Selfishness and self centeredness are just another form of "Playing God". I can take my spiritual health "temperature" by watching how I behave when I don't get my way. Adult = God focused. Spoiled two year old having a temper tantrum = Me God.
Some years ago I formed the habit of responding to drivers who frustrate/endanger me by immediately praying for their safe journey as well as my own. Sometimes that's preceded by a few choice words, but that happens less and less as time goes by. It leaves me feeling serene almost immediately. Now that hickory nut is another thing . . .
Been there and done that as well, but at least believers on Christ can figure this out like you did. While the Bible makes it clear we all fall short of the glory of God, us true believers tend to get over it. Thanks!
I love your reflections on all aspects of the nitty gritty of life and more. Thank you for sharing your gift. You remind me God is (wanting to be) with us in all circumstances, if we let Him in.
Amen, thank you for intimately sharing the mind of Christ’s Spirit !
“The flesh” is the biblical term for the unregenerate (i.e. spiritually dead) carnal-minded affections and thoughts of Humanism’s un-crucified self-willed sin nature; inspired by self-righteous desires and apostate religious-political worldly intrigues. Ultimately, under strong delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11), the un-repentant carnal-minded flesh is eternally absorbed within Sin’s spiritual death.
In contrast, the repentant minds of the wise virgins within Christ’s born-again Bride are obediently set on the “Spirit” of God’s holy will. They inherently love what God loves and think with the intimately shared thoughts of the mind of Christ’s Spirit; leading to everlasting life and peace.
While I appreciate your thoughts about turning it all over to God, which is what we all need to do in every situation, I think our current society's 'pet mania' is ungodly. We were put on the earth to be above the animal kingdom and here we are treating our 'pets' as though they are human. Animals are just that, animals. There was a time when we used them for work or for companionship, but at the end of the day if their usefulness or health was compromised, then they were put to rest. Think of all the money spent on pets which we will give an account for when we stand before God....is it really a good use of God's money? I think He cares more for people than animals and, frankly, so should we.
I agree that pets have, for many people, replaced children in the creative order. It's sad to see people strolling small dogs around as though they were babies. In my opinion, this falls in the "stupid" category, but not "sinful." No doubt, there are many people who spend lavishly on any number of unimportant things. However, I would caution against suggesting that someone is being "sinful" because they spend money on something that for you is frivolous; they may be stupid in your eyes, but not necessarily to the point of being "sinful." On the other hand, it *is* sinful for Christians to invest their time, treasure and talent in anything--phones, pets, makeup, football, quilting club, whatever-- that diminishes God's rightful position of kingship in their life.
In my case, I have six children among my "people" and am not a pet culture person; I'm definitely not a "dog mom" with "fur babies" and have never referred to myself or my dogs that way. We calculated the potential costs before buying our dogs, and thankfully we are able to afford this small pleasure in life without in any way impacting our commitments to tithing, taxes, children, or charitable giving. Buying our lab was a personal decision, made in light of our income and responsibilities, as is within everyone else's right as well.
In addition, God himself cares for his creation. To your point about pets dying in the past--yes, many did, and so did many people. We are spoiled with wonderful medical advances that, although likely marketed beyond what is wise, are still blessings. And while it is true that animal life is not in any way equal to the value of human life, they are nonetheless creatures that God has placed under our dominion within the created order. We practice that in caring for the animals we voluntarily include in our lives, whether on farms or in city homes. My Labrador is less than two years old, and he swallowed a hickory nut that would have killed him within a week. If he was an elderly dog, I might have chosen differently, but as a relative puppy, the surgery was an unfortunate but reasonable solution.
Thank you for your insightful warnings Leo. In this Digital Age of the Marxist Beast’s Socialistically-Secured UN global village, WEF globalists are selling their Great Reset’s safety and security bill of rights to deluded dependent wards (digitally-marked SS# chattel) that are held captive, from cradle to grave, within Socialism’s abominable Security System. The diabolical plan of UN globalists’ is for all people in the global village to accept Socialism’s digital ID, and accept the UN central bank’s digital currency linked to their SS#.
