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oakenbranch · 2 months

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THE GOLD-SICKNESS OF THORIN; A SHORT ESSAY.

seven rings [sauron] gave to the dwarves [...] the dwarves indeed proved tough and hard to tame; they ill endure the domination of others, and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to fathom, nor can they be turned to the shadows. they used their rings for only the getting of wealth; but wrath and an overmastering greed of gold were kindled in their hearts [...] the silmarillion, OF THE RINGS OF POWER AND THE THIRD AGE.

long hours in past days thorin had spent in the treasury, and the lust of it was heavy on him. though he had hunted chiefly for the arkenstone, yet he had an eye for many another wonderful thing that was lying there. the hobbit, CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

and already, so strong was the bewilderment of the treasure upon [thorin], he was pondering whether by help of dáin he might not recapture the arkenstone and withhold the share of the reward. the hobbit, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

while sauron could not tame to his will the dwarves, through his seven rings he kindled in the hearts of the bearers and their descendants a great desire for gold so long as they possessed their particular ring. such is the tragedy that befell particularly the ruling descendants of the line of durin who treasured their ring and wore it age upon age. the gold-sickness ran deep in thrór’s lineage. thrór did not take off his ring save to present it to his son, thráin, on the eve of the battle of azanulbizar (2799 of the third age), though the sickness and passing years had long-since robbed thrór of his ability to rule unhindered by his constant and greedy ruminations on gold and the acquiring of it, which had tinged the last decade of his reign upon erebor’s throne and waned the formerly present good-will of his dwarf heart. thráin had grown in the presence of the ring since birth, sharing in his father’s gold-sickness as it too mounted steadily within him. the ring was taken from thráin on the battlefield by azog the defiler, and thus the last and mightiest of the dwarf rings was held once more by sauron. remnants of the magical madness, kindled yet dormant, remained in thorin¹.

thrór’s love of gold had grown too fierce. a sickness had begun to grow within him. it was a sickness of the mind. THE HOBBIT TRILOGY FILMS.

“ a strain of madness runs deep in that family. his grandfather lost his mind. his father succumbed to the same sickness. can you swear thorin oakenshield will not also fall? ” THE HOBBIT TRILOGY FILMS.

“ yes, i’m afraid. i fear for you. a sickness lies upon that treasure hoard. a sickness which drove your grandfather mad. ” THE HOBBIT TRILOGY FILMS.

“ dragon sickness. i’ve seen it before. the look, the terrible need. it is a fierce and jealous love, bilbo. it sent his grandfather mad. ” THE HOBBIT TRILOGY FILMS.

dragon-sickness differs from gold-sickness in that the former is brought about because a dragon has long-brooded over gold now in the ownership of another. the potency of a dragon’s greed is a cause of concern for all, for few can shelter their hears from its hissing, slithering call. many become consumed by it, while others find its effects, though pervasive, fleeting². the effects of dragon-sickness are alike to gold-sickness, but more swift than the latter that has crept into the heart for decades. in this way, dragon-sickness can be more easily overcome, but gold-sickness cannot be wholly cured once it has taken hold. dwarves under the influence of such a madness (whether slowly or suddenly) let their greed for gold define them. their thoughts, their dreams, and their actions are consumed by the want to see gold, touch gold, and gather gold, ‘til such necessities such as eating, drinking, and sleeping no longer interest them. they either flee with their gold (sometimes in search of more of it), never to be seen again, or die malnourished and sleep-less upon their hoard (in some instances they may try to consumed the gold and jewels, thus choking and destroying their insides). one can either exacerbate or work in tandem with the other to pull the unfortunate dwarf into the throes of a hopeless gold-lust³.

thorin, a dwarf already affected by the gold-sickness inside himself awoken by the presence of erebor’s great hoard, had these effects quickened by the presence of dragon-sickness as well. while it took thrór many, many years of the gold-sickness building upon itself before it changed the manner in which he ruled his kingdom, thorin was taken almost immediately upon the sight of it because of smaug’s powerfully mountainous greed⁴. there would have been no hope, no matter how diligently he tried to manage himself or attempted with gandalf’s wizardry, to separate from the longings that had plagued his family since the gift of the ring for the longbeards. while he strove to fight it, to proclaim that he was not his grandfather⁵ and that he would not succumb to the same weakness, it had overtaken him and his demeanor the moment the gold glittered around him. he no longer understood anything besides the piles of riches. he did not trust his company, the dwarves he no longer recognized. the intensity of his reaction to bilbo’s betrayal becomes entirely uncharacteristic⁶ and driven solely by the greed to keep what he had claimed in the mountain. it was the only thing that had meaning for him, a meaning that went far above his own life or his bonds.

thorin witnessed his grandfather experiencing the sickness of the gold; it had been coming to him, something he feared. [...] i saw the sickness as a mental disease that manifested itself in an irrational mind in a degenerative way. thorin did not recognize himself or those around him. there was forgetfulness, fury, sudden clarity, memory loss, memory gain, but it was also a kind of fever. when close to the gold, thorin felt its heat, and when it was distant he craved its warmth, like a drug addict. the gold was restorative and regenerative, but had side effects, draining him, fatiguing him, slowing him down. weta’s the hobbit chronicles, RICHARD ARMITAGE’S COMMENTARY.

