...
You've bowed before guiklded images of other gods? Banged your neighbor's wife? Stole shit? Murdered someone?
and you can get away with all of that because you lean heavily on Jesus and dump all of your sins on Him?
Where I haven't done anything like that... except, lied... and stole shit when I was a kid... and I'm accepting all of my sins as my own and not dumping my faults on Jesus because I don't think He was here to take on my crap, but to teach me the right path to take in this life... and I'M going to Hell?
I don't get it.
Have you ever worshiped anything other than God, like money or a rock band?
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
Have you ever gotten back more change than you should of from the cashier and kept it?
Have you ever hated anyone, even your enemy?
Then guess what you are in the same boat as me.
I take full responsiblity for what I have done. And I accept that I need to be punished. Because Jesus has pardoned me for my sin does not mean that I wont have to answer for them. I will have to feel the shame and hurt and embarassment when I stand before Him and he shows me all my sin I ever commited and when He looks into my eyes and asks me"why did you hurt your Father, when all I ever wanted was to love you?" That will be the worst and best day of my exsistence. You see He did come for you, he wants you to release your baggage on Him and turn from your old life into a new life in Him. If you have a bible look at the bibles most famous verse John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." You don't have to be lost any more pray that Jesus would enter your heart and repent of your sins. It is the most important decision you will ever make.
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor.....
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
But it doesn't sound like God has anything I want, short of some kind of bizarre blackmail deal.
With God everthing makes sense. You find your meaning and purpose in this life. He can take away all of your hurt and sorrow if you will just let Him. God can offer you a mulitude more than this life ever could. You have it bulit in you to want to know and be apart of something much bigger than yourself, listen to that voice, it is God whispering to you how badly He wants to know you.
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor.....
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
You mean like the part where someone eating an apple somehow makes me a sinner? Or was it the part where sacrificing everything good in my life somehow gives me more good?
You find your meaning and purpose in this life.
I already have.
He can take away all of your hurt and sorrow if you will just let Him.
But I don't have hurt and sorrow. The meaning of my life is the avoidance of such things through the pursuit of their opposites, comfort and happiness.
God can offer you a mulitude more than this life ever could.
Like what?
You have it bulit in you to want to know and be apart of something much bigger than yourself
No I don't. I have it built in that I want to be myself.
You mean like the part where someone eating an apple somehow makes me a sinner? Or was it the part where sacrificing everything good in my life somehow gives me more good?
I already have.
But I don't have hurt and sorrow. The meaning of my life is the avoidance of such things through the pursuit of their opposites, comfort and happiness.
Like what?
No I don't. I have it built in that I want to be myself.
Someday you will need Him and He will be right there waiting. God Bless!
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor.....
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
The problem you will enter into a type of eternity. It will be eternally with God or without, either way you are spending it some where, I'm sorry.
There is no god or eternal life. The only heaven possible is the earth we live on....the sooner we start figuring that out the better. Because we are trashing this one beautiful place that we do know for sure exists, in hopes of a glorious afterlife void sorrow and pain. Man (especially men that suffered greatly) created god to make some kind of hope, something to live for. The answer isn't in a god, the answer is in yourself. We will all spend eternity having a dirt nap...rich, poor, terrorists, saints, jessica simpson, all the same in the end.
If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
-Oscar Wilde
Have you ever worshiped anything other than God, like money or a rock band?
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
Have you ever gotten back more change than you should of from the cashier and kept it?
Have you ever hated anyone, even your enemy?
Then guess what you are in the same boat as me.
I take full responsiblity for what I have done. And I accept that I need to be punished. Because Jesus has pardoned me for my sin does not mean that I wont have to answer for them. I will have to feel the shame and hurt and embarassment when I stand before Him and he shows me all my sin I ever commited and when He looks into my eyes and asks me"why did you hurt your Father, when all I ever wanted was to love you?" That will be the worst and best day of my exsistence. You see He did come for you, he wants you to release your baggage on Him and turn from your old life into a new life in Him. If you have a bible look at the bibles most famous verse John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." You don't have to be lost any more pray that Jesus would enter your heart and repent of your sins. It is the most important decision you will ever make.
...
