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Post by Cindy on Nov 24, 2021 11:51:23 GMT -5
I wasn't sure what to call this study, but hopefully this title will work.
Society and our parents, friends, relatives, teachers, the media, and even some pastors and our enemies want us to believe that we should be happy, have plenty of money, and be healthy. They tell us this is our right and we should expect it. Of course, we tend to believe this, as we're constantly being told this in one way or another. Everyone seems to think this is completely true. Imagine my shock when I discovered that there was one person who believes this is false, and that person is God!
I can hear the people shouting now that of course God wants them to be happy, how could I possibly say differently, after all, He loves us! Well, that's a half truth. God warns us that He doesn't think the same way we do. ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9) Our minds have been corrupted by evil because of the sin of Adam and Eve. The only way we can know the real truth is to first have the Holy Spirit within us, which happens at our salvation, and second, to look in the Bible and see what it says, because that is the one and only place that has the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Back to God loving us, which of course He does. But God is also our Father, and good Father's make sure their children learn what they need in order to live a good, responsible life as adults. Children do not like being told "no" and they do not like being disciplined when they have disobeyed. We are God's children once we are saved and those things are true of us as well. It's not that God doesn't want us to be happy, it's just that He is more concerned that we become more and more like Jesus, then anything else.
There's another problem too. When times are good, we tend to relax and we don't learn much or grow very much during the good times. So God has to give us hard times, and trials in order to get us to grow in our faith, and to separate the wheat (the truly saved) from the chaff (unsaved). Because we all want to have an easy, happy life, we tend to focus on anything in the Bible that sounds good and forget about all the other scriptures. Scriptures like, “....“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.” (Acts 14:22) and
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.” (Hebrews 12:7–8) and “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10) and many, many others. In other words, God is telling us that this life will not be easy, especially for those who are really saved. I know, that's the opposite of what we've always thought and even at times been taught. But it's the truth. Jesus never said this life would be easy. In fact, instead He said we would have many trials. ““These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”” (John 16:33) See, the peace we have is not in an easy life, but in Jesus who overcame this world. This world is ruled by Satan, but we are ruled by God because we belong to Him.
There is good news in all of this. We can find comfort, love, joy, and peace when we gather together each Sunday with other Christians. And we can find a very special love and joy if we marry someone who is truly saved and loves God first and us second. However, if we marry an unbeliever, or someone who says they're saved but doesn't live like it, we will have made more trials for our self. Most of all, God tells us that no matter how difficult this life is, our real life for all of eternity will be so amazing and good that we can't even begin to understand it or imagine it. Then there will be no sin, no sorrow, no pain, no sickness, no decay, and no death ever again. That's what we're living for now. On top of that, even though He doesn't have to and doesn't owe us anything, He stores up rewards for us in Heaven when we obey Him in this life. (when we disobey Him we can lose those rewards though). That's one reason He tells us to store up treasure in Heaven and not worry about storing up treasure here.
Whenever I begin thinking that life isn't fair, it brings to mind two things from the Bible right away. First a scripture from a psalm that tells us not to get upset when evil people seem to have an easy life and we don't. The whole psalm is about this and tells us that God may allow evil people to seem like they are getting away with evil and living the good life, only because He knows that they will be going to Hell for eternity, so He allows them to have some good in this life as it's the ONLY good they'll ever get. (Psalm 37:1–2) That is a very sobering thought indeed! Because our future is the opposite of theirs. we may have bad in this life, but eternity will be all good for us!
The second thing that comes to my mind is the book of Job. It's probably the oldest book in the whole Bible as it took place either before or during the time of Abraham. We will talk more about Job later though. There are actually a great many people in the Bible who had a very hard life even though they were saved. In fact, I have a hard time thinking of any who didn't have a hard life. We will talk about some of these people later too. I hope this gives us all a little bit to think on and talk to the Lord about until tomorrow.... Speaking of tomorrow though, it's Thanksgiving so we can meet back here on Friday if you want to take tomorrow off.
 
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
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Post by fearnot on Nov 24, 2021 13:34:35 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy!
I really appreciated this part that you wrote
( well actually all of it...but )
"God may allow evil people to seem like they are getting away with evil and living the good life,
only because He knows that they will be going to Hell for eternity,
so He allows them to have some good in this life as it's the ONLY good they'll ever get.
(Psalm 37:1–2)
That is a very sobering thought indeed!
Because our future is the opposite of theirs.
we may have bad in this life,
but eternity will be all good for us"!
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Post by evafromgreece on Nov 24, 2021 17:48:48 GMT -5
Oh you celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving.
I was thinking of Job. I remember when I first studied Job and we had studied it in the past together as I remember. Job had strong faith. He didn't lose his faith no matter what... Then let's say... I compare myself to this. Not even close to this kind of faith. I can easily have doubts... I am trying to find the biblical answers to this. As for the knowledge and rewards sometimes it's possible to say " enough with this. It's OK as long as I don't pain..."
So what can we do?
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Nov 25, 2021 0:35:48 GMT -5
Eva, I understand doubts,
especially when it's coupled with all types of pain....
( mental, emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual.
I think that's why God started the Bible with Genesis.
We need to know, there is a universal problem ( sin).
However, another question is, is the Bible, truly from God, the Creator, or is it a mix of myths, fairy tales, some history, poetry, with some good thoughts and some crazy ones?
If, the Bible is infallible
(which I think we three agree, it is),
then you are right,
in wanting to find Biblical answers to pain, evil, hurts, etc. in God's Word.
What is interesting is all 3 of us,
have had our share of all types of pains
( of course, this is true for most people, but it does 'seem' like some folks, avoid a lot of it).
I think another thing even Christians sometimes wonder about, is why doesn't God...just fix it?
But God is not my servant, he is not a genii in a bottle, to do my will, exactly how I say, and when I demand it.
There was a time, when I just wished God would make everybody loving, kind, compassionate, forgiving, etc.
Of course, God could have done that....
but love has to be a choice,
if it is not chosen,
we would be a type of robot, an kind of AI.
Also, we know in the secular world, if one wants to be an athlete...we would have to stretch the body often to the point of pain, in order for it to grow stronger and stronger.
I think that is true in all aspects of our lives.
Nobody much likes pain, and yet, it can actually have some benefits.
When we are have a wonderful easy time,
we tend to ignore God, the Bible etc. less and less.
So we have not hid God's word in our heart:
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you
Psalms 119:11
So in times of sorrow
we can say this:
This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word
has revived me
Psalms 119:50
When we are hurting, we are more apt to turn to God.
Sometime, I think God allows some pain in our lives, to get our attention...so He can do this:
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3
and
“Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted
Matthew 5:4
I feel certain Cindy will have some thoughts
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Post by Cindy on Nov 26, 2021 11:21:00 GMT -5
Amen Barbara, good post! Eva, when we have doubts, it tells us that we don't know the Lord well enough. Because if we did, we wouldn't doubt anything! So what's the answer to doubts? There are actually two answers, and both are important. The first one is that if we don't know Jesus well enough, then we need to get to know Him better. The only way we can do that is through prayer and reading the Bible with Him, asking Him questions about it and seeing what His answers are. Jesus Himself tells us ““All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27) And “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”” (John 14:6–7) And “Jesus answered: “...Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father....” (John 14:9) I didn't post the entire verse on that last one, only the part that was most important to this. In other words, Jesus and the Father are not only literally One God (along with the Holy Spirit) but if we get to know Jesus, then we will also know the Father, because they are one and the same. As I said, we do that through much prayer and reading the Bible every day.
The second thing we need to do in order to overcome our doubts is to make a final decision. We must decide once and for all time whether or not we believe that everything the bible says is 100% True; that we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave for our justification; that He is God and can and will keep all of His promises to us. We must decide to believe that if we don't understand why something has happened to us, that we can ask God (as long as we are not accusing Him of doing something we think He shouldn't have) and then read His Word to get His answer; realizing that sometimes we may not get the answer right away and sometimes we won't get one at all. God is not obliged to give us any answers about anything. After all, He is God and we are not. The fact that He does give them at times is amazing! But all of these things are simply decisions. They are not feelings.
