Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm so glad these thoughts touched you as they touched me...and that you feel as strongly. What a bright spot in my day to read your uplifting comments.
I posted this under one of Ilene's threads as another poster felt that many of us really were not capable of receiving God's Divine Love and that we are still living in our own carnal selfishness which is true to a degree but my belief that the more we ask for God's Love, the more we shall receive and this is truly what transforms our souls and we then shed our old stony heart for the new sensitive and loving one.
I have been praying to God for his Divine Love for over 30 years and I confirm that I am partaking of the Divine essence of God the Father which is slowly but surely transforming my soul to be at-one with him. I still of course am a sinner and tumble and fall but I do a lot less tumbling than in years past.
Will God really give us the Divine Love? He most certainly will, "For everyone who asketh receiveth," as we can read it Luke 11:10
Can Man then really partake of the Divine Essence of the Father? Yes, and in 2 Peter 1:4 we hear Peter say so quite literally, that "ye might be partakers of the Divine nature."
As it was also written in 1 John 4:13, "This is the proof that we remain in Him, and He in us, that He has given us a share in His Spirit." So beautiful is this. It says so, right there in plain sight, in 1 John 4:13 and 2 Peter 1:4, that we can all partake of His Divine Love; and that we will palpably know it when He has "given us of His Spirit", as an older translation says. It says so, right there in plain sight, in 1 John 4:13 and 2 Peter 1:4, that the Divine Love will make us at-One with God ("we remain in Him, and He in us"). This is also strongly reiterated in Romans 8:16, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."
We read so in John 17:26, "And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the Love wherewith Thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." And we hear Paul repeat this in Romans 8:29, "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." Will please note, that Paul does not say that Jesus was the "only-born" to be allowed the transformation into the Image of the Father (the New Birth,) but that Jesus was merely meant to be a "firstborn among many brethren".
I give you in closing the word of Paul (Ephesians 3:17-19,) as he was praising God and praying on behalf of the Church in Ephesus, "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous Love and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His Love really is; and to experience this Love for yourselves, Though It is so great that you will never see the end of It or fully know or understand It.
And so at last you will be filled up with God Himself."
......the more we ask for God's Love, the more we shall receive and this is truly what transforms our souls and we then shed our old stony heart for the new sensitive and loving one.
I like this, SisterKat. I find that the closer I walk to God, the more my stony heart softens. I notice that I feel compassion for people in a way I didn't in the past. For example, I see a person's mug shot in the paper and I feel sad. I saw a man in the newspaper a few months ago who was a "meth head," as they are sometimes called here. He was in his 40's but looked 20 years older at least. He had robbed K-Mart and then died in police custody due to the drugs. In my worldly eyes he looked disgusting, but somehow I saw through that and pictured him as a little boy, and thought about how sweet and cute he must have been at one time. I felt so sad for him and wondered.....How does someone end up there? Dying from drugs after robbing K-Mart? How sad it that? I have no idea how, but I do think that it wouldn't have happened if during his life he had truly known the Love of God.
I've always had the "gift of mercy," but on the other hand I've been quite judgmental, too. I laughed when I read the headlines showing a young woman who was a jailer, and was fired and put in jail for having "relations" with an inmate. I thought what an idiot she must be, but my heart was convicted of non-love. At first I looked at her mug shot and thought about how she wouldn't be in that situation if she had bothered to take pride in her looks. But then I realized how shallow that was, and that it was much, much deeper than that, and so sad. I then felt bad for making fun of her and prayed for her. The softening of my stony heart is God's work in progress.
I like this, SisterKat. I find that the closer I walk to God, the more my stony heart softens. I notice that I feel compassion for people in a way I didn't in the past. For example, I see a person's mug shot in the paper and I feel sad. I saw a man in the newspaper a few months ago who was a "meth head," as they are sometimes called here. He was in his 40's but looked 20 years older at least. He had robbed K-Mart and then died in police custody due to the drugs. In my worldly eyes he looked disgusting, but somehow I saw through that and pictured him as a little boy, and thought about how sweet and cute he must have been at one time. I felt so sad for him and wondered.....How does someone end up there? Dying from drugs after robbing K-Mart? How sad it that? I have no idea how, but I do think that it wouldn't have happened if during his life he had truly known the Love of God.
