Until two weeks ago I couldn’t venture outside, due to the impact of the atmospheric river storms. While providing much needed water supply to California, these storms caused a lot of damages and life-threatening conditions to the state with heavy rain and damaging wind gusts.
The skies on the other hand, have been very colorful.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.” – Luke 6:32
One of my favorite Proverbs of all times is from The Book of Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 6, which urges us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
How wonderful would it be to know that the World is full of beautiful, respectful, mindful, humble, and positive individuals! How wonderful would it be to know that the World is full of individuals who are tolerant, empathetic, honest, and loving! Unfortunately it is not always the case. Because everyone is different and view life differently; everyone therefore has their own definition of happiness, of good and bad, and of right and wrong. This difference, in a way, is what makes the World beautiful and colorful.
After observing my surroundings and human interactions, I came to the realization that pretty much everything in existence is a test. My younger self used to think that God gave bad parents to good kids to punish them, but then I wondered why the bad kids got good parents? Like, what did those troublemakers do to deserve such a reward? As I matured, I realized that it’s a test from God. He tests our faith. Do we have patience? Can we handle it? Can we overcome it? Can we love and care for one another regardless of our differences?
Parents, most of the time, are the ones who create/plant bad seeds in their children.
Good Parents. A lot of parents have done a great job raising their children, who in turn are raising their own children to be positive thinking and to see and sow beauty in the World. It takes less than a few seconds to identify individuals who were raised right as they exude grace and humility. These individuals were taught about equality, respect, love, acceptance, tolerance, forgiveness, humility, and so much more. Though ideal, a child doesn’t necessarily need to have two good parents to become a good human being, as long as one parent is good and is a positive influence in a child’s life, the latter can blossom.
Bad/Neglectful Parents. Being a bad parent doesn’t mean that your child will automatically be a bad child, though it can happen. A lot a children who had neglectful parents turn out to be great assets in society. These are children who made a conscious decision to be better and soar once they left home. Other children grew up to mimic what they saw at home.
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” – John 8:44 (NASB)
Wicked/Destructive Parents. Wicked parents, too, can be graced with good children; though chances of such a miracle happening are very low. These parents were not necessarily born from bad parents. Some had good parents and others had bad parents; however, their offspring stem from satan’s seed. This category of people were evil from conception, born wicked with a spirit of destruction, and cannot stand in the truth because there is no truth in them. They are simply unrepentant and unredeemed humans, conscious of their own true nature. They speak of God and fiercely oppose him at the same time.
Image Source: ChristChurchnsfb.org.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
A category of people who call themselves Christians believe they have faith in Jesus Christ, yet do not believe in Jesus Christ. What’s the difference between having faith and believing?
According to TheGospelCoalition.org, “…to have faith in Jesus Christ is to acknowledge the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel. The BillyGraham.org on the other hand states that the word “believe” in the Bible means more than simply agreeing in our minds that something might be true. It means “trust”—that we believe so strongly in God that we are willing to commit our lives to Him and live the way we know He wants us to live.”
Having faith in Jesus Christ and believing in Him are two different things. One can acknowledge the Word of God and still refuse to live by those Words. The Bible tells us that to those individuals Jesus will declare, ‘I never knew you!’
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. – Daniel 12:10
While some people are born wicked, good parents too, especially those who have multiple children, can plant bad seeds in their children if they treat the latter differently and with contempt.
Death does not invalidate sins; rather, it sends us swiftly to our judgement day. ― Joan Ambu
By all means death is such a painful word, without adding the sadness and void the living have to face. After going through the pain of death myself and accepting the fact that death does not discriminate and can knock on anyone’s door at any given time, I changed my ways and my view of life.
Some people think that death will invalidate their sins since the Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father (Galatians 1:4 – KJV). Some people continue to sin believing that they can get away with it because our Lord Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for us. That’s far from the truth since we will all be judged by what we did and what we didn’t do. As Christians, true Christians, when it comes to the Word of God, we should believe it in its entirety and not choose what to believe. We can either accept the Word or reject it, but we should not choose.
Image Source: Pinterest.com.
Had death been the end of sin, many who didn’t live a righteous life, would care less about their judgement day, would not be worried, panicking, attempting to right wrongs, and requesting a religious leader (Priest, Pastor, Imam, Cohen, Pujari, Bhikkhu, etc…) for confession and absolution when close to death. I don’t know why some people wait until the end to recognize and call upon the name of the Lord; however, it’s better late than never. This being said, I acknowledge the importance of confession and absolution, especially as it pertains to the young, the old, the sick, as well as for those who for some reason can’t express themselves.
I want to believe that confessing our sins and receiving absolution can wipe away our sins, if we are truly remorseful of our bad deeds and intend to change our ways. What I know for sure, is that God alone can forgive our sins as He looks at our hearts and sees our intentions (Jeremiah 17:10 – ESVUK). Yet, the question remains: does absolution by a religious leader truly forgive all sins (venial and/or mortal)? The living can only hope so, but it’s for the dead to find out. One thing the Bible is clear about is that a person who doesn’t forgive others will not be forgiven by God. And not being forgiving by God means that your sins will be held against you.