For example: You set your alarm clock to get you up so you can go to work. But at times you don't want to go to work. You don't feel like it. But you still turn off the alarm, and get up and go to work anyway, because you have decided that if you don't work, you won't have food to eat or a place to live. You decided that you must work, so you do. Deciding to believe God and His Word about everything it says is no different. We must believe that Jesus loves us and wants what is best for us; that He is God and has the power to take care of us; and that He can save us from our sins; and that no matter what happens to us, we can know that He will somehow, at sometime use it for our good. Then when something bad happens to us that we don't understand, we can simply remind ourselves that it doesn't matter, because we choose to believe God and His Word, no matter what. The entire book of Job shows this. Job had many doubts, and in the end God never answered his questions but instead informed Job that he had no right to question Him as though He had somehow done wrong.
God is never wrong, but people are. God is never unfair, but people are. God is never mean, but people are. God is never cruel, but people are. We live in a very broken and sick world. Jesus warns us that we will go through many, many hard times and that bad things will happen to us. He doesn't want us to be surprised about that. That is normal for everyone, but especially for Christians.
There's actually a third thing that can help with our doubts. That is understanding just how very sinful we really are; knowing how evil we are. Because once we realize that, when we truly understand how filthy and evil we are, we are amazed that God would even look at us, much less save us; that He would choose to do anything kind for us, rather than just putting us all in Hell right now, because that is all you, and I and Barbara, and every human being on this earth has ever or will ever deserve. We do not deserve His love, His peace, His kindness, His salvation, or anything else. So when bad things happen, those are the things we deserve, although God isn't making them happen to us. The way we come to realize this is again by spending a lot of time in prayer and reading the Bible, doing both every single day. People often say they don't have time for those things, or at least not much time for them. But I say you don't have time to not do them! We can talk more about this next week. But to help you understand how sinful we are, I'll also copy a list of sins here for you. This does not list every single sin, but just a very few of them. But it will give you a little idea of what sin is.
First, pray: "Lord, show me anything in me that's not right in Your eyes so I can confess it before You, because I choose to live Your way. Reveal to me thoughts, attitudes, and habits of my heart that aren't pleasing to You. Show me what I've done, am doing, or am about to do, that doesn't glorify You. I want to see anything in me that violates Your high standards for my life so I can confess it, turn away from it, & be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Amen" The following list is very long, but it's wise to read every word. it is a list of different sins and different ways the Bible defines sin. I wrote this for myself but others can use it. Hopefully it will convict you as it does me. it's a good idea to read it several times a year or even once a month, or as often as we need to in order to remember it all. It shows us a little of how wicked we are and that we can never possibly "be good enough" for God on our own. God is perfect and we are far from perfect. Only with God's help can we obey Him and overcome the sin in our life. “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;” (Romans 3:10)
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)
SINS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
If we permit anything into our lives that cannot be associated with the name of Jesus, then we are sinning. We must do and say everything on the authority of His name and for the honor of His name.
PRIDE,
Bragging
stubbornness
ingratitude;
Being judgmental,
self righteousness,
self savior or trying to save others or self instead of Jesus doing it; thinking you're the only one who can do the job....
self centered instead of God centered & others centered;
self justification (vindicating myself);
being self reliant;
being self indulgent;
being self serving;
being self seeking;
self-interest-putting myself, my needs & wants, before others
self sufficiency,
self pity
selfishness;
self realization—my claim to my right to myself, I am my own god. (note on Rom 5:12). fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one’s character or personality. My claim to my right to live my life the way I want to.
any way of thinking/speaking as though He doesn't have the right to do whatever He wants to with me and my life;
conceit;
Complaining, grumbling.
Criticism
discontent
jealousy; envy;
greed; wanting more;
living beyond my means; (living on credit)
not being content with what I have;
manipulating people/situations to get my way,
arrogance;
worry; anxiety;
being fearful
depression;
vanity;
putting others down;
slandering someone
gossiping,
keeping a list of how I've been wronged; (in my mind- in other words, not "forgettiing" the way God does by taking those thoughts captive)
being vengeful or thinking vengeful thoughts;
holding a grudge;
being resentful;
bitterness;
unforgivness;
not responding to others in love when upset or angry;
helping but only "some" instead of sacrificially as He tells us to;
abortion;
murder; killing someones hopes or dreams as well as literal murder.
hateful thoughts toward others or self;
not seeking forgiveness from those I've wronged or hurt;
being unwilling to admit my sin against someone else and against God;
swearing, cursing, James 3:10; Colossians 3:8.
crude jokes, words, or behavior; even in teasing (Ephes 4:29; Ephes 5:4 );
Lying for any reason;
being rude or disrespectful;
impatient;
Worldliness ;
Boasting
not submitting to my husband; or father if you live at home; or your boss at work or teacher at school, etc.
not submitting to those in authority;
not obeying the law;
not obeying immediately;
not studying the Bible every day with Him;
not praying; not staying in constant communion with Him;
putting anything or anyone including self before God and His Word;
not reflecting on His Word during the day;
not taking my "bad" thoughts captive and replacing them with His Truth;
not seeking the Lord first
not trusting the Lord;
rebellion;
causing another to sin or to continue in it by something I've done or said or not done or said; even if it wasn't a sin for me;
immodest in word, deed, or dress;
sexual sins of thought, word or deed;
blaming God;
not remembering all He's done for me;
not seeing Him in His creation;
dabbling in the occult, witchcraft, new age, astrology, horoscopes, eastern religions etc.;
not paying my debts, including taxes
not being a good steward of the money/things God's given me;
not speaking the Truth in love when a loved one is living in sin;
not witnessing when the opportunity is there;
not learning to defend the faith and rightly divide God's Word;
not giving to further God's Kingdom (giving of money, time, possessions, talents, etc);
Not giving joyfully & sacrificially - without thinking of the cost to me
forgetting God's my provision and not my job;
forgetting that God gave me my talents, intellect etc; I've nothing to brag about that He didn't give me;
being lazy;
not taking care of my family; (emotionally, physically, materially, and spiritually)
not honoring my parents
not showing honor to others, especially those in authority like the government
doing anything that others might think is a sin even if it's not;
being doubleminded:
trusting/not trusting; believing/doubting; accepting His love/pushing Him away....etc.
being prejudiced toward anyone for any reason.
idolatry; thinking anything about God that's not true &/or putting anything or anyone above Him or before Him in my life. It's trusting something or someone instead of only God. It's not what I say is "first" it's what my life, my actions say is first. How well do I know His Word? How much time do I spend with Him and in His Word daily, etc or do other things come before Him?
unbelief characterizes all sin
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Leprosy is an illustration of sin (Isa. 1:5–6). The instructions given to the priests in Leviticus 13 help us understand the nature of sin: Sin is deeper than the skin (Lev. 13:3); it spreads (Lev. 13:8); it defiles and isolates (Lev. 13:45–46); and it is fit only for the fire (Lev. 13:52, 57).
There are several definitions of sin in the Bible: Whatsoever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14:23.
The thought of foolishness is sin Prov. 24:9.
Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin James 4:17. All unrighteousness is sin 1 John 5:17.
John’s epistle defines sin as lawlessness 1 John 3:4.
It views sin as defilement 1 John 1:9–2:2
1 John 3:4–6 views it as defiance. The emphasis here isn't on sins (plural), but on sin (singular): Whosoever practices sin. Sins are the fruit, but sin is the root.
Sin is basically a matter of the will. For us to assert our will against God’s will is rebellion & rebellion is the root of sin. It's not simply that sin reveals itself in lawless behavior but that the very essence of sin is lawlessness. No matter what his outward action may be, a sinner’s inward attitude is one of rebellion and selfishness.
Rom 8:5 The root of sin is selfishness—“I will” and not “Thy will.”
Every sin—whatever it is—has pride at its root, because all sin is defiance of God. What could be more prideful than saying, “I won’t follow God’s standard”?
Sin is the deeply rooted tendency in all of us to live with self as the center of our lives rather than God. “The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God.” Sin isn't just doing bad things but also doing good things from a self-centered motivation.
there’s probably no better practical synonym for the concept of sin than selfishness.
“a sin,” consists in doing, saying, thinking, or imagining, anything that is not in perfect conformity with the mind & law of God.
Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, any law of God, given as a rule to the reasonable creature. (1 John 3:4, Gal. 3:10,12)
From: Jer 2:1–37 Sin is no triviality. It is something deep and dark and terrible. It is a betrayal of God’s love. It is spiritual adultery. There is a dynamic connection between sin and judgment. They are two sides of the same coin, two parts of a single process. Rebellion against the sovereign will of God will result in inevitable retribution. Idolatry is absurdity. It is leaving the true God of grace and glory for “gods” which have no real existence and can give no assistance. It is forsaking the fountain of fresh, ever-flowing, life-giving water to hew out, at great expenditure of energy and effort, cracked cisterns which can hold no water. It leads to a tragic fragmentation and disintegration of life. While men, in their folly, are seeking substitutes for the God they have left, as they must and do—whether pleasure, possessions, position, power, education, scientism, formalism in religion, or something else—God is like a lovely fountain at the head of a valley, amid flowers, shrubs, and trees. The way to the fountain is open. There is no charge of admission. The water is sufficient, and it satisfies. The invitation is extended: “Come, every one who thirsts, come to the waters!” (cf. Isa 55:1; Rev. 22:17).
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Nov 26, 2021 11:49:39 GMT -5
That was excellent Cindy....I am going to copy the list and save it.
I also liked ( well everything you wrote0
but this:
God is never wrong, but people are.
God is never unfair, but people are.
God is never mean, but people are.
God is never cruel, but people are.
We live in a very broken and sick world.
Jesus warns us that we will go through many, many hard times and that bad things will happen to us.
He doesn't want us to be surprised about that.
That is normal for everyone,
but especially for Christians.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Nov 27, 2021 14:07:13 GMT -5
I think the devil has worked long and hard, to convict everyone,
that not only is the Bible a mix of fairy tales, myths, etc.
It most certainly is silly in explaining the universe and life
and thus cannot be relied upon for much of anything.
There are only 2 options:
In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
or
the so called intellectual 'Science' version
goes something like this:
Billions of years ago,
around 13.8 billion
(give or take some time)
the universe began as a super tiny,
unbelievably hot , dense point called a singularity.
This singularity as the 'scientific story goes:
contained all the mass and energy
that by the big bang would become everything.
Mind you, this 'science version is a 'story',
that is neither testable, nor repeatable,
and has many many problems which I won't list here.
The other issue the devil worked long and hard on,
was to get people to believe, was how life evolved
instead of:
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.”
And it was so
Genesis 1:24
or what the so superior man made science god says:
A science story being the primordial soup
and with the luck of a comic accident,
which was haphazard and arbitrary,
and random chance...
Add a dash of sun,
a pinch of some meteorites
and from dust and dead minerals etc.
ta-dah life!
Which goes against the law of biogenesis
which states:
Life always comes from life
Then there is also the fact that
knowledge ts needed to make living entities:
'information' that makes up any living being,
is stored on a long molecule called DNA
A so called simple cell, is way way way more complex
than what people originally thought
( I saw a video of a cell by secular scientists)
and it looked like a whole universe inside a single cell.
Plus there is the issue of irreducible complexity
without being present in its complex form
the living organism would not survive.
There are many other issues...
but having delved into both
the secular 'god' of science'
and
creation science
( made of up super brilliant scientists
who are almost all young earth creationists)
I am convicted of the Bible
which starts with:
In the beginning,
God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
I think Satan has worked on this very first verse
and tried to plant doubts with his god...science
which he uses to plant doubts..
by which Satan always says:
He said to the woman,
Did God actually say....
Genesis 3:1
The enemy worked right
from the beginning
to plant doubt....
The incredible complexity of the human body and brain....
makes the soup theory of how life began,
difficult to swallow!
I am firm in the truth of what God says
we are so far beyond random chance making us,
(even given billions and billions of years) :
Rather
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:14
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Post by evafromgreece on Nov 27, 2021 17:01:16 GMT -5
Hello guys.
Thank you for your answers. I will come back tomorrow and reply to you. These past 3 days I was at work for 11 hours because of black Friday ... (We have black Friday these past years in Greece these past years....🙄🙄🙄)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Nov 27, 2021 18:46:20 GMT -5
I did not know you had black Fri in Greece, we have it here in the Us. I don't know if they line up in your country hours and hours before the stores open
( and all the stores open way earlier than they normally do)
But I guess sometimes people even kind of camp out.
And then, sometimes people even 'fight' over the products.
I never went to a black Fri sale....even the name is kind of creepy ( as in an almost spiritual darkness, love of the world and money and if waiting for some unhappy folks to push, grab) etc.
The thing is, there are in fact, some awesome sales...but...um...no thanks.
What kind of store do you work at?
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Post by evafromgreece on Nov 28, 2021 14:52:21 GMT -5
Eva, I understand doubts,
especially when it's coupled with all types of pain....
( mental, emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual.
I think that's why God started the Bible with Genesis.
We need to know, there is a universal problem ( sin).
However, another question is, is the Bible, truly from God, the Creator, or is it a mix of myths, fairy tales, some history, poetry, with some good thoughts and some crazy ones?
If, the Bible is infallible
(which I think we three agree, it is),
then you are right,
in wanting to find Biblical answers to pain, evil, hurts, etc. in God's Word.
What is interesting is all 3 of us,
have had our share of all types of pains
( of course, this is true for most people, but it does 'seem' like some folks, avoid a lot of it).
I think another thing even Christians sometimes wonder about, is why doesn't God...just fix it?
But God is not my servant, he is not a genii in a bottle, to do my will, exactly how I say, and when I demand it.
There was a time, when I just wished God would make everybody loving, kind, compassionate, forgiving, etc.
Of course, God could have done that....
but love has to be a choice,
if it is not chosen,
we would be a type of robot, an kind of AI.
Also, we know in the secular world, if one wants to be an athlete...we would have to stretch the body often to the point of pain, in order for it to grow stronger and stronger.
I think that is true in all aspects of our lives.
Nobody much likes pain, and yet, it can actually have some benefits.
When we are have a wonderful easy time,
we tend to ignore God, the Bible etc. less and less.
So we have not hid God's word in our heart:
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you
Psalms 119:11
So in times of sorrow
we can say this:
This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word
has revived me
Psalms 119:50
When we are hurting, we are more apt to turn to God.
Sometime, I think God allows some pain in our lives, to get our attention...so He can do this:
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3
and
“Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted
Matthew 5:4
I feel certain Cindy will have some thoughts
I remember there was a Psalm that it was saying that the wicked prosper and have an easy life on earth, and the writer was wondering why he was going through trials and his enemies mock him. But I don’t remember which Psalm was. But I will search for it. I am sure that this prosperity of the unbelievers is temporary and with things that don’t actually matter and fill the soul. But in fact it’s easy to feel tired while you wait and believe that God will heal you. |
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Post by evafromgreece on Nov 28, 2021 15:19:54 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy for reminding me the above about the definition of sin.
One thing that I believe I should start practising every day again is to take my thoughts captive and replace them with Gods truth. I remember we used to have a thread on this. I want to have again a look at it . I will search for it, but in case you have the link please post it here 😊
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Post by evafromgreece on Nov 28, 2021 15:23:28 GMT -5
I did not know you had black Fri in Greece, we have it here in the Us. I don't know if they line up in your country hours and hours before the stores open
( and all the stores open way earlier than they normally do)
But I guess sometimes people even kind of camp out.
And then, sometimes people even 'fight' over the products.
I never went to a black Fri sale....even the name is kind of creepy ( as in an almost spiritual darkness, love of the world and money and if waiting for some unhappy folks to push, grab) etc.
The thing is, there are in fact, some awesome sales...but...um...no thanks.
What kind of store do you work at?
