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My female friend is a wealthy businesswoman working for a public relations company and she makes alot of money at her job, she also owns a condo overlooking Lake Ontario and she lives on the top floor of the condo, she owns a ton of nice clothes, lots of nice stereo equipment, lots of nice furniture, she gets to go on nice vacations, gets to go to alot of concerts and she often gets front row seats at the concerts, she has owned two nice vehicles (a top of the line Toyota Celica GT-S and a Chevrolet Camaro SS and both of those cars have leather interior), she gets alot of nice gifts from her family and friends and her bathroom has a jacuzzi inside, alot of people think highly of her and they would do anything for her.
My male friend is a poor man who is unemployed and he still lives at home with his parents, he doesn't own a vehicle and his family is poor and they don't have alot of stuff, my male friend has a learning disability and he was in special education when he was in school, people tend to slag him off cause of his learning disability and for his childlike appearance and he has experienced alot of turmoils in his life.
They're both really good friends of mine and they both have been there for me and they both have given me the advice that I've needed to hear (more so with my female friend than with my male friend).
Last edited by Mopac1980; 01-01-2008 at 11:51 PM..
Reason: Just to shorten the message
wealth in and of itself is no more "bad" or unspiritual or an obstacle to soul growth; than poverty is "good" and holy and spiritual and a ticket to heaven. Each person comes into this world to learn and grow spiritually, and your two friends have each chosen different paths. It's between them and god how their spirit is growing and evolving with regards to the lives they have chosen for themselves. no one can see from the outside looking in. What you do have is a sense of the quality of friendship or relationship you have with each, how satisfying or fulfilling that is to you.
From a Christian worldview, reward has nothing to do with what you have or don't have. It's not about whether you're a respected member of the community or someone struggling to make ends meet. Reward only comes after one has received Jesus, the Christ, as his/her savior....knowing He is the only way to the Father, the only way to eternal life in Heaven. After that, then you can talk about rewards. We don't ask Jesus into our hearts to gain entrance into heaven...we ask Him into our hearts so we can have a relationship with Him and the Father.
I agree totally with what Hoosier has to say it is not about what we own or our status hierarchy in our jobs or lack thereof, it is about having a personal relationship with the Lord. God knows the heart of an individual and if one turns to Him and has faith and believes with true repentance he or she will attain the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is about choices and whether your friends turn towards worldly things or towards our Heavenly Father determines their fate.
Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:5)
C'mon Mark that does not answer the OP at all. Why did you put that there? Yes scripture is important but the OP asked a specific question. Please refer back and speak to the OP.
And really, KJV? That will turn any seeker off in a hurry. I've been a Christian for almost 20 years and I still don't understand that version. Ah, but that is another topic.
From a Christian worldview, reward has nothing to do with what you have or don't have. It's not about whether you're a respected member of the community or someone struggling to make ends meet. Reward only comes after one has received Jesus, the Christ, as his/her savior....knowing He is the only way to the Father, the only way to eternal life in Heaven. After that, then you can talk about rewards. We don't ask Jesus into our hearts to gain entrance into heaven...we ask Him into our hearts so we can have a relationship with Him and the Father.
Thank you! A very nice explanation for OP.
Can't add anything to that, except to say that I feel Christianity is sometimes twisted into a rather "magical" belief, when people are taught that we can call on God and he will reward us w/ bounty.
We all have different reasons we were put on this earth - and God knows our beginnings and endings . . . He has a plan . . . for some of us, that path will be easier than for others. Some will meet great adversity. Some will have health problems. Some will be quite successful. Some will gain wealth, then lose it. All these different circumstances were part of the personal growth each person had to encounter on his or her path to understanding God's love.
Just b/c we are faithful and are believers . . . it does not mean we are going to magically be rewarded by material things here on earth. Jesus' message was one of bounty of spirit. Some may have great spiritual bounty but not personal wealth.
God does not send us a lotto check just b/c we are good people. We are to be good people regardless of our financial status.
From a Christian worldview, reward has nothing to do with what you have or don't have. It's not about whether you're a respected member of the community or someone struggling to make ends meet. Reward only comes after one has received Jesus, the Christ, as his/her savior....knowing He is the only way to the Father, the only way to eternal life in Heaven. After that, then you can talk about rewards. We don't ask Jesus into our hearts to gain entrance into heaven...we ask Him into our hearts so we can have a relationship with Him and the Father.
You couldn't have explained it any better and your answer sure was very helpful, I have gone through alot of struggles in my life and while I would love to live the life of my female friend, deep inside what I want the most is to remain a good person and always have the Lord Jesus come to my heart and accept him as my savior and to do better here on Earth, there are alot of things I feel I need to improve and I'm asking the Lord Jesus to help me improve on those things and to live the life that God wants me to live, I really love God and Jesus very much and I want to live my life for them.
I know that God can only give me the things I can handle in life.
I agree totally with what Hoosier has to say it is not about what we own or our status hierarchy in our jobs or lack thereof, it is about having a personal relationship with the Lord. God knows the heart of an individual and if one turns to Him and has faith and believes with true repentance he or she will attain the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is about choices and whether your friends turn towards worldly things or towards our Heavenly Father determines their fate.
Like Hoosier your info was very helpful and informative, I would LOVE to be able to stand on the same spot as both my male and female friend and I am greatful that God loves all of us equally.
Also would everybody in Heaven experience the same amount of joy whether if they're rich, poor or in between?
Also would everybody in Heaven experience the same amount of joy whether if they're rich, poor or in between?
It's truly not about wealth. It's about the works you done through your faith. Now I'm not advocating that good works will get you into heaven, because they won't. What I'm saying is that it's what you've done through your faith that will give you rewards. An extremely wealthy person may have done more to affect the kingdom of God than a poor person, not because of his wealth, but because of his love for God. In my opinion he would receive more joy because of what he did. And the same scenario can be reversed where the poor person who had a stronger faith and gave more of himself could experience more joy.
However please don't get lost in who gets more, less or the same amount. I believe we will all be ecstatic for one another in what we've received.
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