Am i an angel? No... far from it.
but...
Have you ever worshiped anything other than God, like money or a rock band?
No. Not money... not a rock band. Money is a need, not a want and Music is a background. I cannot think of anything I have worshipped.
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
It's a sin to imagine how great it would be to love a woman and have her love me back? Is that considered lust? I NEVER think in terms of rape... if that's what you're asking. I'm one of those old fashioned dudes that still places women on a pedestal.
And I'm sure I've had my sweet tight ass oggled by gals... and guys. So what?
Have you ever gotten back more change than you should of from the cashier and kept it?
Not that I am aware of... if I notice, I square up because I think things have a way of evening up. I'm guessing, I've been short changed in my life, too... but... oh, well... it all works out. I did find a 100 dollar bill in a parking lot once... turns out that my plumbing backed up and guess what it cost to have the plumber roto-rooter it out? 125 bucks.
Have you ever hated anyone, even your enemy?
Hate is murder? Then, I've been murdered by a few members from this board.
I can understand if you committed to these things in the past... as a kid... not knowing they are punishible sins... but, do you continue to worship money, lust after women, knowingly keep change you know is not yours and hate others now? Shouldn't you stop doing these things if you know they are wrong? Or can we rely on Jesus to continually pardon us for our continual screw ups?
If I thought that thinking about how nice it would be to love a woman and have her love me back is a sin... I wouldn't think it's a sin because I ain't a puritan eunuch.
And come the day I have to stand and face Jesus... I want to hand Him as small a bag as possible. If He tells me I shouldn't have admired women so much... I'll straight out tell Him, "Then your Dad shouldn't have made them so beautiful. If He didn't want me to admire them so much, He should have made them look more like Aardvarks and lined the walls of their vaginas with treble hooks... that would have cured me." I'm guessing Jesus is a lot cooler and less judgemental as you say He is. And if you're right and He is a judgemental prick... then, maybe spending eternity with Him wouldn't be so much fun.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
I have always felt that with making a considerable amount of money,
even $52,000 a year,one has more new friends waiting for a dollar to fall
their way for about 10 seconds until the 11th second when they can't wait anymore and feel compelled to steal it out of your pocket.I can not imagine what the wealthy go through.
Another example,having a job where you are expected to acheive wealth.
That revolves around the same door.I am much better off making a lesser amount of money, with real friends and family.
As far as the Bible goes,"those who are poor in spirit are lucky indeed".
This DOES not mean that one cannot acheive wealth and still be poor in spirit.
LIving with or without money depends on your living situation and what makes you truely HAPPY and CONSISTANT in your SPIRITUAL LIFE and in
ALL THAT YOU DO.
so if you have money,good for you,
and if you don't,good for you.
It's all in your relationship with GOd and Jesus,Right?
BUT
FIRST IMPRESSIONS REALLY MATTER AND YOU MUST LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE SAY.WHAT COMES OUT OF THEIR LIPS,IS REALLY WHAT THEY BELIEVE.
BE SMART,BE SAFE,BE IN LOVE WITH ONE ANOTHER.
ADEV:D
A whisper and a thrill
A whisper and a chill
adv2005
"Why do I bother?"
The 11th Commandment.
"Whatever"
PETITION TO STOP THE BAN OF SMOKING IN BARS IN THE UNITED STATES....Anyone?
52K/yr is like lower middle class in Cali. It's more than what I make. I make $42K/yr, but I have to rent a room and drive a corolla. God must hate me.
I have always felt that with making a considerable amount of money,even $52,000 a year,one has more new friends waiting for a dollar to fall their way for about 10 seconds until the 11th second when they can't wait anymore and feel compelled to steal it out of your pocket.I can not imagine what the wealthy go through.
Another example,having a job where you are expected to acheive wealth.
That revolves around the same door.I am much better off making a lesser amount of money, with real friends and family.
As far as the Bible goes,"those who are poor in spirit are lucky indeed".
This DOES not mean that one cannot acheive wealth and still be poor in spirit.
LIving with or without money depends on your living situation and what makes you truely HAPPY and CONSISTANT in your SPIRITUAL LIFE and in
ALL THAT YOU DO.
so if you have money,good for you,
and if you don't,good for you.