Yes there is, but it does not seem like US Black Friday. No people fighting and running or sleeping out of stores. The prices are not that low either. I am in a technology store like the past years , but in a different company these past 2 years |
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Post by Cindy on Nov 29, 2021 10:36:25 GMT -5
Thank you Cindy for reminding me the above about the definition of sin. One thing that I believe I should start practising every day again is to take my thoughts captive and replace them with Gods truth. I remember we used to have a thread on this. I want to have again a look at it . I will search for it, but in case you have the link please post it here 😊
fresh-hope.com/thread/2092/stress-worry-fear-etc-christian
I'm sad to hear that you stopped taking your thoughts captive and replacing them with the Truth, since that's something God commands everyone to do. I recently discovered that Barbara misunderstood a lot about this too, and therefore would like to remind you that EVERY thought we have, no matter what it is about, should agree with what the Bible says. If it does not, then we have to take it captive (stop thinking it) and replace it with the Truth from the Bible (start thinking the truth). Of course, no one can do that very well if they don't know what the Bible says. Therefore we must also obey our Lord's command to read the Bible every day and apply what we read to our life.
I have some books that I think might help you a lot if they are available in Greek. I'll give you the titles and authors and you can see if you can find them in your language:
Godforsaken: Bad Things Happen. Is There a God Who Cares? Yes. Here’s Proof. By Dinesh D’Souza
This book has three purposes. First, to answer the atheist argument that evil and suffering in the world somehow contradict the idea of a God who is both omnipotent and good. Second, to convince both unbelievers and believers that there is reason and purpose for evil and suffering, that even these bad things have their place in God’s great providence. Third, to specifically address Christians who are suffering.
The Power of Suffering. by John MacArthur
If there are confusing thoughts and misplaced expectations among believers concerning persecutions, there is also much misunderstanding concerning the more general role of trials, sufferings, and troubles in the Christian life. We tend to forget even the basic fact that all people live in a fallen world—we are sinful creatures living in a corrupt, sin-cursed society. Believers should not be surprised, perplexed, or resentful when they encounter difficulties throughout this life.
God Is There in the Tough Times. by Edward E Hindson
This book is written to encourage fellow travelers on the rough road of life. The longer you travel life’s highway the more you will realize that life is a journey of faith. ...
No matter how much personal preparation you have made for the journey there will be obstacles ahead about which you never dreamed. Problems will have to be faced and decisions will have to be made. In every crisis of life there will be lessons to be learned and new growth to be attained. In every difficult circumstance you will be faced with the realities of life itself. At each new juncture you will have to decide the direction your life will take. At times there will be others to help you along. But sometimes you will find yourself traveling all alone. Do not despair, for when you need Him most God is there. He will share your heartaches, bear your burdens, and help you find the answers to your problems.
The Bumps Are What You Climb On: Encouragement for Difficult Days. By Warren W. Wiersbe
We are living in tough times, and everybody you meet is fighting a battle and searching for a bandage. That’s why the emphasis in this book is on encouragement. If there are bumps on your path, I hope that what you learn from these chapters will help you use those bumps to climb higher.
I just remembered the trouble we had with verses in your Bible being numbered differently from ours. So I plead with you, when I post a scripture, please, please please, read exactly what I post. Then if you want to look at it in your Bible, that's ok too. But if you don't read the scriptures I post in this thread, the way they are posted, you will lose the most important part of the posts. |
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Post by Cindy on Nov 29, 2021 11:14:15 GMT -5
I also found a devotional about this subject:
WHY SUFFERINGS AND TRIALS?
“For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward.” JOB 5:7
✧✧✧
Because they are sinners, still living in a sinful world, Christians should expect to encounter difficulties.
“It all depends on how you look at it.” That may be a cliché, but it is very applicable for believers as they deal with trials and sufferings. Any trial can be a joyous experience for a Christian if he looks at it from the proper, biblical perspective. Or, as with Jonah (Jonah 4) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:1–14), trials can be frustrating times of self–pity if believers lose their focus on what God is doing.
For some of us, the first hurdle to overcome is the very notion that trials and sufferings will be a part of the Christian life. But Job 5:7 reminds us that trouble is inevitable. If we imagine an ideal world where everything is just right all the time for believers, we are setting ourselves up for profound disappointment. Jesus Himself tells us we must expect significant difficulties in our lives: “In the world you have tribulation” (John 16:33).
All of us, to a greater or lesser extent, need to be prepared for testings and tribulations. And these troubles will be different for each of us. For some, the trial might be a financial crisis, accompanied by the loss of personal savings or investments. For some, it could be the loss of employment, with the anxiety of not being able to find another job anytime soon. Perhaps for others, the severe trial will be a serious illness or injury in their family, a fatal car accident, or being devastated by a major crime like murder or burglary.
In God’s purpose and plan, trials and sufferings are real and should not catch us by surprise or leave us angry and perplexed. If we recognize the Lord’s sovereign role in all these things, we will be able to affirm these words from an old hymn:
Whate’er my God ordains is right:
Holy His will abideth;
I will be still whate’er He doth,
And follow where He guideth.
✧✧✧
Suggestions for Prayer: Ask God for wisdom to better understand and accept the truth that He is sovereign over all areas of life. ✧ Pray for a friend or family member who might be currently in the midst of a trial.
For Further Study: Read 1 Kings 19:1–14. Who and what did Elijah focus on more than God? ✧ What events from chapter 18 did the prophet quickly forget?
MacArthur, John, Strength for Today
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Nov 29, 2021 14:38:54 GMT -5
All those books look great Cindy....I will see if I can get them for my kindle.
I was thinking that in the secular nonbeliever's world,
suffering is painful,
and 'pointless'....
especially, when forced on us, by other people,
circumstances beyond our control, etc.
And yet, if we are an athlete, dancer, into marshal arts etc. etc.
we volunteer and enforce physical pain on ourselves, in order to grow strong.
I know I still struggle with pain and its purpose.
I would rather have a happy, pain free life...
Nevertheless, I know people who really 'seem' to have very little troubles,
and many of them are very superficial...
because they have no depth,
They are vacuous, because all they know is fluff and fun...
they don't have much ( if any) relationship with God....
they think they do not need to,
because they think, all is well, as far as they are concerned.
However, in this life right now...
God role is not to keep us, 'happy', pain free, etc.
Instead:
whoever says he abides in him ( Jesus)
ought to walk in the same way in which he walked
1 John 2:6
When we think about Our Lord and Savior,
Jesus did not deserve the pain and suffering of the Cross,
and paying for millions of souls.
So we cannot say, that God does not understand our pain and suffering.
We will never ever suffer to the degree Jesus did!
But this is not the only life we will live,
we are heading towards an eternal goal.
There actually will come a time when there will be no more pain sorrow and suffering.
" He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
Revelation 21:4
As we know, there is no escape to avoid pain in this life,
secular
or Christian
in fact, for the Christian there is this:
Paul said this:
strengthening the souls of the disciples,
encouraging them to continue in the faith,
and saying that through many tribulations
we must enter the kingdom of God
Acts 14:22
and
8 We are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed;
perplexed,
but not driven to despair;
9 persecuted,
but not forsaken;
struck down,
but not destroyed;
2 Corinthians 4:8,9
I certainly do not have these verses applied to my life perfectly....
but thankful,
I do in these days, have them applied more to my life,
in an ever growing degree.
I remember as a youth,
I would have been convicted
those verses should have been for me
as:
I am afflicted in every way,
so I am crushed;
perplexed,
and driven to despair;
persecuted,
and forsaken;
struck down,
and destroyed;
However, if I had only stopped with the total self-centeredness,
and really looked, at my life
I would have had to confess,
Jesus got me out of so so so many dangerous situations,
I got myself into...
I was never forsaken.
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Post by Cindy on Nov 30, 2021 11:23:29 GMT -5
Very true!
Here's an excerpt from one of the books I told you about:
Living Through Disappointments
Each of us must learn how to handle the disappointments of life. All of us know what it means to have our dreams shattered and our plans changed. Sometimes disappointment so crushes people that they are emotionally handicapped for life. And yet there are people who rise above the broken dreams and live in victory. In this meditation, I want to introduce you to a man who faced lifelong disappointment and yet triumphed over it all.
If ever a man experienced disappointments and personal tragedy, it was Jeremiah. He was called to serve God at a difficult time in history. And he was given a difficult message to proclaim, for God told him to warn the nation that judgment was coming and they had better repent. Jeremiah served the Lord faithfully for over forty years. He never compromised in his message or his loyalty. His family turned against him, and ultimately the entire nation turned against him. He lived to see his beloved nation overrun by the enemy, and his beloved city and temple completely destroyed.
