debrakay

I guess I feel differently about life now that I am approaching 70 years of life here on earth. I quit questioning the Lord's wisdom for my existence a long time ago. Jesus told us we would have trials and tribulations while we are here, but I am thankful for every single day he has blessed me with. I have children, grandchildren and great grandchildren I am thankful for and who bring joy to my life. I have other family and friends who have helped me and given me a shoulder to cry on when needed and I do the same for them. I have been the arms and legs for Jesus and his message of forgiveness and salvation everywhere I can and whenever I can as I believe that once we commit our lives to Jesus we become disciples for him during our time on earth. The world is filled with lost people who need to hear the Good News not more bad news. I also love the creation God has made and enjoy as many places as I can. Nature is a favorite so being in the beauty of outdoors is such a blessing. I have never found my life to be boring or uneventful and know God always has a reason and purpose for everything. When scripture talks about love, happiness, joy, grace, wisdom, knowledge, serving others, prayer, praise, worship, the goodness and love of the Father towards his people, how could I ever not be thankful for my existence?

Hi CHC - Your post got to me. I have been an off and on again smoker for 50 years. I was never an abuser. I once quit for 19 years and then circumstance arose and I felt the need to have one or two a day. Once a year my doctor would laugh at me when I told him I smoked one cigarette a day since I did not want to eat a candy bar daily. I can tell you as a firm Christ follower that the devil would beat me up on a regular basis telling me what I terrible sinner I was. But Holy Spirit would then remind me that I am forgiven and loved, and condemnation comes from the evil one to make us feel unworthy and low. The condemnation comes to take us away from Jesus and his unconditional love. It's strange how people will condemn a smoker and not think a thing about the glutton. It's strange how others will discuss the sin of the smoker yet say nothing about the gossiper and liar. God knows your heart and if your heart is right with him, you are not condemned by sin, you are forgiven! I would encourage you to continue to seek him, continue to try to do and be your best and not let the evil one of the world place his condemnations on you. Each of us will continue to be a work in progress while we are here on earth. Perfection comes when we are finished with this journey. I will be holding you in my prayers as you do your best for the Lord.

God the Father. God the Son. God the Holy Spirit. It is amazing, miraculous and mind-bending that we are created in their image. Genesis 1:26 (NIV) - Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

I can only tell my story. I accepted Jesus as my savior at age 21 and have been studying scripture and reading it for 49 years now. My mind is not the kind of mind that memorizes and retains word for word. There was a time I compared myself to those who were able to recite verse and reference with ease and felt there was something wrong with me since I was unable to do that. Holy Spirit reminded me that Jesus spoke in parables to the people because they needed to hear the teaching in a way they could relate to and understand. They were not theologians or scholars and needed to hear and understand in simple ways. We are still in that same kind of world where we need to be able to speak to others about Jesus in a way they can relate to. They do not need memorized verses and scripture references to be saved. They need the forgiveness and salvation from Jesus and then the learning and growing will begin. We are instructed to meditate on the word of God, day and night and seek him. The Hebrew word meditate means to speak it, study it, talk about it. We should each have the words of God stored in our heart and mind so when it is time, we are able to have a personal conversation on a personal level with another about the meaning of the different scriptures. Sometimes the memorization of scripture is not what needs to be spoken to another but the actual intent and reason for the scripture. After all these years I may not be able to give you the exact address of a verse, but I can speak about it with the knowledge and experience I have learned regarding those certain passages that Holy Spirit needs me to share. Each mission field is different for every single one of us.

I was just thinking what a great question this is to begin with but trying to figure out the Trinity of the Godhead is way above my gray matter. I rely on the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to reveal things to me, to help me discern the scriptures and to live in this world I do not belong in. I know we were created in the image of the Godhead (Father, Son, Spirit) and have a mind, body and soul so that has to be something similar to how we can relate to them on a combined and individual way. It's so very amazing and miraculous how this works on a day to day basis.

