Talk from Colin for Today Tuesday
PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE ARE THE LUCKIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

Relational Living

"The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'"

It is good to remind ourselves that God created mankind primarily for relationships from which come eighty percent of life's satisfaction. To live meaningfully we need to be in meaningful relationships, without which life can be very empty and lonely.

If we don't know how to relate in healthy ways, we don't know how to live fully, and we can impair both our mental and physical health as a result. Or another way to put it: to fully live we need to fully love!

It helps us to remember that God himself is in relationship through the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). Also, Jesus started the Christian movement with relationships: "He [Jesus] appointed twelve…that they might be with him." Furthermore, practically all of Christ's ministry was done in relationship with his twelve disciples.

As a Christian, our first need is to keep in a right relationship with God, which begins by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and Lord. Trying to live the Christian life without this is like trying to go east by traveling west.

We then need close, healthy relationships with people. Only then can we realize some of the deepest longings of the human heart. This doesn't mean that we are to be overdependent on others, codependent with them, or independent from them, but interdependent with them.

The reality is that we need people. Barbra Streisand expressed it well in the song: "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world."

Furthermore, the degree of our mental health, emotional maturity, and spiritual well-being will be reflected in the health or otherwise of our close relationships. God's command to "love one another" is not a sentimental suggestion. It's an imperative.

My prayer, "Dear God, please help me first of all to have a right relationship with you and then to resolve any character issues in my life that may hinder my having healthy relationships with others. Help me to love you and others more fully and myself in a healthy way. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name. Amen."

1. Genesis 2:18 New International Version Bible
Keep on forgiving,..and keep on loving....
Colin

"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."
--C. S. Lewis

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Why Do People Believe Only Their Church Leads to the Path to Heaven?

Q: I have a friend who's constantly trying to get me to go to his church, and he finally admitted to me that the reason is because he is convinced I won't go to heaven unless I belong to his church. Where does he get this?

A: I don't doubt your friend's sincerity -- but the Bible doesn't teach that God's salvation is limited to only one particular church or denomination. In my travels, I've met committed believers from almost every conceivable church and denomination, and this has helped me appreciate the many channels God uses to get His work done.

Our salvation depends on only one thing: our relationship to Jesus Christ. Many people think that their salvation depends on themselves and how good they are. They think that if they are only good enough, then God will let them into heaven. They know they aren't perfect -- but (they say) shouldn't God reward them with salvation if they just try hard enough?

But this isn't what the Bible teaches. The Bible tells us that God is absolutely pure and holy -- and even one sin would be enough to banish us from His presence. The Bible says, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong" (Habakkuk 1:13). Can any of us claim to be sinless? Of course not.

This is why we need Christ. He came from heaven for one reason: to save us from our sins. He was without sin, but on the cross all our sins were placed on Him, and He took upon Himself the death and Hell that we deserve. Now He offers us salvation as a free gift, if we'll only turn to Him in repentance and faith. Are you trusting Christ alone for your salvation?

Take good care of one another, there are great riches in relationships and dreadful pain in them being destroyed.

Colin S

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?


"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering."1

A reader writes, "I understand Jesus died for our sins. I believe it but I just can't understand why he had to do it. Didn't God have power over everything? I have looked for the answer to this question for a long time. Please help."

I'm sure that many people struggle with this same issue so let me explain. Because God is a God of infinite justice, he cannot forgive sin without justice being served. Otherwise he wouldn't be God. This means that all sin must be judged according to the moral law of God and the universe. We can no more defy this law and live than we can defy the law of gravity by jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. The end result will be death unless—unless we apply another law, the law of aerodynamics. This law makes it possible for an airplane to fly and a parachute to lower us to the earth gradually and thereby save us.

There is another universal law that we cannot defy and live. It is "the law of sin and death," which means that the judgment and penalty of all sin is death and eternal separation from God. That is, unless we apply a higher law which is "the law of the Spirit of Life," which is a God-given "spiritual parachute" to save us from eternal death. God provided this law through the death of Jesus who died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin.

Furthermore, because God is also a God of absolute holiness, no sin or unforgiven sinners can survive in his presence. As some bacteria are not able to survive in the light and die if they are exposed to it, so it is with us. In our sinful state if we were exposed to God and his incredible light, we would be destroyed instantaneously. And herein lies our dilemma.

However, God's answer to our dilemma lies in the fact that God is not only a God of infinite justice and absolute holiness, but also a God of eternal love. Because of his love, God gave his very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins to meet the automatic demands of his (God's) justice and holiness. Christ's death made possible God's "law of the Spirit of Life"—our God-given "spiritual parachute"—to save us from eternal death.

