I Was Enthralled by Hatred

Death > Life.

My hatred evolved into pity, then to apathy, now I settle on full surrender.

originally posted by: Eunuchorn
Death > Life.

My hatred evolved into pity, then to apathy, now I settle on full surrender.

But you don't have to live every day like you are dying at the end of the day.

Of course we all die, but oh, the adventure of life getting there. Has life become so unbearable that there is no hope after this life?

Jesus offered you life forever, a life in which you will have joy. I enjoy life, I know I am going to die one day, but what's wrong with being happy in this life?

I'm tired, and I have been through several times of almost dying, but when I lay down tonight I am only surrendering my life now for a greater life one day. Today, there can be joy today, but greater joy one day. When my time comes, just let me go out knowing that this life was worth gaining a better life.

a reply to: WarminIndy

I would be the child in your example I suppose. At times I agree with it and at times I don't, but it's better to be safe and let God judge in most cases.

Your testimony is similar to mine although I did not write about that. Thank you for sharing.

Our lives are filled with joy on earth, but they are filled with hardships as well. I believe my faith in Jesus Christ and his gift to us allows us to have joy in things even when we feel like their is nothing to be joyful about. We are not promised that our struggles will cease when we accept Him into our lives. We are promised that we will find relief in our next lives. And as we walk, our faith gets stronger, hence, our joy! Because the more we realize the truth and gravity of what we have learned through Christ the more we can see that "all things work together for the good of those that love God and are called according to his purpose." Finding joy in the nastiest of scenarios can be extremely hard. Harder for some people more than others. The same can be said for giving glory to Christ in light of some of these scenario's. When I see children being violated in ways I don't care to think about right now, It is hard to give glory to God. But I suck it up and I do it, because my faith has taught me that those children will have their day with the lord and they will see how God deals with their violators and they will give glory to Him. Having the ability to give God glory when things seem all but lost is the Talent, IMO anyway, that God will judge us by when we take the stand before him. When we give God glory, everything else in our lives and in our behavior and in our hearts tend to fall in line of their own accord. And yes, it is HARD work.

a reply to: WarminIndy

You know, you are a wonderful person.. amazing really and I am so glad to have you as my sister now. You always make me smile.

You bring up a really good point about fathers. I have always related to God, the exact same way I related to my earthly father.. I understood God through daddy.. but I had a great dad, unlike so many.

I think that prospective fathers and fathers in general need to realize that when they are good dad's, their children understand God through them. They might not understand "religion" always, but they will always understand God in their hearts when their earthly father is that reflection of God.

It must be a horrible struggle to understand God through a bad father, I know my children had a bad father, and neither understood God as much as I could.. it wasn't something that was as automatic an understanding for them as I had because of my dad..

it is just something for the men to remember, and think about as they raise their own children..

PS.. I don't see myself as graceful.. but thank you for the beautiful compliment.

originally posted by: OpinionatedB
a reply to: WarminIndy

You know, you are a wonderful person.. amazing really and I am so glad to have you as my sister now. You always make me smile.

You bring up a really good point about fathers. I have always related to God, the exact same way I related to my earthly father.. I understood God through daddy.. but I had a great dad, unlike so many.

I think that prospective fathers and fathers in general need to realize that when they are good dad's, their children understand God through them. They might not understand "religion" always, but they will always understand God in their hearts when their earthly father is that reflection of God.

It must be a horrible struggle to understand God through a bad father, I know my children had a bad father, and neither understood God as much as I could.. it wasn't something that was as automatic an understanding for them as I had because of my dad..

it is just something for the men to remember, and think about as they raise their own children..

PS.. I don't see myself as graceful..

but thank you for the beautiful compliment.

Do you know what broke that for me about understanding God as my Father?

One time I was in a Foursquare Gospel church and we were visiting them at a conference, and the pastor asked everyone to stand and hold hands. The man beside me must have sat there by God's design, because his wife was on the other side of him. But as we stood and I timidly took this man's hand, only for the purpose of joining hands in prayer, this man was so gentle when he took mine and didn't squeeze it or anything, because that would have been inappropriate, something in that way he held it as everyone prayed, broke in me all that hardness that I had only known from my own father.

It was at that moment that God let me know He is my Father. The man had nothing to do with it, he was just simply sitting on that side of me.