It's all in your relationship with GOd and Jesus,Right?
BUT
FIRST IMPRESSIONS REALLY MATTER AND YOU MUST LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE SAY.WHAT COMES OUT OF THEIR LIPS,IS REALLY WHAT THEY BELIEVE.
BE SMART,BE SAFE,BE IN LOVE WITH ONE ANOTHER.
ADEV:D
...
I have a couple of thoughts, not rebuttals or debates, relating to this...
Regarding 'friends' waiting for your money to drop their way are not friends. I would advise you to steer clear of 'friends' that will steal from you. Never lend or borrow money from friends or family... if you want to help someone out... give it as if it will never be re-paid... it it is re-paid, good.
Working stiffs do not get wealthy. They usually just want to earn enough to raise a family. From what I have learned, the ones that earn wealth working for a company, earn it at a price. That price is their time... time spent on the job... not with family... not with friends. Your job allows you to live... you life should never revolve around your job. Keep your life at the center and let the material things revolve around you.
And wealth is sometimes attained by keeping every dollar you earn and accumulating material goods. I'm not impressed by a new car or a Rolex watch or a diamond ring... to me, it's just stuff. People who are impressed by material things are usually people I'm not too impressed with. If you judge a person's character by the type of car they drive... I believe you are way off the mark and need to re-assess your criteria on what makes a good person. I am more impressed with people who show me honest, integrity and kindness... positive human traits that reveal their humanity... regardless of their financial standings.
And from what I remember... the Bible also says something about a camel and the eye of a needle regarding wealth... but, I forget.
And I do not believe in first impressions. I know that there is no way you can learn anything about me without getting to know me by investing some time spent with me... and vice versa. People can say whatever they want.. including the things they know you want to hear. It is through repeated demonstrations of their acts, that I get a better understanding of the persons I call my friends. I can guarantee you that if I introduce a person to you as my friend... that person is a good person.
And you can have a relationship with God and Jesus and still be an asshole... just as you can not believe in either God or Jesus and still be kind. Neither one is mutually exclusive to the other... there are kind and asshole Christians, just as there are kind and asshole aetheists.
And yeah... we should love each other. Trust me... I'm trying... I'm really trying. But, there are so many people that make that task so difficult.
I believe we are placed here to learn and experience... I think if we just tried to live and be happy and quit trying to control the persons and things we cannot control, we'd all be better off.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
Have you ever worshiped anything other than God, like money or a rock band?
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
Have you ever gotten back more change than you should of from the cashier and kept it?
Have you ever hated anyone, even your enemy?
Then guess what you are in the same boat as me.
I take full responsiblity for what I have done. And I accept that I need to be punished. Because Jesus has pardoned me for my sin does not mean that I wont have to answer for them. I will have to feel the shame and hurt and embarassment when I stand before Him and he shows me all my sin I ever commited and when He looks into my eyes and asks me"why did you hurt your Father, when all I ever wanted was to love you?" That will be the worst and best day of my exsistence. You see He did come for you, he wants you to release your baggage on Him and turn from your old life into a new life in Him. If you have a bible look at the bibles most famous verse John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." You don't have to be lost any more pray that Jesus would enter your heart and repent of your sins. It is the most important decision you will ever make.
daaaaaaaaamn. i thought i had the catholic guilt complex pretty bad, but your life must be TERRIBLE! are you always so ashamed and self-loathing?
Have you ever worshiped anything other than God, like money or a rock band?
No. Not money... not a rock band. Money is a need, not a want and Music is a background. I cannot think of anything I have worshipped.
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
It's a sin to imagine how great it would be to love a woman and have her love me back? Is that considered lust? I NEVER think in terms of rape... if that's what you're asking. I'm one of those old fashioned dudes that still places women on a pedestal.
And I'm sure I've had my sweet tight ass oggled by gals... and guys. So what?
Have you ever gotten back more change than you should of from the cashier and kept it?
Not that I am aware of... if I notice, I square up because I think things have a way of evening up. I'm guessing, I've been short changed in my life, too... but... oh, well... it all works out. I did find a 100 dollar bill in a parking lot once... turns out that my plumbing backed up and guess what it cost to have the plumber roto-rooter it out? 125 bucks.
