A major complaint some people have about the Bible is that they don’t understand it. When we don’t understand something, we can’t apply it to our lives, and it therefore doesn’t benefit us. Reading God’s Word through the Old-Testament lens of the Law of Moses gives us an outdated interpretation that is no longer valid, and has no power to change us. However, reading it through the New-Testament lens of grace gives us a new perspective.
One example of this is Holy Communion, which is best interpreted through the finished works of Jesus. This celebrates Jesus’ work on the cross but, if we’re not careful, we can misinterpret the Scriptures on communion. Paul wrote that whoever partakes of communion unworthily is guilty of Jesus’ body and blood, and eats and drinks damnation to himself. A law-based interpretation makes us sin-conscious and tells us we’re unworthy to take communion if we’ve ever sinned; a grace-based interpretation reveals that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
The realization that Jesus has forgiven us for our past has a way of getting down into us to begin transforming us into better people. This is because guilt and self-condemnation have lost their power to keep us rooted in the same spot in life. Jesus creates clean hearts in us, and renews a right spirit in us. We learn the proper perspective when we let the Holy Spirit guide us and shed the love of God in our hearts, as we study the Scriptures.
God is found in His Word; we can’t help but be changed into His image as we behold Him through His Word. When the disciples saw Jesus in all His glory on top of the mountain, something inside them changed. Catching a glimpse of Jesus is bound to change us, as well.
Prayer:
God, we can’t possibly change ourselves. Thankfully, Your Word changes us when we read and study it according to the favor You have toward us. Thank You for the transforming power of Your Son. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Jesus Christ Is the Only Way - Why the Bible Offends So Many People
Author
Collin Trenery
In this
day and age it is common for people to hold the view that there are
multiple ways to get to heaven. Many people will say: "Whatever works
for you is fine, and I'll stick to what works for me." It is no wonder
that most of the world's religions coexist in harmony with one another.
It is also no wonder that Christianity stands apart and is often
attacked for being too offensive. Why is this? It is because true
Christians will tell you that Jesus Christ is not simply "a way," but
rather "the only way." And this is exactly what most people can not
stand to hear.
If you are a person who claims to believe the Bible, then there is no
getting around the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way. We start off
with the most famous scripture of all for this subject, John 14:6.
Jesus is speaking and says of Himself: "I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." How does a
person go "through" Jesus and get to the Father? Jesus Christ died on
the Cross for the sins of all who would believe on Him, and therefore to
get to the Father you must believe in the Son.
As the famous verse John 3:16 states: "For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life." You can not earn your way into
heaven. Neither can you inherit heaven. Only through faith in Christ can
you gain eternal life. Most religious groups today have a works based
salvation, meaning that your ability to gain salvation or eternal life
is based on the things you do in life. This is not what the Bible
teaches.
As Ephesians chapter 2 says: "For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not
by works, so that no one can boast." There is nothing in any one of us
that can merit salvation or please God. We owe an infinite debt to God,
as all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God according to
Romans chapter 3. Therefore we all need an infinite savior, which is
Jesus Christ, to redeem us and pay that debt to God. It is because of
this that Jesus Christ is our only hope of salvation.
This truth is taught so plainly in Acts chapter 4 verse 12, which
reads: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name
under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." This is of course
referring to the name of Jesus Christ. As we can see in the world today,
Christianity is hated for taking this very position. It is because true
Christians refuse to give in to the worldly idea that "everything
goes," and instead hold firm to the position that Jesus Christ is the
only way, and not simply an optional way. True Christians have no
problem standing up for this truth.
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When you think of the character “the Grinch,” you think of “stingy.” That’s exactly what Alex Grinch has done over his career with his defenses. They’ve definitely been miserly in allowing yards and points at each of his stops, but we do have a gift for you in this email with some great insight from the Sooners’ defensive coordinator.
Alex Grinch is one of the top defensive coaches in the country. He was hired as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma in January 2019 and oversaw a defensive turnaround that included the Sooners leading the Big 12 in total defense in league play.
Grinch was confident in coming to OU that he would help orchestrate a turnaround on defense. It was something he did at Wazzu. He also had the opportunity to learn from Mike Leach.
