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Intolerant of Tolerance. 

At home and abroad, the American people plead for broad-mindedness, tolerance and charity. Abroad, our ambassadors use all of their powers to influence warring parties to come to the conference table in a spirit of give-and-take. There is a sense in which the world needs broad-mindedness and tolerance.

However, in the realm of Christian experience there is a need for intolerance. In some things Christ was the most tolerant, broad-minded Man who ever lived, but in other things He was one of the most intolerant.

Tolerance Can Become Too Stretched

One of the pet words of this age is tolerance. It is a good word, but we have tried to stretch it over too great an area. We have applied it, too often, where it does not belong. The word tolerant means liberal and broad-minded. In one sense, it implies the compromise of one’s convictions, a yielding of ground upon important issues.

We have become tolerant about divorce, the use of alcohol, delinquency, wickedness in high places, immorality, crime and godlessness. We have been sapped of conviction, drained of our beliefs, and we are bereft of our faith.

The sciences, however, are narrow-minded. There is no room for careless broad-mindedness in the laboratory. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level; it is never 100 degrees nor 189 degrees, nor 211. Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees; it is never 23 degrees nor 31.

Mathematics is also narrow-minded. The sum of two plus two is four, never three-and-a-half. Geometry is narrow-minded. It says that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points on a plane. A compass is narrow-minded; it always points to the magnetic north. If it were broad-minded, ships at sea and planes in the air would be in danger.

If you should ask a man the directions to New York City and he said, “Oh, just take any road you wish, they all lead to New York,” you would question both his sanity and his truthfulness. Nevertheless, we have somehow gotten it into our minds that “all roads lead to Heaven.”

But Jesus Christ, who journeyed from Heaven to Earth and back to Heaven again, who knew the way better than anyone who ever lived, said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus Was Narrow About the Way of Salvation

Jesus plainly pointed out that there are two roads in life. One is broad, lacking in faith, convictions and morals. It is the easy, popular, careless way. Jesus said, “There are many who go in by it.” But He pointed out that this road, heavily traveled though it is, leads to destruction. And in loving, compassionate intolerance, He says: “Enter by the narrow gate … because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life.”

His was the intolerance of a pilot who maneuvers his plane through the storm, realizing that a single error, just one flash of broad-mindedness, might bring disaster to all his passengers.

Once when we were flying from Korea to Japan, we ran through a rough snowstorm. When we arrived over the airport in Tokyo, the ceiling and visibility were almost zero. The pilot had to make an instrument landing. I sat up in the cockpit and watched him sweat it out as a man in the tower at the airport talked us in.

I did not want this man to be broad-minded. I wanted him to be narrow-minded. I knew that our lives depended on it. Just so, when we come in for the landing in the great airport in Heaven, I don’t want any broad-mindedness. I want to come in on the beam, and even though I may be considered narrow here, I want to be sure of a safe landing there.

Christ was so intolerant of our lost estate that He left His lofty throne in the heavenlies, took on Himself the form of man, suffered at the hands of evil men and died on a cruel cross of shame to purchase our redemption. So serious was our plight that He could not look upon it lightly. He could not be broad-minded about a world held captive by its lusts.

Christ spoke of two roads, two kingdoms, two masters, two rewards and two eternities. And He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). We have the power to choose whom we will serve, but the alternative to choosing Christ brings certain destruction. The broad, easy, popular way leads to death and destruction. Only the way of the cross leads home.

Peter was reflecting Christ’s teaching when he said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name [than Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

The popular, tolerant attitude toward the Gospel of Christ is like a person going to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves play a baseball game and rooting for both sides. Baseball fans are very intolerant. If you were to cheer for both sides in Los Angeles or in Atlanta, someone would yell, “Hey, you, make up your mind who you’re rooting for.”

Christ said, “You cannot serve God and mammon … no one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). We need more people who will step out and say unashamedly: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

Jesus Was Intolerant Toward Hypocrisy

He pronounced more woes on the Pharisees than on any other sect because they were given to outward piety, but inside they were a sham. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” He said, “For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25).

A counterfeit Christian, single-handedly, can do more to retard the progress of the church than a dozen saints can do to forward it. That is why Jesus was so intolerant of sham! A great church leader said that the greatest need in the church today is for church members to live what they profess.

The hypocrite has nothing but the contempt of his or her neighbors and the judgment of God hereafter. That is why Jesus said, “Do not be like the hypocrites” (Matthew 6:16).

Jesus Was Intolerant Toward Selfishness

He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:34). Self-centeredness is the basic cause of much of our distress in life. Hypochondria, a mental disorder that is accompanied by melancholy and depression, is often caused by self-pity and self-centeredness.

Jesus was intolerant of selfishness. To the rich young ruler He said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven ...” (Matthew 19:21). It wasn’t the giving of his goods that Jesus demanded, but his release from selfishness and its devastating effects on his personality and life.