I am probably the least knowledgeable to answer this question, but I do have a thought. God spoke to Abram when he was living as a heathen in the land of UR so there had to be a reason for this calling and I believe it was to set apart certain people from the ways of the world. I believe Abram and his tribe were the first to be called Hebrew and the Hebrews were the first Jewish people. Because they were set apart and favored by God that put a huge target on them as far as the world view of them. The favorite child is always the child that is hated by those who live contrary to God's laws. The chosen people of God (the Jewish nation and the Christ Follower who has been grafted into the kingdom) will always be hated by the world and more so in the last days.

This verse stands out for me. As the Jewish religious leaders and Jewish people were condemning him for going against the law, they were accusing him of doing something evil and placing man's judgment on him without looking at their own evil ways.

The word poor can have several different meanings. A person can be poor, as in poverty, meaning without finances or economic means. The word poor or poorly can be a physical or emotional description of a person's health. The word poor could be how a task is completed or handled and be an incompetence. I believe that being "poor in spirit" are those who admit there is nothing we can do without the love of the Father and his hand moving in us and through us. I am one of those who are poor in spirit even though I daily seek him, daily pray, and daily read the word of God. I admit that I was a sinner, I still sin (way less) and need the Lord in my life every single day to get me through the day. I am nothing without him. He is my everything. I know Holy Spirit lives in me and speaks to me. He guides me and comforts me so that worldly events and daily anxiety cannot take hold and cause me fear. Some days I soar on the wings of the eagle and some days I hide underneath those wings, safely away from the trials and tribulations of life.

@Michael37 We are such a funny and strange bunch. Trying to figure God out like a puzzle.

Any thoughts about the Book of Job? I believe the scholars say this is probably the oldest book in the Bible. No matter though, God always has a plan and it is always a good one.

Agreed. I have always considered myself a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. I do not like debate that causes distress to another and becomes personal. There are some who have the gift of prophesy and then there are those who have the gift of interpreting prophesy, but both would be something that edifies believers and pricks the spirit of the unbeliever to seek the Lord. Interpreting prophesy would be right up there with physical healings and not something to just be babbled in at leisure or because someone felt like spouting off their theological interpretations. Any and all gifts of the Spirit should never be taken lightly as they affect the kingdom of God.

These scriptures are so beautiful and so true. It is amazing how fast almost 7 decades have passed for me and to try to explain it to a younger person is very hard. I keep trying though since I hope to have 20 more years to speak Jesus into the ears he brings around me.

I am not one who camps on prophesy as I do not have the knowledge, wisdom or calling to dissect the scriptures. But others do have that calling. But even then, I believe the first and main calling of those who are followers of Christ is to witness to the lost whenever and wherever we have the chance, especially if this is the beginning of all sorrows for the world. They need hope and salvation! The world has spent a few thousand years arguing whether God is real or not, let alone arguing about prophetic messages.

I wish we had a sad face button for this comment. Jesus is the bread of life and many do not get it.

CS Lewis has been very inspirational to me over the past 15 months since losing my husband. His book "A Grief Observed" has helped me focus on what and who God wants to do and be now that I am no longer a wife. I just have to take life slowly and one day at a time and seek his wisdom and guidance.

We just had a teaching at church about the "lukewarm being spewed out." It makes me so sad that the deceiver is doing his job so well.

I was recently telling a friend that if this is time for the openings of the Book of Revelation there will be millions of Christians who will take the mark of the beast. The vaccine mandate showed how sheepish people are when the government tells them to do something. I am sorry if that offends anyone, but we saw what happened when the world governments said you could not leave home, fly or go into places without the shot. The same will happen when they say you cannot buy or sell without the mark.

And the spiritual shepherds of these generations will be judged at an even much higher standard. If they chose to teach anything contrary to the word of God they will suffer for their lack of wisdom and spiritual connection with the Spirit of God Almighty. The word is very clear about what He hates and abhors.

