Ratiocination... (rash-ee-os-uh-NEY-shuhn)

Ratiocination is the process of logical reasoning. Logical reasoning is part of our ability to use self-control and self-control is our ability to control ourselves thereby expressing our true inner selves rather than our reactive selves to those that see and hear us. Ever had trouble expressing how you truly feel? Why do we have trouble expressing our true feelings? One word that comes to mind is fear. Fear of what? Being vulnerable perhaps...

They say the bible has "fear not" 365 times, one "fear not" for everyday. The truth of the matter is that its closer to 100 then 365 depending on the version you are reading. However that's still a lot of "fear not's", don't you think? Fear has a way of stopping things from happening. Its probably all part of the flight, fight, or freeze response that we share with the animal kingdom. But God set us apart from that kingdom whether we accept His gift of faith that He gives to all of mankind as outlined in Ephesians 2:8-9  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. So does that mean animals don't use ratiocination? I think they do but they do it out of instinct whereas we use our free will. Everything about us is the exercise of our free will. If we choose to use self-control or not it is born of our free will.

But as for me and my household we will serve the lord...

Bob Dylan said it best in his song 'Gotta Serve Somebody" It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody. 

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
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Agenda's...

I've been accused of having an agenda when speaking about church. But then doesn't everyone have an agenda of some sort? My belief wasn't instant nor was it developed lightly. From the day I accepted Christ as my Saviour until this day I have been developing what some might call my world view about Christianity. My faith includes an undeniable thirst for the truth that expounds the views of the outwardly religious person that insists he is saved no matter what. If we all meditated on scripture I'm sure we would all understand that many of  the stories that Jesus told were aimed directly at believers that insist they are saved for uttering a few syllables. After all words are powerful, God spoke the world into existence, didn't he? But then we are not God are we. Can we measure our words at the same level as the Almighty? I don't think so!

One  thing I know for sure is that God has an agenda; that Christ gave Himself a ransom for all - showing that God desired their salvation. For all, for everyone, everywhere it also proves that our salvation is our responsibility as well. God gives us the path through Jesus Christ, and that we must walk that path willingly, and with much desire to learn the ways of the Most High. If God desired everyone to agree don't you think He could do it in a nano-sec? Free will is so important to God and valuable to us as humans that we forget that without it we could have all have been programmed like mechanical robots just moving along doing as our programs decree, without the ability to be make our own decisions. Think about it, you want to have chicken, but all thats on the menu is hamburger, no matter how hard you try you just can't have chicken. You want to be inventive, creative, spontaneous, gracious, forgiving but you can't it wasn't in your data base. You weren't programmed to have those abilities nor can you become more than your initial programming. So you forget because you were never programmed to remember, so you can't.

Thank God that thats not true. Yet we allow ourselves to be lead by societal dictates about the sexes such as boys can't cry because big boys don't cry. My boys I encourage to cry if they need too, but more than that, I also encourage them to try to understand what they are feeling and why. In my youth I had two emotions happy and angry! I never understood the other emotions my upbringing and the societal norms soon taught me that this is the way boys are. What a lie, men are sometimes just as emotional as women and in many respects we are driven by the love of our families. The reason we are here is to learn how to LOVE for that is the binding catalyst that brings us in-line with God. For God is LOVE and we are made in his image so we are the LOVE of God yet we allow so much that is antithetical to that LOVE to happen. Perhaps we can blame it on the world or others but the bottom line is that;

"We must fear evil men and deal with them accordingly, but what we must truly guard against, what we must fear most. Is, the indifference of good men."

-The Boondoock Saints

There is a path that we as Christians would do well to learn. You can find it in the Holy Bible at 2 Peter 1:3-11 


"Add To Your Faith - Virtue


To Virtue - Knowledge,


To Knowledge - Self-control,


To Self-control - Perseverance,


To Perseverance - Godliness,


To Godliness - Brotherly Kindness,


And To Brotherly Kindness - Love."






May...




The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge
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Loyalty and Conviction...

Loyalty is the act of trusting beyond a doubt, a faithfulness, and devotion that goes beyond any ability to corrupt it's underlying intrinsic values. While conviction is the prodding that happens when we are tempted to cross the line and go against our loyalties to those we love or our devotion to God through His Son Jesus Christ.

