<-- Added to move page out of way of Nav Bar -->

Verse of the Day:

Sunday, January 25, 2009

From Y!/A: "Spiritually Speaking" does excepting yourself allows others to accept you?

The Yahoo! Answers staff occasionally deletes questions that people ask in the Religion and Spirituality section that they consider offensive or off topic. One way that potential "abusers" get around this is by adding "Spiritually speaking" to the beginning of their question. Often I find that these are valid, or at least useful questions to answer. Here is one that was recently deleted.

Question:
"Spiritually Speaking" does excepting yourself allows others to accept you?

Answer:
Yes and no.

"Excepting yourself", is called hypocrisy. Setting up rules for others to follow, while not following these rules yourself is what "religious" people often do. People truly and rightly hate hypocrisy.

"Accepting yourself" (if that is what you meant), is called self-righteousness. In accepting yourself, you will begin to put down others as that is the only means to keep up your own self-acceptance, or self-righteousness. Oddly, unlike outright hypocrisy, this self-righteousness will likely be accepted by many others, because they are doing same thing.

"Accepting Jesus", is the only way to be acceptable to God, and the only way to truly accept (love) others. In order to accept Jesus, you must put off your self-righteousness and hypocrisy, and accept that you are a vile sinner who cannot be acceptable in and of yourself. Others (who are not born again, from above) will not accept you, but will revile, despise, and persecute you. But God in Heaven will accept you, and this is the only way.


Source(s):
15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
Mark 8:15

Click here for the full post.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Shaving for the Lord

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I really didn't want to shave. I don't like shaving, and at this particular event, I would even fit in better with the people I work with, if I did not shave. However the boss, the owner of the company, has set a policy that his employees will not have a full beard (goatees and mustaches are okay) and will be clean shaven.

As I was mentally preparing the rationalizations that would allow me to put down the razor and go to work with a days growth of beard on my face, I realized that it was the LORD against whom I was preparing to rebel. That instead of grumbling in myself at the need to scrape the fur from my face, instead I should be grateful to even have a job. Paul wrote that we should honor our employers as we honor the Lord. I shave, not because my boss will fire me; but rather because the Lord has blessed me.

Thank you Lord, for allowing me to shave for You!

Click here for the full post.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Psalm 48