Believe me, there were thoughts going through my mind like "I ain't gonna' hold that guy's hand, even for prayer". Sometimes though you have to do that. The Bible does say that if we agree and touch on any one thing, it will be done. When it happened, there was actual fire heat that went from his hand to mine, yet he didn't say a thing about it. After praying, he sat back down, put his arm around his wife and enjoyed the conference with her. He had no idea what happened. To this day, I know what happened. It had nothing to do with him, only that at that moment, God moved through him to me.

That is how I came to know God as my Father.

a reply to: WarminIndy

wow, that is beautiful..

I hope my daughter had that through Nenothtu before she died.. she was calling him daddy you know before she died, and had accepted him 100%.. so I hope she got that glimpse and understanding also.

originally posted by: OpinionatedB
a reply to: WarminIndy

wow, that is beautiful..

I hope my daughter had that through Nenothtu before she died.. she was calling him daddy you know before she died, and had accepted him 100%.. so I hope she got that glimpse and understanding also.

Children need good father figures if their own fathers aren't good. That's wonderful, but she knows the Father now. I heard you talk about her, I have faith that she is there.

I believe this, that at the moment of death and those moments after death, that Jesus does come to people. But let me tell you a story about my grandmother.

My grandmother didn't love us as children, she was my mother's mother. All my childhood this woman waged a war with my dad over stupid stuff and us children were caught in this every day. When we grew up and my grandmother was ill, she had liver cancer and it was bad by the time it was caught, my mother took her in and my sister and I had to take care of her. My sister moved away and married, but my husband and I moved in so I could take care of her.

I knew that I had to let her know she was forgiven, and I showed her grace. She would often tell me that she had visions of Jesus coming for her and that she could see heaven, but she had a strong will to live. She was in so much pain that one day I said to her "Grandma, the next time Jesus comes for you, just let Him take you". But on the day she died, it was very eerie, my brother and I were the only ones home and my brother decided to drag his karaoke machine into her room and sing to her. That morning she had thrown up and refused to allow me to clean her up, so I knew it was different.

I had called the Hospice nurse that morning, but we had just come out of the long ice storm that had hit North Carolina and she was in conferences all morning because they were backlogged from not being able to get out. So I went into my mother's bedroom to wait, while my brother was singing to her. I had closed the bedroom door because I didn't want to interrupt him while he was singing.

While I was in there, waiting and to pass the time I was playing a computer game waiting for the nurse to call back, I heard distinctly a woman's voice come from her room where my brother was at. The voice said "are you ready?" I immediately jumped up and ran in there to ask my brother if she said anything, but what had happened, he was standing there shaking, unable to sing anymore, he said that he saw a grey shadow go across her head and down her body. It really frightened him and this was a former Marine.

At that time, the Hospice nurse came to the door, she stepped into the bedroom and said immediately, she's dead, but we had to wait until her body stopped reacting to the lack of oxygen.

I know it was an angel that came for her and she finally went. But I heard it myself and my brother saw it. So I don't question those things, because God has His own way of doing things at those moments.

I have faith your daughter is there. I have heard you speak about her, it quickens in my spirit that she is there.

a reply to: WarminIndy

As for your grandmother, that is really cool. I didn't know Jesus came to people as they died.. although, HE came to me when I died (even though I didn't know it was HIM at the time) that time, so perhaps what happened to me isn't unusual.

yes, I think God wanted me to know that she is there too.. and I do hope she is, she was such a loving child even with all that happened, it never stopped her spirit from being so kind and generous and loving to everyone around her..

And I do apologize.. I just get to thinking about her at random times.. lol.. thanks for listening.

originally posted by: OpinionatedB
a reply to: WarminIndy

As for your grandmother, that is really cool. I didn't know Jesus came to people as they died.. although, HE came to me when I died (even though I didn't know it was HIM at the time) that time, so perhaps what happened to me isn't unusual.

yes, I think God wanted me to know that she is there too.. and I do hope she is, she was such a loving child even with all that happened, it never stopped her spirit from being so kind and generous and loving to everyone around her..

And I do apologize.. I just get to thinking about her at random times.. lol.. thanks for listening.

Why apologize? She is an important part of your life, no need to apologize for that.

She's there.

a reply to: backcase

Many people justify the sin of wrath, but luckily, God gave you the wisdom to know the nature of perfect love: to bless those who curse you, love your enemy, be kind to others, patient, slow to anger, with a mercy to forgive not seven but seventy times seven times.

