Orble - WRETCHEDMAN POURED OUT

WRETCHEDMAN POURED OUT

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NO GUARANTEES

February 7th 2008 18:33

Each day that passes reminds me that there are no guarantees in this life except those that Jesus left us with, "in this world you will have troubles...", and "I will never leave you nor forsake you..."

That is the only thing that give me comfort sometimes and yes, that IS enough (more than enough actually), yet the flesh always seems to cry out for the usual, "give me more!". I find that to be all too true of my own life and I see it on others around me as well so the problems is not unique to me. Still it troubles me to know that it is so and the battle rages on between the spirit and the flesh for control of the vessel in question.

I never have been able to shut the daily battle report off at the end of the day much like watching the daily body count rise during times of war as reporters try to make sense out of the senseless. There isn't enough time at present for me to elaborate on this thought but I will come back to this and amend this post to further draw it out but for now the only thing that comes to my mind is the remembrance that despite these spiritual disturbances the thought remains that "this is the day that the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it..."

Romans 7 is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak...

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Posted By: Paul Freeman - Category: No Category

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TAKE A LOOK AROUND...

January 26th 2008 06:00

This whole idea started out as an exercise in working out my own struggles as a believer in Christ in order to attempt to grow closer to Him and see if it was possible to lose the parts of myself I had come to have reason to hate over the past 4 decades knowing that they did not fit in with nor reflect the character of Christ we "Christians" were supposed to present to the world around us.

Upon my initial tour of the Orble community I found exactly what I knew I would, an exact duplicate of the very things I struggle against within as one who is all too aware of his own shortcomings and wishes could just divest the flesh and walk away from it all. False doctrines, New Age theories, lusts, greed, selfishness, desires that serve no purpose other than self fulfillment and leave one wanting still more. It is the human condition.

Blogs seem to show all sides of the human condition as we tend to want to be heard more than we want to give just so others agree with us. It feeds our egos. That is not my purpose here, at least that is what I want to believe. God knows my heart and His Word says that the heart is above all deceitfully wicked. He judges those thoughts and intents. He knows what is sin in us. That, in all honesty, is a sobering thought to me as I remember the price Christ paid for those very sins...willingly...obediently.

My fears assault me daily as I see my failures great and small, recognize my efforts and the resulting outcomes called "progress", and cringe at the disparity I see.

Yet in spite of it all I know without a doubt that Christ loves me and try as I might I can find no reason why it is so. I wonder at His mercy and hope to give voice to others out there who share my convictions and as well to those who don't simply to show them that the gift of forgiveness is free to them as well.

The lyrics to the song "If We Are The Body" by Casting Crowns pose the question that I ask myself daily,
" ...if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?

and further admonish me as one who professes to follow after Christ,
"Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ"

To all who read this blog who do not believe in Christ, or who may have been hurt by one claiming to be a Christian, let me stand in the gap to publicly apologize for the failure of the body of which I am a member, and ask your forgiveness. It is not what Christ would have wanted nor is it a true representation of His love. It bothers me deeply to know that it occurs and that I have been party to it by proxy.

That said, to all who profess Christ, take a look around and see what you can do to give without expecting in return and show the example Christ called us to as His followers. Those who are here who say they don't believe many times say it is because they cannot SEE Him. It is our job to give them something to see and we have been failing in that effort all too many times.

To those who doubt, don't believe or have been hurt, take a look around and ask yourself if the world you see doesn't need some forgiveness. If nothing else, please make a decision to be a part of that as it truly is better to give than to receive.

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Posted By: Paul Freeman - Category: No Category

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GREETINGS IN CHRIST JESUS!

January 26th 2008 04:34

This blog is open to all who care to enter and share their understanding without fear of condemnation or judgment.

I personally know that what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7 and 8 is my personal opinion of myself and thus the reason for this effort.

Know that you are welcome here and that you are loved by Christ who bought you with a price because of that love. No matter how you find yourself struggling in this world of limitations you are free indeed in Him because of the blood He shed for you.

That alone is our only hope and that is more than enough. May you find honesty here that gives you cause to grow in faith. It is not my goal that you agree with all that is posted here, but rather that what you read gives you cause to think and examine yourself and your faith, as I do likewise in my own life. to help you "work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." as the Scriptures command us all to do.

May you all be blessed in your efforts and grow in understanding through Christ Jesus.

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February 2008

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January 2008

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