of the parent, and the matchless grace of the compassionate Saviour.'-DA,p.826

b)" I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine."-John 10:14


"Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he were the only one for whom the Saviour died. The distress of every one touches His heart. The cry for aid reaches His ear. He came to draw all men unto Himself. He bids them, "Follow Me," and His Spirit moves upon their hearts to draw them to come to Him. Many refuse to be drawn. Jesus knows who they are. He also knows who gladly hear His call, and are ready to come under His pastoral care. He says, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." He cares for each one as if there were not another on the face of the earth.

"He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. . . . And the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice." The Eastern shepherd does not drive his sheep. He depends not upon force or fear; but going before, he calls them. They know his voice, and obey the call. So does the Saviour-Shepherd with His sheep. The Scripture says, "Thou leddest Thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron." Through the prophet, Jesus declares, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." He compels none to follow Him. "I drew them," He says, "with cords of a man, with bands of love." Ps. 77:20; Jer. 31:3; Hosea 11:4.(DA,p.480)

Lastly:

"As the shepherd goes before his sheep, himself first encountering the perils of the way, so does Jesus with His people. "When He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them." The way to heaven is consecrated by the Saviour's footprints. The path may be steep and rugged, but Jesus has traveled that way; His feet have pressed down the cruel thorns, to make the pathway easier for us. Every burden that we are called to bear He Himself has borne.

Though now He has ascended to the presence of God, and shares the throne of the universe, Jesus has lost none of His compassionate nature. Today the same tender, sympathizing heart is open to all the woes of humanity. Today the hand that was pierced is reached forth to bless more abundantly His people that are in the world. "And they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand."

 The soul that has given himself to Christ is more precious in His sight than the whole world. The Saviour would have passed through the agony of Calvary that one might be saved in His kingdom. He will never abandon one for whom He has died. Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast. "-DA,pp.480-483

Never Left Alone:Part 1

Christ has promised,'lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.'-Matthew 28:20



Through God-The Holy Spirit, we are NOT left alone, without care and comfort.




¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you-John 14:16,17




The Holy Spirit is Christ's representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high.-DA,p.669

At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of
faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.-DA,pp.669,670

Furthermone, we receive assurance of not only the Holy Spirit's presence but Christ's love for us.

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
³⁶ As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.-Romans 8:35-39



Choice alone can separate us from Christ.

"Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast."-DA,p.483

"When Christ took human nature upon Him, He bound humanity to Himself by a tie of love that can never be broken by any power save the choice of man himself." -SC,p.72

Christ is touched by every struggle we face and He can truly identify with us for He himself  'hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted'(Hebrews 2:18). More comforting is this thought: 'For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in ALL points tempted as we are; yet without sin'(Hebrews 4:15).

He knows rejection
He knows how it feels to be reviled
He knows what it feels to be misunderstood-family,friends etc


He knows what if it feels like to be falsely accused
He knows every circumstance and more



Of Christ's home experience we are told:

So pained was Christ by the misapprehension in His own home that it was a relief to Him to go where it did not exist. There was one home that He loved to visit,--the home of Lazarus, and Mary, and Martha; for in the atmosphere of faith and love His spirit had rest. Yet there were none on earth who could comprehend His divine mission, or know the burden which He bore in behalf of humanity. Often He could find relief only in being alone, and communing with His heavenly Father.

Those who are called to suffer for Christ's sake, who have to endure misapprehension and distrust, even in their own home, may find comfort in the thought that Jesus has endured the same. He is moved with compassion for them. He bids them find companionship in Him, and relief where He found it, in communion with the Father.-DA,pp.326,327

An Authentic,Tender,Ever-lasting Love

Those who accept Christ as their personal Saviour are not left as orphans, to bear the trials of life alone. He receives them as members of the heavenly family; He bids them call His Father their Father. They are His “little ones,” dear to the heart of God, bound to Him by the most tender and abiding ties. He has toward them an exceeding tenderness, as far surpassing what our father or mother has felt toward us in our helplessness as the divine is above the human.~DA,p.327

Such wondrous love!!! I think this has just become my favorite quote--way too precious.

