Unequal Yoke Part IV.

'A bit of subject changing, but it’s necessary. Do you know what is the main purpose of religion? 

Frame. 

Yes-yes. 

Okay. 

The main purpose of religion is to help to 'avoid' the meeting with God. It gives a series of activities which if I do properly then I had the catharsis, I can happily nod, everything is amazing, Mr Mike has spoken with God, and he told what God has said to him, and because of that I don’t have to speak with HIM. 

This is the thing, that to open our hearts could be dangerous, therefore to go to God, ask from him something,  is holding within itself the risk that HE will answer. We can ruin it, in double ways. In one hand we can ruin it by telling HIM that this and that is happening and then running away, not waiting to HIS answer. The other way is when HE IS saying unpleasant things and I say that ’the device’ wasn’t working properly and I heard it incorrectly. It’s a huge failure and a great loss, but Paul is saying „(I am talking as to my children), let your hearts be wide open to me.” And don’t be in unequal yoke with unbelievers that’s how it continues. So from the aspect of the tense it’s not saying to ’not be with’, instead ’to not get into’ unequal yoke with unbeliever. That’s the correct translation. Therefore before that, you had the yoke which gave you ’inner rest, peace, stability’. Don’t get in something which removes you from it, okay? That’s the important thing.

I declare the following thing, coming back to marriages. You can live in unequal yoke if you are, as a believer, married to another believer. It’s easily possible to be in unequal yoke within a believer – unbeliever marriage, but the unequal yoke is inside the heart of the believer. Exact question, real situation. Someone is saying that ’she has got a very good relationship with her husband’, ’they love each other’ and ’everything is cool’ but he cannot stand the Christians. Yes, yes, yes! From one hand „They think it strange that you don’t plunge with them.” But if, he loves his wife, then I’m sure that he loves all of her soul, including that part which is in relationship with God. No, the problem is not there! The problem is with, from my own experience it happens a thousand times, when accidentally he  - the poor guy - goes to a church, and then he is surrounded by six hundred people who’s asking that ’Oh, you are not converted, right?’ and well ’It would be better if you would be a believer, because that way the children could grow up in unity.’. And I don’t know what else. They cover you with all of this, I call it ’saint-sauce’, from that I would run out from church as well. Right?

And I can tell you where is the unequal yoke. Within the believers heart there’s a commitment towards God. But there’s a compulsion for conformity within the church. Good night to everyone! We should decide it, okay, obviously it’s important to be the part of The Body of Christ, to fit in, but in the Heaven they won’t ask you about ’Miss Maggie’s opinion about your marriage from the last row. Forgive me, but God is not interested in ’Miss Maggie’s opinion. The fellowship is very interested in her opinion, because ’Miss Maggie’ has got a loud voice and she speaks a lot. But, but, can you understand the meaning of it?! So the conclusion of the story is that don’t give up THAT inner peace, stability, calmness, yoke that you have taken up, just because what they are thinking about you. That’s true in your workplace, within the church, in your ministration with other Christians and with your relatives.

The problem is when you start to do these kind of compromises in your life, then to undo them or turn back from there will be very-very difficult. For example, if once in your working place either in your family you denied Christ like that, so you didn’t admit Him, you left Him out. I can always imagine this as the following, that the Lord is there, but the only one who can see Him, is you, not the others, so then when you do it, it is like saying that He is not there, inside you. So just once you pushed Jesus to the background, then there is a problem and to return from that point is a long period. It could be months, in terms of credibility and in terms of your own inner peace. Start it, if it takes long, doesn’t matter, because it’s worth to do! Start to admit Christ in your life, in your personal life, in your family and in your working place. If you once admit it, then it will be much more easier to admit Him in another time, in another situation.'

What is Love?!?

Nowadays the description for love is just when you fill the emotions rise inside, the flesh and all the desires. But this is not real Love. These are spontaneous healthy symptoms that you are a human being. These are more the physical elements of Love.

To love someone and to be loved from your beloved one of course you need to have these physical attractions.

But your relationship and your marriage won't live for long IF it is based only on the physical and sexual attraction.

Love means SO MUCH MORE than these. Love means, you CARE for your partner MORE than you care for yourself. It means you are LESS SELFISH. You are ABLE TO COMPROMISE.  Love is when you can PUT someone's need BEFORE YOURS.

Love is when you are FAITHFUL to your loved one, no matter how hard it is sometimes. Love is when you love someone WITHOUT ANY EXPECTATION.

You can love someone more easily, If you find your inner peace. If YOU yourself are OK with YOURSELF, and you have reconciled with your background, with your past. If you find your balance in your everyday life. When you find peace in God!

"Let Love and Faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." /Proverbs 3:3/

After every ending there is a beginning

            Thoughts of existence

To help those people whom God brought into your life. To give hope. To be a light. Not to give up. Even though its hard sometimes. Just trust and rely on God. To forgive to those who are not giving you the job. To back out of your past. To say goodbye to your proud. You don't have to be the same as your parents were. To let it go. To forgive to those who you think are better, valuable, more beautiful than you. To have healthy thoughts. To trust in God. Don't let the enemy to turn your thoughts inside out. To be sympathizer. Don't brood over nothingness but instead start to look at the path in front of you. To look into his and her eyes and to understand what comes through them. To be patient. To learn to listen. Not just acting you care for someone, but be there and do it. To listen them, comfort them and love them. To follow the footprints of Christ.

