Politicians are continually complaining about social security because of our financial crisis, I wonder where all the money went.

First the Government Accountability Office found that more than $500 billion in Afghanistan war spending would be squandered without a long-term financial commitment from the United States. Then the United States Agency for International Development announced it was shuttering aid projects that ate up millions of tax dollars with no results.

The Taliban could be using U.S. tax dollars to kill American soldiers. The U.S. military has estimated that up to $360 million ended up in the hands of Taliban and criminal elements in Afghanistan over the past decade, according to a 2012 Associated Press report

http://www.businessinsider.com/taliban-using-us-money-for-insurgency-2013-4

My mother decided she is old enough she wants to move into a retirement home. My mom has kept her place up all these 47 years; she has allowed her neighbors to live as they choose. Now that her house is for sale she has discovered one mans liberty should not be at the cost of another. My mom’s neighborhood has become ran down; a few of her neighbors have allowed their homes to decay. Their yards are full of liter and limbs and over grown with weeds. The value of her home is worth less because of her neighbors. Some of the perspective buyers also have turned away because of the neighborhood.

I thought about how the neighbors being allowed freedom to live as they so choose have hurt the sale of my mom’s house. Liberty at the expense of others is not liberty, for true liberty should free all not just the few at the expense of others.

We Christians can view our liberty in the same manner, is our liberty costing or prospering others? Do we lower the standard of morals, or do we set standards by which we wish our children to live.

Have you ever asked your self what freewill means to you? To me it means to have the choice, to stay or go. How would you give an animal freewill, you would leave the gate open, and let it decide if it wants to stay with you or not. But if you’re a stranger, the natural instincts of the animal would lead it right through the gate off on its own direction. But if you first show the animal love, then there is a greater chance it would stay. If it loves you enough or has become dependent upon you enough, it will stay for sure; basically its freewill has been replaced by love or dependency.

God works in mysterious ways, in that way we cannot begin to feel dependent upon God causing us to give up our freewill just to receive from him. This simply means giving to get, which would feed self making our end worse. 

God wants us to give up our freewill and follow his will out of love. But if we follow God’s will just too please Him, then we begin to see God no different than man. We can please man by simply doing every thing his way. So what is the reason which would cause us to give up our freewill to follow God’s will? As we begin to see that by following God’s will we are actually blessing other people, we begin seeing that following God’s will is showing others love. Jesus followed God’s will and died for all mankind, the ultimate expression of love. We give up our freewill to follow God’s will to express love to the world. 

So how could God give man freewill, He placed in the Garden of Eden one tree which he gave commandment not to partake of.

1Jn 2:2 He (Jesus) is the offering for our sins; and not for ours only, but for all the world. (BBE)

1Ti 2:4 Who (God) will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

If Jesus died for all men, and its God’s will that all men be saved, then are all men saved? For most that is an easy question, but for those that come here and do ask that, here is the answer No! Did Jesus die for the sins of the whole world, he sure did. Like placing a meal upon the table, not all will eat it, it is their choice. We have been given free will, which allows us to go contrary to God’s will.

Through Jesus’ death we have all the promises, but through our belief we receive it or not.

For the most part we shall reap what we sow.

Joh_16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

Joh_3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Joh_3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

2Jn_1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

As these verses came to me I began to see a pattern, so I would like to share it with you. We are told that which comes out of us declares what’s within us. When we declare we are a Christian that which comes out of us proves or denies our confession. If that which comes from within is contrary to our confession, the word warns us that all liars shall have their place in the fire.

Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Mat_15:18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

Mat_12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Mat_7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

By the words and actions of a Christian we proclaim Christ or deny him. By those same words and actions we prove our confession of being a Christian to be true or a lie. Unto whom much is given or claimed, shall much be required.

Rev_21:8 … all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Mat_10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Pro_1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

Pro_18:20 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.

To me these verses show a pattern. We must eat (read the word) to stay alive, and it is through the word we are given strength to fight our enemy. Those not of flesh and blood.

1Pe_2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Rom_10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Heb_11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Pro 24:3Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established: 4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Eph_6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Heb_4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2Ti_2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Col_2:19 … which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

Pro_11:9 … but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

2Pe_1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

2Pe_2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Why is it the programs that help the poor the needy and the elderly are always the preferred target? We give billions to foreign countries who really don’t like us. We spend billions on a military so we can police a world which in many cases hates us. Yet we cannot stop over twenty million illegal from living in America.

Wondering how these people become politicians?

The GOP budget proposal, similar to previous plans offered by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., demonstrates that it's possible, at least mathematically, to balance the budget within a decade without raising taxes. But to do so Ryan, his party's vice presidential nominee last year, assumes deep cuts that would force millions from programs for the poor like food stamps and Medicaid and cut almost 20 percent from domestic agency budget levels assumed less than two years ago.

http://news.yahoo.com/house-passes-gop-budget-plan-promising-deep-cuts-150804511--finance.html

Jas_2:6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you…

Psa_37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy…

Pro 22:16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

Over time I have learnt that my definition of legalism is obedience done to please God. Have you ever wondered how could our stealing lying anger affect God? It doesn’t directly, like when the store down the street gets something stolen, it has no affect upon us. Not directly, but it does indirectly, through taxes as more police officers are needed from increase of crime, insurance prices go up as insurance companies have to cover the loss also price increases. Even now there is a Wal-mart not to far from me that might be closing because their location has placed them in an area in which their loss is severe.

When we are disobedient it affects God indirectly, our disobedience usually affects another person directly or indirectly, which does affect God. God’s love for man means that when we in a negative way affect another person God is affected. Just like a parent suffers when their child suffers, God’s great love for his children allows him to care about his children’s suffering.

Joh_14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1Jn_4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

Job 35:5 Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. 6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? 7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? 8 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

When I was a child my dad would tell us what not to do, more like advice and less like commands. My dad knew his children were extremely rebellious and if he gave us a command we would go out of our way to break them. So he would give us commands in the form of advice, and for the most part our rebellious spirit didn’t cause us to go against his advice. There were occasions the temptation to do what he advised us not to do was overwhelming. Not because of a rebellious spirit but because it seemed like something fun to do. A few times of discovering the reason dad advised us not to do certain things by the pain they caused, we soon learned to trust what he advised.

God through the Spirit gives us many commands, when we accept that they are good advice to prevent us from pain, it makes obedience much easier. There are parents that give rules to their children to make their own lives easier, but God gives us rules to make our life easier.

I am not sure how well this post will be accepted, but to me it is one of those that need to be written. (Before I get started there are exceptions to the rules)

Most all go to the doctor or seek the cure when they discover they have an illness or injury. When we are willing to accept the blame for the problems in our life it causes us to seek the cure. Destruction comes through pride because a proud person points outward instead of inward when they have an issue, which prevents their seeking the cure. It will continue building their ego as the proud person believes others have so many issues and not their self until their ruin.

As we accept the blame with a humble spirit we seek the cure, which brings our healing. Nature shows us that when we encounter pain we recoil away from it. If we blame the other we move further away from them to avoid the pain, which is the cause of many divorces. But when we accept the blame it causes us to seek the cure for the problem. Seek and ye shall find, it is in knowing we have a problem that causes us to turn to the true physician. (Jesus Christ)

I do not believe God tries to force us to change, but allows us to reap what we sow causing us pain which leads to our seeking to change. We cannot force others to change, we are the ones that need to change.