Romans 1:14-17--Tina

14 For I have a great sense of to the people in our culture and to people in other cultures, to the educated and uneducated alike.

Paul feels called to tell everyone know matter who they are about Jesus. Everyone despite where they have come from can come to Christ, he is for everyone.

15 So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach God's Good News.

I find it interesting that Paul wants to go to Rome and is eager to go into enemy territory, he is eager to put his life on the line and go against the culture. I don't think I could have gone into Rome to preach the gospel.

16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-Jews first and also Gentiles.

It is not shame that would keep me away from Rome but fear. Paul is fearless instead remembering that through God's power all things are possible. Even waking in the morning is done by God's power, he wills it to be. I think remembering that God's power is in control of everything from the tiny ladybug to my heart beating in my chest is important, he is bigger and more powerful than any force of nature. It is so easy to forget this and therefore lose faith in God.

17 This good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

I love that it is only through faith that we are made right in God's eyes. Simple child like faith, no works, no pain we endure, no tests we pass, it is through simple faith. Through living by faith, with faith, in faith we are made clean and holy in God's eyes. It sounds too simple doesn't it? Like we should be doing more and more yet God is always going against what we think of as logic, his heart is bigger and more loving then our heart we can not even imagine how much he loves his creation, how much he loves us. Truly amazing!

Dear God, Thank you so much for this time to spend in your word today. Lord let these words sit on my heart, sink into my heart and become part of me. Lord I pray for Angela and Eric, Lord you know the needs there and I ask you to bless them beyond measure with your provision. Amen

Begin Again

So I have finally gotten on here and read your post and your prayer. I am amazed that we seem to be dealing with a lot of the same issues, provision, direction, purposeful work all these things can be so disheartening. I find that this is the stuff that steals my joy, lessens my faith and leads me astray. I think God knows that provision is a big issue for me that I have to put all my faith into holding on to the fact that God will provide and that God takes care of children. Even knowing that, bringing it into the light and still it consumes me "the worry." I do not know what God has in store for us, the conversation has begun with the knowledge that we all feel like we don't belong here. We have asked God for his direction, for his plan to be worked out in our lives and so far nothing has been revealed to us. I continue to speak to my husband about his spiritual issues, he continues to deny that he even has any spiritual issues but he has come to the point where he admits that things that have happened have affected the family and their relationship with God. I see this has a step in the right direction, even if it is a baby step. I continue to struggle with loneliness and isolation and working at a job that is both hard on the body and very unsupported with pay and encouragement. So the long wait in the dessert continues and I do not know what is on the other side. I hold on to the promise that God has good things for his children.


Dear God, Hear my prayer this evening. I lift up my friend and sister Angela and her family. Lord you know what the needs are, you know that Eric has taken a step of faith in quitting his job in the hopes of something more. Lord I ask for you to reward Eric's faith, that you would step out and meet Eric and deliver to him a job, work, and purpose and that Eric would know that all things come from you. Lord I ask that you would surround Angela with a blanket of peace through this time, that she would know that you are giver of all good things and that you will provide for them what is needed. Continue to feed her with your unending faith and that she would continue to speak through her writing and blogs and profess your name again and again. Lord I ask that what ever is biting Orion and Zara would be banished from their home and yard, that the invisible bugs would be gone. Lord surround those children with your perfect love and protection, help them to grow in faith and become soldiers in your army. Amen

Romans 1:14-17--Angela

Father,
I pray a special blessing of peace for my dear friend, Tina. She needs a gentle touch from You right now. Give her Your perspective. Bring her to a higher place to see all that You are up to for her and her family. Give her the assurance that You haven't left her and that You are always and forever in her court. Bring revelation and reality to Your deep affection for her. Give her eyes to read Your Words afresh, especially the Words of promise and blessing for her, Mark, and their children. Lord, infuse her with wisdom, perspective, and clear direction. Give her a vision for their future and help her to hold onto it no matter what circumstances may be. ~Amen.

