Pathways For Sojourners

[Beetow]

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157) Gal 6:7a . . Don't be deceived into thinking God is a silly old fool.

A silly old fool is a senior citizen that people know they can mistreat and/or take
advantage of without fear of complaint, resistance, or reprisal.

People in our day and age are easily persuaded that God is harmless and that the
old testament's version of God is obsolete, i.e. no longer someone to fear since
Jesus came along. But as God was capable of withholding blessing for conduct
unbecoming back then; He still is.
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[Beetow]

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158) Gal 6:10 . . So then, whenever we have opportunity, let us do good to all
men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Good can take any number of forms but I think a useful description we could apply
here is "beneficial".

Jesus did good (Acts 10:30) i.e. he was very definitely beneficial; not just on the
cross or by his teachings, but in practical ways too.

Those who are of the "household of the faith" are actually kin; viz: siblings; and like
they say: charity begins at home.

Some churches have what they call a deacon's fund; to assist members who are
down and out and/or in dire straits.

And don't overlook your church's senior citizens. Some may be getting up in years3
and finding it difficult to even maintain their own homes and yards anymore.
Chores may not seem all that spiritual; but pitch in anyway if for no other reason
than our assistance is beneficial.
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[Beetow]

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159) Eph 2:11-22 . .Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by
birth and called uncircumcised by those who call themselves the circumcision-- that
done in the body by the hands of men --remember that at that time you were
separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the
covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

. . But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near
through the blood of Christ. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens,
but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household

Gentiles are prone to forget; and one of the things they forget is that their religion
didn't begin with the Roman Catholic Church; no, it began with Abraham; and the
purpose of Gentiles hearing the gospel is not so they can replace the Jews as God's
chosen people, but rather, so they can join them and share in their blessings.

● Rom 11:17-18 . . If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though
a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the
nourishing sap from the olive root, don't boast over those branches. If you do,
consider this: You don't support the root, but the root supports you.

● Isa 49:5-6 . . And now says The Lord, who formed me from the womb to be his
servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, in order that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of The Lord, and my God is my strength). He says: It
is too small a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light of the
nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

● John 4:22 . . Salvation is of the Jews.
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[Beetow]

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160) Eph 4:1 . . As a prisoner for The Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of
the calling you have received.

Some time long ago, a pastor in Arizona utilized a highway billboard to poll people's
opinion not of Christianity, rather; what people think of Christians. Here's the gist
of his message:

DESCRIBE CHRISTIANS WITH ONE WORD
Text Me @ xxxxxx-1152 (full number withheld for privacy considerations)

The results of the poll were open to view at iamlandonmacdonald on Instagram.

Some responses:

Hateful
Gullible
Ignorant
Satanist
Judgmental
Hypocritical

Not everybody despises Christians, but for sure everybody despises a phony. i.e.
Christians don't have to live the life of a saint to become a saint, but they do have
to live the life of a saint in order to merit the respect their religion deserves. (cf.
2Sam 12:14)
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[Beetow]

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161) Eph 4:2 . . Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, putting up with
another in love.

The Greek word translated "love" in that passage is fortunate in some ways
because it doesn't necessarily speak of affection. It mostly pertains to benevolence,
e.g. civility, courtesy, sympathy, thoughtfulness, tolerance, charity, kindness,
lenience, understanding, diplomacy, tact, etc. which are common social skills that
even the most insensitive clod on earth is capable of practicing if they'd only put
their mind to it.

Humility is relative to humbleness of mind, viz: modesty; defined by Webster's as
free from conceit and/or vanity. Humility is one of those virtues that people love to
talk about; but rarely ever seem to exemplify.

Conceit is defined as excessive appreciation of one's own worth or virtue, viz:
arrogance, i.e. a superiority complex and/or a master-race mentality. (A conceited
supervisor was a very key factor in the Chernobyl disaster. Had he been more
reasonable, and less arrogant, the disaster might've been easily averted.)

Vanity is defined as inflated pride in oneself, viz: narcissism and/or self adoration.
Cosmetics and figure-shaping undergarments don't really qualify as the kind of
vanity that Paul is talking about; which goes way beyond just trying to look your
best.

Vanity is an ugly creature. It's self aggrandizing and it isn't gentle either, on the
contrary; vanity can be quite cruel and competitive, caring only what's best for
itself. Vanity abhors associating with people whose station in life is decidedly below
its own; and God forbid someone below themselves should have the nerve to
correct either their conduct or their knowledge.

Patience is defined as the power, or capacity, to endure without complaint
something and/or someone difficult or disagreeable; especially when it comes to
certain folk who seem to have a natural aptitude for getting on people's nerves.
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[Beetow]

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162) Eph 4:3 . . Be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The Spirit baptizes believers into one body (1Cor 12:13) so that particular unity is
out of our hands. However, the manner in which we associate with each other is a
horse of another color.

Peace can be roughly defined as the absence of strife, e.g. hostility, grudging,
quarreling, and rivalry, etc.
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