Have you ever hated anyone, even your enemy?
Hate is murder? Then, I've been murdered by a few members from this board.
I can understand if you committed to these things in the past... as a kid... not knowing they are punishible sins... but, do you continue to worship money, lust after women, knowingly keep change you know is not yours and hate others now? Shouldn't you stop doing these things if you know they are wrong? Or can we rely on Jesus to continually pardon us for our continual screw ups?
If I thought that thinking about how nice it would be to love a woman and have her love me back is a sin... I wouldn't think it's a sin because I ain't a puritan eunuch.
And come the day I have to stand and face Jesus... I want to hand Him as small a bag as possible. If He tells me I shouldn't have admired women so much... I'll straight out tell Him, "Then your Dad shouldn't have made them so beautiful. If He didn't want me to admire them so much, He should have made them look more like Aardvarks and lined the walls of their vaginas with treble hooks... that would have cured me." I'm guessing Jesus is a lot cooler and less judgemental as you say He is. And if you're right and He is a judgemental prick... then, maybe spending eternity with Him wouldn't be so much fun.
The problem with the truth is that it hurts. It is hard to believe that children are sinners too, so what ever you did as a child still counts in God's eyes. When you bullied a fellow student or when you were filled with hate towards a bully messing with you, these are both sinful and are recorded. You see sin is natural in us we can not help it, that is why God Himself had to come in and save us from ourselves. As far as wanting to admire and love a woman there is nothing wrong with that, you are right God put that desire in you. It is when you sit there and ponder and imagine what she looks like naked or what it's like to be with her intimately. This is the sinful part. You see God is the ultimate Judge, let me put it this way. Say you stole a car and you got caught and now you are before the judge in a court of law. You admit you are guilty because there is overwhelming evidence against you. So you ask the judge,"I'm sorry I stole the car I am generally a good person so do you think you could let me off for this law I have broken?" Now you and I know that according to the law the judge has to punish you and can not let you just walk away. So the judge sentences you to 3 years in prison and 55,000 in restitution. because the judge is a fair and honest the sentence stands and must be served. So they take you back to the holding area. Sometime later your lawyer comes in with the good news. Someone has paid your fine and is willing to serve your three years for the laws you broke. You are shocked. You ask who the person is, your lawyer says He is a perfect stranger
but he says He's known you since birth, and he said that the only thing that He requires of you is a relationship with Him. This sacrifice seems to good to be true no man especially a perfect stranger would ever do such a thing. But this story is true this is what Jesus has done for us all, we have all broken God's law it says so in the bible that no man is rightous but one Jesus, all have failed except our Lord. You see Jesus lived as a man so He knows our struggles, He wants to be there for us He loves us. Why else would God Himself die such an agonizing death if He did'nt have to? Because it was the only way for us to reunite and be in His presnce once again.
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor.....
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
daaaaaaaaamn. i thought i had the catholic guilt complex pretty bad, but your life must be TERRIBLE! are you always so ashamed and self-loathing?
Actually I have a wonderful life, a blessed life. I'm honest with myself about what I've done, I dont deserve anything I have but God is such a wonderful caring merciful God that He still provides for me eventhough the only thing I am entitled to is death. It sounds harsh but the truth is hard to swallow when we have become such a self centered society. The truth is we deserve nothing and are entitled only to death. But thanks to Jesus we have Hope, Hope that we will be with Him and the pain of the world will be gone forever. he defeated death and now we can to through Him.
Check out "everystudent.com"
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor.....
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
From everything you've said here, it sounds like he needs me, rather than vice versa.
Be well,
Jeff
Well God really needs nothing from us. If you do or were to have a child would you expect he or she to provide or take care of you. No you are there to care for them, the only thing you would hope for is that that child would love you and appreciate your efforts to give them a good life. That's all God wants, that His children would chose to love Him for all that He has provided and the love that He poured out at the cross.
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor.....
