Dak

Being foolish or unwise is a state of being. And because we are given free will, we have the choice to remain foolish or to remedy our foolishness by seeking knowledge. But does this mean that if we choose the first, we have already committed a sin? I'm not sure. I think that these should be two different things: the state of being foolish, and the consequences of foolishness, especially the disobedience. The second, of course, is the bringer of sins in our lives. ~

IMO there are a lot of folks that consider themselves Christian, and only God knows for sure, but to your question it takes maturity to love as God commands us to love. Spiritual maturity yields the fruit of the spirit which affords the Christian the grace/capacity to love as God commands. In short, most Christians are content with mingling in the outer court, not maturing/yielding to the holy spirit enough to move on into the inner court. :star: :star: ~

Hi Jerry. Your friend got tired of waiting only after six months? He must be a very impatient guy Me, I've been waiting for many years already for God to take me to my own Promised Land, and I haven't yet given up... Your question is, "How will a believer know that God is in charge of their waiting period?" And my answer is this: While you are waiting God will give you evidences along the way that you are still on the right path, because God knows that our flesh is weak and that we need encouragement from time to time. And this is what has kept me going on all these years... the encouragements that God gives whenever I got tired of waiting. For God wouldn't encourage me, right, if I was not following his will to keep on waiting? Brother, actually your post reminds me of my own experiences very early in my waiting period, when I too heard the voices of God, followed in faith, but suffered severe disappointments instead. So I can truly relate with the story you've told, and I can also give you some advice on how to encourage your friend. First, tell him that not all voices come from God, for Satan and his minions can also speak, and so we need to learn to discern which of these voices we hear really belong to God. Also, tell him that sometimes these "voices" are really our own desires speaking, and not God at all. Second, tell him that God's mind and God's plans are too much for our small human minds to comprehend. Thus, God leads us step by step only -- and most of the time we have the wrong idea as to where God is leading us. But the important thing is that God knows our journeys, and all we have to do is to trust him. Third, tell your friend that between his present place and his promised land is a period of wandering in the desert -- a time for growth and preparation. Remember the story of Israel? When God delivered them out of Egypt, he did not immediately lead them to the Promised Land, but into the desert, where they grew and matured into a nation. Fourth, tell your friend that those disppointments he experienced are simply tests from God. Yes. The questions are, Will he still trust God, in spite of everything that happened to him? Will he still continue to love him? And will he still continue to follow him? One of my greatest victory in faith was when I answered these very questions, right after I experienced a major failure. Fifth, tell your friend to stop giving deadlines to God. God works in his own time, and any attempt to fit him into our own schedules is bound to fail. In fact, tell him to expect YEARS of waiting, for that is likely what's going to happen. And last, commend him, for saying that he should not depend on others for his deliverance, but only on God. That is a lesson learned very well indeed God bless you, Brother, and your friend! ~

I agree. ~

Before I knew God to be a Loving Father... I knew him first to be a Wrathful Judge, who made me miserable all the time... and who severely punished me for my sins. I did not know him then; I was not yet his; so I think that, at this point, there was nothing wrong yet if I was giving him, as you say, "fearful obedience." But once I crossed the threshhold and became his son, and the veil was lifted from my eyes -- and knew him to be not a Wrathful Judge at all, but a Loving Father -- then at this point it was already sin whenever I showed him "fearful obedience." Because obeying God out of fear means that we don't trust him and doubt also his plans for our lives -- and these things are definitely sins..

The answer is a simple YES. Most Christians today are Christians in name only. Add those who belong to the many different cults... and you have a one big mess. Me, I have a simple solution to this confusion. I don't use "Christian" much nowadays; instead I use "true followers of Jesus" when I speak of those who are really Christians in truth, and not just in name.