vs. 14 "I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish."
Paul's heart beats for every person. His message is for every type of person, from every walk of life, from every station. Whatever he says applies to me, it applies to you, it applies to the wealthiest of the wealthy and to the poorest of the poor. It applies to every person in every religious sect, and it applies to every atheist out there. No one is exempt from his message, his prayers, his hopes, and his dreams. He lived to see Jesus get His full reward.

vs. 15 "That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome."
His calling gives him gumption, enthusiasm, and joy. Eager is a word I associate with my children. They are eager to try new things, to be with me, to talk to me, to show me their greatest inventions or their dollies' new outfits. He is eager to share because this message of freedom is so amazing, and it's for everyone!!


vs. 16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."
I am coming close to having this same boldness and excitement about the power of the gospel to save, heal, and deliver those who hear the good news of Jesus. Everyone who believes! I am intrigued by the order Paul shares here...first the Jew, then the Gentile. I don't quite understand how this all works, though I have been impressed in recent years by the import of the Jews in Jesus' mind. I know this speaks of order, and I also know it speaks of Paul's heart for his own people. I think it also speaks of the mystery of the Old Testament and the crimson cord of salvation that runs through the pages of Jewish history, the prophets, and the wisdom literature of the Old Testament.


vs. 17 "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'"
Paul lends credence to my theory about the crimson cord running through the Old Testament by quoting Habakkuk 2:4 (2:3-5 says: For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and not delay. See, [the wicked foe] is puffed up; his desires are not upright--but the righteous will live by his faith--indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.") The righteous shall live by faith is a very powerful saying that is quoted all the time in Christian circles. What is the evidence that we are living a life of faith? That we wait patiently, trusting His timing. That we read His Word and believe that everything He says about us (the righteous) is true and is for us and is for today. The passage in Habakkuk implies that the righteous have peace and are satisfied...content, filled with gratitude. The wicked one strives and gathers people unto himself as though they are his resource, his sustenance. The righteous one trusts in God alone and does not lean on another person to give him his daily bread. This is a lesson I have been learning for my own life. How to put my trust in God to provide instead of in my husband or even in myself...to put my hand to the plow, yes, but not to carry the burden of the outcome of the works of my hands. Instead, I rely on Him for the outcome and His perfect timing.


Prayer Request: We are in a season where this reality is being tested fully. My husband felt the Lord calling him to completely surrender in the area of provision. He quit his job without another one to take its place. We are pressing into the Lord for His provision, for His direction, and for His peace through this time. I have had to daily take my fears to God (as we do not have enough to pay October's utilities or November's rent) and rely on His Word to daily increase my faith for His promise to provide. This morning, I woke with the same fear of not having enough (plus having to deal with invisible fleas that are eating my kids alive despite the fact that we have no animals!). After washing bedding and vacuuming all morning, I went to Him in despair. He encouraged me to continue looking up the passages on "treasure" that I started looking up a couple of weeks ago. I was so encouraged. I know He is going to provide. I don't know how, but I know I am to keep putting one foot in front of the other and trust Him to show us the way. We need prayer, just as you do. This has a make-it-or-break-it feeling to it. Eric has long been searching for his place in this world, for vision, and for confidence to make his mark. I am weary of the cycles and the fears and the uncertainties. I am weary of the pressure and his depression. I am seeing signs of him coming out of that, and I am seeing signs of cycles being broken, but I face the fear every day. I know you are in a similar place with Mark, with a lot less clarity and a ton more fear. As we pray for each other, I think the Lord will lift the veil and bring more peace, more joy, and more confidence in the foundations He is laying for our families in this season of uncertainty. I love you, my friend.


~Angela

My week

Angela,
My week is crazy!! Ruby has been out of school due to asthma, I am trying to get her into the doctor for tomorrow. (I had to get a sub for work) Mark was sick and time is speeding up. I won't be able to work on our study until at least next Monday, just wanted you to know that I am thinking of you and to let some of the pressure off of you also.
Love,
Tina

Colassians 3:6-11 Tina

Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.