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
The problem with the truth is that it hurts. It is hard to believe that children are sinners too, so what ever you did as a child still counts in God's eyes. When you bullied a fellow student or when you were filled with hate towards a bully messing with you, these are both sinful and are recorded. You see sin is natural in us we can not help it, that is why God Himself had to come in and save us from ourselves. As far as wanting to admire and love a woman there is nothing wrong with that, you are right God put that desire in you. It is when you sit there and ponder and imagine what she looks like naked or what it's like to be with her intimately. This is the sinful part. You see God is the ultimate Judge, let me put it this way. Say you stole a car and you got caught and now you are before the judge in a court of law. You admit you are guilty because there is overwhelming evidence against you. So you ask the judge,"I'm sorry I stole the car I am generally a good person so do you think you could let me off for this law I have broken?" Now you and I know that according to the law the judge has to punish you and can not let you just walk away. So the judge sentences you to 3 years in prison and 55,000 in restitution. because the judge is a fair and honest the sentence stands and must be served. So they take you back to the holding area. Sometime later your lawyer comes in with the good news. Someone has paid your fine and is willing to serve your three years for the laws you broke. You are shocked. You ask who the person is, your lawyer says He is a perfect stranger
but he says He's known you since birth, and he said that the only thing that He requires of you is a relationship with Him. This sacrifice seems to good to be true no man especially a perfect stranger would ever do such a thing. But this story is true this is what Jesus has done for us all, we have all broken God's law it says so in the bible that no man is rightous but one Jesus, all have failed except our Lord. You see Jesus lived as a man so He knows our struggles, He wants to be there for us He loves us. Why else would God Himself die such an agonizing death if He did'nt have to? Because it was the only way for us to reunite and be in His presnce once again.
..
See... that's where you and I differ.
I don't believe God is the judgemental asshole He is made out to be in religious text. The believe that the driving force behind those texts are to instill the fear of God in us, instead of centering on the love God has for us.
And as for Jesus... I don't think He wanted the role of King or Saviour... those are things we have pinned to Him. I believe that He wanted to teach us, not rule us. We are probably best served learning from the teachings of Christ, instead of laying all of our human baggage on the dude. I think alot of 'Christians' need to read His Sermon on the Mount, again... and this time... pay attention.
I have no quarrels with God or Jesus... but, I question the religions man created in their names. God is not human and does not possess those petty human traits we have written about Him.
You go your way and God bless you... I'll go my way. I believe that both of our differing paths will lead to God. He will judge you, as you believe He will... and He will lovingly accept the imperfect, questioning, confused human sprit that is me... as I believe He is.
Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
Hail, Hail!!!
..
See... that's where you and I differ.
I don't believe God is the judgemental asshole He is made out to be in religious text. The believe that the driving force behind those texts are to instill the fear of God in us, instead of centering on the love God has for us.
And as for Jesus... I don't think He wanted the role of King or Saviour... those are things we have pinned to Him. I believe that He wanted to teach us, not rule us. We are probably best served learning from the teachings of Christ, instead of laying all of our human baggage on the dude. I think alot of 'Christians' need to read His Sermon on the Mount, again... and this time... pay attention.
I have no quarrels with God or Jesus... but, I question the religions man created in their names. God is not human and does not possess those petty human traits we have written about Him.
You go your way and God bless you... I'll go my way. I believe that both of our differing paths will lead to God. He will judge you, as you believe He will... and He will lovingly accept the imperfect, questioning, confused human sprit that is me... as I believe He is.
First let me say that you obviously have respect for our Lord, that is rare in this forum, thank you. I am afraid that you are not getting the central meaning of my posts which is God loves us! You and I dont see Jesus the same way, you see him as a man, I see Him the way the bible teaches which is He was God in human form. And according to my bible He choose us, He choose to live on earth for 30-33 years and most importantly He choose to die. There was nothing that happened to Him that He didnt already know was coming. Thanks for the civalized dialoge.
Check out Everystudent.com or Way of the Master.com it has some good info.
And there is always the bible. And people like me willing to talk about things that seem confusing in the bible or hard to understand.
Jesusfreaks.net is another good place.
I also made a mistake in a past post. If you are saved then you bypass the Lord's judgement. It is if you are not saved that God will place judgement on you on the Day of the Lord. The saved still have to give an account of there lives, for instance telling the Lord how they spread His kingdom
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor.....