I've always had the "gift of mercy," but on the other hand I've been quite judgmental, too. I laughed when I read the headlines showing a young woman who was a jailer, and was fired and put in jail for having "relations" with an inmate. I thought what an idiot she must be, but my heart was convicted of non-love. At first I looked at her mug shot and thought about how she wouldn't be in that situation if she had bothered to take pride in her looks. But then I realized how shallow that was, and that it was much, much deeper than that, and so sad. I then felt bad for making fun of her and prayed for her. The softening of my stony heart is God's work in progress.
This is the Holy Spirit!!!!! The Holy Spirit works in the heart and we FEEL it in the heart!
What you said above is so very precious, BHFT! It is so VERY VERY precious and VALUABLE!
One of my little secrets to how I see others is seeing them as they must have been when they were children. I see the child inside. That is one thing that has helped me to forgive, and have compassion. That we were ALL innocent children once and we all end up on our various roads for a REASON.
oh wow. I wish I didn't have to go to work right now, because your post is so important I want to say more!! But I gotta go..
be back later..
love you! and thank you so much for that raw, honest, from the heart post.
I like this, SisterKat. I find that the closer I walk to God, the more my stony heart softens. I notice that I feel compassion for people in a way I didn't in the past. For example, I see a person's mug shot in the paper and I feel sad. I saw a man in the newspaper a few months ago who was a "meth head," as they are sometimes called here. He was in his 40's but looked 20 years older at least. He had robbed K-Mart and then died in police custody due to the drugs. In my worldly eyes he looked disgusting, but somehow I saw through that and pictured him as a little boy, and thought about how sweet and cute he must have been at one time. I felt so sad for him and wondered.....How does someone end up there? Dying from drugs after robbing K-Mart? How sad it that? I have no idea how, but I do think that it wouldn't have happened if during his life he had truly known the Love of God.
I've always had the "gift of mercy," but on the other hand I've been quite judgmental, too. I laughed when I read the headlines showing a young woman who was a jailer, and was fired and put in jail for having "relations" with an inmate. I thought what an idiot she must be, but my heart was convicted of non-love. At first I looked at her mug shot and thought about how she wouldn't be in that situation if she had bothered to take pride in her looks. But then I realized how shallow that was, and that it was much, much deeper than that, and so sad. I then felt bad for making fun of her and prayed for her. The softening of my stony heart is God's work in progress.
Contemplating on the ills that befall mankind makes me ponder the question of "how and why?"
Somehow...without conscious intent and full discernment, my heart goes out to those who are experiencing it!
Me too. Me too. The cruel and horrific things people do to one another around the globe 24/7is very hard to bear knowing about.
This is why LOVE is so vital.
Just like lovesaves said:
Quote:
we should serve man until we see god in all men
So much darkness in the world, so many do not realize just how loved they truly are. Is it any wonder... there is so much darkness?
Is it any wonder when the little scrap of hope/light someone tries to cling to becomes squashed when their preacher tells them where their "unsaved" loved ones are headed...? Is it any wonder there is so much darkness?
Those who love, are making God visible and helping to STOP the cycle of cruelty and madness. And it doesn't matter if those who love are atheist, muslim, hindu, christian whatever. IT DOES NOT MATTER. What matters is are they SHOWING love?Are they cultivating love? Are they putting LOVE into this world? ARe they seeking after kindness, compassion, mercy, patience, etc...???
All will come to the knowledge of truth.
God has already promised us this. This is a wonderful and beautiful promise.
It was written by a young lady who clmbed Mount Battie near Camden, Maine. As she looked out at the world, she thought of all the bad things that were happening. It made her very sad, and she wished she were dead so she would not have to endure the pain.
As she lay in her grave, she began to think of the beauty in the world.
The last stanza will blow you away.
I first read this poem in high school and have re-read it many times.
"Be fruitful and multiple..." takes on a different meaning when we do things that are not good for mankind!
Let your deeds bear good fruit so that it may multiply and subdue the earth...
Absolutely... this is such a good post.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I find that the closer I walk to God, the more my stony heart softens. I notice that I feel compassion for people in a way I didn't in the past. For example, I see a person's mug shot in the paper and I feel sad. I saw a man in the newspaper a few months ago who was a "meth head," as they are sometimes called here. He was in his 40's but looked 20 years older at least. He had robbed K-Mart and then died in police custody due to the drugs. In my worldly eyes he looked disgusting, but somehow I saw through that and pictured him as a little boy, and thought about how sweet and cute he must have been at one time. I felt so sad for him and wondered.....How does someone end up there? Dying from drugs after robbing K-Mart? How sad it that? I have no idea how, but I do think that it wouldn't have happened if during his life he had truly known the Love of God.