Jesus was intolerant of selfishness when He said, “For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). The life that Jesus urges us to lose is the selfishness that lives within us, the old nature of sin that is in conflict with God. Peter, James and John left their nets, but Jesus did not object to nets as such; it was the selfish living they symbolized that He wanted them to forsake. Matthew left the “custom seat,” a political job, to follow Christ. But Jesus did not object to a political career. It was the selfish quality of living that it represented that He wanted Matthew to forsake.

Jesus Was Intolerant Toward sin.

He was tolerant toward the sinner, but intolerant toward the evil that enslaves the sinner. To the adulteress He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11). He forgave her because He loved her; but He condemned her sin because He loathed it with a holy hatred.
God has always been intolerant toward sin! His Word says: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil ...” (Isaiah 1:16).

“Awake to righteousness, and do not sin” (1 Corinthians 15:34).

Christ was so intolerant toward sin that He died on the cross to free men and women from its power. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Sin lies at the root of most of society’s difficulties today. Whatever separates a person from God disunites that person from others. The world’s problems will never be solved until the question of sin is settled.

The cross is God’s answer to sin. To all who will receive the blessed news of salvation through Christ, it crosses out—cancels forever—sin’s power.

Forest rangers know the value of the “burn-back” in fighting forest fires. To save an area from uncontrolled fire, they carefully burn away the trees and shrubs to create a safety barrier. When the forest fire reaches that burned-out spot, plants and animals standing inside the area protected by the burn-back are safe from the flames. Fire is thus fought by fire.

Calvary was a colossal fighting of fire by fire. Christ, taking on Himself all of our sins, allowed the fire of sin’s judgment to fall upon Him. The area around the cross has become a place of refuge for all who would escape the judgment of sin. Take your place with Him at the cross; stand by the cross; yield your life to Him who redeemed you on the cross, and the fire of sin’s judgment can never touch you.

God is intolerant toward sin. That intolerance sent His Son to die for us. He has said “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish.” The clear implication is that those who refuse to believe in Him will be eternally lost. Come to Christ today, while His Spirit is speaking to your heart! ..... Rev. Billy Graham


This entire article was written by Billy Graham. Unfortunately a lot of my friends have been intolerant of my posting things. Praying, as I have been, for guidance in trying to be a light for Christ and minister to anyone that I can without fear, this came across my path as I was eating lunch. I chose to add this (my commentary) at the end for a good reason.... at the risk of it still being in vane. If I were to post it by simply 'sharing' it from the Billy Graham site, it would have a picture of Mr. Graham and his name on the thumbnail. How many would see it and open it?..... But then again, how many will take the time to read THIS and make it alllllll the way down here and reading the words I'm typing now?  Some may start out reading but realize it's way too long and they don't have the time. You all, however, are worth it to me. You are all worth the work I put into my postings. You are all worth the risk of losing your friendship because you're tired of hearing my preaching. ...or Billy Grahams for that matter. You are getting sick and tired of seeing me bomb the status update with scriptures and encouraging pictures. Not just mine, but from any one on your friend list that does it. ......It's ok. You're worth it to me. I want to see you after our souls leave our bodies. I want to see you again in Heaven whether it's you standing beside our Savior waiting on me, or we're waiting on you. I want to be able to welcome you with open arms and say ...."You won't believe how amazing this place is!!! You've gotta come in here and look at this!!!!!". 



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Folks, I'm trying really hard to not get involved in debate over candidates. However, I'm finding this task increasingly hard. Let me state this for the record again, I am NOT happy with either candidate. This isn't a democrat or republican thing...BUT, I have to say, how can anyone in their right mind think we are better off now that when Bush was in office? I wasn't a fan of Bush either, yet I can clearly see this!! Our country was not being invaded by Muslim extremists then!!! People, WAKE UP!!! OMG!!! You are being brainwashed and you don't even see it!! This country is at a severe risk of becoming a Muslim nation and you're all ok with this?!!! WHAT THE HECK?!!!!!  You're willing to sacrifice your rights as an AMERICAN just so you can vote for a guy who believes in supporting your view points a few issues? I don't want the other guy either but we're not going to be living in a country that allows us to complain freely anymore if you don't snap out of it! Look.. I get it that some of you don't want us Christian folk shoving our faith down your throat like an unwanted pill... fine. God does NOT want people coming to him because they're forced. It's no different that in any relationship... what kind of relationship is it when someone is forced to marry someone they don't really love? Like arranged marriages! I know I wouldn't want someone to be with me because they were forced. God doesn't either.... so I get it. But you.... the Obama follower..... yes you! You're at risk of being under a dictatorship, as are all Americans, and being FORCED to worship allah or die. You think it sounds far fetched and ridiculous?!! Trust me.


