- Ephesians 4:25

The truth is God's word, according to Jesus Christ.Every word that is not God's word, or that contradicts God's word, is a lie, and he who speaks lies is a liar.

A man who fills up his speeches with speculations about God's word is a liar, and if he does so intentionally, he is a deceiver. He takes a place along side God's arch-enemy, the Devil, in speaking lies in hypocrisy, in order to deceive and trick people. They do this to get something out of the people they deceive, without offering anything worthwhile in return. Hence they are liars and thieves.

You might as well say that they (the Devil and his spokesmen) are in league together, conspiring to hinder the purposes of God, among which is his desire that every man and woman should come unto the knowledge of the truth.

...speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

Your neighbor certainly includes those who are partakers with you of the grace of God, who are born from above, are part of the family of God, having the same lord Jesus Christ and the same God and Father. Your neighbor has the same spirit from God as you do, and the same eternal life. All those not part of the family of God can benefit from the truth of God's word too, since the hearing and believing of God's word is required to become a part of the family.

Truth is always most profitably spoken with respect and love for the one, true God. If done in this manner, you see the added benefit mentioned in Ephesians 4:15:

...speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ...

I can buy more than 10 gallons of gasoline for one 2011 American Eagle silver dollar. The silver dollar is "legal tender" for all debts, public and private, according to the United States Mint, and authorized by the United States Congress. It has a stated value of "ONE DOLLAR" printed on at least 130 million of them minted since 1986. See:

"as legal tender, they're the only silver bullion coins whose weight and purity are guaranteed by the United States Government. "

I might have gotten the silver dollar by trading 30 paper dollars at a dollar broker. Or I might have gotten it in another trade. It is legal tender, after all. I then trade the silver dollar to the gas station for ten gallons of gasoline. The gas station might trade the silver dollar for paper dollars, or it might trade for a couple of cases of beer to stock it shelves.

One silver dollar divided by 10 gallons is one tenth of a dollar, $0.10, or ten cents per gallon. Simple fourth grade arithmetic. My gas guzzling SUV can go 160 miles on those ten gallons of gasoline. I sure am happy it only costs me a silver dollar to go that far!

It seems like it would be more advantageous to conduct our business using silver dollars instead of the "other" kinds of dollars that wrap well in a man's billfold. For one thing, the tax on a tenth of a silver dollar per gallon gasoline would be far less Imagine the savings on your grocery bill! For another, you would have to carry around far fewer dollars to pay your daily obligations. If you were paid for your work in silver dollars, and your work were taxed based on the number of dollars you earned, your taxable income would be reduced to one-thirtieth it's present rate.

It seems reasonable to consider this, unless, of course, the United States Government is engaged in fraud regarding their representation of the legal tender status of the silver dollars they sell, and would prosecute you criminally for failing to pay or account in paper dollars instead of silver ones.

Now you can make yourself an idol out of silver, or gold, or stone, or wood, or even out of the products of wood, like paper, which you might call greenbacks. You can probably even make an idol out of gasoline.  But do not be mistaken, for those idols are the work of men’s hands -

⁵ They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
⁶ They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
⁷ They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
⁸ They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

according to Psalm 115.

It always nice to recall that the grace of God cost us nothing.

^{1 Peter1:18} Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot
²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
²¹ Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
²² Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
²³ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

Such is a government's true job, and such should be its limited role in day to day affairs. A government that does not perform its basic function is sick in the head, corrupted, diseased. No government in the history of mankind has ever been known to have recovered from or been cured from corruption and disease.  The diseases governments have are of the mind - the manifestation is in the forcible confiscation of private property and the attempted control of individual thought.

When a diseased government forcibly takes your property for someone else's sole benefit, you have what we have in our country and in the town of Norman - legalized armed robbery. To disguise its motivation and intention, a diseased government may or may not try to deceptively cloak their action in all sorts of ways - through lies, perversion of language, legislative trickery, regulatory entanglement, and much more. We should not be ignorant of Satan's devices.