This world is antithetical to the Christian walk and experience while it has served to introduce you to the value of God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ it will do everything it possibly can to sever the bond you are establishing in Christ Jesus.

Who can you trust absolutely when people even family fail us daily?

You can trust in your walk toward receiving the ultimate gift that God offers those of us who persevere in our Christian walks. We are all at different stages in our walks as established in 2 Peter 1:3-11 that outlines the Christian walk with absolute clarity. It says;

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence...

Add To Your Faith - Virtue

To Virtue - Knowledge,

To Knowledge - Self-control,

To Self-control - Perseverance,

To Perseverance - Godliness,

To Godliness - Brotherly Kindness,

And To Brotherly Kindness - Love.

Where are you in your personal walk to becoming perfected by Love?

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

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Self-Control...

What is the one and only thing we truly have control over?

When we control ourselves we are exercising our God given right to freedom of choice. Instead of giving in to what we want, we are happy instead with just what we need. But what does the bible teach about self-control?

Consider; Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

Trusting in God through Jesus Christ is the beginning of self-control. Self-control demonstrated through our efforts to run to the love of God is by far the best testimony one could have for others. Rather than try to change others we are to conform ourselves to what God intended us to be. And through that transformation become living examples of Self-Control. Not by words but by action. For we are judged at every turn and rather than insisting others conform we must be their example by our own transformation. Well if Uncle Joe can do it, so can I.

Consider reading Romans 6-7

When we recognize that the only thing we can change is ourselves then we can begin to heal and work our way through the rest of The Walk of a Christian with full and awesome knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We can change no other but ourselves...

Next post; Perseverance...

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

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Knowledge...

We live in an age where knowledge is just a a Google away. Last night I was at Starbuck's and ordered a Caramel Machiato. I like to mis-pronounce the fancy smansy beverages on purpose and when the fella making it asked me to clarify I said "the actual proper way to say it is Muchalato and that Starbucks had it all wrong". He say's "what's in a name" I say "interesting where did, what's in a name saying come from?" Not knowing he asks his colleague and she say's I think it was Shakespeare I asked her why she thought that and she say's "I don't know first thing that popped into my mind". So, while buddy is preparing my hot delicious beverage she comes back and say's "I Googled it, it was the Shake from Romeo and Juliet where Juliet says ""What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet."

Knowledge is available to anyone that will take the liberty and freedom they possess to search for it. However with great knowledge comes great responsibility. Consider that if you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was going to hit the blind man whistling and cane waving across the road right in front of you, at what point would you after yelling to him to be aware, and still he continues on his merry way whistling and waving, unaware of his ultimate demise, at what point do you get physical and move him from harms way?

Consider this verse JOHN 6:44

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Interesting verse isn't it? Now lets look at the verses to either side of that one.

43. "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.

44. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

45. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

What were they grumbling about and why did Jesus say what he did and who were they? In order to find out you must read the whole chapter. Please get your bible or go here and read the whole chapter JOHN CHAPTER 6

Alrighty then, all done, lots of information there huh? Now in order to grab an even better understanding one must read the whole book of John. The theme of the book of John is; Knowing God by believing in Jesus Christ. So go ahead open up and begin reading before you continue reading here. If you don't have a bible, then here are several ways to get one into your computer for free.

E-SWORD - The sword of the Lord with an electronic edge

BiblePro for Windows - Free download

Theophilos Bible Software - Multilingual application for bible and Christian study

MacSword - Bible study software for Mac OS X

Now lets go back to the original verse JOHN 6:44 and consider what exactly Jesus is saying there. Is he saying that only those the Father selects and draws may be converted? I think that, that is exactly what he is saying, so none can boast.

There are other passage that can help us to understand such as;

EPHESIANS 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

ROMANS 3:11-12 - there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.

JOHN 5:39-40 - You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

JOHN 15:18 - If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

Next Post; Self-Control...

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar

Virtue...

There are basically two ways to look at and approach the noun virtue. One is that it is a set of rules and regulations that must be followed in order to attain it. Two virtue is exercised by action and the attaining of it through practice makes perfect. This second way is what the verse at 2nd Peter verse 5 is relating to. For by example is it both taught and attained. One clear and concise observance of virtue in action is worth a thousand thousand lectures or sermons on the topic.