If ever a man had a broken heart, it was Jeremiah. His book of prophecies bears witness to his burden, and the Book of Lamentations, which he also wrote, has tear stains on almost every verse. Imagine serving God faithfully for a lifetime and, in the end, seeing everything fall apart! Jeremiah could have died a bitter and broken man, but he did not. In the strength of the Lord he was able to face his disappointments and accept them.
I could point you to many statements in Jeremiah’s prophecy that indicate his courage and faith, but just one of them will meet the need in this message. It is found in Jeremiah 10:19: “Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.” That statement is, to me, one of the greatest declarations of faith and faithfulness found anywhere in the Bible. Let’s learn from the prophet Jeremiah how to face and conquer the disappointments of life.
The first truth he teaches us is this: expect disappointments. Life is not always going to be sunny and clear; there will be days—and perhaps weeks—when it will be stormy and dark. Some people have the idea that faithful Christians escape disappointments, but this is not true. God does not guarantee that we will never have a broken heart. God does not promise to take away our tears this side of heaven. As you read your Bible, and as you read Christian biography, you discover that the faithful saints of God have their share of disappointments.
Don’t you think godly Abraham was disappointed in the behavior of his nephew Lot? Wasn’t Joseph burdened at the selfish treatment he received from his brothers? The sins of the people of Israel broke the heart of Moses time after time, so much so that he even wanted to die! King David had great plans for his family, yet some of his sons were so sinful they almost wrecked the nation. As you read the letters of Paul, you learn that he too knew what it was to suffer disappointment and to have his own helpers in the ministry fail him and the Lord. The Lord never promised us an easy life, so expect disappointments.
Jeremiah did not try to fool himself into thinking everything was fine. “Woe is me for my hurt!” he wrote. “My wound is grievous.” He admitted that his heart was broken. He openly confessed that he had been wounded by those who should have caused him joy. Expect disappointment; it is one of the hard facts of life.
The prophet Jeremiah teaches us a second truth: our disappointments are in the hands of God. I am sure there were many times when the prophet thought he had been forsaken by God. Why wasn’t God answering his prayers? Why wasn’t the Word he was preaching bearing fruit and changing the nation? Was it really worth it all staying there and ministering to such hard-hearted people?
God knew what was happening, and God was ruling and overruling in Jeremiah’s life. God permitted His servant to suffer. God protected him when the king wanted to kill him, and God provided for him so he did not go hungry. God even knew how Jeremiah would die, and He did not prevent it. God was there whether or not Jeremiah saw Him or felt His presence.
The first lie that the enemy whispers to us when disappointment comes is that God has failed. Perhaps you have received a doctor’s report, and the report is not what you expected. You prayed, you read your Bible and claimed God’s promises, and still the disappointment came. Does this mean that God has failed? No, it does not. Does it mean that we have failed God? Not necessarily. Jeremiah was faithful to serve God even to the point of death, and yet he did not live to see his dreams for his people fulfilled.
Dr. A. T. Pierson used to say, “Disappointments are His appointments.” It takes faith to believe that and rest upon it, but it is true that God is still on the throne, and He is going to accomplish His wonderful purposes in our lives, if we will let Him. If we fight circumstances and become bitter, then God cannot accomplish in us and through us all that He has in mind. If we yield and trust Him to do what is best, then all things will work together for good.
Listen to Jeremiah’s declaration of faith as he faces the painful disappointments of life: “Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.” He did not blame God or other people; he did not try to “pass the buck”; he did not fight circumstances and try to change God’s mind. He accepted by faith the burden of his grief, and he trusted God to work out His perfect will. There is a basic law in this universe that says, “Fight the will of God and it will break you; accept the will of God and it will make you.” Which will you do?
We have learned two helpful truths about the disappointments of life: first, expect them; second, believe that God is working out a perfect plan. The third truth is this: yield to God’s will and let Him heal your broken heart and fulfill His desires. Jeremiah did not fight God, although there were times when he questioned God’s will. He did not try to get his own way. Instead Jeremiah yielded to the will of God and let God work out His perfect plan.
What was the result? The nation was taken captive and carried to Babylon. And Jeremiah was kidnapped and taken to Egypt by some fanatics, and there, according to tradition, he was stoned to death for preaching the truth. The story does not have a happy ending, but in the will of God, every ending is a happy one. God does not judge a man’s life by what the newspapers say. He judges righteously on the basis of what is eternal.
What did God accomplish in this tragic history? For one thing, God made a man who was very much like the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus was here on earth, He asked His disciples what people were saying about Him; and one of the answers was, “You are the prophet Jeremiah.” What a tremendous compliment, to be compared to the Lord Jesus Christ! When you read Jeremiah’s life, you can find many parallels between him and the Savior—and the thing that made him that way was his suffering. The very disappointments of life were the tools that carved Jeremiah and polished him and made him like Jesus Christ.
Isn’t that what disappointments are all about? God is working all things together for good, and part of that good (according to Romans 8:29) is that we might be conformed to the image of His Son—made more like the Lord Jesus Christ. The four men in the Old Testament who best picture Jesus Christ are men who suffered—Joseph, Moses, David, and Jeremiah. So, if you and I suffer, it is because God wants to polish us and make us like His own Son.
God builds character in the disappointments of life and He also gives a witness. In the midst of his disappointments, Jeremiah bore witness to the Lord and gave His message to the people. By his preaching and his living, Jeremiah pointed others to God. Disappointments are not only opportunities for maturity, but they are also opportunities for ministry. We today have the writings of Jeremiah for our own learning and living because the prophet was faithful to God. When you accept disappointments, trust God, and yield to Him, you leave something behind to help others in the battles of life.
“Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it,” wrote Jeremiah. He did not complain about it—he accepted his disappointments and let God use them for his good and for the glory of God.
Wiersbe, Warren W., The Bumps Are What You Climb On: Encouragement for Difficult Days
It's ironic, but most people think of Jesus as having a "normal life" up until He was arrested, but He didn't. He truly was what the prophet said He would be: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)
From the moment He was old enough to understand speech, He heard the gossip about Himself and His mother...that He was an illegitimate baby and she was an adulterer. MacArthur explains it on John 8:41: The Jews knew the story about Mary’s betrothal and that Joseph was not Jesus’ real father; thus they implied that Jesus’ birth was illegitimate (see Matt 1:18–25; Luke 1:26–38). Everyone in Joseph's family had to deal with that for their entire lives. In that society, it was a very BIG deal and prevented all of them from having any status in their society, where status was everything.
On top of that, from the time He was born, people tried to kill Him. First it was Herod who killed all the children two years old and under in order to hopefully kill Jesus. Next it was the Pharisees, then the Sadducees joined in and next the scribes and then Herod again joined in. The people of His hometown in Nazareth tried to kill Him (Luke 4:16-30) and so did the people of Capernaum where He had set up His headquarters. (Luke 4:23–30)
We've all read how the Pharisees constantly and openly told Jesus and all the people that Jesus did miracles by Satan's power and not God's. (Luke 11:15, Matthew 9:34, Matthew 12:24) They even told the people that Jesus was possessed by Satan, although they used the term, "BEELZEBUB" meaning the prince of demons! (Mark 3:22)
We read about the miracles He did and tend to think that the Bible tells us of all of them, but John says “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.” (John 20:30) and “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) Although some of the people loved Him for His miracles, He knew they would turn on Him soon enough, and they did. They were in the crowd yelling, "crucify Him!"
Even before they crucified Him the soldiers and the Pharisees mocked Him, beat him, punched Him in the face, slapped Him, spit in His face, crushed a crown of nasty long thorns onto His head, and mocked Him some more, and struck His head with a staff. (Matthew 26:67, Luke 22:63, John 18:22, Matthew 27:29-30) Knowing all this, (and there's more too if we look), we can see that what Isaiah said about Him was very true. He knew sorrow and heartache very well. He did not have a "happy" life or what we would call a "good life". But this is what God tells us about His life: “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8)
Knowing all of this, how can we complain when our life is hard? How can we even begin to think that we are good enough in God's eyes to deserve a "good and happy life"? Besides, we know that we cannot earn anything from God. We can't earn His love, or His favor, or a good time, or happiness. The only thing we have earned in our entire life is Hell. But God in His mercy, love, and kindness, has given us salvation instead. We only have a problem when we think we're good enough to have earned something good from God. But if you learn how Holy and Perfect God is, and all of His other attributes, you would realize that you cannot possibly earn anything other than Hell; and that you should be filled with Joy that He has given you salvation instead and that you will spend eternity in Heaven instead of Hell!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Nov 30, 2021 13:13:56 GMT -5
There have been those who have decided that if they abuse themselves
and suffer they can win God's love that way....it's called asceticism.