When we accept Christ as our personal Saviour:

• We are not left without regard and care (orphans) to face trials alone
• We are received as members of the heavenly family
• God-the Father becomes our Father
• He regards us as His little ones
• Dear to the heart of God
• Connected to God by tender and everlasting ties
• God  loves us with a love greater than that which our parents have felt in our helpless state
• God loves us with a divine love 

We will explore each (most) bulletin point  in the next blog posts. I would do an injustice to God's love, if I'd write a long blogpost including all these points.

You are loved!

 

Comfort for You & I

At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.~Desire of Ages,pp.669,670

Will Power and Our Salvation

 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.~Hebrews 13:20,21

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.~1 Thessalonians 5;23

 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.~Philippians 2:13

In all three scriptures two things are clear:
a) God desires that we may be perfect/sanctified wholly
b)Holiness can only be wrought in us only as we allow Him to work in us His will.

But how shall we allow God to work his good pleasure in us? In choosing to submit our will to Him

The Importance of will-power : 

What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is th eirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can

Choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your

thoughts will be in harmony with Him.~SC, p47.1

How we can reach God's ideal through the co-operation of the will:surrender

As the will of man co-operates with the will of God,it becomes omnipotent.Whatever is to be done at His command,may be accomplished in His strength.All His biddings are enablings."-COL,p.333

Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life.By yielding your will to Christ, you ally yourself with power that is above all principalities and powers.You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast,and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith"-SC,p48.2

The tempter's knowledge of the will

Satan knows he cannot overcome man unless he can control his will.He can do this by deceiving man so that he will co-operate with him in transgressing the laws of nature and drinking,which is transgression to the law of God.-Temperance,p.216

The tempter has no power to control the will or to force the soul to sin.He may distress,but he cannot contaminate.He can cause agony,but not defilement.-The Great Controversy,p.510

Remarks:

• As much as we receive salvation freely (Ephesians 2:7-8),it does not end there.Freely do we receive grace, but the same grace calls us to a higher standard (Titus 2:10,11)
• Salvation must be worked at (Philippians 2:12):here must man co-operate with God to help us to be restored to holiness
• Sinning is not a passive act-that is-we are not declared sinners merely because we can be tempted;but when we actively choose to entertain sin and yield (Ezekiel 18:20;James 1:14,15)
• Victory over sin/Yielding to sin depends  on who we choose to give our will to:Christ or Satan
• When we continually yield our will to Christ,he helps us to live victoriously by strengthening us to do the right and the exact opposite happens when we choose to give our will to the Devil.
• It is not enough that Christ has died.We individually have a work to do--not as means of gaining salvation,but as fruit of having received this gift (James 2:14-24)

Are we raising our male children the same way we are doing with our girls? Part 2

I apologise for writing part 2 only now.I'm forever discovering things and I admit,I have a problem with writing things in parts,as I find myself digressing and focusing on other topics.My sincere apologies.

To refresh what part 1 is about,read here.


Argument 3: Most males argue that the mothers of their children do not allow them to feature in their children's lives,once the relationship ends.

I don't know.I'll be silent on things I do not know.

But honestly,cutting off a father/child relationship is a bit sad.Of course you might have your reasons that are justifiable.But think about it-lay your emotions aside,and think about the child's good.Pray about it even.

Argument 4:Women should be careful to not fall pregnant

 Funny comments my brothers have out there.Question is, who gets the women pregnant? I've noticed a one-sided outlook of copulation and it's consequences.It's a wrong outlook.

But here's my 2cents contribution:whenever we act outside of God's will there's bound to be misery.And I've also noted that there's this attitude of doing things without thinking about consequences:let's call it seasonal pleasures of sin.We want to feel nice and enjoy ourselves,not even thinking about the implications of our actions.Then when consequences do appear,one party runs away.Just like that.Even pointing to the other party as the reason.We'll call that the blame-game.

Hence the state of our society and many innocent children getting abandoned.

Such also leads to children not having male figures,and perhaps  questions of interest: a)are males affected more by growing up without their fathers?
b)are both children affected on different aspects?
c)are males brought up without fathers likely to abandon their children?
d)is there a generalised view that female children are more manageable or is it truly so?