Learning from Leach
While serving as the defensive coordinator for Mike Leach, Grinch learned an important lesson from the offense that he applied to defense. He stated it as,
“You have a system. You work at the system, you don’t vary from
Another aspect of offense that taught Grinch a lesson that he applies to the Sooner defense is that of window dressing. Grinch asked himself’
“Why are we married to fronts if offenses aren’t married to formations?”
That major takeaway and thought process allows the Sooners to flip the table on the offense and stress them with window dressing and movement. Grinch notes, “We are not married to front, we are married to finish.” With the way they run their defense, they can line up and be very multiple up front while running the same stunts and blitzes over and over.
Many
people dread stepping onto the bathroom scale. It can be very
frustrating to exercise and eat a healthy diet only to see the number on
the scale stay the same. However, just because your body weight isn’t
changing doesn’t mean that your hard work isn’t paying off. Especially
if you are exercising, your body composition may be improving. This
article will explain what your body composition is and how to improve
it, based on science. (Continued below.....)
Prepare to stretch and squeeze your pecs into submission with this hypertrophy focused upper chest workout from Mark Bell, Creator of the SlingShot.
One of the best options for measuring your body composition is to get
a (DXA) Scan. This scan is quick, easy, and non-invasive, and returns
highly accurate results. The DXA Scan treats you to a close look at your
body using an FDA approved procedure of Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry. The
scan is performed using two X-ray beams to scan your body from top to
bottom. The scan carefully measures bone density, muscle composition,
and fat composition to return a comprehensive look at how different
elements of your body are distributed. Thanks to the test only taking
10-20 minutes, your body receives extremely low radiation exposure and
you can return to your normal daily activities after the test is done.
Keep your diet healthy:
Have you heard the saying, "you can’t out-exercise a poor diet?" It’s
true. Exercise alone will not change your body composition — you need
to eat a healthy diet, too. There may be an initial period of adjustment
as your taste buds encounter healthier options, but you will soon be so
happy with how great your body feels that you’ll begin to enjoy fueling
your body well.
Remind yourself that you don’t have to do everything overnight, and
results come with time. Take baby steps in integrating new, healthier
alternatives and weaning yourself off of the processed junk. Trust the
process and have fun creating healthy twists on the foods you know and
love.
Resistance training:
Not only will lean muscle contribute to an athletic look, it’ll also
help you burn more calories. Resistance training is the key to success
when it comes to developing lean muscle. In the same way that there is
no perfect nutrition strategy for improving body composition, there have
been countless proven methods of resistance and strength work.
For instance, one study found that 12 weeks of 15 different exercises
three times per week positively impacted body composition. These
exercises included: Barbell curls, preacher curls, pushdowns, triceps
extensions, back press, lateral raises, chest press, pec deck fly, lat
pull downs, seated rows, leg press, leg extensions, supine leg curls,
machine hip extensions, and crunches.
Osteopathy:
The osteopathic physician focuses on the joints, muscles, and spine.
Osteopathic intervention can help treat arthritis, back pain, headaches,
tennis elbow, digestive issues, and postural problems. Treatment can
also assist with sleep cycles and the nervous, circulatory, and
lymphatic symptoms. Osteopathy takes a holistic, whole-body approach to
healthcare.
It uses manual 'hands-on' techniques to improve circulation and
correct altered biomechanics, without the use of drugs. Osteopath in
Dover does not concentrate only on the problem area, but uses manual
techniques to balance all the body systems, and to provide overall good
health and wellbeing.
I am a leading expert in osteopath in Dover
and content writer in health with an emphasis on health and health care
issues. I have a proven track record of top-notch writing. I have
worked for numerous years on producing high quality work that is
thought-provoking in nature while providing significant information to
my readers.
One of
the most popular products on the list of proper nutrition is certainly
flax seeds that have played an important role in human health for more
than 5000 years. Until now, they have been valued as assistants in
reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancer, but linen seeds have
now begun to stand out in promoting cardiovascular health. (Continued below.....)
Dr. David Jockers is a natural health doctor, functional nutritionist, corrective care chiropractor, exercise physiologist and certified strength & conditioning specialist. Dr Jockers is a sought after speaker around the country on such topics as weight loss, brain health, functional exercise, natural detoxification and disease prevention.