"15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." /John 17(NIV)/"

"12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." /Colossians 3(NIV)/"

And for closing

From A to B

         Deep Inside

Dissatisfied, because you want to do something. When you do something, you feel that it's not enough at all, that you should do more. Not good enough. Not high quality. Not enough at all. You walk up and down, you want more. You want to move forward. And when it happens you do not appreciate the things you have achieved, you start to concentrate again on your future. 'I wish I could be there, where I want to be!' You longing for it. Your life is filled with this longing. When you don't have a relationship, you desire to have one. When you are in a relationship, after a while, you long for more. You want to quit. You want something new. You hope that the new will be better. You are longing for adrenalin which comes with the new. You are longing for that new taste in your mouth. You are longing for a fulfillment, but instead you feel like you are not moving at all.

Impatient, want to get everything right away. You don't appreciate what you  already have. You act like a kid who goes crazy for a toy in the next two minutes and then throws it away, because you have had enough of it. You are bored. You really want to do something interesting and unique. You want some adventure, some pleasure. You miss something and can't figure out what it is exactly. Always, when you get something, you are disappointed, because you realize that it's not what you have been longing for. You cannot explain yourself, you don't know what  you are longing for. You start to work on this, on that, but you never finish with any of them. Because you get bored very quickly. You aren't really a persistent person. You want to be recognized.  You aren't willing to do any work, which doesn't produce a quick and spectacular result. You are more than happy to work for others as long as it helps you to move forward. When you succeed, you can't let yourself to be happy because you don't feel like it was your success. You don't like to take the lead. If you do take the lead, then you try to escape from the problems, and you rather quit.

Wistfulness. Something incomprehensible and unfathomable keeps yawning in your soul. You are unable to fill it up. You feel like the more you do, the emptier you become. Constant hunger. Rumbling spiritual-starving, uncomfortable feeling. You don't know how to fill it up. You just pass by the entity. You just eat some instant food, but you don't like it at all. You don't have patience and time to make a quality food and then to eat it with a delight. You are dissatisfied with your situation. You are indignant, because you feel like that everyone else lives better though they don't deserve it, but you.

Your character of your religion is filled with yearning prayers. Pretentious, few thanksgiving, a lot of requests. You don't accept what God gives to you. You long for other things, what you didn't get and you feel like God didn't listen to your prayers. You are crying. You don't understand what is wrong.

With difficulty you realize, that you should remain silent for a bit. To listen without expectations. Dwell on the stories. To enjoy the taste of a delicious food. To rejoice in the sunshine and the stars. Indulge yourself into Bible reading. For a while not to do something, just to listen and feel. To mourn yourself. To clear yourself and to see those who are longing for a hug. With difficulty but you realize, that you can be satisfied, because you will get it. That you can be patient, because you will receive it. And you can be inactive, because you are not alone in the service. You can be just yourself.

Thoughts inspired by Shavuot

The Light and the Shadow. The closer you are to the light, the smaller is the the shadow. What is the light and what is the shadow represents? Arrogance vs  Modesty and Humbleness. What happens, when you leave out God from your life? And what happens if you live your life with God? Arrogance is when you forget where you come from, you forget that you are not a god. Arrogance is when you trust in yourself more, without any respect. It is, when you cover yourself, when you build a protective wall around yourself. When you think you are The Boss.

"While he was still speaking these words, a voice called down from heaven, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. That very same hour the prophecy was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws. 
After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. 
His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He has the power to do as he pleases among the angels of the heaven and with those who live on earth. No one can stop him or challenge him, saying, 'What do you mean by doing these things?' 
When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and officers sought me out, and I was reestablished as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble those who are proud."/Daniel 4,31-37/

You should have a purpose for your life. When does it go to the right direction?! When you are closer to the light. When you are closer to God.

The man with the two pockets. In one side he had a note which said, 'The world was created for me', and the other side he had a note which said, 'I am but dust and ashes'. Whenever he felt so Great, and Unbelievable Strong, he pulled out the one, which said, 'I am but dust and ashes'. And when he felt down, he pulled out the other note, saying 'The world was created for me'. The balance is very important.

At last, King David is a really good example. He was a small guy, and youngest from his brothers. But he had a relationship with the Living God! That's why, even when he was in bad or good situation, he relayed on God, and God always was with him.

Encouraging

Little bon-bons from the Bible

"Unfailing love and faithfulness cover sin; evil is avoided by fear of the Lord."

"When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a gentle rain. How much better to get wisdom than gold, and understanding than silver!"

"Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be happy."

"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say even before I say it Lord. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head."

"Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful crops. Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps."

"Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about."

"Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to to make everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David."

"Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near."

"I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels."