Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts

Tuesday 9 January 2024

Is There an Eternal Hell? No.


do not believe there is an eternal hell of torment for those who are wicked. I could not worship or love a God who would do this to anyone. Very few human beings would torture people forever. If God is just, then this would not be justice.

The Jewish people of old did not believe in this teaching either. There are hundreds of scriptures that teach us the wicked will be destroyed, not live on forever. There are a few that have made some people think differently. But that is because they misinterpret the Bible.

The Bible must be searched carefully from beginning to end to understand a subject. We must not take a verse here or there on which to hang our teachings.

I have found some studies on Hell online and share them with you now. If you want to know the truth, you must study. “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”  Acts 17:11

The Origin of Hell-Fire in Christian Teaching.

Taken from: The Origin of Hell-Fire in Christian Teaching (truthaccordingtoscripture.com)

The concept of a soul within us that cannot die first became a ‘Christian’ doctrine at the end of the second century AD. Hell had been taught in Greek philosophy long before the time of Jesus, with Plato (427-347 BC) as the important leader in this thinking.

The teaching of an everlasting place of punishment for the wicked is the natural consequence of a belief in an immortal soul. By the year AD 187, it was understood that life, once we have it, is compulsory; there is no end to it, either now or in a world to come. We have no choice as to its continuance, even if we were to commit suicide to end it.

At the end of the 2nd century Christianity had begun to blend Greek philosophy —human speculative reasoning, with the teachings of God’s Word. Such words and phrases as ‘continuance of being’, ‘perpetual existence’, ‘incapable of dissolution’ and ‘incorruptible’ began to appear in so-called Christian writings. These had come straight from Plato, the Greek philosopher, all those years before Jesus. Other phrases used were ‘the soul to remain by itself immortal’, and ‘an immortal nature’. It was taught that this is how God made us. But this idea derives from philosophy, not divine inspiration. There are no such words in the Bible. It was Athenagorus, a Christian, but whose teachings, according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, were strongly tinged with Platonism, who had introduced the teaching of an immortal soul into Christianity. In this way, he paved the way for the logical introduction of eternal torment for immortal, but sinful, souls. This was a hundred years and more after the time of the apostles, and came straight from popular philosophy. The apostles had consistently taught that death is a sleep, to be followed by resurrection. The early church leaders – Clement, Ignatius, Hermas, Polycarp, and others who also believed that death is a sleep, taught that the wicked are destroyed forever by fire – their punishment was to be annihilation.  These leaders did not teach of an immortal soul to be tortured by fire in hell for eternity.

About AD 240 Tertullian of Carthage took up the teaching of an immortal soul. It was he who added the further, but logical dimension. He taught the endless torment of the immortal soul of the wicked was parallel to the eternal blessedness of the saved, with no sleep of death after this life.

This came at a time when many Christians were being burned for their faith and it was natural for them to accept that their persecutors would at death be consigned to an ever-burning hell for the persecution they had inflicted on others while they went straight to eternal bliss.

From the third century the darkness of the infiltration of man-made beliefs into Christianity deepened until the Dark Ages had smothered almost all the light of God’s Word. At the beginning of this time, the first attempts were made to create a systematic set of beliefs. It is not surprising that an ever-burning hell and the immortality of the soul were prominently included.

It is at this time that such beliefs, held by most Christians today, had their origin. An ever-burning hell has remained a commonly taught doctrine of the Christian religion to this day. It was not based on the Bible but on philosophy. Bible verses were later sought to uphold the ancient philosophies of the Greeks, and added to the teaching.

Eventually under the influence of Augustine, AD 430, the concept of endless conscious torment was brought into general acceptance by the Catholic Church in the Western world. He taught that all souls were deathless and consequently the lost would experience endless fires of punishment, immediately upon the end of this life.

Doesn’t everlasting fire mean that hell will be burning ceaselessly and eternally?

There are some Bible verses that may appear to say that. Let us look at some of these verses. ( From: How long does hell burn for? | Bibleinfo.com)

Everlasting” Bible texts

In Matthew 25:46, Jesus said, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”

Mark 9:43, “And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.”

Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever.”