When a government fails to live up to its fundamental duty, it is the right and responsibility of the citizens who assembled or live under that government to dissolve it. It does not matter if common streets fall into disrepair in the course of such a dissolution - those who use the roads will eventually get around to repairing them.

History is replete with such diseased governments, but remember our forefathers successfully rebelled against such governments by the grace of God and by armed resistance. If you think that you are living under such a government, you should, perhaps, arm yourself as well - there is not always a police escort available for the walks you take. You certainly should not give up the fight, if not for your own sake, then for your children's sake.

At the very least, you should arm yourself with the truth of God's word. If the hearts of enough of the people of a town or nation turn to God's word, and have respect to the one, true God, you might be blessed to see that town or nation get delivered from bondage.

Ephesians 6
¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
¹⁹ And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
²⁰ For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

- Katharine Lee Bates, 1895

There are many who would like us to forget that. Tunes and music are remarkably valuable in helping us to remember things. What kind of tunes do you fill your head up with?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

- Romans 12:1, 2

The word of God is the will of God. It Had To Be Simple...

Sure, if you are a psychologist, you could talk about a man or woman's basic needs in life, like food, clothing, and shelter, or perhaps a few of the things relating to the psyche, like success, satisfaction, recognition, and so on, but those things are truly shallow in comparison to the deep things in life and the things that motivate a person at the core.

I don't know everything that motivates a person at the core, but certainly a basic desire driving most everyone is the desire to love and be loved, and to be a part of a family. When you have love and are loved, and you are a part of a loving family, you've pretty much been blessed with a multitude of blessings, and you have something that can be enjoyed and appreciated every day of your life. The only way the blessing could be improved upon is by it increasing every day and by it lasting forever. A life worth living is inseparable from love.

When I discovered that I'd been invited into the family of God, and that I had accepted the invitation, and become a part of God's family, my heart was truly blessed. The peace and satisfaction that come with knowing I have eternal life, with knowing I am a member of a beautiful family that will live forever, is a cause for joy and rejoicing every moment of every day I have the pleasure of breathing.

When I remember that the family of God is headed by the most loving, kind, gracious, and merciful God and father imaginable, then I remember I made a good choice in accepting the invitation, and I remember that I have something worth talking about. The mindless babblings of the world's elite become just so much background noise.

In the family of God, we who are members are exhorted to abound in love, to be imitators of God, and to walk in love. It is a joy and privilege to endeavor to do so on every occasion one has. It is an incomparably satisfying to successfully walk in love on any occasion. The walk in love comes with the responsibility that when one opens his mouth and speaks, he speaks the truth of God's word in love. The gift of holy spirit is most profitably manifested when it is done with the love of God.

You may have grown up without a family. Or it may be that the natural family you had was not much of one, compared to what you might liked to have had in its place. The natural family you grew up in might have become smaller or changed over the years, owing to the mortality of mankind or other circumstances. If you've become a member of the family of God by accepting God's invitation, you have the awesome joy of looking forward to the day when Jesus Christ returns, and the family of God is gathered together unto him. In that day, all those who have died in Christ will be raised from the dead like Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and they will be given new, incorruptible bodies; those still alive will be changed so that they become immortal. All will have renewed minds and all will walk in love at that time. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

In the meantime, the family of God ought to be walking in love on all occasions. It is a shame, but some members of the family do not walk in love at all or with any regularity. When any member of the family is not walking in love, that member, the family, and everyone else misses out. When a family member does choose to walk in the love of God, the whole family is built up, or edified. It increases.

It takes a conscience decision and a clear understanding of the truth to walk in love. 'Tis better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. Put your best foot forward, and get yourself some understanding. Why not, with all your getting, get understanding? You will have to ask God for it, for it is not in any book penned by either man or woman.