One last thing: Opera Mobile (at least the version of it that is made for my phone) has no built-in option to open local HTML pages. I do it by first opening the page in my phone's default browser (using the File Manager), and then saving the page as a bookmark. Opera Mobile can then read and import this bookmark. ~

Hi Willamina. Just noticed your post. Are you using the mobile version of WCF in your pad, and using also your web browser? (I didn't know there's a downloadable app for WCF; is there, like a Facebook app?) Anyway, I'm using a mobile phone (Nokia E5, which has a qwerty keyboard) to browse WCF, and I've found ways to circumvent some of the limitations of the mobile version of this site. Hope some of these would help you... (I know that you've said you cannot copy and paste, and much of my advice depends on these functions, so I'm suggesting that you find out if your pad is really capable of these functions or not.) First, I'm using tags and templates when I make my posts. Login to this site using a desktop computer and learn how the tags in the post editor work -- they show up when you switch to text mode. (You can make a draft message in your Messenger.) Then when you're using your pad, you can then insert tags to give your post some formatting, like bold and italic. Also, you can setup these tags as templates, so that you won't have to type them every time you make a post. For example, I compose my posts in messaging, and before I type, I first insert a basic template of tags that set my font face, font color, and font size. After I finished writing, I then copy and paste my post (together with the tags) into the Worthy editor. Alternatively, if your pad has a text program, you can save all your templates as text files (make them using a computer, and set their attributes to Read-Only), and just copy and paste them whenever you write your posts. Second, I have collected the HTML codes of some useful colors (e.g. #70DB93 for aquamarine). I use them whenever I use the color tags. (I think you will not be needing this much.) Third, I use emoticons by typing their equivalent text characters, say . To see these equivalent text characters, login again to this site using a desktop computer, and in the post editor bring up the list of all emoticons ("Show All"). On the left of each emoticon is its equivalent text characters. I suggest that you gather from this master list the emoticons you would commonly use.... Alternatively, you can save the master list as a web page (copy the address in the popup window and paste it in a normal browser window; reload the page and save it), and then transfer the saved page into your pad. You can then consult this saved page in your pad whenever you write your post -- that is, if your pad's web browser supports multitab and can open local HTML pages. And fourth, I have bookmarked all the forums and other useful areas (like Notifications) of WCF into my phone's web browser (they are arranged in folders). This way I can navigate this site easily. Yes, all this sounds like a lot of work, but I have considered it an investment that was worth my time and effort. And so far, I've no reason to regret it If you have time, you can also download HTML copies of some Bibles into your pad. This way, you'll only have to open them in your browser and copy and paste from them (that is, if your browser can do this) whenever you need to quote from the Scriptures. eBible.org offers free HTML versions of the KJV, ASV, and WEB. A word about my browsers: I use either Opera Mini or Opera Mobile. Both supports multitab. Only the second is reliable in copying and pasting. And only the second can open local HTML pages. God bless, Sister.... ~

Yep, this looks like the beginning of a great tradition here in Worthy. Looking forward to do this again next year....

I was wrong. I am finding that I don't need to unload any more of the negative aspects of the fathering I received. I have said enough, and I have cried enough. And I want now to move on forward.... It's Christmas, and I want this evening to be an evening of joy, love, and togetherness. And I also want to honor Jesus. Therefore, as befitting a child of God: I am forgiving my father of all his failings and shortcomings.... I am also promising to love him more.... Thank you again to those who have replied to his thread and have listened to me ~

Today I'm thankful for my father. Yes, he's not been a good father... but today I'm recognizing all the positive aspects of his fathering.... It's Christmas, and in honor of Jesus' birth I am forgiving him of all his failings and his shortcomings, and I promise also to love him more.... ~

I am thankful for God for bringing home safely my sister and her husband for their Christmas vacation. I'm especially thankful for the gift of life that God has blessed my sister with: after nearly three years of trying, she's now four-months pregnant with their first child. Praise the Lord! ~

Thanks Other One. This means a lot to me. ~

I wish that my father had been understanding and supportive of me when I had given my life to Jesus and started seeking his will, and understanding and supportive also during the long and difficult years that followed -- years of discovery and preparation for service. His continual accussations of the "crimes" I committed, and his insistence that my life is worthless -- more than anything else -- were what had driven us so far apart and had erected this thick wall between us. ~

To Willamina: Thank you for your story. It's really hard to talk about the regrets we have about our parents, isn't it? The only consolation that we have is that we learn from their mistakes, and then do things better. But I thank God because, no matter how big the holes in our lives are, he is able to fill them with himself and his blessings, and so we are nevertheless satisfied. ~