it is through incredible fortitude and a noble heart that thorin is able to overcome for a time the gold and dragon-sickness so that he could go forth and lead the dwarves in the battle of the five armies for erebor. the supportive (and accusatory) words from the company, his friends, served to temporarily push, or let be swallowed, the sickened part of him that had put him in a perilous daze of greed. this overcoming was not forever, and while the dragon-sickness was conquered, the gold-sick part of thorin still remained, though buried⁷. without both the loyalty of his company and the necessity of bilbo’s well-intentioned stealing, as well as thorin’s own resolve, he would not have come out of it in time, perhaps even not at all. the moment depicted upon the golden floor is not a triumph, but a show of determination and resilience against the battle within his head. it was a battle and a long-held fear he needed to fight with himself before he could fight for his people and their home.

[...] in a way, his possession of gold, the totality of 'everything' he had wished for, which had brought him to this lonely place, was the turning point. seeing and hearing what he had become reflected back at him, the gold consuming him and sucking him under, his last breath nearly taken, drowning, is as close to death as thorin had come. it was as if he was jolted awake. weta’s the hobbit chronicles, RICHARD ARMITAGE’S COMMENTARY.

the gold-sickness of durin’s line ended with the death of thorin (and sauron’s reclamation of the last dwarf ring). while the hearts of dwarves forever remain fond of gold and the beauty of all that glimmers, the greed would never become hereditary as it had with thrór’s family. thorin may not have remained impervious to his grandfather’s madness, but it was with the stout heart of a true king that he fought that madness and rose above it for the dwarves, his kin, his people.

FOOTNOTES:

1 thorin’s sister, dís, and his brother, frerin, both also had exposure to the greed of sauron’s dwarf ring. frerin died without his gold-sickness showing, and dís never once felt the tug of the call. fíli and kíli never came into contact with the ring, thus breaking the line of gold-sickness. it is said that those fair-haired of durin’s line, such as dís and fíli’s blonde hair, is a manifestation of the durin line’s greed for gold, turned that color by it.

2 each member of the company felt the effects of dragon-sickness and the enchantment of the gold, including bilbo, but it passed, unlike with thorin. as described in:

all the same mister baggins kept his head more clear of the bewitchment of the hoard than the dwarves did. long before the dwarves were tired of examining the treasure, he became weary of it [...] the hobbit, CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

3 some have speculated whether or not the carrying of the one ring by bilbo baggins exacerbated thorin’s sickness, but given the dwarves’ ability to resist the will of sauron, it would have had no impact on thorin or the rest of the company. they would not have been tempted by it on its own.

4 the moment thorin steps out into view of the hoard, his breath is taken away, and his pallor pales further, as if immediately sickened and enchanted by the sight of it and being in its presence.

5 thorin states in the film, “ i am not my grandfather ”, and balin returns with “ you’re not yourself ”.

6 it is unclear whether or not thorin would have truly thrown bilbo off of the ramparts. thorin’s sickness had become a singular trust and obsession with bilbo over the rest of the company, and the perceived betrayal pushes thorin into a disbelieving hurt that is then turned to fury and shame with the audience before him. if gandalf had not arrived, thorin may very well, in his addled state, thrown bilbo over.

7 if thorin had lived, the gold-sickness would have remained with him for the rest of his life. it is not a curable madness, only able to be tamed and endured with a careful discipline and the watchful gaze of his friends and family. while it would not have progressed to the same intensity as thrór (such as leaving him unable to rule) as thorin did not wear sauron’s dwarf ring, his involvement in the treasure hoard would have been reduced to very few visits and some restricted overseeing, nor would he had been able to don much gold. he would have gone through periods of flaring gold-lust before calming a day or five later and regaining his head.

#* ESSAYS.

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shintorikhazumi · 3 years

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LWA: The Sins AU

I thought of doing the seven deadly sins, but now that I think of it, if it’s just sin in general, there’s more leeway to work with. I built this AU concept because of a conversation I was having on discord about a certain sin and Akko that I will mention down below.

-In this AU, some people have a “sin” that is essentially something of a curse to them. That sin manifests in them and it’s something they can’t help but want to do. It can either be a great source of power if they learn how to control it, or it can be their greatest weakness. Having a sin allows them to have powers beyond human capabilities. (This is basically how one gets magic)

-All the people with “sins” are called “Fallen”.

-Once in a while, there are 7 people who manifest the Seven Deadly Sins, and these people are called “Rogue” because they can rarely be tamed.

-The world decided to build a school to control the Fallen and contain the Rogue, and the people who are being taught to control their powers/ have controlled it already are called “Witches”.

-Rogue are specifically called “Rogue Witches” to clearly differentiate them.

-All witches wear a badge to identify themselves, especially outside the school. Rogue Witches have special badges that have a certain magic embedded in it to control “Impulse”.

-”Impulse” is the unreasonable desire for Fallen to do their sin.

