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Christianity: Happy, Uplifting, or Difficult, Sorrowful?


Mystic_Pizza

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When you have to come up with a title to get the meaning of the forum across in as few words as possible, it's not an easy thing sometimes, lol!

I have a question for everyone: living the Christian life, what are your thoughts on it and what, emotionally, do you think it should be?

On the one hand, we have the ministers we all see on TV, or hear about who believe that the Christian life should be one of constant joy and uplifting moments, where you can 'loose the manna from heaven!', and live a successful, happy, financially somewhat lucrative life. The ministers who feel that there is some sort of 'secret formula' where if you do certain things (faith, tithing, etc.), God has no choice but to bless you with *insert something from the 'good life' here*, because there are...physical laws or whatever that are put into place when a person does 'A', and 'B' has to follow it, no matter what. If you are not living an 'overcomer's' life, if your life isn't being blessed with overall good health and semi-to-abundant wealth, these ministers say your faith isn't strong enough, or whatever- I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about, here.

On the other hand...we have Christians who believe that life on this earth wasn't meant to be 'happy' in the sense that I've just described in the paragraph above- not that you have to be utterly miserable, but that 'wealth, abundant living (I mean in the physical comfort sense), good health, blessings all around' are not the norm. I think of what...Paul (?) said (and I'm paraphrasing...loosely), that if Christians had only this life in which to be happy then we are the most miserable of creatures- stating, in essence, that this physical life is not the 'be all and end all' that we should be aspiring to, but that we should work in this life toward the life to come after this. I also think of what the OT said about Jesus, (who I believe some Jews believe that Jesus was the 'Suffering Christ' as opposed to the victorious one to come in the future, two separate ones, I think they believe- could be wrong) "He was a man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief". When you read of Jesus' life in the NT, and prophecies about Him in the OT, when you realize that He is the only Son of God, come in the flesh as a final sin sacrifice once and for all, for mankind....and then you look at the 'Christian life' in my first paragraph here, big difference. Bigggg difference.

So, what does everyone think? Should the Christian life be one of joy, happiness, overcoming, etc.- or is it the second paragraph I posted? A combination of both? I'm curious to know everyone's take on this :)

 

In addition, here....when I said 'work in this life toward the life to come after this', I did not mean that we have to 'work' to get to heaven, or anything of that nature- by 'work' I mean that we have to...concentrate, devote the majority of our energies towards what is to come after this life, and not devote so terribly much to 'riches, etc.' in this life- I add this in here because I just know someone is going to point it out and say, "Hey! we're already saved! We don't have to 'work' for our salvation, etc. etc", and I just thought I would beat them to the punch, lol~

Edited by Mystic_Pizza
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I feel we shod be grateful but o won't lie it is difficult...but I do remember being newly saved and just happy. That I can enough icecream in this moment here on Earth and if anything happened to me I'd also be in heaven. 

Instead of having an amazing life on Earth and going to hell afterwards. 

To escape hell is an amazing opportunity, once in a lifetime but you do have to fight for your salvation. Because it's so valuable the devil will try to take it from you.

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The wealth and ease of life we experience in the western democracies is coming to a close and is also not consistant with most christians throughout history. Persecution and being hated is normative. Counting the cost is something a Muslim does when the Holy Spirit conviucts them and they repent. Knowing full well they will lose family and friends and possibly their life for being a believer in Jesus Christ. 

The reality of these things is coming to the west and will wake up those who can be awoke and is why Jesus said to the churches, "Those that have ears to hear let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Eyes to see, ears to hear, fine rament and purified gold. The only place to get that stuff is at the feet of Jesus.

Praise God for trials and problems, it may be the only way He keeps us attentive in our easy culture. What do we do when things go wrong? Get on our knees. It works. The first people to fall away when real trouble comes will be the money preachers. All they will be concerned about is saving their fortunes.

 

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Shalom Mystic,

Great question.

I think the life of the Christian should be filled with shalom and joy, despite the circumstances.

Now, if you have shalom that doesn't mean you cannot suffer persecution and unfair treatment. You can feel like all is against you but the shalom inside should not be uprooted by such things.  

Being filled with joy doesn't mean you are always happy. In fact, happiness is slightly different to joy.  You can be sad, cry with others and even have periods of stressed out emotions but the joy inside should not be entirely snuffed out.

