educatexan

I understand having awe and reverence for God, but I'm hung up on fearing the Lord. Doesn't "fear" mean to anticipate danger and pain? I don't understand being afraid of God like that.

I don't think I know what you are saying.Are you saying it is not your fault for not believing? No, I was referring to the original statement: "There's a hefty price for taking ownership of your life....If you don't like your life, it's your fault!" For some of us, the deck was stacked against us before we could make informed decisions about our lives. I wasn't referring to the choice to believe in God.

I don't think I can agree with the statement that I bolded. The condition for entering Heaven is whether or not we are "saved." The choice to be saved is ours; that decision does not come from Jesus.

The language is describing how the situation was at a definite time in the past, but I don't think it implies that the condition is no longer true.

And he [Abraham] believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6

Yes, he was. Sorry, I should have mentioned that.

A friend of mine died just this morning in hospice. His daughter wasn't emotionally ready to let him go, even though her rational mind said yes. It was hard to see him suffer during the last week. Realistically, he was already "gone", as he had been unresponsive for several days. Even with treatment, he would not have regained health. I basically prayed that God would take him so that his body wouldn't suffer.

I don't know what to think about something I saw last night. I was visiting a friend in hospice. He was comatose, and he died about six hours later. I know this sounds weird, but several times while I was there, I saw a black vapor come from his mouth. The first time, I wasn't sure if I saw it or not, but it happened two more times. Has anyone ever heard of anything like that?

I would have to disagree somewhat with that statement. For some of us, our lives were shaped in the beginning by circumstances beyond our control. I realize that some will use the lemon statement - if life hands you lemons, make lemonade - but some things cannot be changed so easily, just by making a pat statement.

For me, your thought hinges on the word "believe". I'm sure a Greek scholar could answer more specifically, but I would imagine there's inherent action in the word. You can "believe" a fact -- such as Australia is in the southern hemisphere -- without personally experiencing it. You can also "believe" that a chair will support your weight, and then make your belief active by sitting down. I would place belief in Jesus in that second category: believing that he is the Savior and then acting upon that belief.

You are loved by God and your fellow Christians. May you experience that on a personal level. God is not shocked by your past, nor is He incapable of forgiving you your past. Don't forget that we have a spiritual enemy who will throw things in your face every chance he gets. "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." I John 4:4

So you've had cancer before? It could be that your subconscious was recalling that experience, and it recast the invading cancer in the form of alien invaders. This is not to say that you have cancer again, just that you were recalling the previous experience.

I would think that anything we might perceive as a mistake is probably just something beyond our finite comprehension.

I am preaching on faith this Sunday, and would appreciate reading any thoughts about the subject. Of particular interest is the comparison of the size of one's faith that Jesus spoke of on occasion.

To build on ajchurney's excellent statement: God exists outside of what we call space and time. John 8:58 > Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." God knows our future because He's already there. All of time is "now" to Him. Our destiny is our own choice, not His.