3:6 God’s terrible anger will come upon who do such things.

So we keep our focus on the things of heaven, not the things on earth. Those things mentioned in the previous verse are temporary “feel” good ideas. When our hearts and minds are on things of God we will not feel tempted for the temporary fixes of this life. We live for heaven, we live for heavenly ideas. Sin destroys people’s lives. Sin separates people from God. Christ had to die on the cross because of sin. That is why God is angry about sin. Romans 2:1-16 explains about how God will judge sin in the future. What does this mean to us, who are saved through our love of Jesus? If we honestly try to turn away from our sin, we still fall prey to these human things. We all lust for things, desire comfort? I think it is our heart that matters most. I pray that when we stand before God the Father we are indeed covered by Jesus. Does God take in account our faithfulness in pursuing him? This is when I get confused and unsure of everything that we have been talking about!

3:7 You used to do them when your life was still part of this world.

Yes when I was separated from God and unsaved my appetite for those wicked things was more prevalent but now I am still guilty of some of those things. I wish it were not so but I fear that it is. I have a new nature, I have put on Christ but I still find myself wanting things, desiring comfort, security.

3:8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.

I do feel like I have a handle on these things. The taming of the tongue was a long process but I feel like through Christ I am able to control my tongue. I know that out of the mouth comes what is inside the heart.

3:9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.

Yes we have stripped off the old nature and with it the old habits. No lying ever! Hard one to keep, how many times has someone asked you for your opinion and you didn’t give it, you simply said what they wanted to hear or something to build them up. Thank God for the Holy Spirit who gives us strength to do these hard things. We live in a world that is so full of lies, so full of untruth, so blurry that the world can not even see the truth when it is said.

3:10 In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you.

Praise Jesus there is hope, we are continually being renewed as we learn and grow in Christ!!! I am so thankful for this verse after the others. What I am getting from these 5 verses is it is a process! We mature as we grow in Christ, with each new gift that the Holy Spirit gives us it purifies us even more, we will never be perfected until we are with are Brother Jesus in heaven. The process is what God wants from us, for us to draw close to him, to care about the things he cares about, to mature, and to put our sin to death through maturity not through self discipline but through love and faith.

3:11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or fee. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

Paul ends this point on a good note, so glad about that!! Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Love covers a multitude of sins, Christ covers us. This verse is also telling those people of the day that the law does not matter; Christ came for all of us!

Dear Father,

Thank you for your word and for your loving faithful spirit among us. I ask that you infuse within us your power, your wisdom, and give us a heart like Christ. A heart that would do anything for you, a heart that loves like your Son Jesus. Amen

Colossians 3:1-5 Angela

Jesus, I thank you for freedom; freedom from judgment, freedom from lies, freedom from past hurts, freedom from addictions, freedom from a joyless existence. I thank you that everything that you did, you did so that we could experience full and energetic life. I pray that even when we are feeling low, you would remind us of these truths which will give us wings to fly. I pray that as your word washes our minds, we will begin to see the precious fruit of righteousness and your Spirit flowing out of us into the lives of others. I pray that we would be filled with an infectious vigor and zest for life that would get on all of those around us. ~Amen.

3:1-2 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things."

I love this verse. The reason I love it really stems from the next verse, but I love this one because it lays the foundation for the next one. It is the great benefit of all that has gone before it. SINCE...since we know that Jesus is Lord. Since we know that He died to give us freedom from human traditions. Since we have let go of all the trappings of the world, we need these next verses to fill that void...without Him to fill the void of freedom, we will just be vulnerable to the next wave of enemy fire and find ourselves back in the enemy's camp. But Paul doesn't leave us like that...he tells us what to do instead...what we need to remember and focus on to remain alert.