-Diana is the first to be discovered in their generation as a Rogue. She is publicly known as a Rogue since childhood because her family did not bother to hide it, and they liked to flaunt it. Since her family is of a long line of witches, they saw it as an amazing thing because it would mean that Diana was capable of wielding immense power.

-Thus, Diana is the Rogue of Pride.

-Hannah and Amanda are the Rogue of Greed. It’s a rarity, and a wonder that the same sin exists twice in the same generation. Their fathers are both shrewd businessmen. Thus they have a strong affinity for making deals they will never lose. Amanda uses it for blackmail, Hannah uses it for personal advantages in society.

- Croix is the Rogue of Envy. But only Chariot and the headmistress know this. They keep it from the students and the public. Croix is not the antagonist in this AU, but she keeps giving in to impulses and makes a lot of mistakes.

-Jasminka is the Rogue of Gluttony. I wanted to do a twist and not make it her, but... I can’t haha.

-Chariot is the Rogue of Wrath. Holbrooke was also the same. She was able to find Chariot before she went wild, and trained her to control it. So Chariot is one of the most patient people. But if she’s properly triggered, all hell breaks loose.

-Sucy is the Rogue of Sloth. She combats her idleness by doing many things with the minimum requirement of energy. If she consumes too much energy doing a lot of things, she has drawbacks.

-”Outbursts” happen when the sin goes out of control and the power is too strong. For example, in Chariot’s case, many things are destroyed around her because of wrath. Her physical strength becomes too strong. For Diana, anyone around her goes into a state of shame and despair, looking to Diana as the ultimate being. This affects how they function. Croix makes everyone around her feel envy, or things they were envious about but hid away come to light and people will immediately take extreme action because of their envy.

-Finally, Akko is the Rogue of Lust. Akko’s mother used to be a witch, but after an accident, she lost her “sin”. She was both elated and sad. She hoped that if she had a child, it would not carry over. Unfortunately, it did. She hated it so she and her husband went to many “Witch Doctors” to try to suppress it, or forcefully remove the sin, without much damage to Akko, but that was impossible.

-She was crippled however, so it didn’t manifest until years later when people who bullied Akko for looking “dorky” and “ugly” suddenly became entranced by her and followed her around, doing her every command. At first she thought she had just made some new friends who liked everything she was doing and told them to do, but that proved wrong. Her mother had no choice but to explain it to her, believing it would be better for her to be properly schooled and know what was going on instead of continuing to hide it. She’d be better off understanding.

-Akko’s mom reached the limits of her knowledge so she had no choice but to send Akko to Luna Nova after informing Headmistress Holbrooke.

-Akko and Croix are the only ones hiding their sin at the start. They thought it would be better that way.

-Akko got bullied because her sin didn’t manifest clearly the first few weeks. Students and teachers wondered why the hell she was there when she was clearly a normal human.

-Croix is her primary guardian in this fic. Then Chariot. The pair teach Akko how to control her magic flow, as well as how to manifest it into spells. They also throw in some control practice for her Lust Outbursts. If she has an outburst, people may immediately seek her and want to sleep with her. Or she could cover a whole area with the desire to have... well, sex.

A little Dianakko scenario I sent to the discord: I edited it a bit

[”Akko getting possessed tho by like... the ethereal being of lust and she just becomes so... like... i can't come up with the perfect word... seductive? and Diana would be like "I don't bloody know what's going on, but I bloody love it"”]

Akko feels it surge through her whole being, mind hazy as she has Diana kneeling in front of her bed, looking up at her. How ironically lovely, the being of Pride submissive before her, in the palm of her hand. She feels a tingle of pleasure run up her neck as she runs her index finger from the base of Diana's throat to that spot under her chin .

She presses a foot to Diana's shoulder, putting much weight on it, and Diana catches that glimpse under Akko's skirt and her throat just runs dryer than dry.

“Are you thirsty?” Lust asks, and Diana desperately nods because fuck, she IS thirsty

She can only answer through actions. She can't speak a word, she tries. Gosh she tries.

"Speak up." Akko commands- COMMANDS her. "You're a big girl, aren't you Diana?"

A Pathetic whimper escapes Pride.

“You're a smart girl. Use your mouth" She places a kiss right next to the blonde’s lips, not quite touching. Simply teasing. "Not just for speaking though..."

And Diana just screams in her head because Lust!Akko is a far cry from her darling idiot that she cannot even fathom this happening at thisvery moment.

And because the lust that possesses Akko is magical like all things are, Akko snaps a glass of water from the bedside drawer and holds it in her hand like it's a glass of wine and Diana whines because she needs a drink. Akko hears this. She likes this. The shameful Diana Cavendish, on her knees before her, the submissive mess that she is.

Lust tilts the heiress’ head up, prompting her mouth open with her thumb, pouring the liquid painfully slow into Diana's mouth that she could choke on air because she doesn't know how fast she should be swallowing.

"Drink up."

#au #lwa au #Little Witch Academia #dianakko #diakko #diana cavendish #kagari akko #kagari atsuko #chariot du nord #croix meridies #Sucy Manbavaran #jasminka antonenko #amanda o'neill #hannah england #fanfic #seven deadly sins #kagari akko's mom

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lily-orchard · 3 years

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Question regarding hc: Why is Anevay able to touch Frostmourne without being corrupted? She used it to kill the Lich King, and can handle the fragments without issue. Why?