But that is also wrong, and not at all the type of suffering we are discussing.
A lot of people have both some good and some bad in their life:
When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future
Ecclesiastes 7:14
I used to be a person who was so depressed all the time,
that I saw the glass 99% empty.
But actually, a lot of my depression
was the result of being often very ungrateful,
for all manner of blessings.
I had air to breath.
I could see, hear and move
( some people cannot)
I had a roof over my head, and food to eat
and the list went on and on.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes
Matthew 6:25
I am not saying, I did not have real hurtful issues in my life
( don't we all)
and some hard and sad things, situations, etc. in my life....
What I am saying,
was that I focused, almost exclusively on those things...
and never expressed gratefulness for any blessings
that I also had.
Even to this day, I can easily fall into a: woe is me trap.
I catch myself fairly quickly now,
and ask God to forgive me,
and then, I list to myself,
some of my many blessings
and thank God for them.
Like the Christian song:
Count your blessings,
name them one by one
and you will see what the Lord has done.
For sure, some of my suffering
was at the hands of fallen sinners....
but there was also a lot of suffering,
because of my own sinful and foolish choices:
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows.
8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction;
whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:7,8
Also we might suffer for our faith
( that may happen more and more in the future,
if Jesus delays coming and rapturing us,
yet for awhile)
In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted
2 Timothy 3:12
Those we are not being tortured and killed, yet in our country
for our Christian/biblical beliefs as in other parts of the world:
However, here in the USA
we are being more and more
scoffed at,
maligned, ( as racist, homophobic, unintelligent, etc. etc. etc.)
canceled,
even considered domestic terrorists
etc.
( the list of insults is almost endless)
And it is not getting better.
And so this is something to apply to our lives as Christians:
20 For what credit is there if,
when you sin
and are harshly treated,
you endure it with patience?
But if when you do what is right
and suffer for it
you patiently endure it,
this finds favor with God
1 Peter 2:20
also
8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious,
sympathetic,
brotherly,
kindhearted,
and humble in spirit;
9 not returning evil for evil
or insult for insult,
but giving a blessing instead;
for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:8,9
This too
14 But even if you should suffer
for the sake of righteousness,
you are blessed.
And do not fear their intimidation,
and do not be troubled
1 Peter 3:14
Plus
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you,
which comes upon you for your testing,
as though some strange thing were happening to you
1 Peter 4:12
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Post by evafromgreece on Nov 30, 2021 16:52:41 GMT -5
Hello, I will try to find the books, but I’m not sure if it’s possible to find them in Greek.
I think it would be easier to find them on e-books in English. I read story of Jeramiah above. And the similarities that his life had compared to the life of Jesus. And I believe one of the trials one person can have, is that some people approach him or her in order to earn something. Recently I read again in John chapter 6:26 The part that Jesus it that people were following him not because of what they saw and what they understood, but because they gave them food to eat. So they were not following him, at least some of them, because they saw some thing and understood what he was doing, but because they gave them bread to eat. Maybe, Some of them could be Also curious. And this reminds me of our times, people tend to “follow” others when something is popular, And Jesus was very popular at his in his area , But this didn’t mean anything except of curiosity in the sense that they wanted to belong somewhere by following famous person of the time. Just like our times when we tend to follow ideas and people without even understanding what they represent. People just do this, because everybody else does. So, if you’re talking about not being accepted,truly accepted, Jesus was the perfect example of somebody that wasn’t accepted by others.
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Post by Cindy on Dec 1, 2021 10:59:59 GMT -5
I completely agree with what both of you have said! It's all very true! Eva, all of those books are on Amazon as ebooks.
I thought of some things I wanted to add to my post when I was thinking about it yesterday afternoon. First, even if we recognize that Jesus had a very hard life, we may not realize that His hard life was a consequence of our sins. He never sinned, not even as a child. He lived a perfect life, which is something we are incapable of doing because our minds and hearts were corrupted because of Adam and Eve's sin. But every sin has consequences. Consequences to us, to those around us, and especially to Jesus, because He bore ALL our sins for us and paid the price of death, hell, and separation from the Father for each of us. But we are so self centered and selfish, that we don't even care about what he went through. We only care that we don't like what we're going through. Talk about spoiled rotten children, that describes us each quite well.
I also realized that it may have sounded like I was saying that we should all be a pessimist, expecting bad things to happen, but that's not at all what I meant. We shouldn't be looking for them, but at the same time when they happen we should realize they're normal for everyone. God actually wants us to be an optimist, and we have very good reasons to be an optimist. God has created a fabulous, awesome, and wonderful eternity that's so incredible that the finite minds we have right now, can't even begin to imagine it!
So, what's one other way God tells us to fight against self pity and being a pessimist? By keeping our minds occupied with things that are eternal, such as what our life in Heaven may be like, or the rapture, or second coming, or the millennial Kingdom, or how much treasure we think we may have stored up in heaven for ourselves, and other things like that which He speaks about in His Word. “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 minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1–2) Actually I encourage us to read all of Colossians 3:1–17.
As I was studying my Bible this morning, I saw another note that I thought might encourage us and want to share it with you. First though, I want to remind us of something. When we think of Jesus and what He says, we think of a Jesus we can't see or touch, which is normal. But we need to remember that when Jesus spoke the words we see in the Gospels (and Acts) that He was very much visible to the people of that time. They could see Him and touch Him. So when we read His Words, we need to remember that He is speaking them at a time when people could see and touch Him.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” (Isa. 43:2) Sometimes we can know the truth of God in our minds, but not let it sink into our hearts. Or perhaps we have experienced a time of spiritual dryness, a time of suffering, or a time of God’s silence. During these times, it can feel like God has forgotten us. This can be frightening and even cause us to question the truth and reality of God.
A friend recently told me that her current situation makes her feel as though she was five years old again and her father has forgotten to pick her up from school. That is a very real and deeply unsettling feeling, and it can shake our faith and our trust in God to the core. My situation is telling me You are not here and You are not coming. Where are You, God? Yet the true extent of God’s care and concern for us is breathtaking:
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6–7)
God is not like your earthly father. Difficult circumstances do not mean He has failed or abandoned you. He has not left you at the school gate. God does not forget the child He made. He has not put you to one side while He is busy with other people. He is not bored with you, and He did not leave you mid-project. He adores you. In fact, He promises (and God is incapable of breaking a promise) in Joshua 1:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He continually watches over you. “He takes great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph. 3:17).
God is continually at pains to remind us not to be afraid, because He is with us. If He is with us, how can He forget us?
If you feel forgotten, I want to encourage you to believe the Word of God when He says, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). God Knows My Name: Never Forgotten, Forever Loved
Jesus not only spoke those words to His disciples (and to us) in the last part of Matthew 28:20, but later, Paul affirms that He does stay with us and help us when He says “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.” (2 Timothy 4:17) And we're reminded in Hebrews: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”” (Hebrews 13:5–6) But what really sticks in my mind is that after His resurrection, the disciples and those who believed in Him, got used to suddenly having Jesus appear to them and teach them more. I love thinking about those 40 days when He would appear suddenly. Those people must have always been looking over their shoulders to see if He had shown up again! But on the other hand, it must have been very hard on them when He finally ascended to the Father after saying good bye to them for the last time. Yet, even then He left them and us with that very promise, because that is when He spoke those words: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). We can count on that promise too!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Dec 1, 2021 12:12:01 GMT -5
In this life, we are going to suffer,
and we have a choice on how to handle it.
It would seem 'easier', to grumble, be depressed, get angry etc.
However, in the long run, that choice has a lot of negative consequences
to our mental, physical and spiritual health.
