Tag: author

For God so Loved theWorld — Part 2

~~ Notes: by tkbrown ~~
Photo by: Comfreak
at pixabay.com
Source: Holy Bible (NKJV)

In Part 1, we discussed the choice to ‘believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God’ or ‘not to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ It is our individual, personal choice whether or not we are saved by God. If we believe, then He offers a plan — through Christ Jesus — whereby we can be saved. If we do not believe, then we have already condemned ourselves to an eternity of darkness without salvation. Here, we can read this message directly from His word (NKJV).

John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.“

John 3:17 — “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

John 3:18 — “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he wo does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

While Jesus was on the earth in human form, He was given power to reveal this plan to all mankind through His personally chosen disciples. If we study the New Testament through, we can see how Jesus personally called His disciples — one by one — to follow Him and become ‘fishers of men.’ He did not choose these disciples from the educated and the elite of the synagogue or from the community. He chose ‘sinners’ whom He knew to possess the character traits necessary to understand His will and to relay that will to people from all nationalities and walks of life. Before He ascended back into heaven, He instructed these disciples in the manner to convey His power to those who would believe.

Matthew 28:18 — “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'”

Jesus assured His disciples that His time on earth was to impart His teachings to all mankind via the disciples. He assured them that God is concerned even about the grass in the field which is here today and gone tomorrow. If God loves even the grass in the fields, how much more does He love us. We who are made in His own image are loved so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross as payment for the sins of those who choose to believe — thereby choosing salvation and eternal life with Him. First, we must seek His kingdom and His righteousness, then these things can be ours.

Matthew 6:30 — “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?“

Matthew 6:33 — “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.“

The New Testament is the ‘last covenant’ or ‘will’ imparted from God to mankind. If we are to know what we can inherit, we must study that will and obey the commandments outlined within it. The guidelines are all spelled out for us in the New Testament of God’s word – the Bible. If we believe Him, we will study this covenant which was delivered via His Son’s death and we will strive to obey the blueprint presented. Paul told Timothy to continue in teachings outlined in the Scriptures which provide all that is needed for salvation.

2 Timothy 3:14 — “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.“

2 Timothy 3:15 — “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.“

2 Timothy 3:16 — “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,”

2 Timothy 3:17 — “that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Thus, if we choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we will study His word — the Bible — to discern His guidelines by which we might be saved. Once we have studied and obeyed the plan of salvation outlined in the Holy Scriptures, we must continue in His teachings. Even in His kingdom, we find those who strive to obey and those who do not obey. If we believe, we will obey His teachings because we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to provide a way by which we can be saved. Those who do not believe engage in profane babblings and wrest with the scriptures to their own destruction. Therefore, it is our will to be saved or to not be saved. God accepts the choice we make and will not force the issue. Do you believe? Will you obey? I pray that you will.

26 September 1888 — On this Day . . .

T. S. Eliot — poet, author and Nobel Laureate was born in St Louis, Missouri.

In 1948, Thomas Stearns Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry. His most famous poetic works include “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock” (1915), “The Waste Land” (1922) and “The Hollow Men” (1925).

https://www.onthisday.com/people/t-s-eliot

Give of yourself . . .

~~ by tkbrown ~~

‘I have shown you in every way, “by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.‘”‘ ~~ Acts 20:35 (NKJV)

Give a little of yourself, get something in return . . . 
Love someone in purest form, you may not be loved back
but, by giving of that purest love within
you learn to love yourself -- simply because of the giving.
In learning to love more of yourself
you become more intuitive, to your own needs --
and to those of others.
What greater blessing can He bestow -- but
     to mold us into a tool to aid another along the journey . . . ?
Photo by: bingngu93
at pixabay.com

Lead Pipes . . .

~~ an Essay ~~

~~ by tkbrown

According to the Associated Press (Porter and Catalini), lead pipes — in cities across America — are poisoning our children . . . and us . . . via the water that is piped into our homes. Tainted water in Washington D.C. was just the beginning. Then came the Flint, Michigan water scandal . . . and now Newark, New Jersey.

The human body, our domestic animals . . . we must have water to live. What an irony that the very pipes bringing that water into our homes are also poisoning that water with lead. This water, in turn, poisons all who drink it.

Porter and Catalini cite the 1986 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ban of lead in water pipes. The reason for the ban, cited by the EPA, was “lead’s harmful effects on children’s nervous systems.” In 1991, water systems across the nation were required by federal mandate to monitor lead levels in drinking water with a limit established of 15 parts per billion.

The 1991 mandate was twenty-eight years ago. This means that every town, village, community and city in this nation should have, on record, the levels of lead in the servicing water system(s). How much lead are YOU drinking daily? How much lead is your beloved dog or cat drinking daily? Even more importantly, how much are our children — who have no protection if not by us — drinking daily?

Are WE killing our children in America, because we have omitted following up on these mandates? Are WE causing the neurological damage that our children suffer because we have blindly trusted the system to correct the problem?

It is time for US to stop allowing our children to be poisoned by the very people who create the laws for us to live by! It is time for us to stop putting the children of other nations ahead of our own children’s health, education and welfare!

It is time for US — ALL OF US — to inundate our local, state and federal government representatives with demands to purify our water systems. Is the anti-corrosive coating inside many of these lead pipes actually preventing that lead from leaching through into the water? We had better be finding out — for our children’s sake — for our grandchildren’s sake!

Passing out bottled water is not sufficient! That bottled water in no way covers all of the water ingested by our children. Food is washed and cooked from tap water, as a rule. That means the very food we are serving our children may be poisoning them. Where can our children turn for protection if we, their parents and grandparents, are not protecting them?

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Sources: Porter, David and Catalini, Mike. (13 September 2019). “Lead pipes that tainted Newark’s water are found across US.” (Accessed 13 September 2019). Associated Press (AP) on msn news. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lead-pipes-that-tainted-newarks-water-are-found-across-us/ar-AAHfXiB?ocid=spartanntp.

Mayo Clinic. (6 December 2016). “Patient Care and Health Information – Diseases and Conditions: Lead Poisoning.” (Accessed 13 September 2019). Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20354717.

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Photo Above: by Epcor.com.

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