Short Answer: "The Dark Side Makes You Forget" is a terrible trope

Long Answer: It's canonical.

The Lich King's entire gambit in Wrath is to create a new Arthas. A new Champion to lead the charge against Azeroth and make the Alliance and Horde crumble before their onslaught. He literally says this at the end of the fight.

To that end, he spews plague over the world, attacks it with undead, and lures the Alliance and the Horde to Northrend. During the storyline, Arthas meets the Champion many times and spares her every single time. Often for strange reasons that become clear at the very end of the final boss.

Arthas is psychologically battering the Champion with battle after battle to make her desperate. Just like Ner'zhul did to him. By the end of it, both her and Mograine are trying to make a sister blade to Frostmourne to kill him with.

It's actually during the Shadowmourne questline where Arthas' grooming of the Champion becomes more outwardly apparent.

"Look at you, child. Would-be wielder of souls. You cannot fathom the power that lies at my command."

"Come to me, pretender. Feed MY blade!"

"My challenges have strengthened you, Champion. You shall serve me well."

"Never have I had cause to regret sparing your life, mortal. Always you find ways to amuse me."

"The moment is soon at hand, mortal. You shall toil for eternity in a new Azeroth."

"You stumble about in darkness. There is no light here. No mercy. Icecrown has claimed the souls of better heroes than you."

"The Light will abandon you hero. Just as it did me..."

Shadowmourne is yet another gambit. And you often wonder how the Ebon Blade acquired the knowledge to construct a mourneblade in the first place. That question has a pretty obvious answer.

And the Lich King's gambit ultimately fails. Shadowmourne doesn't corrupt the Champion because depending on race and class, most permutations OF the Champion simply cannot BE corrupted by the Lich King.

Human Warriors and Paladins could theoretically be corrupted. But few others could. The Death Knights of every race have already learned the hard war. Most races in the Alliance and Horde do not possess the disposition to be corrupted. The Orcs and Draenei have already seen first hand the dangers of succumbing to promises of power in the name of glory. And Forsaken and Blood Elf players are in this fight for revenge over everything else, and their proximity to Arthas' most heinous crime means their desire to destroy everything he has built is stronger than any temptation of power.

The Lich King thinks he can create a second version of himself, but few people on Azeroth are as rotten to the core as he is.

In Horde Champion, we just cut out the middle-axe.

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ghoul-lover9000 · 4 years

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The Lost Boys w/ a demon s/o

You’re a small time demon who’s just rolled into Santa Carla after being run out of your last town for “seducing the mayor for money” and “killing the local priest”. Oh, come on, the mayor was a skirt chaser and the priest was preaching homophobic nonsense; what’s a demon to do, but punish the wicked?

Anyway, this town seemed a lot more fun. Murder Capital of the World? Yes, please. Taking a look at the people tells you that you’ll fit right in.

You meet them where else but the boardwalk. You see them and you know they’re the local vampires. You’d encountered vampires before, but damn these bloodsuckers were fine.

On their side, they knew you were something, but not a vampire, and because they probably only know about vampires, they’re confounded.

At this time, you and the guys are just having a stare down and, because you were never the shy type, you make the first move: walking up to them with your confidence set on high and saying, “Hey there, boys. You know where a newbie can get a bite to eat around here? I’m absolutely famished.” This leads to you and four vampire punks squeezing into a booth at a local diner that advertises the best burgers in Santa Carla.

“Okay, boys, let’s cut to the chase. I know you all are vampires, creatures of the night, princes of darkness, bloodsucking, bat-faced edge lords, whatever the hell you call yourselves-” David: Then, what are you? “I was getting to that. I am a native of Hell, a servant of Big Daddy Satan, a demon if you will.” Paul: Woah. Marko: Bitchin’.

These guys have so many questions. Of course, they would. They just learned that they’re not the only species of evil creature in the world.

David: Why don’t you look like a demon? “Why don’t you look like a vampire? We monsters all have two faces. Vampires aren’t special” Marko: Do you have goat hoofs? “No. Do I look like I crawled out of a goddamn medieval painting?” Paul: Can you fly? Can you fuck with people’s minds? Could you and would you possess me right on? “Jesus, why do you want to be possessed so much?” Dwayne: Are you afraid of crosses? *glares* “Why, do you have one?”

After this you become apart of their gang, you roam the boardwalk with them, but, instead of looking for food, you look for mischief you can get into. You know start a fight between two guys here, light a creep’s jacket on fire there.

After a while of hanging out, they decide, damn, I guess we all dating now and you’re okay with it because you’ve never had more fun than when you’re with them.

Paul tries to get you to possess him all the time. You don’t know what’s so alluring about the idea for him, but he thinks it would be “hardcore”. Other than this, he tries to convince you to set shit on fire with your mind for no reason.

Marko wants you to teleport him around the cave and you think it’s cute because the novelty of teleportation has worn off for you and having someone be so excited over something so natural for you makes you smile. The roles are reversed when you ask if you can fly with them because you can’t fly and who doesn’t want to be carried through the air by one of your vampire lovers.