And while it seems much much harder
to endure suffering with a godly, right, attitude,
it will in the long run, have many positive benefits.
Not only that when we view and endure suffering in a godly manner
we do have 'help' of Jesus, carrying to burdens:
casting all your anxiety on Him,
because He cares for you
1 Peter 5:7
When we choose the ungodly way,
we also may attract our enemy:
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil,
prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour
1 Peter 5:8
Somehow, in the midst of sorrow and suffering,
even though we may not be able to see any good or godly purpose to it...
we need to be convicted, God can and will at some point turn it:
And we know that
God causes all things to work together for good
to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose
Romans 8:28
and
As for you, you meant evil against me,
but God meant it for good
in order to bring about this present result,
to preserve many people alive
Genesis 50:20
To be sold into slavery
by your own family,
had to have caused Joseph a lot of emotional pain
( and I am thinking....anger, bitterness, depression, hurt etc.)
At least, at first,
but in time....
Joseph was able to see,
how God was able to turn, his brother's evil
into a good outcome.
( but I am not sure this attitude change in Joseph happened overnight)
But we have been greatly blessed by God,
to have this example shown to us
to see how suffering can, in fact,
be turned into a great good.
And not only that:
19 For this finds favor,
if for the sake of conscience toward God
a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
1 Peter 2:19
And we have another example...the very greatest
evil turned into the greatest good!
Pastor John MacArthur said this about Jesus:
" He didn’t deserve to be treated the way men treated Him.
He didn’t deserve to be treated the way God treated Him.
It was the greatest suffering and the greatest injustice,
and it achieved the greatest end".
I cannot even imagine the physical pain Jesus suffered,
and there is absolutely no way, I can wrap my finite mind
around his suffering and paying for the equivalent of eternity in Hell
for billions of people!
Jesus'a suffering triumphed in the greatest good and win for all eternity.
But we are to note and observe, how did Jesus act under the greatest injustice
ever committed?
He did not get angry, depressed, swear, issue threats, complain, etc.
Tho we are not be able to achieve His level of holiness,
we can aim for His example:
For it is better, if God should will it so,
that you suffer for doing what is right
rather than for doing what is wrong
1 Peter 3:17
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Dec 2, 2021 13:47:18 GMT -5
In this life, we are going to suffer,
but as Christians, we need to consider this:
if children,
heirs also,
heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
if indeed we suffer with Him
so that we may also be glorified with Him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Romans 8:17,18
It seems like there is nothing to compare to the future glory,
as heirs with Jesus...
and yet, here on earth for a little while,
we too may suffer a little,
Jesus suffered while on earth
( and nothing can compare to His suffering)
For many Christians in the world,
there is this fact:
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death
certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection
Romans 6:5
Also Jesus told us,
we will be in many ways treated as He was:
18 “If the world hates you,
you know that it has hated Me
before it hated you
John 15:18
This
29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake,
not only to believe in Him,
but also to suffer for His sake
Philippians 1:29
In fact, our suffering, is often compared to
a soldier ( who must be strong)
3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life,
so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier
2 Timothy 2:3,4
Not only that but we have been given
some warrior's 'clothing'
which we ought to put on each morning
( I used to do that, but got out of the habit,
I think it would behoove me to dress properly again!)
We are in a spiritual battle so:
11 Put on the full armor of God,
so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers,
against the powers,
against the world forces of this darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:11.12
And here is our armor:
14 Stand firm therefore,
having girded your loins with truth,
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 in addition to all,
taking up the shield of faith
with which you will be able to extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition
pray at all times in the Spirit,
and with this in view, be on the alert
with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Ephesians 6:14-18
Which may help us be able to say with Paul:
8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not despairing;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed;
2 Corinthians 4:8,9
And this also:
17 For momentary, light affliction
is producing for us an eternal weight of glory
far beyond all comparison,
18 while we look not at the things which are seen,
but at the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen are temporal,
but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17,18
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Post by Cindy on Dec 3, 2021 11:07:05 GMT -5
Good ones Barbara! I'm going through an extremely hard time right now. Barbara knows a little bit of what's been going on, and she's the only one besides my pastor and his wife, and even they don't know it all. I'm not going to tell you all of it, as it would simply take too long, but will tell you a little of it.
Part of the problems are physical. I've been in a LOT more pain then ever before. My doctor told me that both of my hips are so bad that they need to be replaced which is part of what's causing some of the pain. She said I was at the perfect age for the replacement surgery because I'd die before they'd need to be replaced again.  What I didn't tell her was that my knees were just as bad lol. Then, there's my back. It's now literally deformed and my range of motion has decreased quite a bit because of that. So now there's a lot more that I can't do. I can't have the surgery though, as I don't have any insurance to pay for it. I'm not sure I'd do it even if i did have the means though. That's a good thing though.
Another very big problem is money. Bruce was in a motorcycle accident in 2019. I thought he was getting better, but instead he's been going downhill fast and has been unable to work much at all. If he was able to work a normal week, we'd have more then enough money, but since he's hardly working at all, we don't have much. I can't get any help from the state as they only look at how much he should be making instead of what's actually happening. If I didn't know the Lord I would be expecting to be living on the street soon. This is a good thing as well.
Our mobile home is literally falling apart and desperately needs repair, but Bruce isn't able to do that either anymore. This too is a good thing.
Why are these awful problems actually good? No human being could help us, unless they were very rich and were willing to support us for the rest of our lives and could heal both of our bodies and take our pain away, and fix our house. There's really only one person that can help us and thankfully He is more then willing to do so! He loves me and has promised to give me the strength I need to get through these problems, and promised to encourage me, comfort me and help me. He has even promised to stay with me through it all, and has said He will never, ever leave me. I can honestly say that ALL His promises are true because He has shown me the truth of each of them.
Whenever I start to get upset or stressed out, He reminds me to be calm and content even in these circumstances. He reminds me to trust Him and assures me that He is in control. He reminds me to thank Him for what I do have and to focus on that and on Him and not on what the things I think I don't have at the moment. He literally gives me the strength to obey Him and to stay calm and content in the midst of all that's happening. I know I don't have to worry because He will never let me down.
We always need to remember that if we fight God because we don't like what's happening in our lives, our life is apt to get even worse. But if we cooperate with God and obey Him, by obeying what His Word tells us to do, then He will take care of us. My problems didn't suddenly go away when I trusted Him, and I didn't expect them to. That's not how He works. Instead, I knew that He would use all that was going on for my good, and I also knew that He would take care of me and provide for all my needs. And that's exactly what He's been doing. Each day is a new lesson showing me His love and care are very real.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Dec 3, 2021 13:21:29 GMT -5
Wow! Cindy, I only knew just a little of that....
you are carrying a heavy load!
And....
You said, that is not even all of it.
But what is beautiful is you are trusting God, no matter what....that is not easy.
I will continue to pray for you and Bruce.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Dec 3, 2021 14:26:02 GMT -5
It is still sometimes hard for me to not
panic, worry, be sad, be depressed, be afraid,
lack faith, when things go very wrong.
And yet, if I review my life, there were so many times,
of absolutely true terrifying situations I got myself into,
that ought to have ended in my death...
and yet, time after time, God did amazing mind boggling
things to save me.
You would think, by now, I would never fear, or lack faith again,
but sin is still there, wanting to enslave me again.
Even IF death will be the outcome,
I will go to be with the Lord, a far better option.
In this you greatly rejoice,
even though now for a little while,
if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials
1 Peter 1:6
And this
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 But if I am to live on in the flesh,
this will mean fruitful labor for me;
and I do not know which to choose.
23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions,
having the desire to depart and be with Christ,
for that is very much better;
Philippians 1:21-23
However, the suffering that is truly beneficial
is that which comes from being united with Jesus:
So there is this:
For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance,
so also our comfort is abundant through Christ
2 Corinthians 1:5
And
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ,
keep on rejoicing,
so that also at the revelation of His glory
you may rejoice with exultation
1 Peter 4:13
When I was young I thought,
if I were rich, life would be so much easier....
but I have learned that,
for the most part,
that is not true.
