Some Thoughts on Christianity
What follows can be compared to journal entries. No real order or outline, just some thoughts that have been given to me during moments of contemplation:
Love Thy Neighbor
The enemy loves to misinterpret the bible verse “Love thy neighbor” (as it is almost always said in its shortened version, using it to manipulate or distort the teachings of Jesus. This verse is Matthew 22:39 which says “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. This is an important discrimination to make. Typically this verse is used in retaliation when a Christian is speaking out against those who deliberately choose to sin, like people who use drugs addictively or those who may be in a homosexual relationship. The enemy likes to say how Jesus is all about loving everyone just as they are created, and to say that being gay is a sin is to not Love Thy Neighbor. Those who use this verse to manipulate are lost and need direction, acceptance, and understanding if we wish to have any sort of hope in leading them towards Jesus. Why?
Because loving thy neighbor as thyself looks like bringing up the elephant in the room, which according to the bible, is your neighbors continual, daily choosing to be in a homosexual relationship, or their addiction to drugs, envy, lust, gluttony, etc. To love them in a Christian way is to let your neighbor know that these actions are seperating them from God, and when he comes back for them, they may not enter the kingdom of heaven if they have not repented and accepted Jesus as their lord and savior. Loving thy neighbor is not just about blind acceptance. It’s about loving them like you love yourself. You forgive yourself when you sin. You have done terrible things and you have forgiven yourself. But, in forgiving yourself, the Christian way is to choose not to sin like that again. And so, when you apply that logic to your neighbor, you are forgiving them, and accepting who they are, but reminding them that if they continue to knowingly and willfully sin, they are seperating themselves from Jesus and the eternal peace and love of the kingdom of heaven. This is loving thy neighbor… wanting them to have ETERNAL life, ETERNAL peace, and ETERNAL happiness. Not loving your neighbor is failing to tell them that what they are choosing to do is against the will of God and come judgement day, well… let’s hope they repented.
2026 Prayer
“Lord Jesus, I pray that you continue to allow me to seek you and obtain a higher degree of love from you. May my prayer be not of unworthiness, but of nobility. I pray not to satisfy my own earthy desires, but to be a vessel for you to carry out your will on earth. Your offerings are sweet, but deliver me from spiritual gluttony and evil. Lord Jesus deliver me from any self-righteous desires I may be seeking or holding on to by worshipping you. You are my Lord and Savior King Jesus and I repent to you and accept you into my heart. Even when your light is shining brightly upon me, I remain tender to your Greatness, and will never take your offerings for granted. The food of heaven is angelic, so may my fleshly palate be cleansed, and shall I no longer find earthy temptations desirable, but may I crave the blessings of heaven, and may my heart be simple and right, with full faith in you God.”
Shame
Do not let shame or guilt trap you into viscious cycles. Forgive yourself, recognize these feelings or embarrasment, guilt, and shame, and remember how badly you don’t want to feel them. In the moment of temptation, cry out to Jesus, and seperate yourself from the demonic energy. Overcome the addiction!
Getting what you want
“There is only one things worse that not getting what you want, and that is getting it.” - Oscar Wilde
There are many times when we desire peace, maybe we desire a loving caring partner, or maybe we are desiring or praying for safety.
We may think that when desiring these things, the Lord will provide them perfectly as we imagine them. Maybe you pray for peace within your marriage, but then your wife initiates a divorce. Maybe you pray for safety on before your plane travel, and then on the runway your plan is turned around back to the airport due to adverse weather.
When your wife initiates a divorce when you desire peace, or your plane turns around, and you’re not able to get home on time, but you desired peace… your prayers have been answered. Not in your desired way of having your wife come around and apologize, or not in the way of your plane taking off and getting you home safely and on time, but they were answered. It’s a bittersweet moment to realize the mysterious ways in which he works. Prayer is not always answered in the sweet way you desire.
Mystic Catholocism and Buddhism: A Similarity
Upon reading certain portions of the New Testament as well as works by prolific Christian and Catholic writers, I noticed a potential overlapping of idealogy that I have not heard talked about yet. Although there are many potential overlaps/similarites in certain Biblical teachings with other ancient religions, this one was pretty interesting.
Matthew 16:25 says “For whoever wants to save their life shall lose it…”
Saint John of the Cross says in Dark Night Of The Soul, “… if a man have desire or care to experience it, he experiences it not; for, as I say, it does its work when the soul is most at ease and freest from care; it is like the air which, if one would close one’s hand upon it, escapes.” (Book 1 Chapter 9).
Now, I know hardly anything about Buddhism, but after reading these words from Matthew and St. John about how desire in our bodies disrupts the will of God, I was reminded about how Buddhism also teaches about the danger of desire. Buddhism teaches that craving is the root of suffering, and that desire binds the mind to impermanant things reinforcing ignorance and attachment to earthy possessions.
Both religions also teach how the desire for salvation or awakening actually becomes a hinderance in the process. It may seem confusing, how one could desire to be saved, and not be saved, but then you realize that desire is of earth and flesh.
Love God and have faith in his will for you.
Until next time…
That is all I’m going to share at this time. I truly find interest in the mystical aspects of religion, instead of simply taking all teachings and stories at face value, so there is likely to be more writing of this topic. Please share your thoughts or opinions in the comments below.
Happy new year