I have been raised with Christ. The power that raised Him from the dead lives within me. I have full access to that power, and I am alive to God. Being alive to God means really LIVING! I was dead before, and the truth is that wherever I don't believe the truth of what Paul is saying, I am still asleep/dead. Anywhere that strongholds and lies are governing my thinking, I'm still dead. It is my desire (heart) to come fully alive. I want no stone unturned in my heart. I want all the places where the enemy has had a foothold in my life to be fully gone. This transition has been hard for me, but it has been worth every moment of struggle, temptation, temper tantrum (like I had this morning), and beating (not literal, but more like the feeling of learning to ride a bike and falling over and over again). I am so glad that I am more alive now than I have ever been. My mind is quieter than it has ever been, and it will only get better. I had breakthrough on a huge issue tonight, and I can see hope in sight. It is the issue of my weight and body image...God is healing me, and I will stand firm til the end, because my prize is waiting for me! I know that He is going to free me of the accusing voices inside my head, just as he has healed me from the voices of fear. Wahoo!!! I'm going to be free, and I can't wait!

And that is what it means to me to set my heart AND mind on things above. I used to get so distracted by my behavior, by the outward appearances of myself and others. My heart was set on things down here. Now, I know my behavior is just a symptom and that the only One who has the answer for my behavior is Him. So I turn my eyes away from my bad behavior. I don't get sucked so easily into the shame and guilt cycle. I step outside of that and look at Him, naked and unashamed. My bad behavior just hangs out there in the open between us, and I ask Him how He sees it. I'm always amazed at how differently He sees it than I see it when left to my own earthly thinking! And there is my Savior, seated next to my Daddy in heaven...above all the principalities and powers that would take me out. And He says, "You can do it. I believe in You. I paid the price for you because I believe in you. I'll show you how to keep walking."

3:3 "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God."

I died, but in the verses prior he says I was also raised. And now he says my life is hidden with Christ in God. Where is Christ? In heaven with God (seated next to Him) and in God (Jesus and the Father are one). My life is hidden in Christ. My life is protected, preserved, held in security in heaven with Jesus. Jesus says that He came that we might have life to the full. When? Anytime we're ready to grasp the truth of these words. I am in Christ RIGHT NOW! I am seated in heaven RIGHT NOW! I have access to the full life anytime I'm ready to exchange the empty life I've been living, believing the lies of the enemy, for the real full life He has been holding for me in heaven. Like a safe deposit box. I'm starting to call on Him to help me access that full life, and I'm seeing it come in full force. As I trade in the lies and take on the truth, I'm seeing my life lived to the full each and every day. Today was a hard day until I talked with my friend and realized how many amazing things God showed me all day long. There was no shame and guilt. She washed me clean of that and showed me how well I did today at learning the lessons. Not only that, we had the most amazing, glorious time talking about it all. We laughed so hard, and it was amazing. I confessed my sins, the real reasons behind the bad behaviors and accusing voices in my head today. It was awesome. I called her feeling glum and gloomy, ready to just throw in the towel and go to bed. I hung up and played with my children and now I'm doing this Bible study. I'll be going to bed when I'm done, and I will sleep in peace. I will wake up knowing that tomorrow holds more of the same...revelation, communion, excitement, understanding, wisdom, work, kids, errands, and joy...great and wonderful joy waiting around every corner. Even if it's a struggle to find it, I will find it! And it's all because I'm hidden in Christ.

3:4 "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

I have always read this as a later thing...as in when He returns to the earth. As if He is not here. I have really been seriously talking with Him about the end times and the rapture and all that stuff. I used to be a pre-trib out of sheer fear and terror. Who in their right minds would choose to live through the end times. Now, I'm just not sure. I read this and I think...Christ appears now...He appears when a newborn baby comes out of the womb and takes its first breath. He appears when a man or woman lays their life down in baptism and rises up out of the water a new creation. He appears when I apologize to my son and tell him that I am an imperfect representation of God, and my son hugs me tight and loves on me and lavishes me with deeds of forgiveness and love and affection. Whenever He appears, I am there with Him in His glory.

