Slander - the accepted sin.....

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We are starting a verse by verse study of Titus tomorrow...Lord willing. See http://mikesullivanblog.blogspot.com/
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Verse of the day:  Prov 25:23

The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.  NASB

There is a bit of confusion over this verse.  See the KJV.  At issue is the backbiting tongue.  How can we live in an age where this is now accepted sport in the local church?  Yet God condemns this behavior.  Pr 6:19, 10:18, 11:13, 16:28, 17:9. 18:8, 20:19, 26:20-22, Lev 19:16, Ps 50:20 and more.  Also see the King James Concordance.

If you attend Slander Church and this is going on, you must speak out against it.  If church leadership, employees, trustees are involved, you have a serious problem.  

Confront this malignancy.  Depending on their reaction, be prepared to depart.  They may deny it, claim they will have to investigate and downplay the problem.  Be persistent.

Application:  This is always a painful situation.  Is God first or the church folks who claim to be your friend?  If God is first, it must be confronted for the place you're attending tolerates and practices public sin.

Follow the blogs - we can help.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Lukewarm faith-----is it sinful?

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We are starting a verse by verse study of Titus tomorrow...Lord willing. See http://mikesullivanblog.blogspot.com/
if you'd like to follow along.

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Verse of the day:  Prov 23:12

Proverbs 23:12King James Version (KJV)

12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

Must we really follow this example?  Is biblical illiteracy and ignorance really a problem?  Is a lukewarm faith really sinful?  See Rev 3:16.

Why do churches put up with this behavior? Someone once mentioned that I should be more patient with the broken.  I'm sorry, laziness has nothing to do with being broken.

Application:  There is no easy fix here.  Bible competence in three easy lessons doesn't exist.  You must apply yourself.

Follow the blogs - we can help.

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

He who oppresses the poor...

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Verse of the day:  Prov 14:31

Proverbs 14:31King James Version (KJV)

31 He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

Oppression - H6231:  extort, wrong, crush, defraud, rob, get deceitfully.

---Does teaching the unscriptural tithe oppress the poor of your church?
---Does a signed pledge/oath to support a building project or annual budget violate scripture?
---If church leadership refers to its church members as having a blue collar welfare mentality and calls them God robbers, might there be a leadership problem?

***tithing is not New Testament doctrine and is false teaching.  Yes, we are to be happy givers.

Application:  Do you know your Bible well enough to question false doctrine and practice?  If not, today is a good day to start.

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

The diligent and the hasty...

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Verse of the day:  Prov 21:5

Darby - the thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of everyone that is hasty, only to want.

Application to weight loss:  If you are diligent you will make progress.  Hasty decisions lead to failure.

There is a reason the pounds are or are not coming off. Is there someone to blame besides you?

Be sure to consult with your medical professional first before starting a weight loss and exercise program.    

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, the NDSU Gardens

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsciences/research/gardens/map

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

A witness of Belial...

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Verse of the day:  Prov 19:28

Darby - A witness of Belial scorneth judgement, and the mouth of the wicked swalloweth down iniquity.

Honesty is the standard - the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  These people are described as the worst of sinners.  Lies and gossip are now acceptable sins in the church?  Sadly, that seems the practice.

Application:  Warn these sinners of their wickedness. Confront the sins.  If it continues and leadership will do nothing because they too are filthy gossips, you'll have little choice but to leave.

Weight loss and exercise:  Until recently, I'd never counted a calorie in my life.  These last couple of weeks have been quite an education.

It takes 3500 calories to burn 1 pound of fat.
Another interesting tidbit is your body burns a certain amount of calories at rest.  So, you can easily determine your Basal Metabolic Rate and then use a Harris Benedict Equation to determine number of calories you can ingest and maintain your current weight.  From this you determine caloric intake and daily deficit.  And you will have a reasonable predictor of how quickly the fat will come off.

For example, my BMR is 1804.  Using the Harris Benedict Equation (1.2) I can eat 2165 calories and maintain present weight.  My current goal is 1500 healthy calories.  That creates a daily deficit of 665 calories as long as I don't go over the goal.  Multiply times 6 = 3990 calories.  In theory, two pounds per week will come off.

Yes, exercise will help.  Figure on burning 100 calories per briskly walked mile.

Be sure to consult with your medical professional first.    

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, the NDSU Gardens

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsciences/research/gardens/map

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Warning - Bridge Out Ahead

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Verse of the day:  Prov 5:13

Darby - and I have not hearkened unto the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to those that instructed me.

Stubborn, pig-headed, foolish, reckless.  We've received warnings all our lives.  Ignoring them produces great results?  The Bible says otherwise.

Application:  Listen and obey.

 This is a daylily called Mary Reed.

Weight loss and exercise:  those who have tried this know it's a struggle.  BTW, smoothies are easy.  

The hard part is adjusting to a 1500 calorie diet and exercising regularly.  I'm quite surprised the amount of calories in various things I like.  A slice of cheese is 70?  A piece of bread is 100.  Anyway, that's what's going on at the moment.

Also, I've been disappointed to learn that a one mile walk at a brisk pace burns only 100 calories. Really?

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, the NDSU Gardens

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsciences/research/gardens/map

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike

  

Put a sock in it...

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Verse of the day:  Prov 30:32

If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay the hand upon thy mouth.

We all have been guilty of this one.  The word "if" seems to indicate deliberation and reflection. Perhaps a gracious friend has spoken to us in love?

Example:  a person you know who frequently tells people about his successes in business and how much he gives to the church, who he's helped, etc.  Might this be a heart issue?

Application:  Put a sock in it, confess and repent of the evil.  See Job 21:5, Prov 17:28, Rom 3:19.

Smoothie Recipes:  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be overweight.  Consequently, I've embarked in a weight loss/exercise program. 

My first experiment:  1 banana, 1/2 cup of organic vanilla yogurt, 1 scoop protein powder, 1/2 cup mixed berries, a bit of honey, scoop of steel cut oats, scoop of flax seed.  My first try it was a bit thick so I added some water.  You can certainly add milk.  I'll be a bit more careful and write down the specifics.  ;)

Get out in nature and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.  If you are in Fargo ND, the NDSU Gardens

https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/plantsciences/research/gardens/map

***Be accountable to someone.  May your day be blessed.  Mike