CARING for OTHERS

Isaiah 57:14

King James Version

14 And shall say, 

Cast ye up, cast ye up, 

prepare the way, 

take up the stumblingblock 

out of the way of my people.

"Scripture's very clear.

We are not to hinder our brothers, and sisters.

We are not to cause them to sin, or to stray.

We are not to be the reason they become disappointed, disillusioned, turn bitter, are ruined, are hurt, or perish.

We are not be a stumbling block in their way to knowing more about God.

We are to love them, and lead them back to the LORD, in the manner the LORD wants."

We wrote all that on 4 September 2021.

Today, we have selected a few more verses which can guide us how to better care for others.

As taught by GOD:

Exodus 22:22

King James Version

22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, 

or fatherless child.

Leviticus 19:14

King James Version

14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, 

nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, 

but shalt fear thy God: 

I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 24:17

King James Version

17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment 

of the stranger, 

nor of the fatherless; 

nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:

As taught by JESUS:

Matthew 12:10-11

King James Version

10 And, behold, 

there was a man which had his hand withered. 

And they asked him, saying, 

Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? 

that they might accuse him.

11 And he said unto them, 

What man shall there be among you, 

that shall have one sheep, 

and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, 

will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

Mark 16:17-18

King James Version

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; 

In my name shall they cast out devils; 

they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; 

and if they drink any deadly thing, 

it shall not hurt them; 

they shall lay hands on the sick, 

and they shall recover.

Luke 13:14-16

King James Version

14 And the ruler of the synagogue 

answered with indignation, 

because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, 

and said unto the people, 

There are six days in which men ought to work: 

in them therefore come and be healed, 

and not on the sabbath day.

15 The Lord then answered him, and said, 

Thou hypocrite, 

doth not each one of you on the sabbath 

loose his ox or his ass from the stall, 

and lead him away to watering?

16 And ought not this woman, 

being a daughter of Abraham, 

whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, 

be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

John 13:34-35

King James Version

34 A new commandment I give unto you, 

That ye love one another; as I have loved you, 

that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know 

that ye are my disciples, 

if ye have love one to another.

As taught by apostle Paul:

Romans 14:13

King James Version

13 Let us not therefore 

judge one another any more: 

but judge this rather, 

that no man put a stumblingblock 

or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Romans 14:19

King James Version

19 Let us therefore follow 

after the things which make for peace, 

and things wherewith one may edify another.

1 Corinthians 8:9

King James Version

9 But take heed lest by any means 

this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock 

to them that are weak.

1 Corinthians 8:11-13

King James Version

11 And through thy knowledge 

shall the weak brother perish, 

for whom Christ died?

12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, 

and wound their weak conscience, 

ye sin against Christ.

13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, 

I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, 

lest I make my brother to offend.

1 Corinthians 10:32

King James Version

32 Give none offence, 

neither to the Jews, 

nor to the Gentiles, 

nor to the church of God:

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

King James Version

6 We then, 

as workers together with him, 

beseech you also that ye receive not 

the grace of God in vain.

2 (For he saith, 

I have heard thee in a time accepted, 

and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: 

behold, now is the accepted time; 

behold, now is the day of salvation.)

3 Giving no offence in any thing, 

that the ministry be not blamed:

4 But in all things approving ourselves 

as the ministers of God, 

in much patience, in afflictions, 

in necessities, in distresses,

5 In stripes, in imprisonments, 

in tumults, in labours, 

in watchings, in fastings;

6 By pureness, by knowledge, 

by long suffering, by kindness, 

by the Holy Ghost, 

by love unfeigned,

7 By the word of truth, 

by the power of God, 

by the armour of righteousness 

on the right hand and on the left,

8 By honour and dishonour, 

by evil report and good report: 

as deceivers, and yet true;

9 As unknown, and yet well known; 

as dying, and, behold, we live; 

as chastened, and not killed;

10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; 

as poor, yet making many rich; 

as having nothing, 

and yet possessing all things.

