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Because when people place their faith in a concept, or idea, or system of belief, and it lets them down, where do they turn?
God transcends all. If something happens I don't understand, it's because I was wrong, not God.
I know. I have never blamed God for one darn thing in my life...I can clearly
follow my path and see I created the whole thing.
In the parable of the seeds, Jesus discusses this very issue.
Well, ya got the rocks, then, ya got the unfertile soil....then, ya got incorrect teachers, misunderstandings en masse...
people need the depth of experience...pray to understand God's reasons?
But, instead i witness a hanging out in the place of doubt and some resentment....no sitting in stillness to
understand.
One day that may happen, tho.
Note:Posted before i was done...title should get fixed by our great unpaid Mods! Wish we could fix our own Subjects when our fingers mistype
Watching new TV "God Friended Me", CBS..since I was 19...when an 80 yr old famous artist I was introduced to
complained to me, during our visit over tea, about God and how HE let a 5 yr old
be sick or something...
I have wondered WHY do people blame God for these things and THEN lose all or any faith
they may have had...
built on concepts of what they expected from this image of God*?
Then, express anger and sometimes turn to not believing in 'Him', Who has no gender?
My sister is one cuz she and her hubby of 48 yrs were super good people and her hubby
died suddenly of Sepis last yr....she has lost her faith in Him.
But, I'm not allowed to bring it up with her.
So, here I am.
*Or did I just ans my own question...
Addressing the OP only.
you made a good statement. "built on concepts of what they expected from this image of God*?". yes God is good and all powerful, but why he allow this to happen.
I have asked similar question myself. but I have learned, and everybody's faith is not the same, nor is their knowledge of his his power the same. for years I trusted God, that he knew best, (which was good) but I did keep it in the back of my mind until I was to the point of Faith where I could understand his wisdom on things in "this" world. when I came to the conclusion that this is only a CREATED world and not the REAL world where God is, many of those question went out the window.
the scripture is true, Philippians 3:10 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death".
"to know him" as said once one get to know him for yourself in stable Faith. no more question like that. and the "POWER" of his resurrection, that clench it for me, for all thing are possible in God.
I would say not only is nothing too hard for the Lord...nothing is impossible..and
nothing has size...nothing is too big or too small.
In fact, the Lord is always thinking huge....'Let us place 2 small people on earth with a pair each of these teeeny weeny lungs...now let us make sure there is enough air for them.'
And look at the enormous amount of air God placed around earth...He is a Being that thinks BIG!
As Kabir said, Why do you pray so loudly? When God hears the hairs on a mosquito's ankles.
I do not lose my faith, but it is tried when I see gross injustice day after day and also when mass calamities happen like the big earthquake in Indonesia followed by the terrible tsunami last week. The tsunami they suffered in 2004 made me cry for weeks. Seeing suffering tries my faith. I don't think that is wrong - it's just the way it is. I do not lose my faith, but I begin to wonder why God must allow so much suffering on such mass levels. When I see children begging for food in other countries and living on garbage heaps to stay alive it makes me sick. The sordid murders that men have committed even when there was no war -- right here in America slashing women and their need to associate sexual gratification with violent acts upon women make me sick as well. I just know that this world is not a good place. There is good in this world and there is love in this world and God's glory is here, but there is a lot of true wickedness right along with it. I pray for Christ to come and put an end to this wickedness and injustice.
you made a good statement. "built on concepts of what they expected from this image of God*?". yes God is good and all powerful, but why he allow this to happen.
I have asked similar question myself. but I have learned, and everybody's faith is not the same, nor is their knowledge of his his power the same. for years I trusted God, that he knew best, (which was good) but I did keep it in the back of my mind until I was to the point of Faith where I could understand his wisdom on things in "this" world. when I came to the conclusion that this is only a CREATED world and not the REAL world where God is, many of those question went out the window.
the scripture is true, Philippians 3:10 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death".
"to know him" as said once one get to know him for yourself in stable Faith. no more question like that. and the "POWER" of his resurrection, that clench it for me, for all thing are possible in God.
is there anything to hard for the Lord?
PICYJAG.
The system of this world is not God's system. His creation does show his glory, but all the things that mankind builds and toils for are all in vain. I think some people think heaven will be like this world, but with no death. I think it will be much better than that. We are sold into slavery to the devil and are tempted to love the things this world has to offer -- look how many people either want to be rich and famous or love to read about and follow the news about the rich and famous. How vain! Another thing people lust for is power and power to control others. In this way they show that they desire to be LIKE GOD, but not in the correct way that we are to desire to be like him.
Even the apostles and disciples that walked with Jesus as a human, did not have that strong a faith, they literally saw Jesus perform multiple miracles with their own eyes, yet they still didnt believe, they always needed a little bit more proof.
Even when Jesus returned them after being killed, they all thought he was a ghost, they wanted PROOF he was who he claimed to be...
Point is, if the apostles of Christ had this kind of faith, how in the world should people centuries later, be expected to put their stock into faith?!!
Faith, by its very nature is on trial at any given time. But you make a good point about how the disciples quickly turned away from their faith in times of trouble. It is common as dirt to do so. However, Jesus did not deny them before his father in heaven.
I do not lose my faith, but it is tried when I see gross injustice day after day and also when mass calamities happen ...
I see, could I ask...do you think that they are caused by or allowed, perhaps, by God Himself? That He should step in ? Is that why your faith is 'tried'?
I sound like a therapist...I'm probing, for sure, as I have been in therapy to finally get to the bottom of something on my own.
Do you wonder what the heck this place is even for sometimes?
Faith, by its very nature is on trial at any given time. But you make a good point about how the disciples quickly turned away from their faith in times of trouble. It is common as dirt to do so. However, Jesus did not deny them before his father in heaven.
Yep, thats one my biggest hurdles with Christianity...even the people that lived and walked with Jesus had trouble with faith (believing he was who he claims to be)...
So it doesnt make sense that people living 1000s of years later should be expected to have the same or greater faith.
I also find it interesting, even when the apostles didnt believe, Jesus went out of his way to show them 'something more' something greater....so they WOULD believe, why should people today not expect the same thing of Jesus? Why does he not like to show his hand in the modern world like he did in those days?
Jesus could very easily come down to earth and start performing miracles in public...it would probably convince some people to believe in him or at least prove to them that its all real (he is real), if he didnt have a problem doing it for the apostles, why not for people that came later?
Jesus went out of his way to show them 'something more' something greater....so they WOULD believe, why should people today not expect the same thing of Jesus? Why does he not like to show his hand in the modern world like he did in those days?
Jesus could very easily come down to earth and start performing miracles in public...it would probably convince some people to believe in him or at least prove to them that its all real (he is real), if he didnt have a problem doing it for the apostles, why not for people that came later?
Good questions that I wonder about too.
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