(....Continued......)The main health benefit of flax seeds comes from a large amount of
omega-3 fatty acids and soluble and insoluble plant fibers. Flaxseed oil
contains almost twice the amount of omega-3 fatty acids than fish oil,
but unfortunately, this information refers to alpha-linolenic acid,
which is only partially converted into much more important fatty
acids-EPA and DHA in the body (which can be found in fish and seafood).
On the other hand, flax seeds are the most prevalent source of lignan.
These components are fibrous compounds that have a mild estrogenic
effect and are therefore considered phytoestrogens. They can eat up
estrogen receptors and thus reduce the effect of estrogen on a breast or
prostate tumor (breast and prostate tumors are estrogen-dependent
tumors). The lignans also increase the production of the SHBG compound,
i.e. hormone-binding globulin. This protein regulates estrogen levels by
binding it to itself and transmitting it to blood.
Consumption of flax seeds may also lower blood pressure. In a
double-blind study conducted at the Research Center at St. Boniface
Hospital in Winnipeg, Canada, consumption of 30 g of flaxseed per day
lowered systolic pressure by an average of 15 mm Hg, while diastolic
pressure was lower on average by 7 mm Hg in patients with hypertension.
The second study relates to an assessment of the effect of linseeds
on cholesterol-lowering in patients with clinically significant
peripheral artery disease. After one month of consumption of 30g ground
flax seeds per day, the concentration of circulating LDL decreased by
15%.
Most of the research conducted focused on the use of ground flax
seeds since this form allows for easier release of useful compounds
compared to consuming whole seeds. When buying flax seeds it is
recommended to buy whole seeds which you can then grind in your house as
needed (this reduces the possibility of oxidation and spoilage). You
can add flax seeds to cereals, smoothies, yogurts or flax flour you can
prepare bread, pastries, cakes, tortillas.
Moreover, the wood fiber cleaning cloths are also eco-friendly and act as an effective sanitizer for disease prevention.
In 1994,
California enacted a law that created harsher penalties for repeat
offenders of very serious and violent crimes. The law mandated a
doubling of prison time on a new felony conviction for defendants who
have previously been convicted of one prior serious or violent felony
and a minimum of twenty-five years to life for defendants convicted of
at least two prior convictions of serious or violent felonies. (Continued below.......)
The Baltimore County Police Department released body camera of an armed robbery that occurred November 30, 2020 at a CVS store. https://www.patreon.com/VideoLeakPolice
(....Continued.....)The law enacted is commonly known as California's Three Strikes Law
(a reference to the sport of baseball where a player is out after three
strikes).
Under Three Strikes Law, a strike offense is any serious or violent
felony that is listed in California Penal Code section 1192.7(c) or
667.5. The crimes listed in those penal code sections include variations
of the following crimes: murder, torture, child molestation,
manslaughter, arson, carjacking, kidnapping, residential burglary,
mayhem, pimping by force, pandering by force, lewd act on minors, sexual
penetration with object by force, robbery, assault with a deadly
weapon, criminal threats, sodomy by force, sexual assault, hostage
taking, human trafficking, attempted murder, and more.
Three Strikes Sentencing Calculations
First Strike Offense: No extra punishment other than the punishment
generally associated with that particular crime. For example, if a
defendant is convicted of the crime of felony criminal threats, a strike
offense, the defendant will face up to three years in prison, which is
the maximum prison sentence under that particular law. The defendant
will also have a strike on his or her record after the conviction.
Second Strike: If the defendant has one strike in his or her
criminal record and the defendant is thereafter convicted of a
subsequent felony, either a non-strike felony or a strike felony, the
defendant will have the prison time associated with the subsequent
offense doubled as a result of having a strike prior. In addition, the
defendant will be required to serve at least 80% of his or her prison
sentence for non-strike offenses and serious offenses, and 85% of his or
her prison sentence of violent offenses (Reduced good behavior credits
earned). For example, if a defendant has a prior strike conviction and
is thereafter convicted of a new felony criminal threats charge, the
defendant may face up to six years in prison (three years for the crime
of felony criminal threats times two for a total of six years in
prison). Remember it does not matter if the subsequent conviction of a
felony is for a strike offense or non-strike offense for the penalty to
double.
