Sprittibee Answers Some Comments - Part 1

As a blogger, I sometimes get quite a rainbow of different people's opinions after I click "post". Not everyone shares the same views in life, so I would expect that there will be many who might not agree with everything I say in here. On occasion, I get a rare comment that leaves me scratching my head. I saved two of these comments in particular to post about later... and since I'm out of good blog material at the moment, I thought I would give you a chuckle by letting you read one of them (below). I'll post the other one tomorrow.

Comment #1:

"You look so nice and innocent in your picture, it seems at odds with you being so into constant prayer and the bible.

You should concentrate on what Jesus TOLD us all in the BIBLE, not what is in a that same book but is really just many rules from many MEN!

Jesus did speak to his fellow people and for me it is his words that matter most, not his legacy.

Don't get me wrong, I love Jesus, I am just suspicious of preacher types. Jesus was a preacher yes, but it seems that preachers have changed into lawmakers and that is not right."

Here's my response:

1. Don't judge a book by its cover. I am not sure innocent is how I would have EVER described myself. Have you read my testimony? I am sure that if I portray that look now, it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the Spirit of God IN me.

Psalm 53:3 ~ Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
2. Concentrating on what Jesus told us in the Bible would mean that I would be "in to Bible study". Let's just examine a few of the things Jesus said:

Matthew 4:4 ~ Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Sounds like Jesus reads a lot of Bible.

Matthew 5:11 & 12 ~ "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Sounds like Jesus didn't care what anyone else thought of Him... and wants us to seek to please the Lord above all others.

Matthew 5:17-20 ~ 17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Sounds like Jesus still wants us to obey the Laws of God - until he returns. To obey God's laws, you would ... again... have to know what they were... which would require studying the Bible and prayer.

3. Words vs. Legacy. This statement makes no sense. You say Jesus' words are more important than His legacy... but how can you see them as any different?

A LEGACY is: "Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past" (see dictionary.com). Jesus left us three things:

1. promise for the future
2. strength for today (The Holy Spirit)
3. guidelines and commandments for holy living in His Word

In fact, one might argue that: Jesus IS the WORD of God (see John 1:1). His Legacy IS the WORD.

2 Samuel 22:31 ~ "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."
If you respect Jesus, then listen to Him when he says this:

Luke 11:27-29 ~ 27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."

28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

4. "I am just suspicious of preacher types"

Join the crowd. Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean you check your brain in at the door. Everyone should be able to know the Word of the Lord well enough that they can differentiate for themselves what is right and wrong according to God's commands. I am not worried about preachers because I can listen to their message and read along in my Bible to find out if what they say is true or false. After listening to them and seeing what kind of people they are (their fruits... i.e.: do they PRACTICE what they preach and is it lined up with God's Word?), you might discover that a lot of preachers are really GREAT people. If you never study your Bible, I can see how you might be misled.

God calls us all into a personal relationship with Him through Christ; so therefore, no matter what the preacher says, we still have some responsibility. This means we are all responsible for our own relationship with God (no one else can take you to heaven on their coat-tails). That doesn't mean we can save ourselves... it just means that each one of us will be held accountable for our own soul. We each get a personal choice - to obey the gospel or not. Jesus does all the work for us - the washing us clean and giving us the strength to live a holy life in an unholy world (and in a sinful body). Don't kid yourself that you can be a "good person" or "Jesus follower" and get to heaven if you really DON'T follow his commandments. We are all required to trust and obey (and to obey, we have to crack the Book open to know what it is that He requires). Reading God's Word and praying are a MUST for a "follower".

Ephesians 5:10 ~ ...find out what pleases the Lord.
Romans 12:2 ~ Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 ~ Test everything. Hold on to the good.

James 1:22-25 ~ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
Now I'll go take some of my own advice and get out my Bible to do some personal study! Thanks for the comments - I enjoyed doing the research on those verses.

God bless each of us as we try and do His perfect will for our lives.


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