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WHEN GOD'S PEOPLE PRAY


Prayer. Sometimes I think that word has lost power in a world that could be easily healed by it. In 2Chronicles 7:14, God Himself tells us.. ^"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Have the masses forgotten that God's blessings are there for the taking? I'm right smack dab in the middle of finding out why we've placed prayer on the back burner and pray that God leads me to His will.... especially when it comes to prayer. There's always that chance that this isn't the area He has set for me to be when it comes to guiding or encouraging others. All I know, is that right now, I feel closer to Him than I ever have, and it's all because of His guidance in making me a more powerful and effective prayer warrior, and I can't seem to keep quiet about it!! Let's face it.... this country, this WORLD, is a mess. To this, you're replying.. "No kidding Captain Obvious!", but the point I'm trying to make is, what do we do next? Nothing else seems to be working. Non believers and those who do believe but still refuse to put God first wonder why things are the way they are. Those who seek the Lord and His will, well, we know what's happening, and we know what we need to do. So, what's stopping us? Is it a fear of some kind? Here we are, a nation with the freedom (at least for now!) to pray when ever we want, almost wherever we want, and we take it for granted. It's no secret that I, and a group of my brothers and sisters at church have found another weapon to add to our arsenal. Jim Cymbala. Look him up. It's quite obvious that God is using this man to accomplish great things, like leading us back to the basics. Prayer. Just typing it, it feels like the word 'prayer' has lost it's punch, it's fervor. We say it so much when talking with friends, especially on Facebook...."I'll pray for you!, Praying!, Lifting you up in prayer!, Done., You got it!."....  However you type it in the comment box after someones plea for it, it means that you are praying. What are you praying? How are you praying? Are you asking for everything to be ok with that person or their situation? Are you praying that they get better or that they get the job, or that their husband/wife comes back? I know that used to be a very typical prayer that came from my lips. Ok then, you ask, exactly how should we pray? Let's find out together. I'm not doing this on my own. I'm no great leader or motivational speaker. Tony Robbins, I am not! I would like to ask that all of my friends participate in this by commenting about their experience with prayer.  My advice to everyone... PRAY. Pray about praying. Ask God to show you how to be more effective in your prayers to Him. He's going to LOVE that your desire is to have better communication with Him. 
Ladies, wouldn't you love it if your husband sat you down and said, "Honey, Darling, Sweetie, Love of my life, Baby, Snuggle muffin, Pookie wookie, hey you, (<--enter term of endearment choice here), What can I do to have better communication with you? What can I do to improve the way we communicate? I desire a more fulfilling, loving relationship with you and I know that in order to do that, we need to communicate more. I NEED and desire to know what you want from me. What is it? Just ask."....Not only is he asking, but he's asking honestly with deep sincerity!...... What would your response be ...after you came to from being rendered unconscious due to falling off of the chair and hitting your head on the floor? To me, it would be bliss. If your husband met your needs of communication (which lets him know your wants and desires in any area you discuss), lets be honest, it would be so much easier to want to meet the needs of his. And no, I'm not just talking about THAT desire. Don't act like you have no idea what I'm talking about! Don't get me wrong, I know that, as a woman of faith and from my reading of the Word, it shouldn't take the husband doing something good to make us do something good for him in return. I get that, but we are human. We, as God's child, should be a wife who desires to please her husband and meet his needs simply because we love God and want be obedient to Him. It should fill us with joy when we have that open communication with our spouse, and all needs can be met. I'm getting a tad off course, but you get the idea, I hope. When we go to God in prayer with praise and supplication for his will for us, He HAS to be overjoyed!! He IS overjoyed!! Mr. Cymbala reminded me of the passage of scripture found in James 4:2 and 3, when Jesus so beautifully spoke..."4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions." Doesn't that sound like our marriages or other relationships? Our husbands aren't mind readers and neither are we. God is, but He wants to hear our request. He wants us to talk to Him.  ... Let's dive into this prayer thing!

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This is just my simple little blog page. I'm not trying to make money off of it or show off any great talent for homemaking. I actually wanted to create a site that I could collect everything that I like in one place and organize it as I wish. Then I thought... blog it. I know it sounds a whole lot like what Pinterest is but that place can be a tad overwhelming. I LOVE PINTEREST!! Don't get me wrong. It's just so HUGE! And for someone with a touch of dyslexia and A.D.D. .... well I need to use my own customized compartmentalizing skills. I'm still working out the kinks and rearranging things and trying to figure out how to add things to the blog but you're welcome to look around. I'm no Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond, incase you don't know her). I highly recommend you check her site out! You can find her at thepioneerwoman.com. 
Seriously, she's good! I certainly can't afford my own web page, so this will have to do. Thank you for stopping by!
This is the Pioneer Woman and her cookbooks below! :)

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