Third Strike: If the defendant has been previously convicted of at
least two strike offense and is thereafter convicted of a third strike
offense he or she will face twenty-five years to life in prison.
Until 2014, if a defendant had suffered two prior strike convictions,
and thereafter was convicted of any felony, whether the felony was a
strike offense or non-strike offense, he or she would face twenty-five
years to life. However, the voters of California, recognizing the
harshness of California's Three Strikes Law, voted in favor of
Proposition 36, which required that any third conviction of a felony,
after suffering two prior strike convictions, must be a serious or
violent offense (a strike offense) before the defendant faces the
twenty-five years to life sentence.
Two Strikes in One Case: In some situations, the defendant can be
convicted of two or more crimes that are considered strike offenses.
This does not mean that the defendant will suffer two or more strike
convictions for the same criminal case. One criminal conviction equals
no more than one strike...even if there is more than one strike offense
alleged in the criminal complaint.
Super Strike Distinguished: Some serious or violent felonies are
considered super strike offenses. This means that the punishment for
these offenses is twenty-five years to life in prison even if the
defendant does not have prior strike convictions. Super strike crimes
include the most serious and violent offenses, such as murder in the
first degree, kidnapping to commit rape, assault with a machine gun on a
peace officer, etc.
Striking a Strike: In some cases, upon a request by a criminal
defense attorney, a judge may strike the strike, which means that the
judge, in the interest of justice, will not sentence the defendant
according to California's Three Strike sentencing. The reasons that a
judge might strike a strike include the length of time between criminal
convictions and the underlining facts of any particular case. These
requests to strike a strike are commonly called Romero motions after the
name of the case that gave rise to this procedure (People v. Romero).
WASHINGTON (December 6, 2020) – Howard University men’s basketball team fell to the Bellarmine University Knights, 84-63, inside Burr Gymnasium.
Redshirt freshman Steve Settle, III (Glenarden, Md.) scored a career-high 23 points in the loss.
Senior Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.) made back-to-back trey balls to open the contest and finished the first half with 11 points.
Settle netted 10 points in the first half, including a three-pointer to close the gap within 10 at the break, 45-35.
Settle strong start continued in the second period, racking up 13 points for a game-high 23 points.
Despite Settle’s strong performance, the Bison struggled shooting after intermission, going 9-of-27 from the field. HU finished the contest shooting just under 39-percent (20-of-52).
True freshman Jordan Wood (San Antonio, Texas) and redshirt freshman Cam Timmons (Warrenton, Va.) added 11 points and 10 points, respectively, in the loss.
Bellarmine earned its first victory as a NCAA Division I program, led by Dylan Penn with a team-best 22 points. Alec Pfriem notched a double-double (14 points and 14 boards) in the win.
Due to COVID-19, Howard Athletics canceled the contest versus Elon (Dec. 8). The Bison are scheduled to face rival Hampton University Friday, Dec. 18 on ESPN+.
To get the most out of life, we need to understand how the blood Jesus shed put us back into God’s favor. Before Jesus went to the cross, people had to work hard to earn blessings from God. After His death and resurrection, “doing” changed to “believing.” Most people still live as if Jesus never went to the cross; consequently, they perform but see no breakthrough in their lives.
We most likely learned to read the Bible from an old-covenant perspective, which focuses on self-effort. The Old Testament has valuable lessons to teach us, but we no longer need to live under the old-covenant Law of Moses. Correctly dividing and analyzing the Word of truth sheds light on what God says to us now, under the new covenant of grace. His message to us is that faith in the finished works of Jesus accomplishes what our own works can’t.
Before the cross, the truth was that people lived in sin and condemnation. Now, the truth is that we’ve been forgiven of our sins and given the chance to break free of our less-than-perfect pasts. We do that by accepting Jesus Christ and being born again, which gives us a new start in life. Being in Christ makes us new creatures; the old things have passed away.
We’ve become so accustomed to slogging along depending on our own works that we forget about what grace has already made available to us. If something is by grace, then it’s no more of works, but if it’s by works, then it’s no more by grace. This free gift of grace is by Jesus, who brought us out from under the law so our sins wouldn’t have dominion over us anymore. Learning the unforced rhythms of grace gives us results we could never achieve on our own.