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
I'm surprised the authors of this article didn't bring up a passage from the Bible that catches my attention every time I hear it in church:
Excuse the following formatting, but I copied & pasted it from a bible site:
*******************************
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,'[a] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
*********************************************
"If you cannot answer a man's argument, do not panic. You can always call him names." Oscar Wilde
"All of us are entitled to our own opinion but not our own facts." Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Comments
Have you ever worshiped anything other than God, like money or a rock band?
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
Have you ever gotten back more change than you should of from the cashier and kept it?
Have you ever hated anyone, even your enemy?
Then guess what you are in the same boat as me.
I take full responsiblity for what I have done. And I accept that I need to be punished. Because Jesus has pardoned me for my sin does not mean that I wont have to answer for them. I will have to feel the shame and hurt and embarassment when I stand before Him and he shows me all my sin I ever commited and when He looks into my eyes and asks me"why did you hurt your Father, when all I ever wanted was to love you?" That will be the worst and best day of my exsistence. You see He did come for you, he wants you to release your baggage on Him and turn from your old life into a new life in Him. If you have a bible look at the bibles most famous verse John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." You don't have to be lost any more pray that Jesus would enter your heart and repent of your sins. It is the most important decision you will ever make.
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
With God everthing makes sense. You find your meaning and purpose in this life. He can take away all of your hurt and sorrow if you will just let Him. God can offer you a mulitude more than this life ever could. You have it bulit in you to want to know and be apart of something much bigger than yourself, listen to that voice, it is God whispering to you how badly He wants to know you.
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
You mean like the part where someone eating an apple somehow makes me a sinner? Or was it the part where sacrificing everything good in my life somehow gives me more good?
I already have.
But I don't have hurt and sorrow. The meaning of my life is the avoidance of such things through the pursuit of their opposites, comfort and happiness.
Like what?
No I don't. I have it built in that I want to be myself.
Someday you will need Him and He will be right there waiting. God Bless!
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
There is no god or eternal life. The only heaven possible is the earth we live on....the sooner we start figuring that out the better. Because we are trashing this one beautiful place that we do know for sure exists, in hopes of a glorious afterlife void sorrow and pain. Man (especially men that suffered greatly) created god to make some kind of hope, something to live for. The answer isn't in a god, the answer is in yourself. We will all spend eternity having a dirt nap...rich, poor, terrorists, saints, jessica simpson, all the same in the end.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
-Oscar Wilde
From everything you've said here, it sounds like he needs me, rather than vice versa.
Be well,
Jeff
Am i an angel? No... far from it.
but...
Have you ever worshiped anything other than God, like money or a rock band?
No. Not money... not a rock band. Money is a need, not a want and Music is a background. I cannot think of anything I have worshipped.
Have you ever looked at a woman with lust?
It's a sin to imagine how great it would be to love a woman and have her love me back? Is that considered lust? I NEVER think in terms of rape... if that's what you're asking. I'm one of those old fashioned dudes that still places women on a pedestal.
And I'm sure I've had my sweet tight ass oggled by gals... and guys. So what?
Have you ever gotten back more change than you should of from the cashier and kept it?
Not that I am aware of... if I notice, I square up because I think things have a way of evening up. I'm guessing, I've been short changed in my life, too... but... oh, well... it all works out. I did find a 100 dollar bill in a parking lot once... turns out that my plumbing backed up and guess what it cost to have the plumber roto-rooter it out? 125 bucks.
Have you ever hated anyone, even your enemy?
Hate is murder? Then, I've been murdered by a few members from this board.
I can understand if you committed to these things in the past... as a kid... not knowing they are punishible sins... but, do you continue to worship money, lust after women, knowingly keep change you know is not yours and hate others now? Shouldn't you stop doing these things if you know they are wrong? Or can we rely on Jesus to continually pardon us for our continual screw ups?
If I thought that thinking about how nice it would be to love a woman and have her love me back is a sin... I wouldn't think it's a sin because I ain't a puritan eunuch.