Lastly: I've reached a point where I've decided,I'll be silent on certain issues-not that I do not care/I'm not moved:I'll just not be blogging about them.Perharps it's better to have personal interactions when dealing with certain things--that's it for now (till otherwise moved to write on such things).

But let me say this:
There's something wrong with  a society that ridicules,abuses,and condemns those who are in a vulnerable position
There's something wrong with a society that does not treat the next person as it would like to be treated
There's something disturbing about a society that's so vocal on condemnation while silent and indifferent to restoring the individual's dignity
Perharps,even my indifference for fear of 'what they'll say' is also problematic-the least you and I can do when we've gone through a traumatic experience that could've been avoided is to share our experiences (not easy,but do-able) so that others do not have to go through it
Lastly,by sharing certain things we might be encouraging evil.Think before circulating things-what implications they have on the individuals involved,and on those who will be exposed to whatever you are sharing....slowly noticing that we're a society that subtly encourages rape.

Lest we become inhumane

Coldness of my heart

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold-Matthew 24:12

So teach us to love Father.....
A neglect here and there,and i see strangers that i used to know
How,I marvel....self,busyness of life,etc.......
Don't know if the gaps can be mended,,,
Perhaps for a season,was the reason.......
To love,nothing else,else,none was worth it.
That's the desire--for the coldness to escape,for fear of experiences repeating themselves to subside
To be perfected in the love of God,which drives out fear.
My prayer,desire,nothing less,nothing more
To awaken love,nothing else,and I then would have lived

Are we raising our male children the same way we are doing with our girls? Part 1

This was the discussion on S.A fm this morning-it was very insightful and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I only had one argument concerning this question and it was-still is,NO!A friend made me realise this,as I was too blind to even notice-but the difference in rearing both girls and boys has been there-at least in the black community.

Argument 1: The parents tend to be strict when raising their girls.They set curfews for girls, they set clear chores, and often girls are taught to be responsible:taking care of themselves.Nothing wrong with this way of rearing girls as we need responsible women who will play a pivotal role in society.On the negative:In most cases,the grip is loosened when raising a male child-he’s not taught to be governed by rules, no curfews are set out for him,and he can do as much as he pleases,with discipline here and there.

Parents might feel like the world is against the female child:if she falls pregnant,her life changes and is put on a standstill.Sounds fair I know.But the reality is:girls do not get themselves pregnant.It is the male child that impregnates-so he ought to be taught to be responsible too.When both are clear of the responsibility,then we are able to solve the issue.The male child would realise his role in improving society,thus making good choices.

Society,to a large degree,conditions the female child to conduct herself such that she’d be a good wife with dignity.Wrong way of rearing the female child–of course my approach is from a Christian perspective,which supports that both males and females should be brought up in the fear of the Lord,for it is Him who seeks us to be pure and holy ,with the aid He offers.
The male is not conditioned to take responsibility;perhaps the desire was to teach the male child to be responsible through certain rites of passages,but the period is too short.Males should be prepared from childhood too,and the outcome will be balanced. Instead, we currently have a majority of males who live recklessly–some carelessly having children,and when they finally decide to change their ways (which is plausible),there’s an imbalance:one who is prepared for a healthy
relationship(marriage) and one who is not.Perhaps,that sometimes lead to divorce–I’m not sure.

Argument 2:Parents want to outsource their children to institutions such as the school and the church,while they fold their hands and do nothing.

Said another caller and I thoroughly concur.Children are raising themselves these days.Parenting is limited to providing the needs of a child.My brother and I used to be amazed at how children from our street would be playing from morning till sunset during school vacation.Weren’t their parents bothered by the children’s absence?When do parents pass down values,when children are away majority of the time?

[Parents] should calmly consider what provision can be made for their children. They

have no right to bring children into the world to be a burden to others.-CCh,p.144

 

What then is the duty of the mother? (From counsels–been studying this for a while,and I had vowed to not write about things I have no experience of;thankfully,this is counsel from God,not my opinions):

The sphere of the mother may be humble; but her influence, united with the fathe

r’s,is as abiding as eternity.Next to God,the mother’s power for good is the strongest known on earth.-Counsels to the Church,E.G.White,p.144

A Christian mother will ever be wide awake to discern the dangers that surround her children.She will keep her own soul in a pure,holy,atmosphere; she will regulate her temper and principles by the word of God and will faithfully do her duty,living above the petty temptations which will assail her.-CCH,p.144

For more counsel on motherhood: Child Guidance by E.G White will come in handy.