Romans 14:13

King James Version

13 Let us not therefore 

judge one another any more: 

but judge this rather, 

that no man put a stumblingblock 

or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Romans 14:19

King James Version

19 Let us therefore follow 

after the things which make for peace, 

and things wherewith one may edify another.

Interestingly, this post was prepared on 19 August 2024.

That's EXACTLY a year ago.

Funny how SPIRIT led me back to it today, to fine-tune, and add to it.

It may have taken me a year to get back to this post, but now you have it before you.

Today is the day this article is meant to reach you.

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Cause NO ONE to FALL

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BORN AGAIN articles

CAT receives LOVE

 Proverbs 11:17

King James Version

17 The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: 

but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

Would you stop for a cat, who's left to die? 

Would you stop for it, knowing it's covered with flies?

Would you bring it to a vet, to have it checked?

Would you nurse it back to health?

Would you tend to its wounds?

Would you adopt it?

All these a young lady did, according to that video.

There are quite a lot of videos showing animals rescued.

From accidents, human cruelty, shelters, and abandonment.

When you see such kindness, you know there's hope for the world.

Whether for humans, or animals, let us all aspire to be kind.

To protect both from harm.

To prevent harm from coming to both.

To care for the hurt, forgotten, and abandoned ones.

While there is life in each one of us, there is life.

While there's light in our eyes, there is life.

While there's breath in our being, there is life.

It's how GOD would want us to care for each other.

That all life matters.

His Son, JESUS, taught us that.

John 13:34

King James Version

34 A new commandment I give unto you, 

That ye love one another; as I have loved you, 

that ye also love one another.

Let us not be the first one to hurt others.

Let us be the first one to protect others.

Let us always keep a watchful eye for each other.

Let us not allow cruelty to prevail.

Let us refuse all that the devil is.

James 4:7

King James Version

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. 

Resist the devil, 

and he will flee from you.

The cat in that video, through the ministrations of the young lady, and her vet, was nursed back to good health.

Considering maggots had infested it, flies were on it, the poor cat had fractures on its leg, and it was left to die.

Surely, the cat got well, because of the love it received.

Every creature, whether man or animal, responds to love, and care.

And the gentleness that go with it.

It tests the quality of a person.

To stop, and help.

Or to walk away, hoping others would care for it instead.

Others walk away, completely ignoring other humans' and animals' plight.

Can you walk away from their cry?

Can you walk away, knowing they need help?

Can you ignore a life, on the line?

There is such a thing as proper pet ownership.

You're responsible for your own pets.

They're not bought, on a whim.

Many parents teach their kids that.

Once a pet is bought, the child must look after it.

But some kids are spoiled, and neglect their pets after a while.

They get bored, and want new things.

Gadgets, for one.

So, the animal is left unattended.

Some pet owners move away.

Some actually leave their pets behind.

Or, if the animal is sick, or wounded, all the more they abandon it.

That's why You Tube is full of videos of kind strangers caring for these poor, hurt, abandoned animals.

I especially love watching transformations.

We are actually all responsible for each other.

Whether for humans, or animals.

Let's cease from being cruel.

It's wonderful being born again.

You learn to love, as JESUS did.

Even if we're imperfect.

We can still follow the examples given by JESUS.

He taught us how to love.

He taught us how to be kind.

He died for us.

No love can be greater.

A sign of great love is not receiving commendation for it.

No publicity, no accolades, no recognition, nothing.

There is no reward, when you love.

You love, because it is what JESUS would want you to do.

You love, because it feels right in your heart.

You love, because it is the right thing to do.

You love, because JESUS taught you to.

It is how He would want you to be.

JESUS has much to teach us.

About love, perfection, and holiness.

Let us all do right by GOD.

The Rapture can happen any moment.

It's time to set our lives right.

In ways that are acceptable to GOD.

Being born again is the path to take.

You will be taught by SPIRIT how to love.

As JESUS did.

P.S. 

Strangely, although by now I'm used to SPIRIT's ways, I realized -- as I was editing this post's "labels" -- that another post talking about the love JESUS taught us, was written on the same date -- 19 June.