It's like the people who go on missions and say to the people who support them, "Supporting us is as important as being there with us. You are sharing in the harvest of our work." I know Jesus said He is coming back for His bride, and I know He will come back with us in the clouds. I just don't know about timing and order. I think there is something of a "both" issue that I'm still asking Him to help me understand.

3:5 "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

PUT TO DEATH...This implies a few things to me that I haven't actually been taught from many pulpits.

1. He's talking to believers, which means that the one-time conversion event doesn't take care of the whole struggle.
2. He's telling me to put it to death. I have a part to play in my sanctification. He did the work. He paid the price, but I have to pick up the item. It's like someone saying, I paid for you to go to college. I still have to do the homework and pass the classes and get my diploma and then go and get a job. Jesus did more than pay for college. He's guiding us, counseling us, teaching us, leading us into all truth. But we still have a part to play.
3. My earthly nature and my spiritual nature are at war until I PUT ONE OF THEM TO DEATH. If I feed my earthly nature, I will be killing my spiritual nature. If I feed my spiritual nature, I will be killing my earthly nature. It reminds me of the verse where Jesus says we can't serve two masters.
4. He's telling me that I'm going to see these things at work in my life until I finish the process of sanctification and transformation. I am not transformed by my conversion, I'm just saying yes to Him to begin the process. Yes, He does the work of transformation and sanctification too, but I have to keep saying yes. I can slow the process down or even bring it to a complete halt. I have done that in my life, and He is always patient and waits for me to be ready to begin again.
4. Greed...that one is singled out as idolatry. I was looking it up earlier in different passages, but I still don't have a complete perspective on how greed is idolatry and the others are not.

Greed: The King James says "covetousness."

pleonexia (from pleonektes): avarice, i.e. (by implication) fraudulency, extortion:--covetous (-ness) practices, greediness.

pleonektes (from pleion and echo): holding (desiring) more, i.e. eager for gain (avaricious, hence a defrauder):--covetous

pleion: more in quantity, number, or quality; also (in plural) the major portion:--above, exceed, more excellent, further, (very) great (-er), long (-er), (very) many, greater (more) part, + yet but.
AND
echo: to hold (used in very various applications, literally or figuratively, direct or remote; such as possession, ability, contiguity, relation or condition):--be able, behold, be possessed with, accompany, begin to amend, can, reign, uncircumcised.

I always like to go back as far as I can to the roots with Greek and Hebrew words. It helps add depth and richness to the words for me. In this case, I can see what I was beginning to see when I read all the verses I looked up about greed this morning. To me, it means that I'm trying to one up. That I will do anything to look better than someone else, even lie or cheat or take advantage of them. It is the opposite of God's love...sometimes it can appear that people are acting out of love when they are really acting out of their own gain. I've done this in small ways and in big ways...I will take someone out to coffee or lunch because I want to eat out or have a cup of coffee, and I can justify it better if I am "magnanimously" treating someone else! This is a small example, but not any less or more insidious than other examples of fraudulently following God's commands to love when we're just living for ourselves...living for ourselves is idolatry.

That being said, I still don't allow myself to get caught up in the guilt and shame cycle even when I recognize these. Because I'm beginning to see that guilt and shame only perpetuate that self-focus that my ego likes so much. If I can bypass that cycle and turn my attention to God, I realize that we're all human! We all love humanly. We all struggle against the earthly nature. We are all in the same boat, baling out water until we reach up our chubby baby arms for our Daddy who loves us and will pick us right up and set us on dry ground, on a Rock in fact, and teach us how to walk again! I am so glad we picked this book. Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

Thank you, Papa. Thank you that you have taken care of it all. Thank you that you redeem even our bad days and our bad moments. Thank you that our misbehavior amounts to nothing more than teachable moments in your book. Thank you that we are your children and you are our abba, our daddy. The One who loves us so perfectly that as we absorb it in and learn from it, we can begin to love just as you love...not for our own gain, not out of greed or selfish ambition, but out of true, unconditional, divine love. It is possible for us to be like you, and I'm so grateful that you're showing me that more and more.

Father, I pray for Ioni and Echo. I ask that you would continue to seal their purity and innocence. I pray that your truth will sink deeply into their hearts, that they will learn to trust you in all Your ways. I pray for Kiah and Ruby, that they will know deep in their hearts that they are loved exactly as they are; that you delight over them with singing and that you cherish each moment you get to spend with them. I pray for Mark, that you would affirm him and confirm him. I thank you that these dark days are not dark to you. I pray that you would reveal to him that he is not any more broken or damaged than the rest of us. I pray that you would surround him with people who love him for who he is and not for what he can or can't do for them. I pray that you would break the lies and bondage of conditional love. I pray that you would unravel and loose him from the chains of judgment and condemnation. I pray that you would loose him into a new level of freedom that he has not even allowed himself to imagine. And I pray for Tina, that you would loose her from the chains of burden and lack and physical restriction. I pray that you would loose her from all the judgments that have weighed on her and weighed her down. I pray that you would release in her supernatural joy and strength, as she marvels at the wonder of the power that lives inside of her; as she marvels at the freedom you bought for her on the cross; as she marvels that the maker of the universe is her husband, friend, lover, and companion. Thank you for all these truths. May they sink deeply into the roots of their souls and begin to oust out the branches that do not bear fruit in keeping with repentance and freedom. ~Amen.

Colossians 3:1-5 Tina

Dear God,

I ask that you just be with Angela and her family as they prepare to embark on an adventure. Lord there is so much unanswered for them and I ask that you simply clear the road for them and go ahead of them to prepare a new life in California. Send your gentle spirit upon Angela and comfort her, give her patience, energy and peace of mind. I ask that the Andrews family be placed in your loving hands, the same hands that created this world can now keep them safe and protected. Draw Eric and Angela closer to you through this.

I pray Lord for my health and energy, I am feeling drained and exhausted please give me the energy to not only get through the day but to be your ambassador here on this earth. Help me to teach today and parent my kids, help me to keep moving when all I want to do is get in my bed and rest.

Amen

3:1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power.

The false teachers were concentrating their teaching on the now, on the worldly things humans try to control. To live fully in Christ means we have to keep our vision and our path on what is heavenly. When our focus is heaven and Christ we will grow in faith here on earth, we will experience the stuff we talked about earlier, the knowledge, wisdom of God. This verse also expresses where Christ is, seated next to Father God in heaven a place reserved for a heavenly son.

3:2 Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth.

Sounds so simple and yet we both know that the things down here are so distracting to us! I am thinking that keeping our thoughts on heavenly things might inspire within us a passion to do Godly things here on earth. If our minds and dreams are made up of pure heavenly thoughts then our actions would differ from the norm.

3:3 For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

This world is a shadow of what is to come. Pure life, abundantly life, eternal life those are things that we will have in heaven.

3:4 And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

Now we are back to the earlier text, we are connected to Christ through his blood, we are adopted, accepted, forgiven, holy, and when Christ is revealed as the King of the universe we will get to share in his kingdom and in his glory as Christ’s’ sisters and brothers.

3:5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.

When we accept Christ we are given a new life, a life hidden within him. Human desires are strong but if we are intertwined with Jesus then we have the power to rise about humanist ideas. Again I think it comes back to keeping our minds on heaven and heavenly ideas. If we live like we are going to heaven tomorrow what would we do differently today? Have you read 30 days to live? Awesome book! Basically if we knew that we were going to die in 30 days how would you change the next 30 days? Most people would spend time loving on those around them, going to see grandma in the nursing home, spending time loving and playing with our kids. Forget about bills, dishes, laundry and work, those things are worldly things. The ideas of the heart are what is important.