David learns your weaknesses and how to trap and summon you because he’s a little control freak who cannot fathom not being 100% in charge. If you’re reeking havoc business runs for too long into the night, he’s going to summon you and you’re not gonna be happy.

Dwayne likes to ask you questions when you both are alone. He wants to know what Hell’s like, he wants to know how old you are, he wants to know who you were before you were a demon, everything. You want to know this about him too. These times are very sweet and personal and it makes you both feel a little more human again.

You all make a deal that, if you show them your demon face, they will show you their vampire faces. That night is full of reassurance that all five of you are beautiful monsters.

Okay, imagine David summoning and trapping you and you guys have sex in the demon trap. It’s like bondage, but for demons.

They take you on hunts because seeing them rip into a group of assholes like animals turns you on and after feeding they’re really in the mood. So what I’m saying is sex on the beach covered in blood is not rare by any means.

While you love riding with them on their motorcycles and that’s the main way you get around, you have a red convertible that you have because you refuse to not have a way to get around, independent of the four boys who sleep all day. Paul strikes me as someone who likes the novelty of fooling around in a car. It makes him feel like a dumb teenage human again and you’re not complaining.

You really feel at home in the cave because the fire and the chaotic nature of how everything is set up reminds of Hell Sweet Hell and aligns with your demonic spirit.

You all go on stealing sprees. You all make it a game, whoever steals the most without getting caught is the winner and the winner gets all of the stolen goods. Dwayne doesn’t participate; he just likes to watch you all have a good time. David sometimes doesn’t participate and instead looks for people to eat, but, when he does, he’s competitive. He’ll play dirty, like tipping off the shop worker.

Sometimes, if the guys don’t feel like going on a big hunt, they let you seduce someone to bring back to the cave to eat.

David: Y/N, food.

Of course, they’re jealous as hell so whoever comes back with you is getting the wrath of four fanged, cave-dwelling punks while you sit back and enjoy the show.

I hope this is good. I thought this was a really cool concept. Thank you to @honestly-what-is-happening-here for requesting it.

#poly!the lost boys #the lost boys #marko #david #dwayne #paul #x reader #the lost boys headcanon #the lost boys imagines #the lost boys x reader #david x reader #dwayne x reader #marko x reader #paul x reader #imagines #headcanon #dating would include #80s horror #80s movies

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renewinlight · 3 years

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God’s Love

Greetings brothers and sisters all over the world. I just wanted to let you know that you are special and God love you. You were made in the image of God. It doesn’t matter, what you look like? What you done? What your age is? , or even , where you are from? God loves you all. But what is love?

If I speak in the tongues [1] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, [2] but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

God’s Love is unconditional but at the same time that doesn’t give an excuse for sin. God loves the sinner but hates the sin.

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Romans 3:23

Sin is what brought division between man and God. It is truly evil in nature and is not from God. Before the world was perfect in Harmony with God, from the trees and plants, to the animals , and to mankind. God joined the first man Adam and first women Eve into marriage under him and it was good. It was’t till Adam and Eve disobey God’s Law and listen to the deceptions of the devil by eating the fruit from the tree of life , that sin entered the world. It was not the fruit itself that had anything in it but by disobeying God’s Law’s and doing their own will rather than doing God’s will.

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

1 John 3:4

As a result of sin: death, sickness, diseases, murder, deception, and pain entered into a perfect world. It is the same thing that have been on for all these years in the world to this very day all because of sin. Man to this day have chose their own way rather than God’s and this sad world is the result. Most men have this ideology that they can do it on their own ,but look at the world instead of changing for the better it is changing for the worst. Brothers and Sisters when are going to realize that you can’t do it by yourself. Do you love the pleasures of sin that much you are willing take up its sufferings as well? You need God’s help and guidance in your life. The world can’t help you the way God can. For the world can only handle the majority but God can work with everybody if they willing to step out of sin and do his will, but the reality is not everyone is willing to do that. Some people love sin more they love God who gave them life in the first place not realizing by accepting sin you accept the consequence which is eternal death. That is why there is no hope in this evil world but in Christ.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23

There is three bodies of the God Head: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit each have different roles but the three are one in function of the body. God the Son which is know as Jesus Christ came down in form of man to die for humanity so they don’t have to pay the price, which is eternal death bearing the burden of sin on the cross that man can have forgiveness and reconciliation with God through his death.

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. 24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will

live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

John 5 :19-30

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5 6-11

1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he

is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the

devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

1 John 3:1-10

Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

After he has suffered,

he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e];

by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g] and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h]

because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 53

Our only hope for better life is in Jesus Christ. But do not be deceived for the prince of darkness the anti-christ will come producing great signs and wonders and if your heart is not grounded in Christ you will fall for the deception again.