Other Bible texts

Before we make a Bible doctrine from these verses, we need to see if there are other verses that speak of the punishment of the wicked.

First let us go to Malachi 4:1,3. “For behold the day is coming burning like and oven, and all the proud, yes all who do wickedly shall be as stubble. And the day that is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that shall leave them neither root nor branch. . . You shall trample the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.”

These verses tell us that the wicked will be burned up, burned to ashes.

In another place the Bible says in Psalms 37:10, 11, “For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look diligently for his place, but it shall be no more.”

Jude 7 makes this subject very plain. “As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner, having given themselves over to sexually immorality and gone after strange flesh,  are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Sodom and Gomorrah are not burning today, yet the Bible says they suffered the vengeance of eternal fire. How can this be explained? It means that these cities were completely burned, until there was nothing left.

What does everlasting mean?

There is another way to determine the meaning of the word eternal or everlasting.

In English these words mean that the fire will go on forever, but in the Greek it has a different meaning. Dr. Basil Atkinson explains it this way. 

“When the adjective aionios,  meaning  everlasting is used in Greek  with nouns of action it has reference to the result of the act, not the process. The phrase everlasting punishment  is comparable to everlasting redemption and everlasting salvation, both Scriptural phrases. No one supposes that we are being redeemed or saved forever. We were redeemed and saved once for all by Christ with eternal results. In the same way the lost will not be passing through the process of punishment forever but will be punished  once and for all with eternal results. On the other hand the noun ‘life’ is not a noun of action, but a noun expressing a state. Thus life itself is eternal.”

God is love

The Bible says, God is love, 1 John 4:8. God loves His enemies. As the soldiers were nailing Jesus to the cross, He prayed, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do (Luke 23:34). As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways!  For why should you die, O house of Israel (Ezekiel 33:11).

God cannot allow sin, crime and violence to continue to cause suffering and death in this world. But He is not one to torture His children. So He does the most loving thing He can do, He destroys them eternally. The Bible says, “he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time” (Nahum 1: 9).

Myths About Hell.

Myths About Hell – Publishing (adventistpublishing.org)

Interestingly, the Bible gives us explicit information on when hell would begin and where it would be located. As you might have guessed, misconceptions abound on these two points. In Matthew 13:49 Jesus speaks plainly saying, “So shall it be at the end of this world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”* According to this text and many others like it,(1) the flames of hell will not exist until the end of the world. That’s right! Your loved ones are not being burned alive as you read this tract.

Next, we see that the apostle Peter gives us clear information on where hell will be located. Speaking of the end of the world he says, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”(2) The prophet Zephaniah also speaks of, “the whole land,” being “devoured by the fire of His jealousy.”(3) Here we see that hell is not some giant chasm of flames in the center of the earth; rather, it will be located right here on earth at the end of the world devouring “the whole land.”

Perhaps the most important thing to understand about hell can be found in the famous text John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Here Jesus clearly states that it is the believers who are the ones that live eternally, not the wicked. What!? The wicked don’t live eternally writhing in flames? Correct!

The wicked are to burn only until there is nothing left to burn. Malachi brings this point out well: “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”(4) In fact, just so we could be sure that he was speaking literally about the utter destruction of the wicked he goes on to say, “’You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,’ says the Lord of hosts.”(4) Also, not only will the wicked be destroyed completely in the flames of hell but so will Satan and his wicked angels according to Matt. 25:41 and Rev. 20:10. Contrary to popular belief, God plans to destroy the forces of darkness, not put them in charge of an eternal fire pit in the center of the earth!




But some might say that there are other texts like Rev. 14:11 and 20:10 which point out that the wicked burn eternally. Well, the Bible also says that the prophet Samuel would abide before the Lord in the sanctuary forever,(5) and that the bars of the earth closed about Jonah forever(6) when he was thrown into the sea. Now it is clear from scripture itself that neither of these events lasted forever. What we see here are two examples of the Bible using the term, “forever” to mean a time of indefinite duration where the beginning and ending of that time depend on the nature of the person, circumstance, or thing to which it is applied. An example in our day which is similar is when a man and woman commit to their marriage vow forever. When they do so, the term “forever” simply means as “long as they live.” So how do we know how long “forever” is for those burning in hell? Simple: other passages on the topic explain that “forever” in this instance means until the wicked are utterly consumed. Context is key!

“The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.” Psalm 145:20

Saturday 6 January 2024

Insomnia.

 

I’ve had trouble with insomnia for many years. I remember it starting when I would go to sleep at a normal time but within a half hour I would wake up with a jolt. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I would start reading or looking at my ipad.

I’ve looked this up online and they call this, Hypnic Jerks.

Hypnic jerks are involuntary muscle movement that can happen as you fall asleep.

·         Hypnic jerks are painless but can accompany other sensations like dreams, hallucinations, or sounds.

·         Researchers theorize that nerves in the brainstem trigger the startling reaction.

·         Caffeine, exercise before sleep, emotional stress, and sleep deprivation can increase your risk of hypnic jerks.

Hypnic Jerks: Why You Twitch When You Sleep | Sleep Foundation

 

Another doctor writes that experts don’t know the exact cause of sleep starts, but what seems to be happening is that there’s a neurological tussle between the brain systems that keep you awake and the ones that encourage you to fall asleep.

Why Do I Jerk Awake Right As I’m Falling Asleep? (thecut.com)

 

But I thought the cause was something different. I had tried giving up caffeine and staying off my tablet to no avail. I thought it might be because my grandson had died and I was fearful of what may happen next to my family.

Two weeks ago, I talked with the Lord about this. I did feel convinced then that it was from a deep fear within me. I told God I knew I couldn’t do anything about that. I needed him to take that fear from me. So I laid my fear at his feet and asked for him to help me. He did do that. I have slept all night without the jerking awake and I have slept for 8 or 9 hours.

 My insomnia was so bad I used to stay up all night and finally flop on my bed in exhaustion. I didn’t like being up at night. It was hard to know what to do besides play video games and listen to podcasts. And since being awake during the day I am happier. I can think of more things to do and just generally feel better.

I want to thank God for this. I’m sure having such fear now in his hands is probably the reason I’m happier. Of course, this doesn’t mean I can just go gaily on ignoring the fear. I pray each night for him to take it. Most things in our life don’t just disappear, they come back over and over because they have become ingrained in our minds. Our battle as Christians is to not get discouraged at this, but to realize God understands our struggle and loves us.

 

Friday 29 December 2023

A Christmas Eve Miracle.

 

Christmas Eve I was at my daughter’s house with many members of my family. They started talking about a couple with two children. They were my son-in-law’s relatives. They had just been to visit them and were happy to see how that couple were relating to each other. “They were smiling at each other, holding hands and whispering in each other’s ears,” they said. I asked how the children were doing and they said they seemed happy.

For me, this was a miracle, because I had begun praying for them a few weeks before Christmas. I knew the children were troubled and I was worried about them. I asked God to be in their home and to help them. I saw this transformation as an evidence of God’s work. He always makes life better if people are open to him.

Last year, I started praying for two people who hosted the podcast, “Pivot.” The woman on the podcast said she didn’t understand it, but she had started having feelings about going to church. I was elated and thanked God for sending the Holy Spirit to encourage her to do this.

God has worked in many miraculous ways in my life and my family’s lives, but it is lovely when you see him work in people’s lives whom you don’t even know and live thousands of miles away.

Prayer is powerful because God is powerful. He is the King of the Universe yet left heaven and became a human baby in order to save us. He wants us in his family. He loves family, he created it.


Saturday 28 October 2023

“You’re Not a Christian if…” Fill in the Blank.

This is not Tim Keller, just a guy. Lol

Tim Keller is my favorite preacher, but I have heard him say many times that a person is not a Christian if he thinks, says or does… fill in the blank. This has always upset me but I overlooked it because everything else in his preaching is so deep, helpful and meaningful.

I heard him say it again last week. I listen to his old sermons on podcasts. Finally, I thought I should write my opinion on this. It’s just my opinion that I have come to through 53 years of being a believer in Jesus.

I was raised in a strict, evangelical, Bible believing religion. When I became a Christian at 19 years-old I thought the same way as Dr. Keller. If someone was smoking, drinking, partying etc. then they weren’t a Christian. They didn’t have a relationship with God. I was legalistic and judgmental.