Imagine for a moment if you will that your mind is a steel trap that it is such a good steel trap that it locks up with such ferociousness that anything in it's grasp cannot escape. I have a friend well maybe he is not truly a friend but more like an friendly associate/adherent. He always say's this about the mind "garbage in, garbage out". Now lets try together to apply this concept to our lives.

Lets say someone decides to take out there frustration on us and if we decide to bite back even though we previously were in a good mood. Were we truly in a good mood to begin with? The practice of a virtuous response would be like the commercial of the guy that chews Juicy Fruit bubble gum you know the commercial he gets home and his clothing is ripped his hair is all mussed and he's simply a mess. His sister yells out and says "Mom Billy was chewing Juicy Fruit again". With single minded purpose we must train ourselves to enjoy the fruit of the spirit outlined in Galatians 5:22-23, that which is;

love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

When we add virtue to our gift of faith we are moving from the unconscious into the conscious realm and making a decision that is both deliberate and purposeful.

Next Post Knowledge...

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar

The Walk of a Christian...

Ever had one of those days were you are constantly getting bombarded and your temper is being tested to the verge of EXPLODE? Most of the things that can make us loose it, are things that are simply beyond our control. This is were we get the opportunity to exercise the really only God giving inherent right that exists to all peoples of the world, our SELF-CONTROL.

If you ask anybody this question the answer should more than likely be the same for everyone;

Q. What is the only one thing that you truly have control over?

A. Yourself

In second Peter chapter 1 verse six it says to add to your knowledge SELF-CONTROL something that we must do in our walk as Christians (believers of Jesus Christ) is exercise our SELF-CONTROL daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, throughout our lifetime.

However we are getting ahead of ourselves because all to often we fail to exercise our SELF-CONTROL at some point and loose our tempers. The bible has a sure fire way for us to get control of ourselves and to understand what we as believers must do.

The answer lies at 2 PETER 1:3-11

³. as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

⁴. by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith <--- (most bibles have this heading before verse five)

^5. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

^6. to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

⁷. to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

⁸. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

^10. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

¹¹. for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Over the next month or so we are going to focus on what we must do to have a fruitful knowledge of Jesus Christ and help make us effective believers in Jesus Christ. So tell your family, friends, and associates to tune in as we delve into what we need to do to be the best believers we can be.

Next post FAITH how do you get it, where does it come from, why you need it, etc...

May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar

Me, Myself and I...

What is the one thing in this world that you truly have control of?

Is it your destiny?

Is it your path, your way?

OR

Is it simply yourself?

2 CORINTHIANS 13:5 (Amplified Bible) says;

Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing the proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves [not Christ]. Do you not yourselves realize and know [thoroughly by an ever-increasing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you--unless you are [counterfeits] disapproved on trial and rejected?

The bible talks a lot about this topic, about false prophets, counterfeit believers, false teaching and simple deception as a way to cheat you of your prize.

What is the prize of the true believer of Jesus Christ?

Is it the promise of heaven?

Is it a good life?

Is it satisfaction that your works met your beliefs?

OR

Is it simply, the true ability to love beyond the worldly trappings of the word love?

Consider 2 PETER 1:3-11 (New King James Version)

As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Notice that this text assumes we have faith as the base of what we are to build upon. Giving all diligence add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

With the end result being love is this not the path of the true believer in Jesus Christ?

Should we forget man made concepts that threaten only to control through fear?

Should we abandon them for the path of true love demonstrated by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when He gave His life for ours at the cross?

Martin Luther King Jr. said;

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.


May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

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All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar

Fruitful Growth

2 Peter 1:5-11

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

5. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

6. to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

7. to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

8. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

11. for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The preceding passage assumes you already have faith which is supplied from God and confirmed in Ephesians 2:8-9.

We are to diligently pursue these things to make our faiths confession sure and solid in a world that is moving away from God. As we move toward God then we see the reason we are here and that reason is the same for all Christians we are to spread the word of God by our lives, a living testimony to and for God so that others may believe also.

Consider; Revelations 12:11, Mark 6:11, John 8;17


May...

The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Try a Bible Quiz and test your knowledge

click here ---> BIBLE QUIZ <--- click here

Subscribe in a reader

All posts by M.A.C. © Bruce W. Moar