Prayer:
Lord, Your Word gives us the knowledge and the wisdom to see the differences between the old and the new covenants. We no longer have to strive to see good things happen in our lives, because grace has made them available to us through faith. Thank You for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures:
2 Timothy 2:15
2 Corinthians 5:17
Romans 11:6
Romans 5:15
Romans 6:14
Matthew 11:28-30, MSG
To learn more about the covenant of grace Jesus established through His blood, click on the link for the two-message series, Living Under the Correct Covenant.
Our
ancestral, human father, Adam, delivered us and our world to satan’s
hordes. So, our spiritual Father, God, patiently waited for the right
time to provide the now-risen Jesus as the only effective ransom
payment. But, we must individually choose to be redeemed. And, our
re-alliance with God upon accepting Jesus as our Savior is referred to
as redemption. It is a redemption because Jesus paid for our lives with
His blood. Upon redemption, and returning to the Family, we have the
rights, through Faith, to ask Abba (Strong’s concordance, G5) Father for
any good thing we desire – we are family. In fact, we have a covenant
agreement (Strong's concordance, H1285) with God, both as a Father and
as a pledge between God and Man, a treaty, and as alliance of divine
origin. The covenant allows us to pray as we wish, including for those
good things which are petitions (requests, entreaties).
Even when asking for something from another human, generally one
speaks in a respectful manner. Such a reverent, respectful manner
(Strong’s concordance, H3374) should be characteristic of your petitions
to God. However, there is nothing about our covenant relationship with
God that implies that you should always be in a prone position,
prostrate and begging. Contrarily, God is most generous and ready to
respond favorably and abundantly. However, God has no need to foolishly
waste resources upon prodigal sons and daughters who would repeatedly
squander their abundance (Luke 15:11-32), to let His abundance fall as
seeds onto stony ground that will never subsequently flourish (Matt
13:1-8) or to have His abundance wasted as might a lazy worker (Matt
25:14-30), hiding resources under the rock of his/her own pleasure only,
not applying it to the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-18).
Some Christians are so confused about abundance and prosperity that
they allege they would rather not receive it while on Earth. Some even
say such things as "I would rather have Jesus than all the riches in the
world." They believe themselves to sound more righteous and pious than
others by making such statements. But, all the gifts given to the
toddler Jesus by Wise Men, after his birth, made His family wealthy
(Matt 2:1-11), although there is no Biblical evidence that they
subsequently lived ostentatiously. During His ministry Jesus was
prosperous enough to have a treasurer (Judas Iscariot). He paid taxes,
funded the travel, board and lodging for large ministerial groups, and
so on.
God allows Believers to live as paupers if such is your wish or you
refuse to learn to work in the earthly systems (Hosea 4:6). But, unless
you presently have spiritual gifts that allow you to turn five loaves
and two fish into enough to feed more than 5,000 and yield leftovers
(John 6:1-14), then you won’t be able to reach out and help others as
you may wish (such as following hurricanes Katrina, Irma and Jose). So,
if for no other reason, petition for wisdom, skills and knowledge
development, as well as abundance even if only to assist others.
Manifestation, as referred to here, is the appearance in this world
of that for which you prayed. Many are unwilling to acknowledge God’s
generosity, such as expressed in John 10:10 and 3 John 1:2 because of
fear and doubt (opposing their belief), or because they feel that they
have yet to experience positive manifestations in their own lives, in
those of their congregations, or among others close to them. People
often overlook daily, simple grace and mercy they regularly experience,
being most aware of miracles not yet materialized and pending responses
to supplications. As you also consider others’ lives, you cannot know
what they actually believe versus that which they say and demonstrate as
public behavior and rhetoric.
In spite of earthly ne'er-do-wells and detractors, we are the
Redeemed. Our covenant with God allows us to pray as we wish, with good
petitions, to be satisfied abundantly, to develop tremendously with all
manifested while we are corporeal. Of course, we will all be ultimately
satisfied in Heaven. And, if at that time your memories of the past are
intact and you remember a prayer-related disappointment, ask "God, why
did you not…?", even if apparently lacking the wisdom to understand the
response.
We have both formal religious curricular education and
many years of informal study regarding multiple Christianity-related
topics. Feel free to peruse our recent work.
The Blessings of God - https://wordpress.com/view/theblessingsofgod.wordpress.com
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