I think that if you can always Praise Yahweh, in every situation (sickness and health, poverty and wealth) then you are living as a Christian. If you want to help your brothers and sisters and feel genuine love towards them, then you are living as a Christian. It you want to follow the heart intention of the Scriptures and Torah, then you are living as a Christian. When I read the letters of the apostles I feel that attitude glowing from them in abundance.  

Love & Shalom

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Thank you for the replies, I agree with what everyone has said- I know there have been times when I've felt down, for whatever reason, and then given the church I used to attend when I was young (the 'first paragraph' type up there that I posted about, lol), I would always feel such guilt and wonder what it was that I was doing wrong, etc.- the OT passage about Jesus being a 'man of sorrows, well acquainted with grief' really does touch my heart, because it tells me that there were probably a lot of times when life, the reality and enormity of it, probably got to Him as well- and I'm sure His faith was just fine, lol- it makes me realize that we don't always have to be 'On and Up' in this walk, that the hard times of it, and there are so many of those, come with their own deep-down peace, and an altogether different kind of 'joy'.

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Shalom Mystic 

You got it. It can be distracting when others are like that but prosperity in this life doesn't mean God's blessing, however you torture scripture to agree out of context. In fact, prosperity in this life can be seen as possibly a very worrying sign! God did indeed bless the kings of Israel in such a way but new covenant Christians have a different calling. 

Maybe when scripture talks about the Lord being a "man of sorrows" is referring to the fact that he was walking in Jerusalem knowing the fate that lay before it. The destruction of Jerusalem was completely horrific to read about. Our Lord had such burdens to bare with this - insults thrown at him, doubts from all sides, betrayal, threats on his life regularly for doing good and the constant thought that he would soon hand himself over to his creation to kill him.

I'll probably never really comprehend the Messiah’s love, bravery and restraint. Everytime I think it through, it stirs me greatly. Such love... What a wonderful, perfect and awesome Lord we serve!! 

Love & Shalom 

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26 minutes ago, Tzephanyahu said:

Shalom Mystic 

You got it. It can be distracting when others are like that but prosperity in this life doesn't mean God's blessing, however you torture scripture to agree out of context. In fact, prosperity in this life can be seen as possibly a very worrying sign! God did indeed bless the kings of Israel in such a way but new covenant Christians have a different calling. 

Maybe when scripture talks about the Lord being a "man of sorrows" is referring to the fact that he was walking in Jerusalem knowing the fate that lay before it. The destruction of Jerusalem was completely horrific to read about. Our Lord had such burdens to bare with this - insults thrown at him, doubts from all sides, betrayal, threats on his life regularly for doing good and the constant thought that he would soon hand himself over to his creation to kill him.

I'll probably never really comprehend the Messiah’s love, bravery and restraint. Everytime I think it through, it stirs me greatly. Such love... What a wonderful, perfect and awesome Lord we serve!! 

Love & Shalom 

The pure beauty of it is ,    My Prosperity IS THE LORD .    And the joy of His salvation .   The Joy of the Lord is our strength , and what a man hopes for is what he waits for .

ALL affections above on the Lord for Happy is the one who keeps His sayings .   Blessed are they when persecuted , and leaping for joy they will .

OH and they rejoiced that they had been worthy to suffer shame for his name .  The abundant life , IS to know the LORD  for its a joy that no man can take .

OH the treasure that is above , and the Joy of the LORD having all hope IN THE LORD .

When seek , knock and ask ,  is all about just knowing the LORD more and learning to walk humbly with Him,    That man has joy no matter what comes against him.

NO loss will cause him worry , no persecution will cause him to be swayed .   He will leap for joy when persecuted , he shall abound no matter what he loses .

For the LORD is with him and the LORD IS HIS JOY .     

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Amen! Amen! 

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God got Paul to the point in his life that he learned “ to be content in any situation”.It sounds silly , but in a society that worships “ being cool”, Peter and Paul and others sang when they were thrown into prison.That is being cool.God put a joy in their hearts that the most terrible circumstances could not diminish.He wants us to have that same joy.Resting in the finished work of the Cross is the vital first step in this joy.A Legalist will never receive any joy from God.Faith plus nothing.

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