Enoc

Interesting I have a handgun, and I grew up with firearms in the home. I live in one of the highest crime rate areas in the US, however, I never walked with enough fear in my heart to walk strapped, and the attention it draws is not positive. The scripture that comes to mind 2 Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (KJV). For those that are compelled to protect the innocent by employing the use of firearms, law enforcement is a viable career option.

When I think about the question, "God's ways are like" I have no example to compare. My walk with the lord has made me patient, humbled, and available. If I get ahead of myself and assume what he will do, how he will do it, or when he'll do it ( when it comes to impacting my life) he allows me to wait. Basically he does what he wants to do when he wants to do it anyway he wants to do it. He is boundless. I take my walk with the lord, one day at a time, like manna from heaven only enough for a day.

I don't believe having money is evil, but money having you can be a stumbling block.

Nope, it has nothing to do with trust at all. It has to do with Love. God Loves you unconditionally, you don't have to do anything to earn that Love, it has already been given. I agree with you statement "God loves us unconditionally". Also, I believe God chooses to entrust some disciples with more revelation of himself than others, and trust is not the same as love. I believe Jesus loved all the disciples, but at the same time, his father trusted Peter more than he trusted the others. The scripture supporting this premise that revelation is based on trust and relationship follows. Matthew 16:15-19 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed[d] in heaven (KJV). My understanding of this passage is that Peter had been lifted up by means of the father revealing something about Jesus which was not revealed to any other man at that time. Jesus was surprised to know that Peter had been given this revaluation and after Jesus confirmed what his father revealed to Peter by blessing Peter with the purpose of establishing the first church. To tie this back to the original thread, position in heaven will be based on relationship which will be confirmed by revaluation and the revelation will be tied to purpose.

For those of us who have no idea what you are referring to, can you explain what you mean? What do you mean by "illumination"? Illumination / Revelation I tend to use interchangeably . With that said revelation in this context means how much has Yahweh revealed of himself to the disciple. Based on how much revelation of himself he gives you ties into how close of a relationship you have with him. For example, Jesus revealed himself to many people during his ministry, however he chose twelve to be close disciples. Of the twelve, there were three, which were closer to him than the others were Peter, James, and John. Another example would be a husband and a wife, married individuals find out more about one another as time together passes. The husband /wife allows the other to know more about themselves as the relationship progresses or as the trust builds. Base on the relation there are some things that maybe revealed in time and then there are some things, which will not be revealed on this side of eternity. As you trust God more, he trust you more.

Interesting…I think there will be positions that will differ in heaven, based on illumination, which in turn ties to purpose.

As a disciple and participation in the political process representing a civic privilege/duty, I vote.