Discipleship 101 2018-06

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Discipleship 101 –   2018-06

Love came to us, looking like a Cross. For us, not to take up the Cross of Jesus is giving up our duty as a disciple, in God’s mind. There is NO other choice; we can call ourselves a Christian, but we will lack the moniker of being described as a disciple.

We, who we are, can begin with the Cross we carry, and I do NOT mean you have to wear one. This moment, when we placed our faith in God and Jesus, for our salvation, started a new beginning within us. The Apostle Paul, put it exactly, when he wrote in Galatians 2:20,” I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Jesus told the eleven disciples, “All authority in Heaven and Earth, has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the ages.”

I believe we are all tasked with a couple of things.  First, we should honor God Himself, knowing that the Cross and what it represents, that we MUST surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ, and in doing so, make it known that we ARE Christians, believing in Him.

More importantly, we as Christians, have a duty to go beyond being JUST a Christian, and preform as a disciple of Christ.  In doing so, we are obligated in making other disciples around us in the process. I would think this is called discipleship.

This involves a commitment on our part to do something that might be out of our norm, and makes us uncomfortable, also. We have to let people know we are Christian, and that we are disciples of Jesus Christ and not just in our church, but outside the envelop of comfortable living and service.

I now have a habit of saying to people at times, “Peace be with you” or God’s Peace, or “May the love of God be with you.” Those words may perk up their minds that I am a follower of God. It may also, get a good reaction from them or peak their interest further. Then again, it may not!

Let them know you are with Christ in your life and invite them to talk about their beliefs of God and Jesus. In doing so, it may open an avenue of discussion. If you are comfortable, evolve and give any knowledge you have about Jesus and His teachings. The best instruction book regarding this are the Scripture passages taken from the Bible and any version will do.

I like the versus from Mathew and Mark where Jesus said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” who were mostly fishermen of the area, who did become his disciples. We can ALL become disciples of Christ and spread the Word and create more disciples in the world.

If we do, we will then turn ourselves from followers, to active Christians and become true disciples of Jesus Christ. It is easy to call ourselves something, but harder to live the life of what we call ourselves. Don’t be afraid of stating who and what you are today.  Let any that doubt, know you are indeed, slaves to God and you have surrendered yourself to Jesus as his disciple.

Peace be with you,

Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com

Blogging Back 2018-05

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Blogging Back!!! 2018-05

I’m Back!, to begin Blogging again!!! Hiatus basically is over, not long gone, just a respite……
The reason for my doing so (blogging) is to get the thoughts out of my mind,
And by blogging, I feel that I will continue to accomplish my goal.
If you do NOT read my blogs, so be it; that is Ok with me!
If you do NOT like or appreciate my blogs, so be it; that is also, OK with me.
If there is an unknown positive outreach to my blogging for you, that would be great.
My blogs will have a message of some sorts, and if you get the message, GREAT; if not, too bad….
I will give thoughts on various religious things, poems from the past, quotes from famous people, etc.
Regardless, may you have a good life, and know I love you as a person regardless.

Den Betts                                    Email at bettsden@gmail.com                      Follow blog at thebettsden.com

I WELCOME any comments, good, bad or indifferent, that you may have. If you desire to do so, you can at Word Press or send an email to me at the above address. I would be interested in hearing from others and in doing so, may be enlightened, change my mind, or maintain my thoughts as they are now

BLOG – Going, Going GONE—- 2018-04

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BLOG – Going, Going, GONE  2018-04

 

After thinking about my blog, I have decided it is time to take a hiatus from blogging. I might blog again or might not do so, in the future.

My blogging did accomplish what I wanted, so it was not a waste of my time. If it was a waste of the readers time, so be it.

I learned much, about myself in the process and many things about one commenter of my blog in particular, and that was good.

I will miss blogging, but doubt that my blogs will be missed by many others, and that is ok.

Maybe, I will take up painting on canvas.

The one thing that I will leave with you is something I have said many times:  God is alive, He is active, He is aware and ALWAYS present around and within us.  Thanks be to God!!!!

Peace,
Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com

Sins and Forgiveness 2018-03

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                                               Sin and Forgiveness 2018-03

I am a sinner!!!!  We ALL are sinners whether we admit it or not. When I know I have sinned, I am ashamed that I have done something that goes against the will of God, but I will comment on this another time.

The basic, main thing is, that the one God of the universe DOES forgive us when we sin. That, in itself, is a blessed thing to know and realize.  God is a loving god and does love ALL His children, even when we sin repeatedly. Wow, that is somewhat hard to fathom, know or comprehend.

I then ask, how can God do this and why? I like to believe that God is a god with an unconditional love for His children. But, again, I ask, how and why does He do this?