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in

love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the

flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the

flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Galatians 5:13-26

Repent and be baptized with the Holy Spirit the comforter, through prayer on a daily basis that you may have discernment to stay on the right path. If you don’t know how to pray you can begin with “Dear God”, then tell God what on your heart and then end it,”In Jesus Name Amen”. You can ask God for anything according to his good will for your life, or even just talk to God because you’re lonely. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no, and sometimes the answer is to wait. Whatever the answer is, just know that God understands you better than you know yourself and you can trust in him because he knows what is best for you.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Fear the Lord, you his holy people,

for those who fear him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, my children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Whoever of you loves life

and desires to see many good days,

keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from telling lies.

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;

but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;

he protects all his bones,

not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;

the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord will rescue his servants;

no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 34 : 8-22

Great darkness will flood the earth but do not lose hope. For even you may die you have great hope that if you are in Christ that you shall rise again.

1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human

hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your

conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is

here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no

sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5

Whether you are dead or alive Christ will come back for those keep the faith in your hearts and believe in his promises ,and endure till the end till his second coming where he burst through the clouds to take his children home with him into heaven from a life of sin into purity with transformed bodies. But be not deceived, the earth would be in such a desolate state just before his coming.

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [f]heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what [g]hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24: 36-43

After the thousand year period, Christ and his followers would return to Earth. That is when the city the New Jerusalem shall descend to the Earth. That is when those who have rejected Jesus shall be resurrected. They shall unite with the anti-christ the devil to make war with Jesus and his followers. That is when the real Jesus Christ would show up and reveal to everyone why he is the true Christ.

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:10-11

Which side are you going to be bowing down? Saved with certainty through Jesus Christ because you have have kept the faith, or potential be lost forever if found guilty by the examination of your life through condemnation and thrown into hell because you set your hearts away from Christ. The choice of your salvation rest in your hands.

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:36

Is there anything too hard for the the Lord? No ,not one thing, to those who put their undying trust in him.

For no word from God will ever fail. Luke 1:37

Please Brothers and Sisters know Jesus for yourself, for salvation is a personal matter with the individual. Pray without ceasing, study God’s Word which is the Holy Bible which contain eternal truths if accessible, if there is not something you understand ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you, pray also for daily baptism of the Holy Spirit so you stay energized on the right path with Christ. When your faith have strengthen share God’s love not condemnation with your family, friends, and neighbors if possible. To those spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, follow this example that you may touch their hearts with God’s love and hope in truth so those who are willing to hear may be encouraged to do the right thing.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

John 3:16-21

“It is” is not justified by feelings, or by human words, “it is” because it is because God says so, Amen.

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astyle-alex · 3 years

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[FanFic] Start with Why | the Old Guard

This chapter just went live on Ao3, so I’m putting it up here too! I’ll still be posting the BatFam Kid!Fic, too, but that chapter will go up tomorrow!

Start With Why (Part 4 / 6)

Fandom: the Old Guard Pairings: Background Nicky x Joe Characters / Focus: OT5 + Copley, reacting to Booker's betrayal Rating: Gen Audiences Warnings: None (well, language, because the team are all quite colorful) Total Word Count: 10,288 Chapter Word Count: 1,535

Summary:

The thing about betrayal is that it hurts. Sometimes it hurts too much to see the broader situation clearly. But after Booker's betrayal, the team has to look at themselves and see how every one of them is culpable. Booker may have done the deed, but his measly 200 years makes him a child to the others, especially Andy, and like babysitters are to blame when their charge sets the curtains on fire, the Family needs to ask themselves WHY and accept the honest answers. Why Copley, Why Merrick, and Why something made Booker believe that his choice was the right one for his Family...

-----

|| Read on Patreon | Read on Ao3 ||

Part IV :: Joe

Booker betrayed him.

His brother betrayed them.

Joe’s own blood-oath brother of Fate betrayed them all like none of it mattered and he put Joe’s own sweet soul under the knife of callous torment, because he was too jealous and too weak and too short-sighted to know better.

Because he was too young to know better.

Nicky and Andy and Nile have all somehow resolved that they can forgive him— either they have already or know that they will, soon enough, come to it in time.

Joe cannot begin to fathom it.

Andy says Booker was a teenager trying to commit suicide and accidentally burning down the house, that he failed to see any of the realest consequences in his actions.

Nile says he’d simply found something that helped him see a sort of goodness he could finally believe in; says he met Copley, found a kindred spirit who believed in him, and wanted to do something good that actually gave him back some tangible reward— selfish bastard.

Even Nicky, Joe's own dear Nicolò, has fallen for the forger’s petty peddling.

Nicky believes him, believes that his reasons for nearly destroying everything good about Yusuf’s whole world were good enough reasons to make him truly think it could be worth it.

Joe will not forgive him, not ever. He has resolved to it, resolved to carry the hatred that the others cannot bear to shoulder. He will carry all of it for them, hate Booker for them. So, they can let the weight that comes from hating him so thoroughly rest outside their ardent souls.

For a moment, Joe isn’t sure he will survive it.

Hating Booker is like hating his own foot, like hating the run of charcoal his own fingers managed to get into his watering eye.

Booker is Family, Booker is his brother.

For a moment, Joe is very sure he will not survive this.

