Calculated Cruelty

"There are few actions meaner than ending all contact with one’s parents and depriving them of access to their grandchildren."

--Dennis Prager

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Compassion: Almost a Lost Art

 -Wizard of Id

This comic has so touched my heart. Compassion exudes from it.

Fewer people these days ever show kindness or compassion to others. And as time marches on these precious people will be gone. 

So many human beings, even when brought up in loving homes, are turning away from their parents, their families who love them to seek out malevolence among the peoples of the world.

Their hardness of heart connects them to mean, covetous people, and so...these grown children quickly become mirror images of their new friends. They will even proudly call these mean, evil people "their family", "their mother and their father..." when nothing can be farther from the truth.

How does this happen? 

Tickled ears? 

Jealousy?

Covetousness?

Control Freaks?

..."But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron"...

1 Timothy 4:1-2 NAS    -NIV translates this: ..."in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."...

How else can we explain the trend to hate your own family?

Gentle readers...make sure you do not allow yourself to close down the part of you which expresses kindness and compassion.  These are traits of our Heavenly Father!  He taught us these, He put them in us. He will NEVER  abandon kindness or compassion for His children.  

Don't give up on your family who have abandoned you, though. Those who have chosen to hurt you terribly by their words or deeds.  The LORD hears your cries and He constantly works on your wayward people.  

It will be their choice to listen to the King of kings....but for you, dear mothers and sisters...you choose to listen and learn from the One who is able to save even the wayward!

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2 Timothy 3 NIV

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. 

Have nothing to do with such people.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires,  always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. 

They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 

But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. 

Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

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It has always been thus...

"What was Wrong yesterday - is Allowed today."

1 Peter 4:12-16

..."Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, 

which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange 

thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share 

the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the 

revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, 

because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, 

or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers 

as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify 

God in this name."...

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God always knows what is wrong - it's sin!

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Love's Opposite

"The opposite of love 

is not hate, 

it’s indifference."

-Elie Wiesel

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Ephesians 4:25-32

..."Therefore, laying aside falsehood, 

speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, 

for we are members of one another.

Be angry, and yet do not sin; 

do not let the sun go down on your anger,

and do not give the devil an opportunity.

He who steals must steal no longer; 

but rather he must labor, performing 

with his own hands what is good, 

so that he will have something to share 

with one who has need.

Let no unwholesome word proceed 

from your mouth, but only such a word 

as is good for edification according 

to the need of the moment, so that 

it will give grace to those who hear.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, 

by whom you were sealed for the day 

of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger 

and clamor and slander be put away from you, 

along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, 

forgiving each other, just as God in Christ 

also has forgiven you."

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Stumbling Blocks, Lies, Control, Abuse, Gas Lighting, Spiritual Danger, and Manipulation

Now this photo shows a true Stumbling Block.  Nothing can get around this one! It is way more than "loose gravel".

In every day life we can have Stumbling Blocks just as HUGE even though no one can see them. 

These Stumbling Blocks are usually smooth talking, pernicious lies, false doctrine, savvy talking...

Matthew 18:1-7 "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 

“Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

And He [Jesus] called a child to Himself and set him among them, and said, 

“Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 

So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  

And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! 

For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the stumbling block comes!"

*Beware the person, family or friend or foe, who tells you one thing when God's Word always says the right things.*

Luke 17:2 "Now He [Jesus] said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to one through whom they come! 

It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to sin."

*There is always safety in God's Word*