The father’s role?

Levels of cuteness:).My dad was this type :)-story for another day.

To the man who is a husband and a father, I would say, Be sure tha

t a pure, holy

atmosphere surrounds your soul. You are to learn daily of Christ. Never, never are you

to show a tyrannical spirit in the home. The man who does this is working in partnership

with satanic agencies. Bring your will into submission to the wil

l of God. Do all in your

power to make the life of your wife pleasant and happy. Take the word of God as the

man of your counsel. In the home live out the teachings of the word. Then you will live

them out in the church and will take them with you to your

place of business. The

principles of heaven will ennoble all your transactions. Angels of God will cooperate with

you, helping you to reveal Christ to the world.(Counsels to the Church,E.G.White,p.146)

Therefore,parenting is team work:

The father’s duty to his children cannot be transferred to the mother. If she performs

her own duty, she has burden enough

to bear. Only by working in unison can the father

and mother accomplish the work which God has committed to their hands.-CCh,p146

 

The father should not excuse himself from his part in the work of educating his

children for life and immortality. He must

share in the responsibility. There is obligation

for both father and mother. There must be love and respect manifested by the parents

for one another, if they would see these qualities developed in their children.-CCh,p.146

Father’s responsibility to his sons:

The father of boys should co

me into close contact with his sons, giving them the

benefit of his larger experience and talking with them in such simplicity and tenderness

that he binds them to his heart. He should let them see that he has their best interest,

their happiness, in view all the time-CCh,p.146

He who has a family of boys must understand that, whatever his calling, he is never

to neglect the souls placed in his care. He has brought these children into the world and

has made himself responsible to God to do everything in

his power to keep them from

unsanctified associations, from evil companionship. He should not leave his restless

boys wholly to the care of the mother. This is too heavy a burden for her. He must

arrange matters for the best interests of the mother and th

e children. It may be very

hard for the mother to exercise self

control and to manage wisely in the training of her

children. If this is the case, the father should take more of the burden upon his soul. He

should be determined to make the most decided eff

orts to save his children.-CCh,p.146

Sobering statements honestly,they make my heart quiver with fear–not too late for those who’ve erred and those who are not yet parents.

Image Resources:

boca4kids.com

http://www.express.co.uk

blogs.babycenter.com

8th March:International Women's Day

I'm not sure about how I feel concerning this day.I didn't know about its existence until yesterday through S.A fm.
But I'm not sure if it's right to invest more on girls,while the boys are neglected.After all,the world consists of both males and females.You also look at the injustices that happen:crime,rape,drug abuse--most of these are done by males.With the moral state of the country going down the drain,wouldn't it be more wise to invest in males too.

You also look at the structure of the modern day:most households are without fathers;some do have male figures,but often these male figures are passive.You also look at the leadership of this country--in shambles.But does it make sense to then say,let's rid males of mentorship and grooming to become better men and let's just focus on women-they can do better.Maybe they can--okay they can,but it's team.If men are not taught better,there will be a cycle of victimisation and our brothers would never reach their full potential.

The truth is,some men know no better.They've been exposed to only one side of it all.But what if these boys are shown the other side?Just because women have been discriminated against in the past,doesn't justify neglecting men.Just think of it.Men are also victimised too--perhaps in other ways.

Today's Challenge:Consciously Choosing to Love

Regardless of inclinations and emotions!

If we keep uppermost in our minds the unkind and unjust acts of others, we shall find it impossible to love them as Christ has loved us; for there are few persons who do not on close acquaintance reveal unamiable traits of character. Even the best of us have these unlovely traits; and in selecting friends we should choose those who will not be driven away from us when they learn that we are not perfect. Mutual forbearance is called for. We should love and respect one another notwithstanding the faults and imperfections that we cannot help seeing; for this is the Spirit of Christ. Humility and self-distrust should be cultivated, and a patient tenderness with the faults of others. This will kill out all narrowing selfishness and make us large-hearted and generous.—The Signs of the Times, March 5, 1885.