But then he looks at Nicky, his unfailingly kind and sweet beloved, his so-forgiving Nicolò, and hears the echoes of his dying screams on that bitch Kozak’s table… He sees shadows of Nicky’s brains being stepped in by the boot of that degenerate Keane after he’d shot Nicky in the head… And Joe feels such a blindingly hot fury at the prospect of letting anyone connected to that horror dare to live that he wants to find a way to kill Booker dead himself.

And yet, he’d hate to give the bastard what he wants.

Yusuf cannot talk to Booker, cannot stomach even thinking about it.

When he pushes up from the table, he doesn’t face the window when he storms away— instead, he goes outside the other way, tromping down onto the old cobbles that he’d been around to watch be laid. Most of them have been replaced since then.

Nicky appears beside him, eventually, as he finds one of the very few original stones left.

The love of Yusuf’s life doesn’t say anything, doesn’t touch him, doesn’t do anything but exist and be there and Joe already feels better for it— feels slightly more himself.

Which breeds a guilt like no other.

Nicky is here, but if were up to Booker, he wouldn’t be.

Nicky being here shouldn’t be what lets Joe not hate Booker for almost taking him away.

“That traitor’s head should be cut off,” Joe announces with a violent hand gesture that probably hasn’t been genuinely rude in a few hundred years. “Repeatedly, until it sticks.”

Nicky gives a slow blink that Joe finds inconsolably unreadable.

“I would’ve cut my own arm off, even if I knew it would not grow back, before I let a stranger say a bad word of him,” Joe wails. “I would have died, for good, to save him. I would have let myself leave you.”

Nicky does not say anything, he simply lets his sad eyes overflow with sympathy and understanding for how much just existing in this nightmare hurts.

“I hate him, Nicky,” Joe says, at a loss for words, a true rarity for him in his thousand years of life. “I hate him, and I hate that I hate him, but I hate the idea of not hating him even more than I hate this feeling.”

“You cannot hate him anymore than he hates himself,” Nicky states, and Joe feels like he’s been wrapped in a hug he didn’t know he needed, though Nicky’s hands are still in his pockets and he’s standing nigh on three full meters yet away.

Nicky will forgive him for hating Booker, Joe knows that.

He might not approve of the vitriol Joe bears their brother, certainly disapproves of the claim that any of that hatred is on Nicky's behalf, but Nicky will forgive him for it.

It makes Joe hate Booker even more.

“Your God is the vengeful one,” Joe accuses suddenly, hating himself even as the words fall from his lips. “Allah would never seek to add more suffering to this world, but your god should have filled you with His righteous fury.”

It was supposed to be an accusation, but Joe regrets it too much before he even speaks it to have managed to make the words come out with any barbs.

Instead it’s made a few tears squeeze out from the corners of his eyes.

“There is no righteousness in fury,” Nicky says, pulling the last dregs of wind from Joe’s sails with the simple and beautiful eloquence of the Divine.

Joe trembles, hands in fists, wishing he had Booker’s nose to break instead of just his own poor heart as Nicolò meets his gaze, unwavering.

“You and I have grown passed the banalities of organized religion, poorly built by broken men,” Nicky states eventually. “We fall back on scripture only when the doubt is fierce enough to quench the fire of our souls, but our souls are not like charcoal. We are not done burning once our fire has been made damp. The spark will reignite again, eventually, and we have our sure salvation in that we are blessed with time enough secured to wait until it does.”

“He killed Andy,” Yusuf wails, the only ember of his pain left burning.

At this, Nicky hardens— leans a fraction of an inch away.

To Yusuf, that fraction feels like miles and eternities.

“No, Yusuf. He did not,” Nicky states surely. “He shot her, fully expecting that she’d heal. Her time is her time, and it is not Booker’s Fate to bring her to it. Already, even having shot her, he did not stumble upon her time inadvertently. Even unaware that she could not heal, he did not introduce her to her Ferryman. All he tried to do was slow her down a little— In hope that he could somehow convince her if he explained.”

It’s a revelation to Joe, a reframing of the situation that actually matters.

It’s the difference between watching a sunrise through a window and seeing the full glory of it on the endless horizon of a jewel-toned desert.

Booker declared that he’d killed Andy.

He’d directly incited the wrath he believed he was due.

And Joe had given him his full fury for it.

Shame floods him, completely enough to snuff out the fury and turn it purely to despair.

“He still was willing to make me sacrifice you for his own pathetic reasons,” Joe says, feeling hollowed out and raw in a way he cannot fathom how to deal with. Just as he cannot fathom how the others have a depth of soul that can forgive such a heinous betrayal as Booker’s.

“I cannot forgive him,” Joe announces, “I cannot believe I will forgive him. Ever.”

“I’ll believe it for you,” Nicky supplies. “I’ll remind you who you are right now is not always all that you can be, and I will love every version of you I meet between this version and the one I know will come eventually— the one who will forgive his brother.”

Yusuf crumbles. His Nicolò still does not embrace him, but his soft smile props Joe up as steady as any arm might do.

“I hate him, Nicky,” Yusuf says, shuddering as he exorcises the vile sentiment from his soul. His voice is hardly strong enough to call a whimper. “I hate him more than I have ever hated anything, than I have ever hated you. I cannot breathe, I hate him so.”