I'm not judging my father harshly, man. If I am, then I'll be using a much stronger word than "lousy." I'm just stating the facts. And yes, he has indeed taught me a lot, and that's mostly on how not to be like him. It's really a big regret in my life, that I have a weak man for a father. ~ I just want to clarify something. I recognize that my father has done some good things in my life; there's no question about this. And I do love him, despite his faults, and I'm trying my best to control my anger whenever I come face to face with his failings. However, this is a "wish thread", where we are talking about the things that could have been or should have been, and things that should be, and so, inevitably, I'll be talking about the negative aspects of his fathering.... Actually, I'm finding this very helpful, to finally talk about these things. As some of you may know, I have some anger issues, and a big part of my anger has its roots in this -- the kind of fathering I received. So please bear with me, brothers and sisters, if I seem to be unloading a lot of "bad stuffs." I need to unload them first, right, before I can fill their occupied places with the love of Christ? ~

Many people, I think, would prefer this over the family situation they have with their "Christian" parents. ~ I've judged my parents harshly at times but one thing I've come to realize the past couple of years in particular is how fortunate I have been. They have their weaknesses and issues, but how can I really fault them for caring about us? For example, my parents are secular types, and when I converted to Christianity I was worried I'd get flak for it. I never did from them. They decided if it made me happy and helped me then from their point of view they couldn't fault that. And really, how many people can say that they've been married for over 30 years and have a good relationship with their children? They've managed that so they must be doing something right. They have been doing the best they can, and that's worthy of any commendation ~

I'm not judging my father harshly, man. If I am, then I'll be using a much stronger word than "lousy." I'm just stating the facts. And yes, he has indeed taught me a lot, and that's mostly on how not to be like him. It's really a big regret in my life, that I have a weak man for a father. ~

Many people, I think, would prefer this over the family situation they have with their "Christian" parents. ~

Yes man, this is the other side of the coin. And remembering this has always soothed my anger toward my situation. Wouldn't be here today seeking to be the best father I can be (when God finally gives me the chance) if not for the lousy fathering I've received. ~

For the purposes of this thread, the measurement of a "good" father is a subjective one We can all decide later for ourselves, and in private, which points are to follow or to disregard. Thanks GE. Wonderful story. It makes me glad to know that there are still good and godly fathers out there. In the midst of all these attacks on and destruction of the Family all around us, it gives me hope. ~

Hi Will. Thank you for your story. It made me remember that many people are in situations much worse than I am in, and it made me thankful of my blessings. Actually, I've already known this for a long time, that compared to many, I have better parents. However, I can't just help wishing for better things, you know, especially as a Christian, now that I understand what the ideal family should be.... And yes, my hope is that my parents would get saved someday, and become real Christians (and not just in papers).... About your question, I'm not exactly looking for personal stories about our own fathers -- you and I are both going this way because we have personal stories about this matter that we want to share; but others don't. I have invited everyone to contribute, and they can write their contributions, either personal or not, in whatever way they like.... I am especially inviting those who have (had) good fathers in their lives. Please, will you tell us what's it really like? That is, to have a good father? And never mind the title; I just patterned it from the original thread. As long as it's something that we can all learn from as to the dos and don'ts of being a father, then it's welcome here ~

Today I'm very thankful for my brand-new KJV Bible. It's a reference edition, with a concordance and a few other tools to help the modern reader -- a treasure indeed, since most of the KJVs available for sale in the bookstores do not have these features. Personally, I prefer using the ESV; this is the version I plan to be very intimate with. I also approve of NKJV, WEB, and ABAB (a recent and formal translation of the Bible into Tagalog, my national language). KJV, because of its archaic language, is only the version I planned on using far into the future -- when I have the time and the interest. However, now that I'm back here in WCF where the KJV is in popular use, the need to be at least familiar with this version has already become undeniable, and so I'm really glad that I now have this book -- and very thankful to God that he has provided for the money so that I could buy it. Also, I'm thankful to God for bringing my brother home safely for his Christmas vacation. I'm looking forward to our mountain biking. ~

I wish that my father had taught me how to interact well with people. By nature, I'm an introvert, a deep thinker, and a deep feeler. And since childhood I had also been set apart from other kids because of my intelligence. It sure would have been nice therefore if I had a father who had seen to it that I grew up to be a balanced person, despite my gifts, then I wouldn't have had a hard time fitting in socially while I was in high school and college. ~

We could always start a new thread Dak? Done!