The World Grows Colder

The love of many in this world shall wax cold in the last days, 

even as the gospel is preached around the world. (Matthew 24:14)

It doesn't surprise me that this world is losing their love for each other

as they are losing their love for God, their first love. (Revelation 2:4)

Not keeping Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life that he should be. (John 14:6)

The perfecter and finisher of our faith, who is to present us, the church, his bride, holy and blameless before the Father. (Ephesians 5:27)

Sadly everyone loves to hate God. 

Everyone loves to blame Jesus and use his name in vain like he's not really the one who bled and died for them.

My own family even seems this way. 

It's been hard as I honestly feel like I have grown even more distant from them.

My mom actually called me an idiot over an accident, and longer ago earlier had actually threatened to call the police on me because of an argument I recall was between me and my brother, and of course she chose his side.

I know my brother means well, but he has just said things without full understanding in the past that really hurt.

My dad, has even lost his temper more times and has pushed me to the ground and fought me. 

And even though people apologize to me, it's like they always end up hurting me the same way again later.

That's why I hate apologies like that. I just can't get people to understand I don't want your apology; I want you to understand and not to do it again. You'd think that would be obvious, but apparently not. 

Apologies without works are dead to me, just as faith without works is dead. Repentance is not saying sorry; it is a complete change of mind and direction from following the ways of the world to choosing to follow God instead.

As in James 14:17 what good is it tell to tell someone to be well or have a good day, as you can clearly see they need to be clothed and are freezing on the street with nothing to wear.

For we are saved by grace through faith, repented, and made Jesus our Lord, King, and Savior.

A gift from God, not of works, lest anyone should boast in themselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9) The greatest commandment is

to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. In addition, the second commandment, the Golden Rule, to love others as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37) We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) We can love others because we have the love of God in us. (1 John 4:7) If I do not love a brother and yet say I love God, I would be a liar and the love of God would not be in me. (1 John 4:20) 

I just hate that I hate being around my parents and this world. It just feels like people keep crowding around me and backing me up into a corner with their expectations of me I can never meet.

I know this world shall hate me as it hated Jesus (Matthew 10:22), but it's like even my own family's love is waxing cold. 

Jesus said they will know we are his disciples by how we love one another (John 13:35), and that to be his disciple we must pick up our cross and follow him. For whoever would save his life would lose it, and to lose your life for his sake is to gain it. For what does it profit a man to gain the world and yet lose his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26) By the way, it is also not a contradiction since Jesus is the gate and the way we enter by. We should not stray to the left or to the right but follow him alone and keep our foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:27) (John 10:9) Lest we be hypocrites and think we can serve two masters, both God and money, for the love of money is the root of all evils. (Matthew 6:24) (1 Timothy 6:6-10) Or anything or anyone else that should become an idol before God. (Exodus 20:4)

If you are so quick to anger, to resentment, to bitterness, and to blame me or anyone else when you should know them long enough to know it's not their fault, then that is not Godly.

We are called to strive for holiness as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and we can only do that by abiding in his son.

Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. If you remain in him and he in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from him you can do nothing. His father is the vinedresser, and all branches that do not bear fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire. (John 15:5) The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience (long-suffering), kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) It is not called the fruits of the spirit, but the fruit. You cannot pick and choose; it is all one. Just as Jesus (The Word Made Flesh), The Father, and The Holy Spirit (The Breath Of Life) are one and the ones who spoke the world into being and said, "Let us make man in our own image." (Genesis 1:26) After all, God cannot be love or love without there being those besides himself to love, as with Jesus, his son, who calls us back to God. Since Jesus was daily God's delight (Proverbs 8:30), us abiding in him means we become his delight. For it is the Father's will that everyone who looks to The Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and he, Jesus, will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:40) If we truly love him and abide in his love, then we keep his commandments. (John 14:15) By loving God and thus others or your neighbor as yourself, all the laws are kept. (Romans 13:8)(Galatians 5:14) Jesus laid down the law by laying down his life, by his sacrifice on the cross a for us. That no man took from him, but he himself laid down according to the command of God. (John 10:18) For Christ is the end of the law through righteousness for everyone or anyone who believes in him. (Romans 10:4) For man looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart and cares more about your character. (1 Samuel 16:7) That we should not despise discipline, for the Lord disciplines those he loves as his children. (Hebrews 12:5-11)

Being angry is not wrong. Not for the sake of others or for what is right. Righteous indignation. Jesus got angry when he overturned the tables of the money changers (not flimsy foldable tables by the way) and the benches of those selling doves. He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. The Court of the Gentiles. The place that was supposed to be a sacred place of welcome and prayer for all peoples, the outermost court accessible to the non-Jews, was desecrated. "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a place of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers!" (Mark 11:17) He also continued to drive them out, those money-changers sitting there selling their oxen, sheep, and pigeons, out with the whip he made of cords, and he poured out their coins. And he told those who sold the pigeons, "Take these things away; do not make my father's house a house of trade!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house shall consume me." (John 2:14-17) Jesus was angry for the sake of the Gentiles! He was angry for the sake of his father's house! He was zealous for them. 

And by the way, being jealous is not wrong if it's for the right reasons either. It's written that God is a jealous God for his people, as he should be, as a husband is jealous for his wife. "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." He loves Israel, as shown in the book of Hosea, as keeping a marriage vow; even though they are unfaithful, he still is faithful. As Paul states, "For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2) So let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with full perseverance the race marked out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer, author, and perfecter of our faith. Consider who endured and scorned the shame of the cross and such opposition from sinners for the joy (that was redeeming you) set before him, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3) To be presented holy and blameless, spotless before the Lord. To not be defeated or grieved, for he is our victory over sin, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) To not be lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, lest he spit us out, (Revelation 3:15-16) but on fire for the Lord, not quenching the Holy Spirit that seals us for salvation in our hearts. (Acts 2:38)  (2 Corinthians 1:22) About the Kingdom business, (Romans 12:11) and letting our light shine before others. So that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) Being slow to anger, quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to wrath or to take offense. (James 1:19) Instead always forgiving and bearing with one another in any grievance, as God forgave you. (Colossians 3:13) Of course that does not mean necessarily trusting them again. A gossip betrays trust or confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. (Proverbs 11:13) The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. (Proverbs 11:3) Wherein will be laid up for thee the crown of righteousness that will never cease to shine. (2 Timothy 4:8) As God's kingdom is done on Earth as it is in heaven. (Mathew 6:10) Ruling as heirs of God, as children of God, and co-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) Not conforming to the patterns of the world, but being transformed through Christ in the renewing of our minds. Being able to test and do God's good, pleasing, and perfect will in this world as in Heaven. (Romans 12:2) Having our identity rooted in him like a tree planted by the water that will not fear when the drought comes. (Psalm 1:3) (Jeremiah 17:8) For in this world we will have tribulation, but take heart, for Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33)