Jesus Christ is a member of the family of God. He is God's only begotten son, and is the first born from the dead. If you are a member of God's family, you became so by a different process than Jesus Christ, but you became a son or daughter of God just as he is a son of God. Jesus Christ is your brother (he is not ashamed to call us brethren), and is the best possible example of how a member of God's family ought to walk. It is OK to copy him. Passages in the book of Acts and the Epistles show that there are others who have been great examples (and others who have not).

You can copy the great examples, and avoid the not-so-great ones. You may even be able to find a living example of the truth, a living example of the love of God in manifestation, right here on earth - ask God for one.

The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." - Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 3:

⁷ But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
⁸ How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
⁹ For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
¹⁰ For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
¹¹ For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
¹² Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
¹³ And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
¹⁴ But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
¹⁵ But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
¹⁶ Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
¹⁷ Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
¹⁸ But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

You are complete in the Christ, who God sent to be the full payment for all sin and all failures and all shortcomings and every ordinance ever written against you.

You have eternal life. How are you spending it? Are you acting like you have eternal life?

Why not take a stand for the one, true God and his word? Why not do so now?

Stand up, stand up. Stand up and be counted. Stand up for Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, the first born of many brethren. The first born from the dead.

     Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

The church of God, biblically speaking, is not a building or denomination or even a gathering of people. The "church" of God is those people who have been called or invited by God to be a part of his family. That is the meaning of the Greek word, ekklesia, which is translated church in most English bibles. Some languages other than English don't have a special word for those who have been invited or called by God. You should also remember that those  who were invited in the first century by God were called "Christians" first by unbelievers at Antioch.

Perhaps we should just get rid of the silly word "church", which comes with all sorts of baggage and misleading connotations. In fact, most connotations of the word are outright falsehoods.

You are invited of God to be a part of his family. If you are part of that family, then it is because you have been invited, or called into it, and you accepted the invitation, or calling. Really good choice, you've made. Part of that invitation comes with the promise of life and immortality. God is in the business of upholding that end of the bargain.

Idolatry, by definition, is worship of and subservience to the creation or anything in the creation instead of reverence of and respect or obedience to the creator of the creation.

God is the creator. The creation is everything that he created, including you and everything you see around you. He created and made some things that are invisible, like life, love, peace, and light.

False gods are less interesting than pet rocks, even with the faces that get chiseled on them. They are deaf, dumb, and blind. Those that worship them are like unto them.

When idolators open their mouths, every philosophical musing and conclusion they draw can, given enough time, proven to be demonstrably false. When a man or woman opens his mouth, you must decide if he is speaking for the one, true God, or for a false god. If his words are full of lies and deceit, you'll have some indication right away. If he is well versed in trickery, the indications are more subtle. The better the huckster, the more subtle and persuasive he'll be. Don't ever trust that you are smarter or more clever than any huckster out there. Their joy is after all, and for the time being, huckstering. If your joy is confounding them, see a doctor walking in love for a neck up check-up.

As history shows, even average hucksters can get themselves elected to the presidency of the United States of America, the highest office in the land. The current holder of that office and the holders of many lesser offices are just such ones.

God's joy is that his children walk in the truth. It should be our joy when anyone's attention is turned from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto the God of our lord Jesus Christ, that they receive forgiveness of sins, and the inheritance that God has promised them as well as us.

For your own self, 'tis best to keep your heart and mind saturated with the truth of God's word, and keep a good look out.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Rom 5:1, 2

For through him [Jesus Christ] we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Eph 2.18
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.  Eph 3:12

Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

...who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ
...having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself
...he hath made us accepted in the beloved
...redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace
...he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence
...made known unto us the mystery of his will
...he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth
...in whom also we have obtained an inheritance
...ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise...which is the earnest of our inheritance
...the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him
...the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know
     what is the hope of his calling
     what [is] the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints
     what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe
according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

...you hath he quickened [made alive]
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins
     hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved)
     hath raised us up together
     made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

...we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
...ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit

Ephesians 3

¹⁴ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁵ Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
¹⁶ That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
¹⁷ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
¹⁸ May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
¹⁹ And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
²⁰ Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
²¹ Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.