BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Baptist This Week's Article

I cannot begin to write one word of this week's article, "Married to Nabal", without first confessing my sin. As I started my research, some questions begin to arise:

What is a fool?
What does the Bible say about fools?
How did Abigail, described as beautiful and intelligent, end up marrying Nabal, a fool?

Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D. has a great summary list of the Biblical references to a fool:

"A person is a fool who denies the existence of God. Psalms 14:1
A person is a fool who trusts in his own heart. Proverbs 28:26
A person is a fool who despises wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
A person is a fool who is quick-tempered & Does NOT control his/her anger. Ecc. 7:9; Proverbs 14:16-17
A person is a fool who scoffs at sin. Proverbs 14:9; 10:23"

I am a person who has trusted in my own heart by following the deceptions of my heart and convincing myself that is was God's will. I am a person who rejected wisdom and instruction at times. I am a person who has been quick-tempered, said things out of anger, and made decisions that were not in God's will for my life. I am a person who at times, as a believer, scoffed at sin by being a willing participant in that sin.

After examining myself, a flood of tears, praying for forgiveness, and confession, I understand Abigail in a totally different light. I pray that this week's article is as enlightening to you as it is to me.

Thank you, Father, for your Word that brings light to every dark place in my life. Thank you for loving me enough to show me the error of my ways (past and present). Thank you for the Holy Spirit that comforts me when I know I don't deserve comforting. Just, thank you for your mercy. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Repentance is a good thing. A contrite heart is an even better way to truly repent. Repentance will always be necessary for us the imperfect man. Because of one man's disobedience, we now stand in the iniquities of our sins and repentance is the only way to salvation. Good enlightenment Dountonia. Now, tonight be more enlightened in God's word. Start with Acts 2:38 and then John 3:1-6. I'll keep you in my prayers.

Thank you Kimmie for your prayers. Repentance, transparency, and honesty are very important for all believers especially as we share God's Word with others properly.

Accepting Christ is the first step. The next steps are learning to be Christlike to be conformed to His image. Feeding the Spirit daily, confessing the "big" sins, the "little" sins, and the "socially acceptable" sins. I have not met any Christian who has "arrived" or is so spiritually mature that they are sin-free. Accepting Christ does not mean we will not sin (our goal should be NOT to sin), but when we do to immediately ask for forgiveness and get back on the right track.

The previous post is a necessary public confession for me in preparation for the article God has placed on my heart. The Word is a two-edged sword. We cannot rightly divide the Word if we do not deal with everything that God wants us to deal with in our own lives first.

Since taking on the responsibility of the Baptist Site, things have been brought to my remembrance from elementary school, college, and social events that I did not ask forgiveness for. Foolish decisions I made in choosing a mate because I "followed my heart" instead of waiting for God to present me to the mate He has for me. I think there are times when all of us have been foolish.

The more I study the Word,the more I want to study. The more he refines me, the more I want the world to see that God can and will use anyone any time. My salvation is secure and I am secure in my salvation. Please be patient with me because God is not done with me yet. And, I'm glad about it too. Because, even though I have made many mistakes in my life God's plan for my life will be fulfilled (sooner or later). I have chosen to take advantage of everything that the Holy Spirit is revealing to me so that I may grow through the process in order to be a more holy instrument of God and an honest testimony to the world.

I pray that "Married to Nabal" (when I post it on Friday) will be a blessing to you.

I love the "Be Christlike" philosophy.

Jesus said "others will come, who will do greater things". Then, the chruch institutions said "there is only Jesus, no one else can pretend in such greatness". Who will you believe: the words of the master? or the words of the human institutions?

I'm Buddhist, and i am an enlightened spiritual master. In Buddhism, it is recognized that everyone can attain the state of holyness, of being a saint. In christianity, there is an old belief that it is unatainable, even though the Christ himself told so. In Christianity, when someone becomes a saint, they usually burn them (in the past) because of the holy influence of freeing one's mind. Saints and holy people allways teach about freeing one self, and the political institutions come back against this.

Please excuse my comment if it does not suit your thread. I am astonished to find more and more Christians recommending to be Christlike, or to renew yourself "as the Christ", and not only with him, thinking him to be separate from you.

You are the Christ, all of you. Psalm 139: You craeted me, my Lord, forcibly i am a wonderful person.

Jesus is a human being. The Christ is all that there is. Jesus was the incarnation of the Christ, knowing in the experience of man, what it is to be the experience of God (Me and my father are one...). Jesus thought oneness. He started by "love your neightbor like yourself", then "forgive your enermy" and "when you strike him, you strike me", all in a state of oneness, then ended with "Me and my Father are One".

He did not teach this for others to be amazed at his oneness, but so we could do the same.

Thank you so much for posting such a wonderful teaching, as to be "Christlike". Now i know some Christians can accept to be awakened in the Love of their God, as ONE.

First, I would like to welcome you to the Baptist Site. Your
comments are welcomed and encouraged even if they are different.

Christlikeness is not a philosophy for Christians. It is, by definition of Christian what we strive to be -- like Christ, Jesus Christ. Jesus is both truly God and truly human. Clearly, He is the Son of God and the Son of Man.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1-3,14).

Those who believe in Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior over their lives are holy. Holy simply means set apart, sacred, washed by the blood of Lamb, and able to be used by God to fulfill His purposes. Holiness is not something we attain to be, it is something we are because of whose we are.

As Christians, we have dual citizenship. We live in the world but we are no longer of the world because we look forward to our heavenly home. And, sometimes there is a struggle for us to allow the Christ in us to shine because we yield to the desires of our "old nature" (instead of desiring what God wants for us).

Oneness has nothing to do with the deification of humanity (or some higher consciousness as defined in New Age thinking). It has to do with desiring those things that God wants for us. Or to put it another way renewing our minds by putting the Word of God into us so more of Him can be lived out in our lives.

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:21).