| An Excerpt From Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis You may remember I said that the first step towards humility was to realise that one is proud. I want to add now that the next step is to make some serious attempt to practise the Christian virtues. A week is not enough. Things often go swimmingly for the first week. Try six weeks. By that time, having, as far as one can see, fallen back completely or even fallen lower than the point one began from, one will have discovered some truths about oneself. No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means—the only complete realist. |
Tag: evil
Psalms 37:16 (NKJV) A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked
Psalms 37:1-40 (NKJV)
1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret–it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.
16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.
28 For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.
34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.
Mazmur 37:1-40 (AVB)
1 Jangan gusar kerana orang melakukan kejahatan dan jangan iri hati kepada orang yang melakukan kedurjanaan;
2 kerana tidak lama lagi mereka akan ditebas seperti rumput, dan layu seperti layunya tumbuhan hijau.
3 Percayalah kepada TUHAN, dan lakukan kebaikan; tinggallah di tanah ini dan berpeganglah kepada kesetiaan-Nya.
4 Cari kebahagiaan daripada TUHAN maka Dia akan menunaikan hasrat hatimu.
5 Serahkan jalan hidupmu kepada TUHAN; percayalah kepada-Nya maka Dia akan bertindak:
6 Dia akan menyatakan kebenaranmu seterang cahaya, dan keadilanmu seterang matahari tengah hari.
7 Sandarkan hatimu kepada TUHAN dan sabarlah menanti tindakan-Nya; jangan gusar kerana ada yang makmur mengikut jalan sendiri, kerana ada yang menjayakan rancangan zalim.
8 Jangan marah, jangan meradang; jangan gusar – segalanya cuma membawa mudarat.
9 Orang yang melakukan kejahatan akan dimusnahkan, tetapi orang yang berharap kepada TUHAN akan mewarisi bumi.
10 Hanya seketika lagi, orang zalim akan lenyap; malah kamu akan mencari dengan teliti bekas tempatnya, tetapi hapus sama sekali.
11 Orang yang rendah hati akan mewarisi bumi dan akan bersukacita dengan kesejahteraan yang melimpah-limpah.
12 Orang zalim menyusun rancangan menentang orang yang benar dan menggertakkan gigi terhadapnya;
13 Tuhan mentertawakannya, kerana Tuhan tahu harinya akan tiba.
14 Orang zalim telah menghunus pedang dan melengkungkan busur mereka untuk menindas orang miskin dan sesak, serta membunuh orang yang hidup tulus.
15 Pedang mereka akan menembusi hati sendiri, dan busur mereka akan dipatahkan.
16 Sedikit yang dimiliki oleh seorang yang benar lebih baik daripada kekayaan besar orang zalim;
17 kerana lengan orang zalim akan dipatahkan, tetapi TUHAN akan menolong orang yang benar.
18 TUHAN mengetahui hidup orang yang tidak bercela, dan warisan mereka akan kekal selama-lamanya.
19 Mereka tidak akan menanggung malu pada masa kesusahan; dan pada masa kebuluran bekalan makanan mereka akan mencukupi.
20 Tetapi orang zalim akan binasa: dan semua musuh TUHAN seperti keindahan padang rumput, semuanya akan lenyap seperti asap.
21 Orang zalim meminjam lantas tidak membayar, tetapi orang yang benar menunjukkan belas kasihan lalu memberi;
22 orang yang diberkati TUHAN akan mewarisi bumi ini, tetapi mereka yang disumpah-Nya akan disingkiri.
23 Langkah seorang yang baik diperintahkan oleh TUHAN, dan Dia meredai jalan yang dilaluinya;
24 kalaupun orang itu tergelincir, dia tidak akan rebah, kerana TUHAN menyokongnya dengan tangan-Nya.
25 Dari usia muda hingga tua sekarang, tidak pernah kulihat orang benar diabaikan TUHAN atau anak cucunya mengemis untuk makan.
26 Mereka sentiasa pengasihan dan membantu; dan anak cucu mereka diberkati.
27 Tinggalkanlah kejahatan, dan lakukan kebaikan; lalu hiduplah selama-lamanya.
28 Kerana TUHAN kasih akan keadilan dan tidak akan meninggalkan umatnya yang warak. Mereka dipeliharakan selama-lamanya, tetapi keturunan orang zalim akan disingkiri;
29 Orang yang benar akan mewarisi tanah ini dan tinggal di sini selama-lamanya.
30 Mulut orang yang benar menuturkan kebijaksanaan, dan lidahnya bercakap tentang keadilan.
31 Hukum Allahnya bertapak di hatinya; kakinya tidak akan tergelincir.
32 Orang zalim memerhatikan orang yang benar; dan cuba membunuhnya;
33 TUHAN tidak akan membiarkan orang yang benar di tangan orang zalim dan tidak akan menghukum orang benar dalam penghakiman.