Not to accept and use God's "parachute" means certain death from which there is no other escape. In other words, anyone who doesn't accept God's pardon will automatically die for him/herself—which means eternal separation from God, the author of all love and life, in the place or condition the Bible calls hell. All we need to do is confess our sinfulness, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died in our place for our sins, and ask God for, and accept, his forgiveness and pardon. If you have never done this, you can do so right now by praying the following prayer.

"Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Saviour. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name. Amen."

I hope this is helpful, remember Christians are not just good people, they are forgiven people, we are no better than others , though forgiven and accepted into a friendship relationship with our Maker.

May I humbly ask . Where are you on your journey back to God.
Private questions or emails are always answered.
Take care of yourselves and one another.
Colin


1. Romans 8:1–3(NIV).New International Version

Signs that can help you save your child


PSYCHOLOGISTS are warning parents to arm their children against bullying before they start school as "bullycide" becomes one of the biggest issues facing the education system.

One in six kids every day is bullied in the playground or, in a new alarming trend, over the internet.

Bullying expert and psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg has laid the blame squarely on schools and has called for an overhaul of the education system.

"This should be a wake-up call to Australia that the school system has for too long relied on outdated policy," Dr Carr-Gregg said.

"We have an unacceptable situation and tragically the only time we ever talk about this is when a kid who has been a victim commits suicide. It is rare but it is known as bullycide."

Bullying can start between toddlers and continue throughout a child's school years. But if parents instil value and self-worth in their children, they are less likely to become a victim.

"Any child who is different can be bullied," Dr Carr-Gregg said.

"That could mean they are too short, too fat, too tall, too smart, have pimples, anything that could be considered by someone as different. Parents need to say to their kids, 'bullying and harassment is totally unacceptable'.

"They need to remind their child it has nothing to do with them . . . it is the insecurities of the tormentor."

There were 140 calls made in the past year to Parent Line NSW, a telephone counselling service for families.

A regular problem reported on Parent Line for families with children aged between nine and 14 was bullying.

"Parents should be saying to their kids that, if they see bullying, then they should not be a silent bystander" Dr Carr-Gregg said.

"It's not dobbing. It's about keeping you and your friends safe."

Not all children will feel comfortable telling an adult they are being teased. If a child is being bullied, parents can:

* ASK them directly;

*PHONE an advice line;

* SPEAK to the school; or

* NOMINATE a relative or family friend the child can confide in.

Some children will refuse to go to school, while others will stop mixing with friends.

Psychologist Marie O'Neill said bullied children often became withdrawn or became bullies themselves.

"Parents need to make sure their child is comfortable talking to them. Show them it's not sissy," she said.

"Teach children to walk away. But the parent or the teacher must act if a child says they are being bullied.

"Parents of a bullied child should never confront the bullier or their parent as, quite often, the parent won't believe their child is abusing (others) - leave that to the school."

Parents can be bullies themselves. To one another and their children.
Those who pray together have a better chance of staying together.
Take care of each other as best as is humanly possible.

Men,

Subject SIGNS THAT CAN HELP SAVE YOUR CHILD FROM BULLIES



Signs that can help you save your child


PSYCHOLOGISTS are warning parents to arm their children against bullying before they start school as "bullycide" becomes one of the biggest issues facing the education system.

One in six kids every day is bullied in the playground or, in a new alarming trend, over the internet.

Bullying expert and psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg has laid the blame squarely on schools and has called for an overhaul of the education system.

"This should be a wake-up call to Australia that the school system has for too long relied on outdated policy," Dr Carr-Gregg said.

"We have an unacceptable situation and tragically the only time we ever talk about this is when a kid who has been a victim commits suicide. It is rare but it is known as bullycide."

Bullying can start between toddlers and continue throughout a child's school years. But if parents instil value and self-worth in their children, they are less likely to become a victim.

"Any child who is different can be bullied," Dr Carr-Gregg said.

"That could mean they are too short, too fat, too tall, too smart, have pimples, anything that could be considered by someone as different. Parents need to say to their kids, 'bullying and harassment is totally unacceptable'.

"They need to remind their child it has nothing to do with them . . . it is the insecurities of the tormentor."

There were 140 calls made in the past year to Parent Line NSW, a telephone counselling service for families.

A regular problem reported on Parent Line for families with children aged between nine and 14 was bullying.

"Parents should be saying to their kids that, if they see bullying, then they should not be a silent bystander" Dr Carr-Gregg said.

"It's not dobbing. It's about keeping you and your friends safe."

Not all children will feel comfortable telling an adult they are being teased. If a child is being bullied, parents can:

* ASK them directly;

*PHONE an advice line;

* SPEAK to the school; or

* NOMINATE a relative or family friend the child can confide in.