“This will not kill you,” Nicky declares, “Your death is mine.”

It’s an old promise between them, sometimes an oath of self-righteous possession, from they each believed it was their Fate to kill the other, and sometimes it's a promise of a deep despair at the potential of the Veil dividing them.

Today, it makes Joe feel invincible— something he’d forgotten that he was.

He gives Nicky his own weak smile.

“My death is yours,” he says. Yusuf will never leave Nicky unless Nicky lets him go, Allah could not mean for them to be apart unless Nicky could truly bear it. And vice versa.

“As yours is mine,” Joe finishes.

Nicky offers Joe his hand and, together, they go back inside.

- - - - -

NEXT TIME: It’s NILE’s turn to try to find some sense in this chaos!

|| Read on Patreon | Read on Ao3 ||

#the old guard #Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova #nicky x joe #yusuf x nicolo #nicolo di genova #Booker #sebastian le livre #Andromache of Scythia #james copley #nile freeman

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shanewuyx-blog · 6 years

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Reflections

At Christmas Lunch today, we all received a small bag of goodies. The bag was tied up with a ribbon, and we had to untie it to discover what types of chocolates we got. But attached to this ribbon was a little piece of cardboard, and on it was written a verse. When I read this verse, it left a lasting impact.

Over this Christmas period, my daily devotionals taught me many daily verses which tell us why Jesus came into the World. I do wonder whether all these verses can stand on their own, or whether they are pieces of a picture. I even picked one verse for my Instagram post - the most famous verse in the Bible,

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

But today’s verse was different, because it tells us something which John 3:16 does not - Why will we perish if we don’t believe in Jesus?

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I was struck when I read this verse today. Because it gave me the cold, hard truth. Often we emphasize the ‘eternal life’ that will be given to us when we believe in Jesus, but it is worth remembering that Jesus came for a very specific mission, which is to die for sins so that we may be saved, and not perish.

1 Timothy 1:15

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

The word that I’ve been meditating on is “save”.

A few weeks ago, after Carol Service, my friends made a comment on the sermon. They said,

How can God send us to hell just because we make a mistake?

At that time, I could not give an answer. Because it seems to make sense. It’s only a little mistake! Why should the punishment be so dire? A tiny, tiny sin... and death as a result?

But after thinking about this for days, I realized that God cannot give such a thing as ‘lighter’ punishment.

For two reasons. God is holy, and God is just.

Isaiah 6

Isaiah's Vision of the Lord

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

God is perfect. He does not sin. He is unchanging. He is not influenced by the way we are influenced by our fluctuating emotions, or our physical limitations. He is omnipresent. If God is perfect, then what is Sin, an imperfection, to God? God hates sin.

Proverbs 6

16 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, 19 a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

Just reading that, I know I’ve failed the test of perfection. Everyday. Every minute. But Sin... it’s more than an action. It’s a nature.

Psalm 5

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

We forgive ourselves for our mistakes, because the consequences are not that serious for us. But to a holy God? The wages of sin is death. It must be dealt with justly. If the wages of sin is not death, but say a reduction of one year of life, what kind of God is that? A God that can tolerate sin to a certain degree?

Then that God is not a perfect God! A God like that would not be worthy of worship.

No. Only a perfect God is worthy of worship, worthy of praise.

Throughout history, since God created Man, we have been sinning against him. Time and time again, sacrifices had to be made to appease his wrath. But in the fullness of time, God did something which changed history.

He sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, into the World.

Did God have to do this? He could have just let us die, reaping the wages of our sin. Eternal damnation, away from the prescence of God.

But God, who is Holy, who is Just, is a God of Love. Of Grace. Of Mercy.

God is Love. His holiness, his justice, those are part of his perfection. The love of God, we cannot fully fathom. Because it is a perfect love, and we are imperfect creatures.

But it has been demonstrated to us through Jesus Christ, who came to die for our sins, so that we may be saved and not perished if we believe in him.

Romans 5

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

To my non Christian friends,

Christ Jesus died for you so that you will not die for your sins if you believe in him. So that you will be able to be born again, and have the right to be called a Child of God, and be in an eternal, joyful relationship with God.

Do you know how much you could lose, and how much you could gain?

You can lose your life, or you can gain eternal life by the free gift of Jesus Christ.

John 1

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

To my Christian friends,

Is your heart filled with thankfulness?

Do you know that you have been SAVED from death?

Do you know that

1 Peter 2

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Do you remember that

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

“My heart is filled with thankfulness To Him who bore my pain; Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace And gave me life again; Who crushed my curse of sinfulness And clothed me in His light And wrote His law of righteousness With pow’r upon my heart. My heart is filled with thankfulness To Him who walks beside; Who floods my weaknesses with strength And causes fears to fly; Whose ev’ry promise is enough For ev’ry step I take, Sustaining me with arms of love And crowning me with grace. My heart is filled with thankfulness To him who reigns above, Whose wisdom is my perfect peace, Whose ev’ry thought is love. For ev’ry day I have on earth Is given by the King; So I will give my life, my all, To love and follow him.”

My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness - Keith & Kristyn Getty

Psam 145

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

Romans 6:23

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15

55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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