And I am seeing more and more
the truth in this verse:
20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples,
He began to say,
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God
Luke 6:20
it is not that we ought to give away
all our earthly goods,
( like some kind of hermit or monk)....
but to think that just being a billionaire
will make life a joy,
is wrong on so many levels.
Rather, like Paul, we all should learn to say this
( tho it's not always easy):
11 Not that I speak from want,
for I have learned to be content
in whatever circumstances I am
Philippians 4:11
This is the general lot in life
for many Christians:
But resist him (Satan, the devil),
firm in your faith,
knowing that the same experiences of suffering
are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world
1 Peter 5:9
Which is why Jesus told us to count the cost,
before becoming a Christian:
For which one of you,
when he wants to build a tower,
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if he has enough to complete it
Luke 14:28
However scary, that may sound,
(at first),
we can rest in this:
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money,
being content with what you have;
for He Himself has said,
“I will never desert you,
nor will I ever forsake you,”
Hebrews 13:5
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Post by evafromgreece on Dec 3, 2021 17:12:54 GMT -5
Hello 😊
I will catch up tomorrow. I am here.
It's been crazy these last 2 days, I went to the hospital also I will tell you more in private about this.
I just wanted to say I am here.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Dec 3, 2021 19:51:37 GMT -5
Thanks for checking in Eva...
I definitely want to hear
( in private, about your hospital visit).
Praying for you....
and Cindy and Bruce also.
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Post by evafromgreece on Dec 4, 2021 18:56:12 GMT -5
Hello 😊
When I read the above I was thinking also of the hard times of the apostles and all the first Christians who suffered to form the church. We take for granted that we can speak about Jesus without having to fear that we will end up in jail or tortured, but this was the reality of the first Christians. Or at some muslim countries, I wonder how hard it is there being a Christian. But all of this are beyond my imagination. I cannot even imagine how hard could this be. Just like how Jesus suffered for our sins, for the sins of humanity, without having any sin..
Cindy, I sorry to read that you are in so much pain and that you face all these difficulties. But I admire the courage I saw in your post. Even in this hard times you know that God's promises are there and you don't fear. This is a perfect example for me. I will have you in my prayers
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Dec 4, 2021 20:35:00 GMT -5
Eva I have read that Christians today are THE most persecuted group. I know in places like you said Muslim countries, China, Africa, India, etc. not only persecution, but torture and murder happens way more than what we even hear.
I think many people don't believe that, Christians are persecuted in any way...
whereas they would be convicted that other religions,
'have' to be waaaaaay way way more persecuted
while Christians, live a life ease.
I think,people got that mistaken idea,
because for years,
Christians in the USA did have a 'mostly' easy time of it.
But even at our country's ease on Christians for 100-200 years....
There was still.....
even back then...
some mockers, some people angry at Christians , some rebellion against etc.
( and some claimed then as now,
to have been very very hurt by Christians)
mostly because, as sinners
we do not like to be called to repent of our pet sins
we rebel at the very idea
Which is not to say some people have never been hurt by Christians
Christians may be saved, but they are still sinners
and can say hurtful things from time to time.
However,
now,
today in our country (USA),
tho we still are not be tortured and killed for our faith,
( well some have been but it is still rare)
The anger and mocking, hatred etc. against Christians has risen very significantly
Being called
ignorant, stupid, naive, not intelligent,etc
haters
racists
homophobic ( anti LBQT etc)
Even #1 domestic terrorists by some
and on and on it goes
is par for the course
The anti-Christian rhetoric
only increases
on a daily basis.
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Post by Cindy on Dec 6, 2021 12:04:22 GMT -5
Thank you both; I greatly appreciate the prayers! But please know that although the Lord has shown me how to face this time in my life, and even though He helps me deal with it, I don't always handle it the way I should. I'm not perfect by any means! I often have to confess my sin of not dealing with it the way He tells us to. But little by little He is showing me that He is really with me and really giving me strength, comfort and encouragement. I tell you honestly that I could not do this without Jesus. Speaking of that, I can also say that this is yet another way that I know that everything the Bible says is true. I've done exactly what this scripture says: “Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.” (Psalm 119:140) I have literally tested His promises (as only a believer can do) and found them to be true, just as He says.
I'm studying Luke 12 right now and again some of my notes were on this subject, so I'd like to share a couple with you. Though He is called “Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6), Christ will have no one deluded into thinking that He calls believers to a life devoid of all conflict. and Jesus was pointing out that conflict occurs when light and darkness meet. This division can range from mild insults to murder. We really need to think about the fact that "conflict occurs when light and darkness meet." Light and darkness reminds me of John 1:1-5, which I'll post at the bottom. John tells us that Jesus is the Word, and He is light and life. We know that Satan is death and darkness. He's the opposite of all that Jesus is. So when Jesus and Satan meet, conflict occurs; when life and death meet, conflict occurs; when light and dark meet, conflict occurs. We know one other thing too: from the moment we are saved, the Holy Spirit dwells within us.
Having the Holy Spirit dwell within us means that whoever is around us, is also around the Holy Spirit (God), even though they aren't aware of it. This makes unbelievers very uncomfortable. I'm sure you have also noticed that simply saying the Name of Jesus, also makes unbelievers very uncomfortable. That's why they use it as a cuss word. The Name of Jesus is very powerful. And if His Name is powerful, His presence is even more powerful! And Jesus is also always with us. (He also dwells within us as does the Father.) So everywhere we go and whatever we are doing, we are causing light and darkness to meet (unless we are sinning), and that is making every unbeliever we are around uncomfortable.
This creates a big problem when we live with someone who isn't really saved. (the problem is there whether the person we are living with is a friend, a brother, sister, parent, or boyfriend, or spouse.) That's one of the major reasons the Lord tells us not to marry an unbeliever. We shouldn't even date a person if they aren't saved and living to please the Lord. I think if you read this article I wrote about this subject, it may help you understand this better too:
Mixed Marriages.
There is one other very important part of the hardships that happen to us that every Christian needs to know about. How a person deals with the hardships of life can tell us if that person is really saved or not. Someone who is really saved, will not completely lose their faith because of the hardships and trials they go through. They will persevere and continue to endure them, even though there are times when they feel like giving up, or even do give up for a time; but they always come back to the Lord. Those who give up and then later return are like a little child that throws a tantrum because they don't like their parents rules, but later comes back for a hug. Those who leave and don't return show us that they were never really saved at all.
Let me show you some scriptures about this. keep in mind that the word translated "perseverance" can also be translated, endurance, having patience, constancy, steadfastness, forbearance, and longsuffering. It's even a fruit of the Spirit where it's called "patience": “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23) Please read the following scriptures, but don't just read them. Take your time, read one and then really think about what that scripture is saying; then go to the next one and do the same thing. OK?
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6–7)
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)
“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16)
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16–18)
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (2 Peter 1:3–9)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2–4)
“Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (James 5:10–11)
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35–36)
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
We need to persevere, because Jesus did: “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5–6)
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:3–5)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” (John 1:1–5)
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Dec 6, 2021 13:19:28 GMT -5
I clicked on the attachment, but it just took me to a page with the same letter I
and nothing else?
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day
2 Corinthians 4:16
Sometimes, I do start to 'lose heart' over the outward of me, wasting away...
but then, I am so grateful and how inwardly, I have been and continue to grow inwardly....
That outweighs the outer decay
especially as I am heading towards being with the Lord Jesus forever
Still, I sometimes am frustrated by not being able to 'do'
and not thrilled with the 'old old lady' look sigh
But on the other hand, what good would it be to have remained young, and youthful 'pretty'
if my final destination was hell, because of my ugly sins insides...not lessening, but rather growing daily
So I choose, being with the Lord, and besides
I will soon get a new body :)
I guess that is on my mind because often after going to church on Sunday....
which was super great yesterday...
but we ended up staying for over 3 hours
the regular sermon etc,
but then chatting for 2 hours plus after
( meaning standing all that time)
And so
often on Mondays I am aching way more and super tired!
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What I didn't tell her was that my knees were just as bad lol. Then, there's my back. It's now literally deformed and my range of motion has decreased quite a bit because of that. So now there's a lot more that I can't do. I can't have the surgery though, as I don't have any insurance to pay for it. I'm not sure I'd do it even if i did have the means though. That's a good thing though.
!!