I read that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), but then ask, how does this relate to God loving us and forgiving us?  I think the key is the continuation of this verse “but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

When the Godhead (the Father, Son and Holy spirit) decided to take His self as human flesh and become the God-man, it reinforced John’s statement in John 1:14 when he said, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word, being Jesus Christ. Because He became and was infinite God, he had infinite ability to take on Himself, the sins of the world.

What a gift. Jesus therefore died, NOT just for us, you and I, but also for God the Father Himself.

Again, Jesus died, not just for us, but also as a propitiation or satisfaction of a requirement that was intrinsic in the basic nature of God.  We can stand clean and free of contamination in God’s presence – sin free!!!!

I said, God loves and forgives us, but He is a righteous and just God. Since He DOES love us, He was willing to come down from his throne in the form of man, as Jesus Christ, and pay the price for us, which was His death on the cross.  Forgiveness HAS a price and He paid the price for this forgiveness Himself, through the cross of Jesus.

To be forgiven also demands responsibility. The love of God for each of us has an obligation of our loving His son, who gave His life, so our sins are forgiven. This is such a small (let me say) price to pay or thing to do, but as a Christian, I feel I not only want to do, but MUST do.

You can do what you want to do, that is your decision. I do not know the ramifications of your not doing what God decrees or desires, but we will find out eventually. I feel that only God can know or decide as to what happens if we do not believe in God or Jesus Christ, because I surely do not know and doubt if any human living on Earth really knows.

I wish you well and invite ALL, to become closer to God and to find Jesus Christ as your savior in life’s journey. Thanks be to God!!!

Peace,

Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com

I wish to thank Josh McDowell & his book “More Than a Carpenter” for insights for this blog. I also recommend this book and “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis – Both available at Amazon

Heartbeat 2018-02

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In a heartbeat, things change, our lives, our loves, our wishes, all of life, just one beat and we are in a different zone of life.  I wrote this when something happened to me that made me different, made me change my life or, it changed without any effort or inclination of my own. That is the way life is at times, good, bad or indifferent to what we want at times.  Never take life for granted, always realize that who, what and how we are can be changed; in a heartbeat.

Heartbeat  2018-02

They say you never know

a moment in time to see

When you least expect it

it was meant to be

 

It takes an erratic car

an accident with a ladder

A holdup at a market place

or simply wasn’t your day

 

How much we take for granted

this micron time on Earth

Living for tomorrow – not today

Death is but, a heartbeat away.

 

Peace,

Den Betts     bettsden@gmail.com

What n When to BLOG in 2018-01

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What n When to BLOG  in 2018-01

I am a self-avowed Christian as many know. But if you did not realize this is a fact, I state it now!!

Sometimes when I write, I might think I am writing to only Christians, and, in reality, I know I am not doing so. I do know that I am getting out to people of many faiths, no faiths, as well as various ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

I would not try to offend anyone, but do know that if someone objects with what I write, they have the option of not reading what I write. The one rule I have is I will NOT get into a debate with anyone in a blog about religion or faith, although I would welcome any comments about what I write.

If I were to be asked how do I identify myself, my reply would be, “I am a disciple (student) of Jesus Christ” and might add, “and not a good one at that.” I am learning though, but it is a slow process.

I am not out to convert anyone from their faith or religious denomination, chastise someone for how they believe, pray or do not do, or if they attend worship at a place of worship or other agenda regarding God.

If someone does not believe in God, so be it. That is their prerogative. If any one is given any insight, make them think, or challenges anyone, because of what I write, I think that will be great, period….

I look forward to 2018 with the ability to write, explain, discuss, disclaim and again challenge, and most of all welcome others to experience what I have been doing, loving the journey of becoming closer to the one God of the Universe.

Peace,

Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com

Bad and Good inn Life 2017-63

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Bad and Good in Life 2017-63

Bad things happen in life to us, or to others, that are beyond the normal.  Also, good things happen to us that are beyond belief at times, and are truly great when they do occur.

Is it incorrect to BLAME God when the bad things occur—- such as death from an auto accident, hurricane or tornado for instance? Or just something in life that takes one away from us.

Then, is it the correct thing to do by giving God all the CREDIT when the good things happens, such as the birth of a baby, a lifesaving result in the hospital, or any nice, good thing that we experience?

We, most of us, DO want to blame God or on the other side, give Him credit!  Human nature, maybe. Or, at least some are tempted to do so.

BUT, is God thinking otherwise, saying, “I did NOT do that bad thing and I am not the one that made the good thing to be in our mind and life.”

I believe that God is blamed more than given credit for at times, depending on the circumstances in life for each of us.