Some children will refuse to go to school, while others will stop mixing with friends.

Psychologist Marie O'Neill said bullied children often became withdrawn or became bullies themselves.

"Parents need to make sure their child is comfortable talking to them. Show them it's not sissy," she said.

"Teach children to walk away. But the parent or the teacher must act if a child says they are being bullied.

"Parents of a bullied child should never confront the bullier or their parent as, quite often, the parent won't believe their child is abusing (others) - leave that to the school."

Parents can be bullies themselves. To one another and their children.
Those who pray together have a better chance of staying together.
Take care of each other as best as is humanly possible.

Men, Women , Teens, Kids don't allow yourself to be bullied.

Parents can be bullies themselves. To one another and their children. Those who pray together have a better chance of staying together. Take care of each other as best as is humanly possible.
Take care
Colin



Men, Women , Teens, Kids don't allow yourself to be bullied.

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Abuse - Report Abuse

AND ALMOST THE OPPOSITE RESPONSE TO ANIMALS OVER HUMANS

Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life



Cute Little Duckies

I was standing at the copy centre of the big box office supply store when a woman ran in out of the rain frantically looking for a box. It seems that a mother duck and her ducklings were walking down the road stopping traffic and one of the ducklings had been run over. Someone had gathered the ducks up and the box was to be used to transport them to a nearby lake.

It was a commendable effort and I hope it worked. Yet, I wonder how compassionate people would have been if they weren't cute little duckies. People routinely run over roos and dogs without giving it a thought.

I wondered if it had been a drunk staggering in the street if they would have done anything but honk their horns at him.

When we do things like rescue cute little ducklings we are exhibiting the loving character of God. Yet, it my mind staggers at our ability to be compassion free when it comes to other people. Certainly the ducks were cute and I have no problem with their rescue but shouldn't we have the same, or more, compassion for people who are created in the image of God?

It's a similar sort of thinking that allows extreme animal rights activists to put the "rights" of animals over people. Now don't misunderstand me, I'm all for the compassionate treatment of animals. I simply think that people are more valuable than animals. I know not everyone agrees with me.

It seems almost cliché and trite to say, but as Christians we're called to love people. We're called to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We're also called to bless and pray for those who persecute us.

Yet, even as followers of Jesus we're quite capable of the most horrific evils towards other people. Even if we don't commit evil deeds, we have evil thoughts. Even if we don't have evil thoughts to call us compassionate and loving towards others would often be a lie. We try hard with those we are close to but with those we disapprove of we can be cold. With those we're not close to we can be uninterested and indifferent.

I think of the trade in people. We like to think that slavery no longer exists, but it still runs rampant in the world. We close our eyes to racial violence and genocide in other parts of the globe. We ignore human rights violations in the name of trade. We step over the drunk or junkie who is passed out on the sidewalk.

I know that we'll never solve all the problems of the world but we could open our hearts more. I also know that the primary mandate of Christians isn't to deal with the social ills that plague or world. Our first responsibility is to bring people to Christ and whilst doing so take responsibility for looking after God's world.

Note :They finally cannot find life on Mars, yet now they are exploring like crazy to keep themselves employed searching for " THERE MAY ONCE HAVE BEEN LIFE?"

Matthew 28:18-20 New International Version of God's Holy Set of 66 Books.
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on 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 age."
However the God given mandate goes beyond bring people to Jesus. It also says teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you and that includes loving one another, caring for our neighbor and being a blessing to others.

When we start to do that ourselves several things start to happen. Firstly people see our faith in a different light because our theology and living begin to align. In more precise terms our orthodoxy (right beliefs) meshes with our orthopraxy (right living).

Secondly, as a byproduct more people are cared for which helps alleviate some of the social ills that plague the world. Thirdly as people come to Christ in increasing numbers the impact on the world around us grows.

Let's keep on caring for cute little duckies but let's also begin to care for one another as our Lord commanded.

Until next time may people see Jesus,.......in the way that you treat them.



Be blessed , in all each of you do on this Forum and in your private lives.




Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you.

Help for the Hurting is all over this Forum. Please ask if you need help of any nature.

I know that some times Christians don't seem very Christ like. Don't let our failures keep you from opening your heart to the truth. Jesus can forgive your sins, set you free and give you eternal life. In fact He is the only one who can do so. Open your heart to Him today.

Take care and look into the Truth..it may take time...but it will only make you wise to understand God's Universe.
Colin Spratt...not perfect goody goody, yet forgiven by God's Graciousness.

Feel free to comment or ask questions..you will be welcomed.

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