I was also super critical of myself and felt guilty over the least little think I did wrong. I thought I could be perfectly like Jesus, but this didn’t happen. I was changed, the Lord changed me so much in wonderful ways, but I still felt hounded by guilt. I think it was because my church was horrified by any sin and never told us that if we messed up, which we would all the time, we were still okay with God and he would forgive us over and over.

It took years for me to understand the grace and forgiveness of God. I love how Jesus said, “If someone sins against you 7 times in one day and asks you to forgive, you must forgive him.” Well, God must feel the same about us and our sins.

One thing someone might say, “If you don’t love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself, then you are not a Christian.” I don’t believe that. I believe this is something to strive for through prayer. I myself have been through times when I have hated God, gotten mad at him, or questioned his goodness. I have doubts and fears all the time, yet I know I am a Christian.

Loving God is complicated. We think of love as a feeling, whereas it is an action or principle. I have had feelings of love and admiration for God many times, but this comes and goes. I want to love everyone as myself, but I don’t always do it. I pray for this teaching of Jesus to be in my heart every day and I should trust he can do it.

I know a Christian who hates people, so she says, yet she has done so much good for people she has met, people she doesn’t even know. She has been hurt by people since her childhood, so she has no trust. But the Bible says even Jesus didn’t trust people because he knew what was in their hearts.

Does she feel love for God, no, but she believes he is the God of the Universe and is all good. She says she never wants to make a decision without asking him because she has learned how she messes things up, but God doesn’t.

I think loving God and all people is something we must learn all our lives. It’s a long process called Sanctification. It is like Jesus said about our spiritual growth, “The earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head [of grain], then the mature grain in the head.  Mark 4:28 Crops don’t spring up overnight and we don’t become like Jesus overnight. We have a lot to learn.

I think I’ve learned more about God in the last ten years since I retired from babysitting my grandchildren. I had a lot of time to myself. God showed me some things about myself I didn’t know and wasn’t happy about. He also showed me how he is enough for me. I don’t need anyone or anything more than him. It’s not that it’s been all roses. I’ve gone through long illnesses and another death in my family. Also, recently some conflicts with my daughters that were not pleasant and I got angry and sinned against them by yelling. Didn’t know I had that in me either, to tell the truth. The Lord showed me my sin and I asked for forgiveness, but I’ll tell you I didn’t think it was that bad for two days! Yes, at 73 I am still a sinner for sure, yet Jesus loves me just as I am.

I remember when my mom lived with me, I could see God was teaching her things even though she was in her nineties! I thought, “Man, he never stops!” When she was in rehab for her hip operation, she was acting terrible, threatening people and refusing treatment. I was afraid she “wasn’t a real Christian” and would be lost. But God spoke to one of my daughters and said to her, “Call your mother now and tell her, her mother is going to be saved.” So, she did. She also said, “God sure is loud!” Lol Yes, I guess he can be sometimes. See, I was judging my mother while God was accepting and loving her.

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us we are saved, not by our works, but by our faith in Jesus’ death for us. I know in many churches, including my old one, you can’t get baptized until you stop sinning and sign a paper promising to keep all the teachings of the church. In the Bible, people were baptized right away. All they had to do is believe. We are so far away from that simple faith, and maybe some of the books of the New Testament even sound like we have to be so perfect. I don’t know, I just want to believe the simple things Jesus taught and not worry about my salvation and judge other people about their salvation. Jesus said we will know if teachers of the gospel are good by their fruits. I’m going to list the fruits of the Holy Spirit. These are words of love we should aspire to.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23, NIV

 

 

 


Thursday 7 September 2023

Don't Put God in A Box.

 



As I was writing this, it came to me I might have written about this subject before. My memory isn’t very good and my computer files are a mess because I know nothing about computers, so I can’t look it up. Nevertheless, I will post this anyway. Every time I read the Bible or listen to a good sermon I see more and understand more, so here it is:

I listened to a sermon by Tim Keller on Elijah the prophet. What he said was meaningful to me. He told us about the time Elijah was depressed and had run away from the king and queen of Israel. Queen Jezebel had threatened to kill him, so he ran and ran until exhausted, he came to a broom tree. He sat under it and asked God to take his life.

