The Gospel of IDD

  The Hidden Cost of Forgiveness                    And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.    And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.  For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you;   but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:12-15                             Forgiveness is not free even though it does not cost money.    It is not something that can be bought with enough prayers or good deeds or donations to the local church.    Jesus places a condition on God’s forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer.    We ask that God will forgive us to the same level that we forgive others.    Th...

  Liars                 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.    There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.    We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.    The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. 1 John 4:17-21              This sounds good.    This sounds right.    This sounds like the kind of world that I want to live in.    “Perfect love...

  Revelations                 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.    One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound   had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”   The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwell...

  What are you talking about?                 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream:    I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea,   and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.    The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then, as I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being; and a human mind was given to it.    Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks in its mouth among its teeth and was told, “Arise, devour many bodies!”    After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and fou...

  The Power of Injury                 When that period was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me. I blessed the Most High,   and praised and honored the one who lives forever. For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.    All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,   and he does what he wills with the host of heaven   and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing?”                  At that time my reason returned to me; and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the glory of my kingdom. My counselors and my lords sought me out, I was re-established over my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.   Now I, Nebuchad...