A Year with Jesus, written by R.P. Nettlehorst, has been a
pleasure to read.
As the name implies,
this book has a bible teaching (based on Jesus’ words) for every day of the
year. I have not completed reading this book yet, because I am reading it the
way it was designed to be read—day by day.
But from what I
have read so far, A Year with Jesus
is a well-written book full of encouragement for Christians everywhere. Each
date starts with a passage from the Gospels. This passages is followed by an
explanation by the author. Mr. Nettlehorst has a talent for explaining Jesus’
words in light of the time period from which he lived. I think that the entire
New Testament, including Jesus’ words—is so difficult to understand if you are
missing the historical context to the text. Nettlehorst provides that missing
link.
In the process, he
gives you true comfort. I imagine that Jesus would be (or is) truly happy with
Nettlehorst’s book.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
Practicing non-resistance is something that is difficult for most of us. When something happens that we do not like, our first impulse is to fight against it. We resist it with all our might.
But this resistance makes us suffer. Moreover, it entrenches the undesirable condition.
If you would just accept the undesirable condition—practicing non-resistance—you will see that the undesirable condition will soon transform itself into something more acceptable (without any help from you). It’s really quite amazing.
This is why Jesus said:
But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any many will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. – Matthew 5:39-42
Try practicing non-resistance and see how easier life becomes for you!
I was surfing YouTube one day, when I came across many unexpected (and even scary) videos…
Oprah Winfrey, many Christian ministers claim, is the Antichrist…or Satan’s pawn…or demon possessed.
Why?
Because Oprah has openly denied Christ as the one and only way to obtain salvation.
I watched a few of these videos like the one above, and I must say that I was scared of Oprah and her New Age teachings. How dare this prominent and very influential woman lead people to hell?
But then I remembered something…I believe the same way! Was I going to hell? I began to doubt myself, began to feel ashamed of my belief system. Dammit, I shook myself, why can’t we all just get along? Why can’t we just accept each others’ religious or spiritual belief systems? Why do we Christians have to believe that Jesus is the only way to God?
Because the New Testament of the Bible tells us so, that’s why.
A Christian New Ager
My initial response to Oprah Winfrey being the Antichrist because of her New Age beliefs had been but a reflex action that had come from my Baptist Christian roots.
As a child, I went to church regularly. I can still recite from memory many Bible passages. But I soon realized that there was something missing. The Bible wasn’t telling us everything about Jesus and his teachings.
Through much study and contemplation, I finally realized that the Bible that we read today was skillfully compiled by men with a political and religious agenda. Important and enlightening books were left out of the Bible, some of these books were part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The books that were left (to be included in the Bible) were subject to massive revision of verses in order to get them to follow a prescribed belief system. Then, the New Testament was written in Hebrew or Aramaic, so mistranslations of these ancient books abound in the Bibles that we read today.
And if that weren’t enough to shake one’s faith in the veracity of the Bible, consider this:
The four books of the Bible that talks about Jesus’ life and his teachings—the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—debate whether or not any of these authors ever knew Jesus or knew anyone who actually knew Jesus.
My Belief in Jesus
I consider myself a Christian with a love of, and a belief, in Jesus. But from there, my beliefs diverge quite a bit from those of traditional Christians.
Here’s what I believe about Jesus:
·I believe that Jesus was a highly evolved, enlightened being who came to earth to teach enlightenment to humans.
·I believe that Jesus came to teach us how much power we have, that we are co-creators with God:
oThe Kingdom of God is within you – Luke 17:21
oIf ye have faith as a grain of mustardseed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. – Matthew 17:19-21
oThen Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. – Matthew 15:28
·I believe that when Jesus spoke of himself as the Son of God, he was not speaking of himself as the unique son of God. Rather, he was speaking of himself as the son of God just as all of us are children of God.
·I believe that Jesus did not intend to start a religion. But the people who heard Jesus’ teachings and witnessed his miracles were understandably awed enough to construct a religion around him.
Yes, I am well aware of the Bible’s warning about false prophets who will turn us from Jesus whereby we will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Is Oprah Winfrey one of these false prophets, the Antichrist? I don’t believe so. I believe that she has woken up from the same religious dogma that has caused so much negative judgments of others’ lifestyles and beliefs, the same religious dogma that has caused so much hatred, which has started so many wars and caused so many deaths.
As for myself, I cannot believe in a vengeful God who also loves us, nor can I believe in an egotistic Jesus who demands that we can only be saved through him.
Are you frustrated that your prayers don’t seem to work? Do you ask, and ask, and ASK for something, but the Universe almost never grants your requests? Are you tired of pleading, in desperation, for a miracle to happen in some aspect of your life, only to receive…nothing?
Would you be surprised if I told you that the Universe has answered your prayers every time you prayed? It’s true. You are pleading, and begging, and asking and every time you do, you are praying for your lack. You are praying for what you don’t have rather than what you want. The Universe is answering your prayers by giving you more of what you don’t have.
A Little Thing Called Faith
Faith is an important ingredient in your prayer being answered. Here’s what Jesus had to say about faith and prayer.
Mark 11:23-24
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be though removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.
Does this sound like the prayer of someone begging and pleading for what he does not have? NO. This is the prayer of a person who knows his own power to create whatever he desires. This is the prayer of a person who demands that the mountain be removed. This is a person who has the faith that it will be removed.
This person spends no time telling God how big the mountain looks, or how he’s prayed countless times and God has done nothing to the mountain, or how it must not be God’s will to remove the mountain. He simply says, “move,” and the mountain moves.
Believing is Receiving
Before you will receive the answer to your prayer, you must believe—with absolutely no doubt—that you will receive your request. Yes, this is hard to do. But here are some tips that can help you to develop the faith necessary for you to receive the answers to your prayers.
• Never pray for something. Instead, thank the Universe (in advance) for answering your prayer. If done consistently, this will build your faith.
• Use affirmations of achieving your goal or your dream several times a day, but state them in the present tense. For example, say “I always have enough money to meet all of my bills,” not “I will have money to meet my bills.”
• Spend some time each day visualizing yourself in possession of the object of your desire. Try to visualize your desire being true for you right now. Don’t visualize your dream coming to you, visualize it already with you.
• Get emotional. Above all, feel the emotions of having your desire fulfilled. Feel the excitement, pleasure, awe, etc. of actually being in possession of your dream.
When you are able to actually feel yourself in possession of the subject of your prayer, you shall have it. Guaranteed.
By the way, this isn’t just a religious belief. Quantum Physics has proven scientifically what Jesus, Buddha, and other ancient spiritual traditions have been saying for ages:
