Reading

Rom 6:1  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?

Rom 6:2  Let it not be! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Rom 6:3  Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?

Rom 6:4  Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father; even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 6:5  For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection;

Rom 6:6  knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed, that from now on we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7  For he who died has been justified from sin.

Rom 6:8  But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Rom 6:9  knowing that when Christ was raised from the dead, He dies no more; death no longer has dominion over Him.

Rom 6:10  For in that He died, He died to sin once; but in that He lives, He lives to God.

Rom 6:11  Likewise count yourselves also to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:12  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Rom 6:13  Do not yield your members asinstruments of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves to God, as one alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Rom 6:14  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace.

Slaves to Righteousness

Rom 6:15  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace? Let it not be!

Rom 6:16  Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to him whom you obey; whether it is of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness.

Rom 6:17  But thanks be to our God that you were the slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from theheart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

Rom 6:18  Then being made free from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness.

Rom 6:19  I speak in the manner of men because of the weakness of your flesh; for as you have yielded your members as slaves to uncleanness, and to lawless act unto lawless act, even so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness.

Rom 6:20  For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.

Rom 6:21  What fruit did you have then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

Rom 6:22  But now, being made free from sin, and having become slaves to God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reading

Rom 4:1  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

Rom 4:2  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

Rom 4:3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Rom 4:4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Rom 4:6  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Rom 4:7  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Rom 4:8  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Rom 4:9  Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Rom 4:10  How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

Rom 4:11  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

Rom 4:12  And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yetuncircumcised.

The Promise Realized Through Faith

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

Rom 4:15  Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.

Rom 4:16  Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Rom 4:17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Rom 4:18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Rom 4:23  Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Reading

Today we are reading from Proverbs.

Pro 4:10  Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.

Pro 4:11  I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in paths of uprightness.

Pro 4:12  When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

Pro 4:13  Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Pro 4:14  Enter not into the path of the wicked, and walk not in the way of evil men.

Pro 4:15  Avoid it, pass not by it; turn from it, and pass on.

Pro 4:16  For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

Pro 4:17  For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

Pro 4:18  But the path of the righteous is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Pro 4:19  The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Confusing Finds

So, I was in the grocery store with my mom and saw two headlines on two different magazines. “ Eat More Carbs —> lose 5x faster” read the first one. The second one said, “Lose 50 Lbs by eating more fat!”

The first one was all about how eating grains, root veggies, legumes, foods we crave anyway, can help us to lose weight. The second one talked about eating full fat cheese, nuts, nut butter, olive oil, riche spreads and sauces and limiting the carbs being the secret to weight loss.

Can they both be right or is only one the best way?

I bought both magazines and took a look at the articles. Based on the stuff I have learned and many doctors in the whole plant food community, there is some truth to both of them, but one of them is closer to the truth.

Coming at it from a Biblical standpoint, God gave us plant foods in the beginning for food. It was only after the flood, when there was a lack of plant foods, that He permitted animal flesh as part of the diet. As we are coming down to the end of time however, animal foods have become more diseased and since we have plenty of plant foods around the world, most people have no need to get any their nutrients from animal products. The best source of nutrition is from the plant eaten as close to its original form as possible.

One of my pet peeves about nutrition in the modern world, particularly in developed countries like the United States is the concern over parts of food. For instance, the two articles I mentioned are concerned about one part of the food, when plant foods actually contain the right amounts of all of the parts.

The first article, covers carbohydrates. A lot of people are under the impression that Carbs are the culprit when talking about weight. This is true to an extent, when looking at processed carbs, like refined sugars, refined grains, etc. What tends to get ignored, in the worry about high carb or low carb diets, is that all plant foods have carbohydrates in them, just in varying quantities. Carbohydrates are the fuel for all cells in plants and animals, so to completely get rid of them, can be detrimental in the long run.

The second article is concerned about eating more fat, and touches on processed carbohydrates as the culprit for gaining weight.

I am going to write a series of articles on different health problems and how the different components of food affect them, but for now, I’ll just say that Carbs and Fat and even Protein are all important. When taken out of their natural God made packages, separated from fiber, and taken in refined forms, they can cause many problems, even death. However, when taken in their natural form as God created them, they can give health to the body and even prolong life.

The article that came closest to the way God created food, was the one on Carbohydrates and losing weight. Some of the main points were: Eating foods in season like winter carbs such as beans, root veges, and whole grains boosts your immunity improves your mood and increases energy. The key is an emphasis on carbs that have lots of soluble fiber which feed the good gut bacteria that can help with fat burning. Another point was eating healthy fats, like avocados to provide vitamins and a antioxidants.

Anyway, this was just some of the thoughts that came to mind. In the comments below, feel free to ask any questions, and let me know also what kinds of health things you would like to read about.
If you want to know more about losing weight on a vegan diet here is a blog post on that. http://www.youngandraw.com/vegan-and-overweight-what-gives/?inf_contact_key=380883374ab61fe2601fbc3d22a643c015b6991dc891c346f930fa22948c8cbe

 Some Sources of Information:

1. Www.forksoverknives.com
2. Genesis 1:29 and 9:3
3. Woman’s World and First for Women, February, 2018

Reading

Mat 24:29  But immediately, after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Mat 24:30  and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 24:31  And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

Mat 24:32  Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh;

Mat 24:33  even so ye also, when ye see all these things, know ye that he is nigh, even at the doors.

Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.

Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

Mat 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only.

Mat 24:37  And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

Mat 24:38  For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39  and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.

Mat 24:40  Then shall two men be in the field; one is taken, and one is left:

Mat 24:41  two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.

Mat 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not on what day your Lord cometh.

Mat 24:43  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through.

Mat 24:44  Therefore be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Reading

A look at Israel’s role as Gods people in the past. 

Isa 60:1  Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

Isa 60:2  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

Isa 60:3  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

Gal 3:7  Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Gal 3:8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Gal 3:9  So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Gal 3:10  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Gal 3:11  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Gal 3:12  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

Gal 3:13  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Gal 3:14  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

All were saved by faith, Israel was to share the gospel with all the world.

Reading

Deu 4:1  Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.

Deu 4:2  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Deu 4:3  Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.

Deu 4:4  But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

Deu 4:5  Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

Deu 4:6  Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation isa wise and understanding people.

Deu 4:7  For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?

Deu 4:8  And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?

Deu 4:9  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Deu 4:10  Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

Deu 4:11  And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

Deu 4:12  And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

Deu 4:13  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Deu 4:14  And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.