Why is this life valuable to the Lord?

[EricH]

Life has value because it is a gift from God.

[e lansing]

Philippians 1:21 - For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Question: Why is to live "Christ"? What does this mean?

Paul knew that in the spiritual since the only way to achive spiritual life was through Christ. The process of acquiring this life would mean death to the old man.[born-again experince] It is a mind set that Paul had and spoke of in most of his letters. In a physical since he was laboring for Christ. This was a struggle for him [harsh treatment]. Therefore he desired to go be with the Lord. However, he also knew that he had a mission to fulfill and it was the will of Christ that he remain and continue to expand the Kingdom of Christ.

Paul was sold out to Christ. Every ounce of who Paul was, was focus on doing the will of Christ. When Paul lives his life for Christ and never looks back to his former life, he knew that he was truly alive! He knew that he was alive because he knew that Christ was alive in him and he was comforted in this. Paul took a lot of time to explain the dieing of ones self in Romans. When we take up our cross/put to death our old mind sets, nature, and lern to live for Christ, Christ is alive in our life because He is our life. To gain Christ was to die for Christ. He knew this was true in a spiritual since,he also knew it to be true in a physical since in that when he did die it would mean rest from all his labor.

Matt. 10:7 - "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

("Hand" meaning: approached 10, approaching 7, came 1, came close 1, came near 1, come near 2, comes near 2, coming near 1, draw near 3, drawing near 2, hand 7, near 5)

Question: What does it mean that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand as far as we and our lives are concerned?

The Kingdom of God exists in Christ. This ment that the full repersentation of God was repersented in the life of Christ. God standard, ideal, grace, mercy, love, power, wisdom, forgiveness, ect, where all present in the life of Christ and all these are characteristic and principles of the the Kingdom of God. [Gal 5] In Mark 4 these principles are liken to a seed that are planted in the hearts of all who hear the teaching of the Kingdom/Christ. 1Peter 1:23 Explains this a little more. When these seeds of the Kingdom are planted in the hearts of those who hear, obey and are therefore transformed, the Kingdom is at hand, lives are changed and the Kingdom is expanded. As the Kingdom of God is expanded in our lives, the Kingdom will be expanded through our lives and to other people. This all started with Jesus [John 12:23] and is still being fulfilled.

Psalms 116:15 - Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.

Question: If we think of our death being precious to the Lord because it means we are with Him in Heaven, why would He hold our blood accountable to a murderer who killed one of us?

The death of a saints will happen, has happend, when it does it greives Him. Cross reference 116:15 with 72:14 and you will see that it does not mean that God is happy with the death of the saints, nor does it mean that He is happy with our premature return home. He has a mission for all of us to fulfill before we go home. People who murder are guilty and will suffer for it. When a saint dies for being a christian, this is honorable, and the one who commits such things will answer to God for there crime/sin against God.

This not a in depth study of what the Kingdom is or how it works, this is just off the top of my head. I hope this helps with your questions. Btw, we are valuable to Him because of intrinsic value to Him. His death speaks to this. He truly loves us.

e

[stormy612]

Hi Nebula,

Don't expect much from this response. I just wanted to say that I can relate to wanting so much more than what I feel like God is giving me. Sometimes He takes me far above everything and I can see the big picture. Everything up there makes sense. I can see how all the pieces fit together kind of like how you can see the whole city from atop a tall skyscraper. The world makes sense from Heaven's perspective.

But then God will return me to 'street level' and I end up lost in the overcrowded bog of humanity again. All I learned from riding upon His wings gets lost in the day to day details of my life. I don't want to be here at street level anymore. I want to be up there where God is looking at the whole of the earth and humanity. Up there I feel wise, strong, powerful, and useful. Down here I feel lost and confused, small, weak, and useless. When I start to tell people what God showed me up there, they don't get it so they tear it to shreds and I end up crying to God-He showed me wonderful things but I can't make others see it so what was the point. I don't know how to balance or even use what God shows me up there. I know there is a purpose for bringing me up to see the big picture, but I don't know how to use that knowledge down here on street level.

I've asked God a lot to tell me, like He told Paul, what my end will be. Because Paul knew that He was to stand before the emperor in Rome, Paul could do anything and everything in faith. He knew that until he stood before the emperor, nothing would kill him. A deadly snake bit him but he shook it off and took no thought to dying because he had not been to the emperor yet. He was stoned and left for dead, but he continued in his work because he knew Jesus said he would stand before the emperor. What God says will happen, will. Paul knew he would be protected until God's will was accomplished. I want the same confidence that Paul had.

I always imagined that Paul received his confidence, his faith, his motivation from knowing God's specific will for him, but that's only what I think. Paul still had to live on the "street level" of this life, and that takes more faith than believeing in a long term goal of God's. If God told me I was going be His prophet (just a one time thing) appointed for a certain time, I could easily have faith in that. When I do something good for someone and they slap me in the face for it, or I don't see the good results I was hoping for...that's when I get hurt and confused and forget God's love and faithfulness to fulfill His will. Paul was stoned, tossed out of a city, and left for dead. He recovered from that well enough. I think a lot of people can recover from the trouble the world brings us. But God told him to go to yet another city and proclaim the gospel again knowing full well he could be stoned and left for dead again.

That's where I am with God now. I've been through tribulation, God delivered me, and now He's asking that I endure something seven times hotter than the last. How did Paul get up and go to the next city? How did he get on yet another boat? I want to know what he knew. I want whatever it was that he had that motivated him to keep going in the face of certain suffering. And to take it one step further, I want what Jesus had that led Him to endure the cross for me.

I'm sure none of this makes any sense at all in reference to your questions, but I've been through the 'wrestling with an angel' with God and I'll wrestle some more in my lifetime. So far, I've been given to understand that when I seek anything for myself, I am thwarted in my purposes-even when I seek the meaning of, the value of my life. The only questions God answers for me are the ones that seek His will for someone else. I think in light of serving others, we begin to see our value to Him, so the only way to discern the answer is to serve God's will for others.

I hope that makes sense. It's where I'm at, at the moment. Maybe I'll have a deeper answer twenty years from now. Or maybe it'll be the same one. When you learn more, let me know. I like walking with someone through this life. I'm usually at odds with people, and for asking questions like the ones your asking.

[nebula]

Hey stormy -

I do believe you understand my search.

[other one]

keep doing what you're doing. pretty sure you're not the one doing something wrong. me? i don't think i'm doing wrong, i am wrong.

Maybe it's because I'm 62 and have been through much. Maybe my expectations are just a little lower than yours. At least three times in my life, I should have died. All three times God interfered, so I have to think that there is something that I have to do.

We've been poor, we've been broke and we've been sick...... but I refuse to let this world keep me from being happy, no matter what of those conditions we have to exist in.

It would be interesting to know why life is so bad for you. Don't know if there are any words that might make a difference, bit it's hard for me to not understand. It's hard to know if anything could/would help, but I find it hard not to ask.

So I would just ask, what is it that has you down, and how long has it been that way.

nothing that i would like to share on a public message board. and since i cannot do pm, i guess we are at an impasse.

sam@evans.org if you are interested....