EXACTLY four years ago:

"Learning to Love as Jesus Taught Us"

Just shows I'm on the right path, writing all these.

I can only marvel at SPIRIT's precision.

Which I dearly LOVE.

And wait for.

Related material:

BORN AGAIN articles

WATCHING our words

 

JESUS warns:

Matthew 5:22

King James Version

22 But I say unto you, 

That whosoever is angry with his brother 

without a cause 

shall be in danger of the judgment: 

and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, 

shall be in danger of the council: 

but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, 

shall be in danger of hell fire.

Scripture is GOD's WORD.

And GOD's WORD is JESUS.

When JESUS declares something, I always pay attention.

The verse above has THREE warnings:

1. Being angry, without a cause, shall be in "danger of the judgment".

2. Calling another, "Raca", shall be in "danger of the council".

3. Calling, "Thou fool", shall be in "danger of hell fire".

I needed to be sure what JESUS meant.

So I turn to two other Bible translations, just to be sure.

And here's where SPIRIT led me:

Matthew 5:22

Expanded Bible

22 But I tell you, ·if you are [L everyone who is] angry with a brother or sister,[a] you will be ·judged [subject to judgment]. ·If you say [L Whoever says] ·bad things [“Fool!”; L Raca; C an Aramaic term of derision] to a brother or sister, you will be ·judged [subject/liable to judgment] by the ·council [Sanhedrin]. And if you call someone a ·fool [idiot; moron], you will be in danger of the fire of ·hell [L Gehenna; C a valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell].

Mattityahu 5:22

Orthodox Jewish Bible

22 But I say to you, that everyone who harbors kaas (anger) against his Ach [b’Moshiach], his chaver, shall be subject to mishpat (judgment); and whoever shall say to his Ach [b’Moshiach], Reyka! (Good for nothing!) will be subject to the Sanhedrin; and whoever shall say Shoteh! (Fool) shall be subject to Eish Gehinnom (Fire of Hell).

In SUMMARY, "Raca" means:

Aramaic term of derision

Reyka! (Good for nothing!)

In SUMMARY, "Thou fool" means:

idiot; moron

Shoteh! (Fool)

In SUMMARY, "hell fire" means:

Gehenna; C a valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell

Eish Gehinnom (Fire of Hell)

Who are our "brothers"?

Another post clarifies that.

Either way, we are not to insult our brothers, and sisters.

We must guard our tongue.

We must guard our voice.

We must guard our words.

We must guard our hearts.

The LORD warned us:

Matthew 15:18-19

King James Version

18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth 

come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, 

murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, 

false witness, blasphemies:

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Image: Clipart Library

The LOVING prayer

 

1 Timothy 2:1-4

King James Version

2 I exhort therefore, 

that, first of all, 

supplications, prayers, intercessions, 

and giving of thanks, 

be made for all men;

2 For kings, 

and for all that are in authority; 

that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life 

in all godliness and honesty.

3 For this is good and acceptable 

in the sight of God our Saviour;

4 Who will have all men to be saved,

and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Call it the forgotten prayer.

Call it the necessary prayer.

Which has the potential to heal self, and nations.

The verses above lead to a very wise prayer.

For these FIVE reasons:

1. Asking that "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men"

2. Asking we pray for "kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty"

3. Saying "this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour"

4. Revealing GOD wants "all men to be saved".

5. Aspiring all "come unto the knowledge of the truth".

This is how to love.

That we pray for others.

That we thank GOD for others.

This is how GOD loves.

That all of us be saved.

That all of us know His truth.

Scripture confirms the LORD's love:

John 3:16-17

King James Version

16 For God so loved the world, 

that he gave his only begotten Son, 

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 

but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world 

to condemn the world; 

but that the world through him 

might be saved.

2 Peter 3:9

King James Version

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.

Those who resent GOD's laws, have no idea their rebellion.

They have no idea GOD's love is for all.

Love is not just for Valentine's day.

It is an everyday prayer.

That we learn to love.

That we believe in JESUS.

