Actions speak LOUDER than words...

Now I am a pretty LOUD woman when I need to be (even when I don't need to be sometimes)...I heard my grand-parents say a million times "Actions speak LOUDER than words" when I was a young whipper snapper (all I can say is if my actions are louder than my mouth my husband deserves an award) . This Presidential election has brought debaters out of the wood work. Every Tom, Dick, Harry or Jane have their opinion & frequently blab it all over social media.  My all time favorite has to be the debate of "how can you as a christian vote for Hillary Clinton?" with the defense that as a christian you should not be judging someones relationship with Christ...YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT???

Here is the scripture most like to spout off in an attempt to shut someone up who is challenging their stance. Matthew 7:1 (KJV) Judge not, that ye be not judged...is probably one of the most misquoted verses in the bible.  Now if you have read ANY of my blogs you are well aware that I don't sugar coat it nor wrap it all neatly with a pretty bow just so you can swallow the truth a little better. If you want cookies either bake them or buy them BUT you won't find them here.

If you are going to quote verses from the bible,  don't just pull out a verse that you THINK suits your point...keep reading because in verse 6 of chapter 7...Jesus says not to give dogs what is holy & not to give your pearls to pigs...makes sense right? Now you want to know what is holy right? Well, how do you know what is right & wrong, black & white, the truth or a lie?  (Sarcasm inserted for a reason). We judge...so spouting off about Matthew 7:1 is just your way of telling someone that you don't want them to tell you that you are wrong.  I don't want friends like this, I can't stand a snake & these days its pretty hard to tell when you are among friends & when you are actually in a brood of vipers.

Just because I have stepped on your toes a little bit, don't stop listening now...in verse 15 he also tells us to Beware of false prophets...verse 16 You will know them by their fruits.  That's right...not only will you KNOW  a false prophet by the fruit they bear BUT you will also KNOW a child of God by the fruit they bear.  Salvation doesn't make us perfect it only makes us FORGIVEN!!! What changes & makes the judgement wrong is the motivation behind it, according to Gotquestions.org .  If you are trying to judge someone with a plank in your eye, you can't see what they are truly doing without removing the plank from your eye first.  If your motivation is jealousy or self-righteous, then you are wrong.

 In John 7:24 we are instructed not to judge by appearance but to judge correctly. The ruler we are to use to judge ourselves by is Jesus, this is the correctly referred to here.  So...Matthew 7:1 does NOT mean anything goes, I will cover the Godly way of christian discipline in a different blog (see Love me when I deserve it the least because that's when I need it the most). 

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True christanity is NOT shouted from a hilltop BUT actually whispered in the actions of the follower, see even the Huffington Post gets it right sometimes. In 1 John 2:4 we are very plainly told that if we say we LOVE God but do not keep his commandments, then the truth is NOT in us. Thus making us a liar. You can LOVE someone & not like what they are doing.  For example, look at your kids...especially if you have those wretched spawns of Satan that some refer to as teenagers.  You LOVE them yet hate that attitude & the smart mouth. Just like you pray for your children, trust me we have ALL  prayed for God to place a hedge of protection around them before you choke one of them slap to death. You can & should pray for your enemy as well.  Those who pretend to be christians, those who think they can fake it all the way to heaven, or simply put anyone whose thoughts, actions & lifestyle doesn't line up with the bible, they need your prayer far more than the sick elderly deacon at church.

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So if a Christian is to be know by the fruit they bear...then what fruit are we looking for? They are called the fruits of the Spirit...love, joy, peace,  longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, & temperance. As chrisians we should try each & every day to fart the fruits of the spirit everywhere we go.  We will not be perfect, however, our actions should line up with the bible & yes my friends, this includes who we hang out with in our spare time as well as the people we vote into office.  When our country decided that we didn't have to do things the RIGHT way & voted folks into office who have legalized everything from marijuana to abortion we have been on the slippery slope into the wilderness. 

I am not telling you who to vote for...IT IS YOUR RIGHT to vote for whoever you want to!!!!!!! All I am saying is spend some time in diligent prayer seeking God's will for who you vote for.  I am also saying, as christans before we spout off scripture because we think it makes us look righteous, we should at the very least make sure that we can explain the verse & our stance clearly, otherwise you will never persuade anyone to make a change to keep an open mind?