This is the perfection of God's Love. This is the nature I pray to have even more of, as I practic these teachings.

originally posted by: arpgme
a reply to: backcase

Many people justify the sin of wrath, but luckily, God gave you the wisdom to know the nature of perfect love: to bless those who curse you, love your enemy, be kind to others, patient, slow to anger, with a mercy to forgive not seven but seventy times seven times.

This is the perfection of God's Love. This is the nature I pray to have even more of, as I practic these teachings.

Ecclesiates...there is a time and a season for every purpose under the sun. A time to hate and a time to love. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time for war and a time for peace. A time to build up and a time to tear down.

That same God inspired verse holds true for every time and place. God is true always.

a reply to: WarminIndy

Then love thy neighbour and love thy enemy is always true and was always true.

"
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" - Matthew 5:46

originally posted by: arpgme
a reply to: WarminIndy

Then love thy neighbour and love thy enemy is always true and was always true.

"
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" - Matthew 5:46

And so is the time to hate. You can't get around it. Jesus kept the whole law, and was obedient even unto death. Jesus couldn't go against Ecclesiastes, could He?

Do you think of Jesus as in Jesus Christ Superstar, some really cool hippie guy just running around talking about love all the time? Even John said that the deeds of Jesus could never be fully written about because there isn't enough ink or parchment.

Jesus also called the Syro-phoenician woman a dog. Wouldn't you say that was kind of harsh?

a reply to: arpgme

Charity.

Thank you.

originally posted by: backcase
a reply to: arpgme

Charity.

Thank you.

Then you give your body to be burned?

Make sure when you give your body to be burned that you have charity when doing so.

1 Corinthians 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

You may give away all that you have for some idea of misplaced compassion, but if you are giving it away to fulfill the law that you believe Jesus instituted, then you are still a slave to the law.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

Are you giving in order to fulfill the law? That's not charity nor is it love.

What you should be doing preaching the Gospel, which begins with repent. Are you healing the brokenhearted? Are you setting the captives free? Are you sight to the blind? Are you comforting those who are damaged?

Oh no, giving to keep the "law of Jesus" is not the Gospel, nor is it charity, nor is it love, because you are a slave to that law. Now you have to give because you are obligated to give, by law. And it profits you nothing because your motives are not love, but adherence to the "law of Jesus".

The Gospel of Christ..repent and believe the Gospel for the kingdom of God is at hand. What is that Gospel? That Christ is Lord and Christ has come to give us life, and life more abundantly.

You are like that Pharisee whom Jesus said stands in the temple and said "I give" in order to keep the law.

a reply to: WarminIndy

You are wrong and you are taking this thought too far.

All virtues and live extend from charity. Charitable was Jesus when he let Judas follow Him and even more charitable when he did not send him away for his many offenses. Forgiveness is charity and repentance is a restoration to it.

WarnInIndy said:
"And so is the time to hate. You can't get around it. Jesus kept the whole law, and was obedient even unto death. Jesus couldn't go against Ecclesiastes, could He? "

Let's just remember that Hate is defined as REJECTION as in "there is a time to LOVE and a time to REBUKE".

The word HATE does not mean what people think it does, hence, it is used improperly by most.

You can Love what you hate. God loves EVERYTHING but some things he HATES.

I believe doing what Christ asked, even when you don't want to, is even more acceptable to God than if you did want to. The whole point is we ARE NOT slaves to Christ's laws, and when we keep his commands it shows God that we trust in his words even if our mind is clouded with misjudgement. Glory to Jesus for giving us his words. We would be in deep deep trouble if good works were only acceptable to God if we wanted to do it rather than felt we had to.

originally posted by: backcase
a reply to: WarminIndy

You are wrong and you are taking this thought too far.

All virtues and live extend from charity. Charitable was Jesus when he let Judas follow Him and even more charitable when he did not send him away for his many offenses. Forgiveness is charity and repentance is a restoration to it.

Matthew 26: 6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

I don't think Judas should be the example because Judas immediately after this went to Pharisees to have Jesus turned over to them.

You WILL have the poor with you always, but you will NOT always have Him.

Jesus not only commended Mary of Bethany for the act, but used it as an example that to use it for the purpose of worshiping HIM was more honorable and more worthy than just giving to the poor, in fact, Jesus was saying it was more loving.

So, how does the Social Gospel fit in with what Jesus said about Mary of Bethany?