I think @other one is correct that the true Christ followers are there but not so outspoken in a world that vilifies and mocks the believer. Jesus chose to witness among the common people more than in the religious buildings where the false religious teachers were. Most of the apostles did the same with the exception of Paul who was everywhere. It seems to me the best and most effect work was done in small group settings where believers could speak into the lives of the people not just into their ears. I know now that my mission field has been my family, friends and community but 49 years ago when I accepted Jesus as my savior, I thought I had to go to a foreign country to be a missionary or to disciple others. Churches have always been filled with people who are not following the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (think Sadducees and Pharisees). But at least there they may have ears to hear and eyes to see what God can do.

We have a lot of similarity's Sister! I have a beautiful 50 years old daughter because of my persistence to have a boyfriend at age 18. After my divorce from my first husband I told the Lord "I am married to you and you alone. I do not want a man. I do not need a man and I will raise my 2 childen without a man." The very next month he dropped my second husband in my lap and said "No, you need this one and he needs you." It was a beautiful 40 year marriage. I tell everyone I had one marriage from hell and one marriage from heaven. I'm done now and back with my true Bridegroom Jesus. Note: It did take me a lot of years to forgive myself for that first marriage which came when the Lord said to me that is was not a valid marriage in his eyes anyway. The second marriage was till death we did part.

Yeh, I met mine in a bar. It's a long story but a great one which we told for years. It was the only place the Lord could bring us together as we did shop at the same stores or go to the same church or run in the same circles. It's awesome to look back on how the hand of God moves in so many ways!

My 21 year old grandson is the quiet, reserved type. He was in a relationship for a several of years in high school but her family did not think he was good enough for their daughter. She treated him very poorly too. So when the relationship ended our family was happy because he had been very happy. For the past couple years we have been praying for him to find a wonderful, loving young woman who cares about him and likes him and who he is. Early in the summer he went to Montana to visit a friend and met sweet Christian girl. Since then they have been texting and talking. She came out to visit him and now we just found out he is going there to be with her and her family for Christmas. We are trying not to get too excited but ....... we know it is all in God's hands and he always has a plan for each of us.

@Starise Your wisdom is showing. I love it. Young people need to hear our wisdom even if they think they don't. I remember how smart I thought I was at 18.

That's funny you say "soul mate". Jesus is our only true soul mate. I was married to one man for 10 years and barely knew him could not remain with him or one of us would have ended up dead. I was married to one man for 40 years and knew him pretty well but he would surprise me with stupidy every once in a while. (I know he felt the same about me.) We had a good marriage, but hey, when you are together basically 24/7, year after year, decade after decade, with any other person they are going to do or say something that irks you. We are humans and where humans are there will always be trouble at one time or another. Patience, endurance, perseverance, not saying everything you think, are some of the ways to keep any relationship going. Marrying your best friend helps too.

I hope you are ready for a long story but I will keep it as short as possible. As a young girl I wanted my father's love but he did not know how to love a daughter and devoted his time to his first born son. He was not a believer. When I became a teenager I was looking for the love of a man and of course gave in to the first boy who paid attention to me and I ended up pregnant at age 18. The boy was forced to marry me by his parents but it was bad from the start and lasted 10 years with another child born. After we divorced I gave up on men and then the Lord dropped a new husband in my life. We were married for 40 years when he passed away last September. He raised my daughter and son as their father and we had a Christian home. My son from my first marriage fell in "love" when he was 18 and married her the month after he graduated. He married her because he knew how we felt about premarital sex. That marriage lasted 2 years. At the time others said to me, "Why did you let him marry her?" Because I knew how stubborn my son was and if I tried to talk him out of it it would have been worse. Both of them were willingly baptised together a week before the small family wedding. She was not a believer before then and many years later she told me she knew God had a plan all along to bring her to Jesus through her connection to my son and our family. My son would have rebelled if I had badgered him about marrying her and who knows what our relationship would have been like. He did marry a beautiful Christian girl several year later and they have been married for almost 25 years now. We can try to help our children understand marriage and the difficulties in relationships after years and years of "togetherness" but they will each need to and will choose their own path. Just as God gives us freewill so we have to give to our children. Our guidance and advice can only help when given in a kind and loving way but they will make their choices. It doesn't hurt to ray a lot and open conversation helps. I am so thankful for the forgiveness of God for our stupidy as human beings.