Selfishness and self centeredness are just another form of "Playing God". I can take my spiritual health "temperature" by watching how I behave when I don't get my way. Adult = God focused. Spoiled two year old having a temper tantrum = Me God.
Some years ago I formed the habit of responding to drivers who frustrate/endanger me by immediately praying for their safe journey as well as my own. Sometimes that's preceded by a few choice words, but that happens less and less as time goes by. It leaves me feeling serene almost immediately. Now that hickory nut is another thing . . .
Been there and done that as well, but at least believers on Christ can figure this out like you did. While the Bible makes it clear we all fall short of the glory of God, us true believers tend to get over it. Thanks!
I love your reflections on all aspects of the nitty gritty of life and more. Thank you for sharing your gift. You remind me God is (wanting to be) with us in all circumstances, if we let Him in.
Amen, thank you for intimately sharing the mind of Christ’s Spirit !
“The flesh” is the biblical term for the unregenerate (i.e. spiritually dead) carnal-minded affections and thoughts of Humanism’s un-crucified self-willed sin nature; inspired by self-righteous desires and apostate religious-political worldly intrigues. Ultimately, under strong delusion (2 Thessalonians 2:11), the un-repentant carnal-minded flesh is eternally absorbed within Sin’s spiritual death.
In contrast, the repentant minds of the wise virgins within Christ’s born-again Bride are obediently set on the “Spirit” of God’s holy will. They inherently love what God loves and think with the intimately shared thoughts of the mind of Christ’s Spirit; leading to everlasting life and peace.
Brilliant! Thank you.
While I appreciate your thoughts about turning it all over to God, which is what we all need to do in every situation, I think our current society's 'pet mania' is ungodly. We were put on the earth to be above the animal kingdom and here we are treating our 'pets' as though they are human. Animals are just that, animals. There was a time when we used them for work or for companionship, but at the end of the day if their usefulness or health was compromised, then they were put to rest. Think of all the money spent on pets which we will give an account for when we stand before God....is it really a good use of God's money? I think He cares more for people than animals and, frankly, so should we.
I agree that pets have, for many people, replaced children in the creative order. It's sad to see people strolling small dogs around as though they were babies. In my opinion, this falls in the "stupid" category, but not "sinful." No doubt, there are many people who spend lavishly on any number of unimportant things. However, I would caution against suggesting that someone is being "sinful" because they spend money on something that for you is frivolous; they may be stupid in your eyes, but not necessarily to the point of being "sinful." On the other hand, it *is* sinful for Christians to invest their time, treasure and talent in anything--phones, pets, makeup, football, quilting club, whatever-- that diminishes God's rightful position of kingship in their life.
In my case, I have six children among my "people" and am not a pet culture person; I'm definitely not a "dog mom" with "fur babies" and have never referred to myself or my dogs that way. We calculated the potential costs before buying our dogs, and thankfully we are able to afford this small pleasure in life without in any way impacting our commitments to tithing, taxes, children, or charitable giving. Buying our lab was a personal decision, made in light of our income and responsibilities, as is within everyone else's right as well.
In addition, God himself cares for his creation. To your point about pets dying in the past--yes, many did, and so did many people. We are spoiled with wonderful medical advances that, although likely marketed beyond what is wise, are still blessings. And while it is true that animal life is not in any way equal to the value of human life, they are nonetheless creatures that God has placed under our dominion within the created order. We practice that in caring for the animals we voluntarily include in our lives, whether on farms or in city homes. My Labrador is less than two years old, and he swallowed a hickory nut that would have killed him within a week. If he was an elderly dog, I might have chosen differently, but as a relative puppy, the surgery was an unfortunate but reasonable solution.
Thank you for your insightful warnings Leo. In this Digital Age of the Marxist Beast’s Socialistically-Secured UN global village, WEF globalists are selling their Great Reset’s safety and security bill of rights to deluded dependent wards (digitally-marked SS# chattel) that are held captive, from cradle to grave, within Socialism’s abominable Security System. The diabolical plan of UN globalists’ is for all people in the global village to accept Socialism’s digital ID, and accept the UN central bank’s digital currency linked to their SS#.