Cerebellum
Eternal Poster
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- Oct 31, 2021
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In most places today it takes money to eat, to buy clothes, to have a home. So efforts must necessarily be made to earn money. Yet to have as your purpose in life the accumulating of riches simply is not wise. It does not bring happiness. God’s Word is accurate when it says: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains.”—1 Tim. 6:9, 10.
Sickness, worry, sleepless nights and a disrupted family life are among the problems experienced by many of those whose purpose in life is the making of a lot of money. Even when a person is able to accumulate wealth, it is usually observed that this does not bring him happiness. (Eccl. 5:10) So show yourself wise. Take a balanced, godly view of money. Heed the Bible admonition: “Flee from these things. But pursue righteousness, godly devotion, faith, love, endurance, mildness of temper. Fight the fine fight of the faith, get a firm hold on the everlasting life.”—1 Tim. 6:11, 12, 17-19; 2 Tim. 2:22.
Certainly, to gain everlasting life requires having a balanced, godly view, not only of money, but also of ***. The Bible openly discusses *** in a truthful, frank way. The fact is, the Bible is largely a book about people, and *** is an integral part of the life of people. So God’s Word tells about the joy of honorable marriage. (Gen. 26:8; Prov. 5:15-20; 1 Cor. 7:1-5) But it also tells about the perversions and the misuse of ***. For example, just consider what is in the Bible book of Genesis. It describes the homosexual passions of the men of Sodom, the drunken relations of Lot with his daughters, the rape of Jacob’s daughter Dinah, Judah’s relations with his daughter-in-law whom he mistook for a prostitute, and the sê×ÿ attempts of Potiphar’s wife to seduce Joseph.—Gen. 19:4, 5, 30-38; 34:1, 2; 38:12-26; 39:7-16.
Some persons have criticized the Bible for telling about life as it really is, for exposing the badness in people’s lives. Yet the Bible never does this in a way to stimulate passions, or to encourage wrongdoing. Rather, it usually shows the bad consequence of a wrong course. Also, these accounts are recorded so that vital lessons can be learned from them. For example, consider what happened in King David’s household.
David’s oldest son Amnon developed a passionate desire for his lovely half sister Tamar. Feigning sickness, he maneuvered things so that Tamar was the one who waited on him, bringing him food when no one else was around. He then “grabbed hold of her and said to her: ‘Come, lie down with me, my sister.’” She virtuously protested, but he refused to listen and forced her to lie down with him. Did he really get what he desired out of this? The record describes the result: “Amnon began hating her with a very great hatred, . . . greater than the love with which he had loved her, so that Amnon said to her: ‘Get up, go away!’”—2 Sam. 13:1-33.
Clearly, the fulfilling of Amnon’s passionate, incestuous desire brought no real pleasure to him or to his half sister. And this so often is the case when persons engage in immoral *** relations. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported this confession of a youth who had premarital *** relations with many misled girls. “I have learned that this did not bring me happiness.” Also, a tearful young co-ed said of such an experience: “It sure wasn’t worth it—it was no fun at the time, I’ve been worried ever since.”
Really, how wise we are to heed the Bible’s command: “Flee from fornication”! Indeed, “flee from the desires incidental to youth,” which can lead to trouble in your life. (1 Cor. 6:18; 2 Tim. 2:22) Sexual morality makes sense because those who hold to it have a far better likelihood of a successful marriage. On the other hand, so-called sexual “freedom” changes what should be pleasurable and clean into something cheap and detestable. So to stay free from immorality, stay free from the things that lead to it: conversation that always dwells on the opposite ***, also reading material or looking at pictures that excite sexual passion. Keep your mind, your eyes and your tongue occupied with clean, positive things, working toward worthwhile goals that bring enduring benefits.—Eph. 5:3-5; Phil. 4:8.
Sickness, worry, sleepless nights and a disrupted family life are among the problems experienced by many of those whose purpose in life is the making of a lot of money. Even when a person is able to accumulate wealth, it is usually observed that this does not bring him happiness. (Eccl. 5:10) So show yourself wise. Take a balanced, godly view of money. Heed the Bible admonition: “Flee from these things. But pursue righteousness, godly devotion, faith, love, endurance, mildness of temper. Fight the fine fight of the faith, get a firm hold on the everlasting life.”—1 Tim. 6:11, 12, 17-19; 2 Tim. 2:22.
Certainly, to gain everlasting life requires having a balanced, godly view, not only of money, but also of ***. The Bible openly discusses *** in a truthful, frank way. The fact is, the Bible is largely a book about people, and *** is an integral part of the life of people. So God’s Word tells about the joy of honorable marriage. (Gen. 26:8; Prov. 5:15-20; 1 Cor. 7:1-5) But it also tells about the perversions and the misuse of ***. For example, just consider what is in the Bible book of Genesis. It describes the homosexual passions of the men of Sodom, the drunken relations of Lot with his daughters, the rape of Jacob’s daughter Dinah, Judah’s relations with his daughter-in-law whom he mistook for a prostitute, and the sê×ÿ attempts of Potiphar’s wife to seduce Joseph.—Gen. 19:4, 5, 30-38; 34:1, 2; 38:12-26; 39:7-16.
Some persons have criticized the Bible for telling about life as it really is, for exposing the badness in people’s lives. Yet the Bible never does this in a way to stimulate passions, or to encourage wrongdoing. Rather, it usually shows the bad consequence of a wrong course. Also, these accounts are recorded so that vital lessons can be learned from them. For example, consider what happened in King David’s household.
David’s oldest son Amnon developed a passionate desire for his lovely half sister Tamar. Feigning sickness, he maneuvered things so that Tamar was the one who waited on him, bringing him food when no one else was around. He then “grabbed hold of her and said to her: ‘Come, lie down with me, my sister.’” She virtuously protested, but he refused to listen and forced her to lie down with him. Did he really get what he desired out of this? The record describes the result: “Amnon began hating her with a very great hatred, . . . greater than the love with which he had loved her, so that Amnon said to her: ‘Get up, go away!’”—2 Sam. 13:1-33.
Clearly, the fulfilling of Amnon’s passionate, incestuous desire brought no real pleasure to him or to his half sister. And this so often is the case when persons engage in immoral *** relations. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported this confession of a youth who had premarital *** relations with many misled girls. “I have learned that this did not bring me happiness.” Also, a tearful young co-ed said of such an experience: “It sure wasn’t worth it—it was no fun at the time, I’ve been worried ever since.”
Really, how wise we are to heed the Bible’s command: “Flee from fornication”! Indeed, “flee from the desires incidental to youth,” which can lead to trouble in your life. (1 Cor. 6:18; 2 Tim. 2:22) Sexual morality makes sense because those who hold to it have a far better likelihood of a successful marriage. On the other hand, so-called sexual “freedom” changes what should be pleasurable and clean into something cheap and detestable. So to stay free from immorality, stay free from the things that lead to it: conversation that always dwells on the opposite ***, also reading material or looking at pictures that excite sexual passion. Keep your mind, your eyes and your tongue occupied with clean, positive things, working toward worthwhile goals that bring enduring benefits.—Eph. 5:3-5; Phil. 4:8.