The day before this, Elijah had a contest with the pagan priests about who was the true God. They both built alters on top of a small mount and prayed for their gods to bring down fire. Only Elijah’s alter was set on fire from heaven. The people shouted, “The Lord, he is God.” Elijah left the mount and ran into the city with King Ahab. He was probably sure everything would now change for him, because previously the king and queen had been hunting for him to kill him.

But when Elijah heard the threat from Jezebel, he knew the demonstration of God’s power had not affected anything. He felt his work was a failure and it was over, but he was wrong. God had a lot more for him to do.

Twice, as Elijah lay there, an Angel of the Lord came and cooked warm bread and provided cool water for him. He said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” He did that and was given strength to walk in the wilderness for 40 days until he came to Mr. Horeb, which was known as the “Mountain of God.” It was the place God had met with Moses and the children of Israel.

So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

The LORD Speaks to Elijah at Horeb

There Elijah entered a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.

Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.”

And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.

After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a still, small voice. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”   1 Kings 19:8-13

“A Still Small Voice,” that was how the Lord was speaking with Elijah now, and perhaps that was how the Lord was speaking to the people of Israel now too. They had seen God’s great power in a fire from heaven, but now he would speak with them in their hearts. Pastor Keller said, “You can’t put God in a box.” He speaks to people in different ways all the time. He gives them dreams, visions, or just a small voice in our minds.

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”  Isaiah 30:21

I have put God in a box many times. I think he is going to do something one way when he does it in a completely different way. Sometimes that way is very painful, yet it gets the results I want. Not in a way I would ever choose; I wouldn’t allow anyone to suffer in any way. But that’s me, I’m human and weak. God knows beauty comes out of ashes. I accept that. I may not like it, but I accept it. Pain is most likely the only thing that will bring us to God and eternal life.

Has God spoken through whirlwinds, earthquakes and fire? Yes, he has, but at the right time he speaks to us through a warm meal and a kind word.

This is what the Lord did with Elijah. He told him what he wanted him to do next, that his work was not done yet. So, Elijah obeyed and eventually God took him to heaven without ever passing through death.

The Still Small Voice – Timothy Keller [Sermon] - YouTube

 

 


Thursday 24 August 2023

You Can't Bother God.

 


I am one of the least qualified people in the world to write about prayer. I’m not a Bible scholar or a great prayer warrior. I’m just me, an ordinary person. But because of the discussions between myself and my sister and because I keep coming across podcasts on prayer, I felt compelled to share a few thoughts.

When I was first a Christian, at age 19, I used to beg God for things. I felt fearful and out of control of certain people and things in my life, so I begged, which did not lead to peace of mind.

I realized later that Jesus didn’t pray that way. When he was distressed and frightened about dying on a cross and having the world’s sins on his heart, he asked God that if it was possible to please take it away. But he ended his prayers with, “Nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done.”

So, I quit begging and ended my prayers in the same way Jesus did. I had also learned, through trial and error, that God’s way was always the best way.  Because of the disastrous consequences of trying to answer my own prayers by my own ideas and efforts, I gave everything to him to decide. I thought I was done with begging.

Then last week, my sister had a chance to perhaps live in a motel instead of her van. She told me how much better she felt physically because she slept well. I told her I would pray for her to be able to move into the motel.

As soon as I started praying, I could feel my emotions rise with desperation for her. I wanted so much for her to get out of homelessness. Her life wasn’t horrible, she was staying in campgrounds, which were free because she is a war veteran, but still, I knew how cramped she was in that van.

I stopped myself from begging, but the thought came into my mind, “How can I twist God’s arm to let her be able to live in that motel?” Hmm, I was pretty horrified to hear my mind thinking that. I told my sister later and we had a good laugh. She wasn’t able to stay there. They couldn’t let people stay more than three weeks. My sister is fine with that. She trusts God.

The next day, I listened to Tim Keller speak about prayer. He believed since Jesus gave parables about people who “bothered” others, then we should not feel bad about bothering God about what we need or want. The first parable was about a man who needed bread for visitors who had come to his house unexpectedly. He didn’t have enough food, so he went to his friend’s house at midnight knocking on the door. He woke the friend up who responded, “Don’t bother me. We are all in bed!” But the man wouldn’t give up and kept knocking until his friend got up and gave him food.