For only JESUS can teach us about GOD.

Only JESUS can show us how to love GOD.

Only the HOLY SPIRIT can teach us JESUS' ways.

JESUS gave us His commandments on love.

Mark 12:29-30

King James Version

29 And Jesus answered him, 

The first of all the commandments is, 

Hear, O Israel; 

The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God 

with all thy heart, 

and with all thy soul, 

and with all thy mind, 

and with all thy strength: 

this is the first commandment.

Mark 12:31

King James Version

31 And the second is like, 

namely this, 

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

There is none other commandment 

greater than these.

Matthew 22:40

King James Version

40 On these two commandments 

hang all the law and the prophets.

John 13:34-35

King James Version

34 A new commandment I give unto you, 

That ye love one another; as I have loved you, 

that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, 

if ye have love one to another.

Praying for others, giving thanks for others, giving thanks to GOD, praying of our leaders, will give us the peace, love, and joy we all long for.

For it is GOD's will.

Remember what makes GOD answer a prayer?

1 John 5:14-15

King James Version

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, 

that, if we ask any thing according to his will, 

he heareth us:

In times of conflict, our ability to love, our understanding of love, is tested.

Last night, SPIRIT led me to a bittersweet movie about nations' conflicts.

Which was translated into personal conflict among people.

You will want to see this.

And you will know we're all in this together.

Let us all pray for our leaders.

That the SPIRIT of GOD may be in their hearts.

That they will care for their people, and not of self.

That they will worship the one, true GOD.

That's what makes a true leader.

Ninth article in the BROKENNESS series.

Related post:

GOD's LOVE

GOD's TRUTH

GOD's MERCY

The HOLY SPIRIT

LEADERS for GOD

BORN AGAIN articles

Image: Png Wing

Many Ways to be Kind

John 13:34-35

King James Version

34 A new commandment I give unto you, 

That ye love one another; as I have loved you, 

that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know 

that ye are my disciples, 

if ye have love one to another.

Only GOD is good.

But we can be kind.

Christ taught us to be awake, aware, and compassionate.

Better than that, He taught us how to love.

Even as our goal is to be perfect, as God in heaven is perfect, we can start wherever we are.

It's better to take small steps, than not to make an effort at all.

Just when I thought I had enough blogs to last me a lifetime, here I am, working with the Holy Spirit on a more specific blog:

"Many Ways to be Kind"

It's like we're finally going to the core of the matter -- the very soul of God -- and what He desires for each one of us to be.

I let the idea sink in for a while, even as the titles for each post was forming in my heart.

It's like I knew EXACTLY what needed to be said.

For I had carried all that in my heart, all along.

I had been honed by fire in almost all areas of my life and work.

I kept asking GOD to give me a sign, that I am doing the work I was meant to do, but He remained quiet.

Merely allowing me to rise, and fall, rise, and fall.

Until a day before my last birthday, I pleaded once more.

What am I supposed to do in this world?

I've had at least three dozen jobs, and they're all done.

What now?

What do I do?

Who do I serve?

Seeing I was at my lowest, He finally showed up.

Through two videos that really woke me up.

Those videos stunned me, and I woke up.

GOD made me born-again that same day on 6 September 2019.

No ifs and buts.

Time was of the essence.

I was truly ready for God.

I was ready to follow the path of JESUS, His Son.

Where no one was really successful in "converting" me, the SPIRIT of GOD had converted me.

Just by watching those two, disturbing, urgent videos.

God knew what would trigger awakening in me.

After that, everything started falling into place.

Joseph, my dear friend and Bible coach, did say I had a "writing ministry".

That never occurred to me before.

SPIRIT wanted me to write, I wrote.

There's no stopping the Holy Spirit (who I call HS, for short), when an idea's time has come.

I didn't think for myself anymore.

Spirit does all the thinking, deciding, and guiding.

I merely pray to JESUS, to please guide me, every step of the way -- ALL the time.

This blog's time has come.

Just a blog on being kind.

Click the tabs now:

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Updated 3 December 2024