And come the day I have to stand and face Jesus... I want to hand Him as small a bag as possible. If He tells me I shouldn't have admired women so much... I'll straight out tell Him, "Then your Dad shouldn't have made them so beautiful. If He didn't want me to admire them so much, He should have made them look more like Aardvarks and lined the walls of their vaginas with treble hooks... that would have cured me." I'm guessing Jesus is a lot cooler and less judgemental as you say He is. And if you're right and He is a judgemental prick... then, maybe spending eternity with Him wouldn't be so much fun.
Hail, Hail!!!
even $52,000 a year,one has more new friends waiting for a dollar to fall
their way for about 10 seconds until the 11th second when they can't wait anymore and feel compelled to steal it out of your pocket.I can not imagine what the wealthy go through.
Another example,having a job where you are expected to acheive wealth.
That revolves around the same door.I am much better off making a lesser amount of money, with real friends and family.
As far as the Bible goes,"those who are poor in spirit are lucky indeed".
This DOES not mean that one cannot acheive wealth and still be poor in spirit.
LIving with or without money depends on your living situation and what makes you truely HAPPY and CONSISTANT in your SPIRITUAL LIFE and in
ALL THAT YOU DO.
so if you have money,good for you,
and if you don't,good for you.
It's all in your relationship with GOd and Jesus,Right?
BUT
FIRST IMPRESSIONS REALLY MATTER AND YOU MUST LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE SAY.WHAT COMES OUT OF THEIR LIPS,IS REALLY WHAT THEY BELIEVE.
BE SMART,BE SAFE,BE IN LOVE WITH ONE ANOTHER.
ADEV:D
A whisper and a chill
adv2005
"Why do I bother?"
The 11th Commandment.
"Whatever"
PETITION TO STOP THE BAN OF SMOKING IN BARS IN THE UNITED STATES....Anyone?
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=272825
I have a couple of thoughts, not rebuttals or debates, relating to this...
Regarding 'friends' waiting for your money to drop their way are not friends. I would advise you to steer clear of 'friends' that will steal from you. Never lend or borrow money from friends or family... if you want to help someone out... give it as if it will never be re-paid... it it is re-paid, good.
Working stiffs do not get wealthy. They usually just want to earn enough to raise a family. From what I have learned, the ones that earn wealth working for a company, earn it at a price. That price is their time... time spent on the job... not with family... not with friends. Your job allows you to live... you life should never revolve around your job. Keep your life at the center and let the material things revolve around you.
And wealth is sometimes attained by keeping every dollar you earn and accumulating material goods. I'm not impressed by a new car or a Rolex watch or a diamond ring... to me, it's just stuff. People who are impressed by material things are usually people I'm not too impressed with. If you judge a person's character by the type of car they drive... I believe you are way off the mark and need to re-assess your criteria on what makes a good person. I am more impressed with people who show me honest, integrity and kindness... positive human traits that reveal their humanity... regardless of their financial standings.
And from what I remember... the Bible also says something about a camel and the eye of a needle regarding wealth... but, I forget.
And I do not believe in first impressions. I know that there is no way you can learn anything about me without getting to know me by investing some time spent with me... and vice versa. People can say whatever they want.. including the things they know you want to hear. It is through repeated demonstrations of their acts, that I get a better understanding of the persons I call my friends. I can guarantee you that if I introduce a person to you as my friend... that person is a good person.
And you can have a relationship with God and Jesus and still be an asshole... just as you can not believe in either God or Jesus and still be kind. Neither one is mutually exclusive to the other... there are kind and asshole Christians, just as there are kind and asshole aetheists.
And yeah... we should love each other. Trust me... I'm trying... I'm really trying. But, there are so many people that make that task so difficult.
I believe we are placed here to learn and experience... I think if we just tried to live and be happy and quit trying to control the persons and things we cannot control, we'd all be better off.
Hail, Hail!!!
daaaaaaaaamn. i thought i had the catholic guilt complex pretty bad, but your life must be TERRIBLE! are you always so ashamed and self-loathing?