The second parable was about a widow who had been cheated out of her money. She kept going back to the same judge over and over to get justice. The judge didn’t care about the widow but he finally said to himself, “This woman is going to wear me out. I might as well give her what she wants.”

Jesus said the parables meant not to give up when you are praying. You can bring your concerns to him over and over again. You can’t bother God.

I do have some prayers I pray every single day. Those are the prayers for my family and other people. I know these prayers make a difference. I know God looks after these people because I ask.

There is a way to pray I’ve learned lately that I really like. I listen to audio Bible and as she reads the verses, I pray along. If the Bible says, “Praise the Lord,” I pray it. If it says, “Obey God,” I say, “Help me to obey you.” If it says, “The Lord is a shield around me, he is my glory and the lifter of my head.” I repeat the verse. It’s an easy and lovely way to pray, using God’s own words.

The last thing I will share is I often pray the Lord’s Prayer. Because it starts with, “Our Father… I pray it for me and my family.

 

 

 

Tuesday 8 August 2023

Do You Trust People?

 


Statue de Jésus assis au milieu de deux enfants, en Virginie
https://pixabay.com/fr/users/ariyandhamma-5933786/

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.”  John 2:23-25

Jesus knew better than to trust in man because he knew what their hearts were like. We don’t, and some or most of us tend towards trust. We go to friends and family members for comfort and understanding, and many times we are treated coldly, told of our faults and misunderstood. Sometimes our search for comfort cuts deeper than the scars we already have, leaving us devastated.

We must not let this treatment lead us into despair. We must realize how people are wired. They are not wired to be our therapist. They are not strong enough for us to lean on. They are not wise like Solomon. They are just human beings encumbered by their past, their hang-ups and prejudices.

Lately, I’ve felt really sad and discouraged, mainly because of my fibromyalgia. I’ve been quite sick and weak and I am tired of feeling sick and weak. I’ve been ill for almost 30 years. I’m tired of my mental illness, which I’ve had for the same amount of time. I’m tired of my loneliness, and feelings of inadequacy.

There are other problems I have and I sometimes feel a great need for comfort from someone. But the ones I love so much are going through hard times too, and as I have learned about marriage these years, I cannot expect from people what I feel I need so desperately. I told the Lord, “I know I can only receive true comfort and strength from you. You always come through for me, every time. Help me to stop trying to find this great comfort anywhere else but in your arms.”

Expectations of others is a poison. It can turn your heart from them and they wouldn’t even know why. They are not here to fulfill my needs. They are not here to read my mind and try to make me feel good. My family has had a lot of pain and it’s hard to help each other when we are all so damaged. We are also a happy family. We laugh all the time, but there is in all of us an undercurrent of darkness or a sort of flatness since we lost my two grandsons. It is described in the Bible as having lost the light in one’s eyes.

When Job lost all ten of his children, three of his friends came to console him, but they only made him feel worse. They told him God would not let something like this happen to a man who was a believer. They told him he must have sinned.

Job said, “I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all.

Is there no end to your long-winded speeches?

What provokes you to continue testifying?

I could also speak like you

if you were in my place;

I could heap up words against you

and shake my head at you.

But I would encourage you with my mouth,

and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.”   Job 16:1-5

 

When David was in trouble with King Saul, and his friends turned against him, he wrote,

“For it is not an enemy who insults me;

that I could endure.

It is not a foe who rises against me;

from him I could hide.

But it is you, a man like myself,

my companion and close friend.

We shared sweet fellowship together;

we walked with the crowd into the house of God.”

Psalm 55:12-14

 

These things are very painful and as believers in God we have to deal with these experiences with the love of Jesus. He loved his disciples even when they continually misunderstood him and then deserted him. He didn’t give up on them. He did rebuke them but also forgave them and wanted them to keep following him. He is our perfect example. He will take us by our right hand and lead us forward on the everlasting path to himself.

 

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Matthew 5:3,4

 

“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, then we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.  2 Corinthians 1:4         

 

“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.”  2 Corinthians 7:6,7

 

Though You have shown me many troubles and misfortunes,

You will revive me once again.