34 Berharaplah kepada TUHAN dan ikuti jalan-Nya. Maka Dia akan mengangkatmu untuk mewarisi tanah ini; apabila orang zalim disingkiri, kamu akan melihatnya.
35 Aku telah melihat orang zalim berkuasa besar dan meluaskan lagi kuasanya seperti dahan-dahan pokok yang subur,
36 namun dia lenyap, tiba-tiba dia tiada lagi; aku mencarinya, tetapi dia tidak mungkin ditemui.
37 Perhatikan orang yang tidak bercela, teliti orang yang tulus; kerana masa hadapannya adalah kesejahteraan.
38 Tetapi orang yang ingkar akan dibinasakan bersama-sama; masa hadapan orang zalim akan dihapuskan.
39 Penyelamatan orang yang benar adalah daripada TUHAN; Dia ialah kekuatan mereka pada waktu kesusahan.
40 TUHAN akan menolong dan menyelamatkan mereka; Dia akan menyelamatkan mereka daripada orang zalim dan memelihara mereka, kerana mereka berlindung kepada-Nya.
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Don’t Let Go Of Eternal Life
1 Timothy 6:6-12 (NKJV)
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timotius 6:6-12 (AVB)
6 Kesalihan yang disertai dengan rasa puas membawa keuntungan besar.
7 Kita tidak membawa apa-apa ke dalam dunia ini, dan pasti sekali kita tidak dapat membawa apa-apa apabila kita meninggalkannya.
8 Oleh itu, jika kita ada pakaian dan makanan, kita harus berasa puas.
9 Orang yang mahu kaya tergoda dan terperangkap oleh pelbagai keinginan yang sia-sia dan berbahaya, yang menjerumuskannya ke dalam kerosakan dan kemusnahan.
10 Cinta akan wang punca segala kejahatan. Sesetengah orang memburu wang dengan begitu tamaknya sampaikan tersesat daripada iman dan akhirnya menanggung berbagai-bagai kesengsaraan jiwa.
11 Tetapi kamu, wahai hamba Allah, jauhilah segala ini. Amalkanlah kebenaran, kesalihan, iman, kasih, kesabaran dan sikap lemah lembut.
12 Berjuanglah dalam perjuangan iman yang benar. Berpegang teguhlah kepada hidup kekal; kepada hidup itulah kamu telah dipanggil ketika kamu membuat pengakuan yang benar di hadapan saksi yang ramai.
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How Not To Live. How To Live.
Ephesians 5:1-20
Living in the Light
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Beauty Of Guilt
Dear Good Human.
Guilt is such an awesomely powerful motivational tool. The better at guilt-tripping you are, the more things you can get away with. You can make people do things for you. You can make them want to treat you better. Best thing is, you can even change people. Man, isn’t that powerful? And to top it all off, you just gotta make them feel guilty a few times. They will just continually guilt-trip themselves more and more after that. They do what what you want, and it’s mostly their own fault!
It’s even easier these days than it used to be. Nowadays, people make more emotional decisions than ever. People make more impulse buys than need buys. Come on, ask any person below the age of 50 how many percent of their monthly expenses are things they don’t actually need. Now families, schools, churches, government, all care about how people feel more than what people need. Entertainment is booming more than ever. People want to feel more than ever. More and more kids enter relationships just to feel, and break relationships once the feel stops. Depression is the number one factor of everything.
We can use this to our advantage. Exaggerate how you feel. Make your family members know how much pain certain actions or choices they made has caused you. Cry whenever your boyfriend challenges you or address your weakness. Make your mother feel like she is wrong for shouting at you. Say sorry but make it obvious that you’re saying it just to stop the argument, as if you’re the only one trying to save the relationship. Don’t allow your friends to apologize. Make them feel like they need to do something for you to atone for their sins. Make them feel that asking for forgiveness is not good enough. Tell people who care for you that they are annoying. Question their care for you. Use rhetorical questions. Twist their words. Never address facts or real issues. People these days are so self-absorbed, they won’t see the big problem if you don’t show them. So, don’t show them.
That is true power. This is the day and age to use emotional abuse. People are so emotional. Evaluate your own life. Like really look back at your own words and intentions. If you’re already manipulating people, keep it up. If not, I just showed you how. It’s so easy to run people down the guilt-trip lane.
Regards
Doctorbitterfly
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Jeremiah 50:6-7
6 “My people have been lost sheep;
their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place.
7 Whoever found them devoured them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,
for they sinned against the LORD, their true pasture,
the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’
We Are Not Guilty
its in their nature.
evil cant help it.
it devours you.
Their True Pasture
our true bread and life should be Jesus.
the center.
the every reason.
Led Them Astray
caused them to roam on the mountains.
i think this speaks of leadership.
we are all leaders.
are we setting examples?
or are we causing people to stray away from God?
responsibility.
is our duty.
ignorance.
therefore, will also be our fault.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;
their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place.
7 Whoever found them devoured them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,
for they sinned against the LORD, their true pasture,
the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’
There is hope. We can be fixed. 