We as God’s children, have a responsibility for what happens to us in our lives, for what happens most of the time; bad and good.

Hurricanes are normal!  If there are many deaths that are the result, maybe the blame is, or could be, put on the people that built the houses, where they did and lived in the path of the destruction. Same as for those living in tornado alley, where they are a common occurrence.

The cute baby that is born is part of God’s plan of procreation and is normal!  I think God enjoys another child being born and is there when it is going on, at the delivery.

When I state God is alive, I mean it!   When I say He is active, I also mean it! When I aver that God is aware, this is a fact!  Because, He is ALWAYS present, regardless.  Regardless of the bad and the good things that are part of our existence here on earth.

God is with the people that die during the hurricane, with the mother when the little baby arrives!

AND, most of all is Present with all of us-  ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS!!!!!!!

Peace,

Den Betts                            bettsden@gmail.com

Birthday Times 2017-62

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Birthday Times   2017-62

Birthday’s come but once a year, then they are over to await next year where once, again, they are celebrated. Quite a bit might have happened in the past year and much to anticipate in the next.

Some of the past memories we may want to forget, yet the future experiences, we look forward to with anticipation. I would imagine the far majority of the days in between the birthdays are or could be just Ho Hum, with nothing to remember or write about.

We just celebrated Christmas. We got revved up about the 25th of December with the anticipation of its coming, we experienced the actual day

THEN —-   BOOM!!!!! It was over!!!!!

Is it, the day after, on the 26th  ,a letdown, basically???? I used to feel it was somewhat of a letdown with the absence of Christmas music, the shopping for things, the get togethers of family, etc. I even had or still do, in the attic, a mirror with Scrooge on it and the words Bah Humbug…

I stopped, or quit, feeling this way, when I started to realize the significance of the event we were celebrating. It was when I realized that Christmas was NOT about our gifts to each other, but instead, it was about what the birth of Jesus was, as a gift, to all of us.

The eventual gift of salvation, because of the birth of Jesus Christ, but in the final reality of the death and resurrection, that gives all of us the eternal gift of salvation and continued life.

WOW, what a gift!!!!!!!!!

What a birthday to celebrate!!!

What a promise of eternal life beyond birthdays of once a year!!!!

Peace,
Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com

I write this on the day of MY birthday anniversary, Dec 29th.

Love n Hate 2017-61

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                                                            Love n Hate  2017-61

Love is just a word!

BUT, it is a word with meaning, with feeling, and is, of course, involving emotion. Love could be expressed as the opposite of hate, but is love related to this differing word.

If one has a hate feeling, is that an absence of love and does the love feeling  show the absence of hate?

Can there be a love-hate relationship that embodies both feelings? Or is it like spring water and mineral oil that do not mix, but instead, separate?

Can I love God and hate the devil, yet in this love of God, do I still allow the devil to intrude and tempt? Or most of all succeed????

If so, WHY?

A paradox of thought, loving one and allowing the other at the same time to interfere!

Why can’t I love God, SO MUCH, that I will surrender or submit myself totally without the pressure of the devil to be included?

Of course, I know the answer, but do I NOT want to state it or even admit it as so???????

BUT, the great thing is, God still loves me, forgives me and with that I know I am saved. Or hope so!!!!!!

 Peace,
Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com

I do NOT believe in God anymore 2017-60

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I do NOT believe in God anymore   2017-60

NO!  Do NOT!  To believe in God is to feel a kindred spirit, an acknowledgement that your belief is true, and you do not doubt. SO, do I believe or not believe; that is the question? If I believe, then I MIGHT have, at one time, NOT believed; but now do so.

What would make me believe, where I did not before? Would it take someone to convince me to continue?  Would I have read something (like the Bible?) to change my mind?

Perhaps, an event occurred that was so overwhelming, and I HAD no other choice but to believe? Did I hear something, and also was there some strange thing to make me go beyond just believing?

PERHAPS!!!!

I do NOT (JUST) believe in the one God of the Universe, maker of heaven and Earth!        

I do NOT (JUST) believe in the God child Jesus Christ, THE savior of all mankind!

I do NOT (JUST) believe in the Holy Spirit, whose presence is around and within me!

NO, it is not (JUST) a belief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It Is a FACT. I know there is a God.  He is real.   He is alive.   He is active. He is present with me    ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!

God loves me, He loves you, He loves all his children even those that doubt his existence. The story of the Son of God, named Jesus Christ is a fact, true, and accurate, and his “being”, is one of hope of our salvation.

 

OH, BTW, in the title of this post between the words “NOT “and “believe”, I  might have forgotten to insert the word JUST and threw in the word “anymore” for the heck of it!!!

 

Peace,

 

Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com