As long as we are alive, there is hope for all.
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
We are all sinners in need of God’s grace.
A Christian, as defined by Compassion.com, is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ. A non-Christian on the other hand can be defined as a person without beliefs (or a person who hasn’t heard about Jesus Christ). The similarity between the two is that both are sinners. The difference is that a true Christian (believer) will turn to God for help whenever they sin, and try to do better. A non-Christian just does what he or she wants. There are three types of non-Christians:
The righteous non-Christians. Although these individuals don’t know the Gospel, they act in accordance with moral laws (Romans 2:14 – KJV). A great example of this can be found in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The non-believers. People with no religious faith or who don’t believe in anything.
The unbelievers. These individuals tend to be ignorant due to lack of understanding of the Christian message. Rather than accepting the Bible/Word of God as truth, they choose what works for them. These are the people who refuse to accept truth even when they see proof.
Just as every single one of us fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23 – NKJV), there is hope for everyone because God’s message of salvation extends to everyone (Romans 10:12 – ESV), and God alone can save us, Christians and non-Christians alike (Ephesians 2:8-9 – ESV). As long as we seek to know God, we can all be saved.
It is important to remember God in good and bad times. God is good all the time, even when we are not. Sometimes we do the most despicable things, yet, God still loves and forgives us. Whenever God shows us mercy, we should be grateful and thankful. We must refrain from doing and saying bad things, and turn from our wicked ways. It is the fate of every living thing to eventually die. For believers death means life (Philippians 1:21 – NKJV). True believers as well as those who live a righteous life are not afraid to transcend when the time comes. Everyday we are alive, it is not because we deserve it. It’s simply by the grace of God and His abundant mercy that we are saved.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4-5
Image Source: Steemit.com.
Although we are conceived in sin (Psalm 51:4-6 – ESV), those who were too young to profess their faith as well as those who died in infancy for instance, might be those whose sins get wiped away. Also, God will surely have mercy on those with mental illnesses. Perhaps God may also have mercy on those who never heard of the Gospel, yet lived by the golden rule. More precisely, to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31 – NIV).
Romans 2:6 tells us that God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”
It’s December and the year is almost coming to an end. Fall decorations are being put away and Christmas lights and decorations are going up all around the neighborhood. We might be the only household around who still respects the change of seasons; though we must admit that it’s heartwarming to see colorful lights and festive activities.
One of my latest plant additions to the front garden is the Angel Face Rose, also know as Angel Face Floribunda Rose. This beauty was purchased at the Lake Arrowhead Outdoor Nursery (The Standard Design Group Nurseries). With loads of vibrant ruffled lavender blossoms, the Angel Face Rose has a very strong fruity fragrance and blooms profusely. Its glossy dark green leaves complement the flower color.
According to the websites Wikipedia and weekand.com, Rosa ‘Angel Face’ originated at Swim and Weeks nursery in Southern California and was introduced in 1968. Developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers, ‘Angel Face’ is a cross between floribundas, (‘Circus’ × ‘Lavender Pinocchio’) and hybrid tea, ‘Sterling Silver’. The ‘Circus’ x ‘Lavender Pinocchio’ was the female parent, and ‘Sterling Silver’ was the male parent. On a side note, ‘Sterling Silver’ was the first modern mauve rose, introduced by American hybridizer Gladys Fisher in 1957.
Angel Face Rose.
My Blue Moon hybrid tea rose pulled through this year with gorgeous, vibrant roses, after a year of not putting out flowers. The lilac blooms have an intense fragrance and the plant has an upright, vigorous growth.
Blue Moon Rose.
Purchased as a bare root rose, I didn’t think my Perfume Delight Rose would make it passed this year, but it pulled through. It is thriving and I am grateful.
Perfume Delight Rose is a pink hybrid tea rose, developed by Herbert Swim & Weeks Rose Growers in 1973. The bright deep pink flowers exude an intense damask fragrance and are said to be be rain resistant and as well as disease resistant, with large, glossy, leathery foliage.
Perfume Delight Rose.
Fall is a beautiful season! Many trees in the neighborhood have graced us with their gorgeous colors; I want to believe that it has a lot to do with the rains and cool weather we’ve had this year. A couple of weeks ago we caught the gopher that was wrecking havoc in the front yard (digging holes and leaving behind mounds of dirt, mostly).
We relocated a few Agave Ovatifolia as well as a couple of Yucca Pendula from the backyard to the front and transplanted six young and healthy Heavenly Bamboo to the left side of the front yard. I am growing a few Spanish Broom from seed to gift to family, friends, and neighbors in the Spring.
By JM Perez