The problem with the truth is that it hurts. It is hard to believe that children are sinners too, so what ever you did as a child still counts in God's eyes. When you bullied a fellow student or when you were filled with hate towards a bully messing with you, these are both sinful and are recorded. You see sin is natural in us we can not help it, that is why God Himself had to come in and save us from ourselves. As far as wanting to admire and love a woman there is nothing wrong with that, you are right God put that desire in you. It is when you sit there and ponder and imagine what she looks like naked or what it's like to be with her intimately. This is the sinful part. You see God is the ultimate Judge, let me put it this way. Say you stole a car and you got caught and now you are before the judge in a court of law. You admit you are guilty because there is overwhelming evidence against you. So you ask the judge,"I'm sorry I stole the car I am generally a good person so do you think you could let me off for this law I have broken?" Now you and I know that according to the law the judge has to punish you and can not let you just walk away. So the judge sentences you to 3 years in prison and 55,000 in restitution. because the judge is a fair and honest the sentence stands and must be served. So they take you back to the holding area. Sometime later your lawyer comes in with the good news. Someone has paid your fine and is willing to serve your three years for the laws you broke. You are shocked. You ask who the person is, your lawyer says He is a perfect stranger
but he says He's known you since birth, and he said that the only thing that He requires of you is a relationship with Him. This sacrifice seems to good to be true no man especially a perfect stranger would ever do such a thing. But this story is true this is what Jesus has done for us all, we have all broken God's law it says so in the bible that no man is rightous but one Jesus, all have failed except our Lord. You see Jesus lived as a man so He knows our struggles, He wants to be there for us He loves us. Why else would God Himself die such an agonizing death if He did'nt have to? Because it was the only way for us to reunite and be in His presnce once again.
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
Actually I have a wonderful life, a blessed life. I'm honest with myself about what I've done, I dont deserve anything I have but God is such a wonderful caring merciful God that He still provides for me eventhough the only thing I am entitled to is death. It sounds harsh but the truth is hard to swallow when we have become such a self centered society. The truth is we deserve nothing and are entitled only to death. But thanks to Jesus we have Hope, Hope that we will be with Him and the pain of the world will be gone forever. he defeated death and now we can to through Him.
Check out "everystudent.com"
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
Well God really needs nothing from us. If you do or were to have a child would you expect he or she to provide or take care of you. No you are there to care for them, the only thing you would hope for is that that child would love you and appreciate your efforts to give them a good life. That's all God wants, that His children would chose to love Him for all that He has provided and the love that He poured out at the cross.
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
See... that's where you and I differ.
I don't believe God is the judgemental asshole He is made out to be in religious text. The believe that the driving force behind those texts are to instill the fear of God in us, instead of centering on the love God has for us.
And as for Jesus... I don't think He wanted the role of King or Saviour... those are things we have pinned to Him. I believe that He wanted to teach us, not rule us. We are probably best served learning from the teachings of Christ, instead of laying all of our human baggage on the dude. I think alot of 'Christians' need to read His Sermon on the Mount, again... and this time... pay attention.
I have no quarrels with God or Jesus... but, I question the religions man created in their names. God is not human and does not possess those petty human traits we have written about Him.
You go your way and God bless you... I'll go my way. I believe that both of our differing paths will lead to God. He will judge you, as you believe He will... and He will lovingly accept the imperfect, questioning, confused human sprit that is me... as I believe He is.
Hail, Hail!!!
First let me say that you obviously have respect for our Lord, that is rare in this forum, thank you. I am afraid that you are not getting the central meaning of my posts which is God loves us! You and I dont see Jesus the same way, you see him as a man, I see Him the way the bible teaches which is He was God in human form. And according to my bible He choose us, He choose to live on earth for 30-33 years and most importantly He choose to die. There was nothing that happened to Him that He didnt already know was coming. Thanks for the civalized dialoge.
Check out Everystudent.com or Way of the Master.com it has some good info.
And there is always the bible. And people like me willing to talk about things that seem confusing in the bible or hard to understand.
Jesusfreaks.net is another good place.
I also made a mistake in a past post. If you are saved then you bypass the Lord's judgement. It is if you are not saved that God will place judgement on you on the Day of the Lord. The saved still have to give an account of there lives, for instance telling the Lord how they spread His kingdom
Believe in things again like when you were a child.
Excuse the following formatting, but I copied & pasted it from a bible site:
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16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,'[a] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
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"All of us are entitled to our own opinion but not our own facts." Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan