stilllearnin' Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 15 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 195 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/23/2004 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/16/1959 Share Posted August 12, 2004 (edited) It was suggested that I move this from the fellowship hall to general discussion, I hope this is okay. A friend was telling me about her Sunday School class, they are studying about God using evil people and circumstances in peoples' lives for His glory. For instance look at all of the evil people He used in Joseph's life, and that brought glory to God as well as a blessing to Joseph. God used the Egyptians to get Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land where He wanted them to be, if they hadn't been so mistreated in Egypt they would have stayed there ( I mean they even wanted to go back there, even though they had been terribly mistreated). The point of the lesson is to ask yourself to look and see what God is doing in spite of and because of the evil people you have to associate with, and the terrible circumstances you find yourself in? Anyone care to share? This post has been edited by stilllearnin' on Aug 12 2004, 03:16 AM -------------------- Edited August 12, 2004 by stilllearnin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trinity Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 92 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 2,244 Content Per Day: 0.31 Reputation: 63 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/30/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted August 12, 2004 If kerry gets into office ill be the 1st to post hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senerhu Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Royal Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 120 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,661 Content Per Day: 0.23 Reputation: 10 Days Won: 0 Joined: 03/23/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted August 12, 2004 God used the plagues on Egypt to magnify His Glory, I think that is awesome. He also allowed satan to bring hardship and suffering to show Job's faith and love in the Lord which also magnifies the Glory of God. I know this is just the tip of the iceberg in these examples, so I hope it fits your topic. As far as current examples, I think the gulf war is an example. I think it is safe to assume that saddam hussein is one of histories most evil people. He bragged how, "God Willing", he would annihalate the coalition forces. Well, the God loving United States ended up with one of the greatest one-sided victories probably since the days of Joshua. Praise God Good topic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabowd Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 112 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 3,489 Content Per Day: 0.48 Reputation: 13 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/28/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted August 12, 2004 I think one of the most beautiful things about God's identity is that He restores. From mourning to rejoicing, from ashes to beauty. He takes the things that seem like they'll destroy us, and turns them into trophies of His grace. Joseph is one of my favorite stories, and so is David. We have the advantage of reading their stories and knowing how they end. It's easy to forget the hopelessness they felt when they were in the midst of their trials (in the bottom of a pit, or hidden in a cave). What we have to remember is that God will work our "story" out for our good, just as He did for those like Joseph and David. He has a plan for us too(Jeremiah 29:11). I've walked through some very dark times. From loss to betrayal, and now walking through a time of seperation from my very best friend. It's really hard. What I have to remind myself of is that God's perspective is higher than mine. I see only what's right in front of me, He sees the beginning, the middle and the end. If I focus on my problem, they seem so huge. But if I focus on God, my problem seems to shrink in the shadow of who He is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kabowd Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 112 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 3,489 Content Per Day: 0.48 Reputation: 13 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/28/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted August 12, 2004 Sorry if my post doesn't go with the topic.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilllearnin' Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 15 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 195 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/23/2004 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/16/1959 Author Share Posted August 12, 2004 Your post fit the topic beautifully, Tess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockswillcryout Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 45 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 331 Content Per Day: 0.04 Reputation: 8 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/31/2003 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/01/2003 Share Posted August 12, 2004 As Oswald Chambers has said, grapes are at their sweetest when crushed. And sometimes God uses people we don't like to crush us, so we can become our sweetest. Not that who crushes us really matters, what matters is what we get out of being crushed. But for me, it hurts more when it's someone I don't like. When that someone is holding a mirror up to my face and showing me what's wrong with me, it's frustrating. It's like this little voice inside me starts shouting "Hypocrite!" I had someone I didn't like very much tell me something about myself I didn't want to admit. At the time (about 5 years ago, back in college) I thought he was completely crazy. But a couple of weeks ago I realized he was exactly right. And it made me so mad! He told me I had "all or nothing syndrom" - meaning, if someone in my life didn't live up to the expectations I placed on them, I wanted nothing to do with them. I look back now at how I treated him and he was right. He didn't live up to what I wanted, so I stopped being friends with him. And at the time, I thought I stopped being friends with him because he was a jerk and treated me horribly and perhaps to some extent he didn't treat me very well, but I can also now see that because he didn't give me what I wanted (and what I wanted was unfair) I withdrew. I soooo didn't want him to be right, but I am now eating crow in a big way. I learned from him that I can't have expectations of people without knowing where we stand, and that when I feel I'm being treated unfairly, I must express myself in an honest and lovely way by talking to the person about it. (Instead of withdrawing like a child.) So, I don't know if that guy I didn't like very much was "evil" per se... (although sometimes the way he acted was evil ) but God still used him to change me. And for that I am grateful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Amaze Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Rockswillcryout, I love that analogy.....that one goes on file in the ol noggin for sure........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilllearnin' Posted August 12, 2004 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 15 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 195 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/23/2004 Status: Offline Birthday: 05/16/1959 Author Share Posted August 12, 2004 Thank you Rocks, that is such a great example of how God uses other people in our lives!! I have come to realizations about myself recently that I didn't want to admit, but they are certainly true and there. I didn't like how they were presented to me and wasn't very happy with the one who told me, but truth is truth, no way around it. stilllearnin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoldlyProclaimingChrist Posted August 14, 2004 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 19 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 684 Content Per Day: 0.09 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/12/2004 Status: Offline Share Posted August 14, 2004 Rocks, That was a wonderful story. Thank you for your honesty and being open. Right now, I'm the only evil person in my life. I'll get back to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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