Even from the depths of the earth

You will bring me back up.

You will increase my honor

and comfort me once again.”   Psalm 71:20,21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday 10 June 2023

Do I Have to?

 


We human beings don’t like being told what to do. From the age of 2 to the time of a one’s death, we want to make our own decisions, make our own way in the world. I remember when I was in my early 40s, my husband and I recycled cardboard and bottles. Then the city passed a law to force all of us to recycle. To my shame I thought, “Well, since they are forcing me to do it, now I don’t want to.”

All through our childhood, we were forced to do many things we didn’t want to do. I did not want to go to school. I was afraid of everyone there. I did not want to go to bed so early. I didn’t want to miss some shows on TV. I did not want to go to church. It was excruciatingly boring and there was no air conditioning. We lived in Southern California. We had fans with Jesus’ picture on them, but it didn’t help much.

When I was a teen, I couldn’t go to dances. The church said it was dangerous because you hold each other. I couldn’t date until I was 16. I wanted to date at 15. I STILL had to go to school after years of agony, so I took some sleeping pills. Not enough. I got my wish for one year. I had a government teacher in my home and got straight A’s. But the next year, they sent me back to school again. After acting in crazy ways, my parents sent me to live with relatives in Canada. No more school, thank you God.

Those relatives had rules though, and I wanted no rules. I wanted to be with my boyfriend, drink and have sex. So yeah, I got pregnant and the two families berated me until I married him. But to tell the truth, I ended up being glad because I loved my baby daughter and my husband too. We had a second daughter, but our marriage ended in divorce, which was horribly painful.

So to summarize, I would say from my experience with my daughters and other people in my family no one wants to be told what to do. In general, the controversy over masks, vaccines, guns, and sexual identity, no one in the world wants to be ordered around by anyone, even if it is good for you.

I’ve been wondering if that is why many people balk at the idea of God telling them what to do. Perhaps it is the main reason they don’t want to accept him, walk with him or pray to him. It’s our pride in ourselves and our independence we don’t want to lose.

I have found, through trial and error, that God’s way is always best for me. I was dating a man, the first since my divorce, he wanted to marry me and I wanted to marry him. I had been so achingly lonely before I met him. He seemed very nice and he liked my girls. One night, I asked God if it was okay if I married him. I heard God speak to me, which was a surprise, he said, “What agreement has God with Satan?” That verse is in the Bible. Did I listen to God? No, I didn’t. I kept dating him until something awful happened.

One night I was sleeping at his place, and when we were having sex, he started to hurt me. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t. The next day when we were with my girls, he looked at my oldest daughter and said, “She’s going to be a real looker.” I saw how he looked at her and knew that he was a pervert. I was horrified and broke off with him. I told God I was never going to look for a boyfriend or husband again. If he wanted me to be with someone, he would have to send him to me.

That’s how it worked out that two weeks later, I met my second husband, who was a believer in God and he still is. He had way more faith in God than I ever did and still does. We went through hard times, but I’m very glad I married him.

I said to someone once, “God isn’t asking a lot from us. The Ten Commandments are not that hard! The first four are about worshipping God as creator of the universe. The last six are: “Be respectful to your parents, don’t murder, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t sleep around on your partner, don’t be envious of what others have.

Are those things you want to do? Do you want to murder etc.? Of course, we are all tempted to do some or all of these things. That’s where the first four commandments come in. If we worship God and tell him we want to do good things, then he will put that in our hearts and his goodness covers us. The temptations won’t be so overwhelming. Still, some of us have sins that come into our minds a lot, some of us give in to sins a lot. But God says, “Though a righteous man falls down seven times, he will rise up. The wicked man falls down once.” God lifts us up time and again as we stumble through this life on this sinful, dark planet. He knows what we face for he has lived here himself. He was also tempted to do wrong – he just never did.

I have a temptation that comes to me a few times a month, but I say to God, “Lord, I don’t want to think about that.” And then I don’t. He has shown me to just think about something else the moment the temptation comes. Not that I am perfect, far from it, but as Paul says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:

“For Your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39

Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.

Mark 8:36-38