Have I ever shared with you about one of my dreams since I was twelve or thirteen?
Well, I used to dream to be a model. Yes, I know that I was the shortest person among my friends and classmates but I didn’t let that fact stop me from not only wanting to be a model but also pursuing to be one with all my being.
“Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Galatians 6:14
“The Gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history.”
~ Jerry Bridges
“The Cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough for its sparks to fall on us.” ~ John Stott ///
We started having a family Bible study on Thursday nights when our youngest son was two or three years old. Then when our kids got a little older, we changed the day from Thursday to Saturday. So, if we all are in town, we always do our family Bible study on Saturday morning with a tasty breakfast which is my second favorite part of our Bible study. Why? Well, I no more cook on Saturdays. The rest of the Banko’s do. Is that a blessing or what!
Anyways, so when we started our Bible study, it was very hard to calm our kids down. When we try to tell them about Abraham and Sara or David and Goliath, they fight for a crayon or somebody wants to go to the restroom. It was very frustrating especially for me who tends to often struggle with lack of patience.
A4P Guest: I heard you saying many times and read on many of your posts that looking at a woman lustfully is like committing adultery. Am I right?
A4P: First, I didn’t say that; Jesus did in Matthew 5:28
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
And second, Jesus didn’t say, “looking at a woman lustfully is LIKE committing adultery.” He said, “anyone who looks at a woman lustfully HAS ALREADY committed adultery with her in his heart.” (capitalization is added emphasis)
A4P Guest: Okay, Jesus said it and I heard you quoting Him many times.
I’m not really sure why but these days many people are coming to this page and dropping this question: Are you a Protestant or an Orthodox.
Why do people ask this question? I’m not really sure. Since a number of people had asked this question, I want to say a word or two about it. But before I laid that out clearly, let me, as I always do, first look up the definition of these two terms:
Protestant: a member or follower of any of the Western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic Church and follow the principles of the Reformation, including the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches.
Yes, we can’t continue to live in sin if we are born of God.
The Word of God says, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)
How true that is! We simply can’t live in sin. We just can’t because God’s seed remains in us. Hallelujah! ///
God set you and I free from the bondage of sin to reveal His Son, Jesus Christ, in and through us.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
The above kind of lifestyle is not only true of Paul but everyone who is in Christ.
