July 30, 2008 8:49 AM
Sam wrote:
Here we have the same old stuff. Pharaoh changing his mind (or lying). He tells Moses one thing, but later doesn’t follow through. I think we, as Christians in general, are a little bit pharaohish. A man’s word (especially one who thinks himself as a follower of Christ) should be completely trusted. Saying one thing and doing another is not a trait Jesus ever had. Sure, we can blame God for the action of ‘hardening Pharaoh’s heart’, but I don’t think that was really the case. I think Pharaoh was simply being a human influenced by Satan. If we, again, as Christians, think that we are not influenced by the devil, we are lying to ourselves. Satan is attacking us every day. He is attacking us who say they will blog everyday (just for an example) and then they don’t. I am not trying to come down hard on anyone on that subject, as my own regularity at blogging has not been consistent, but just want to make sure we all understand that Satan is out there dancing. (Reminds me of a line from a song by Joe Diffie: “If the devil danced in empty pockets, he’d have a ball in mine.”)..Sorry, just got carried away again. Anyway, keeping one’s word is important. Why so? So people can trust each other. So people can rely on each other. So people can see that Christians are Christ-like. Imagine you telling a co-worker that you’d meet him after work for a beer, knowing fully well you weren’t going to do that (as, as a Christian, it is better to sometimes avoid situations in which you may have a weakness). And then you don’t show up. Even if you call at the last minute and say something else came up. Do you think that co-worker would trust you less? Do you think your chances of ‘converting’ him to a Christian would be less? Yeah, I think so. I think that co-worker wouldn’t put as much faith in you, as you changed your mind and put him second, nor in Christ. A man’s word is his bond. Let’s not be Pharoah-like, let’s make sure we get more Christ-like. Reply to this
July 30, 2008 9:15 AM
rik wrote:
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 JOHN 5-7 agree with you mac. we must be walking in the light, this does not mean we will be perfect, but we will be attempting to be. Sam Laing was the guest speaker on Sunday and he said something that made perfect since. we do not do "works of service" for God to get or stay saved, we do them because we are saved. this includes letting our yes be yes and our no be no. lastly If you do commit to be somewhere are to do something and can not I think a sincere apology can go a long way in keeping trust between the parties involved, unless you seem to be apologizing for the same thing over and over and over. then the "sorries" seem to lose there validity. Reply to this
July 30, 2008 9:31 AM
Rich wrote:
Rik - great to see you here today. Your words of wisdom are appreciated and meaningful. Because you just shared this with us, at least 2 more of us got something from Sam's talk even though we were not there. I think this is "sharing" faith just as much as going and meeting someone new and talking with them about the Bible. Maybe in the next conversation that Mac or I have, one of us will mention what you just shared with us. Thanks.
Thanks also for the "cut" whether you meant it or not. I have said "sorry" many times for being inconsistent in blogging (and obviously that means inconsistent in my QT's). I have said sorry to you guys and sorry to God so often that my sorries are probably losing their validity. The only way to regain trust is to start today making good on the sorries. We are not perfect and do not try to be perfect in order to be saved, but as you say, we need to try to be perfect because we are saved. Reply to this
July 30, 2008 9:48 AM
Rich wrote:
I see 2 ways of looking at the first line in this passage.
One, wow, God hardened Pharaoh's heart (and the hearts of his officials). I thought God gave man a free will? Does God actually harden people's hearts and therefore condemn them to hell? This is a tough one to think about.
There is another way to see this passage. God will do anything to help his chosen ones see and understand that he is God. He says in verse 1 that he does these things: "that you may know that I am the LORD." If we are of the chosen people of God, this is extremely comforting. God will do whatever is necessary, use any situation that he can, to teach us and to help us to get to heaven. Do I really believe this? I want to. Because if I can ever get my hands around this idea, I will stop fretting over all of my "light and momentary troubles." I will stop getting sidetracked every time something goes wrong. I will stop falling into the same sin over and over again thinking there is no hope. Because, this verse (and many others now popping to mind) tells me that there is hope. That all that I go through is just an expression of God's love. All is for a purpose. If I know that what I am going through has a purpose and that that purpose is to get to heaven, then all seems less difficult.
On another note, as I said yesterday, think of what Pharaoh and his hard heart did to Egypt and to his people. In verse 7 Pharaoh's officials state the now obvious: "Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" Why is it ruined? Because Pharaoh would not accept God's authority. Pharaoh did not want to accept that God was more powerful than him. Whether God caused this in Pharaoh or not, I don't know. But I do know that by Pharaoh not submitting to God, his people and his country were ruined. What about my people (my family) and my country (my household)? If I am not submitting to God's authority, am I doing the same (that is, ruining) them? This is a stern warning to us (as husbands and fathers) to submit to God and to his rule. Otherwise, what is described here as happening to Egypt (plagues) may happen to us and our families. How many plagues, to my family, wife and children, will it take for me to submit to God? Is this why things are like they are in my life and family? I wonder? Reply to this
Here we have the same old stuff. Pharaoh changing his mind (or lying). He tells Moses one thing, but later doesn’t follow through. I think we, as Christians in general, are a little bit pharaohish. A man’s word (especially one who thinks himself as a follower of Christ) should be completely trusted. Saying one thing and doing another is not a trait Jesus ever had. Sure, we can blame God for the action of ‘hardening Pharaoh’s heart’, but I don’t think that was really the case. I think Pharaoh was simply being a human influenced by Satan. If we, again, as Christians, think that we are not influenced by the devil, we are lying to ourselves. Satan is attacking us every day. He is attacking us who say they will blog everyday (just for an example) and then they don’t. I am not trying to come down hard on anyone on that subject, as my own regularity at blogging has not been consistent, but just want to make sure we all understand that Satan is out there dancing. (Reminds me of a line from a song by Joe Diffie: “If the devil danced in empty pockets, he’d have a ball in mine.”)..Sorry, just got carried away again. Anyway, keeping one’s word is important. Why so? So people can trust each other. So people can rely on each other. So people can see that Christians are Christ-like. Imagine you telling a co-worker that you’d meet him after work for a beer, knowing fully well you weren’t going to do that (as, as a Christian, it is better to sometimes avoid situations in which you may have a weakness). And then you don’t show up. Even if you call at the last minute and say something else came up. Do you think that co-worker would trust you less? Do you think your chances of ‘converting’ him to a Christian would be less? Yeah, I think so. I think that co-worker wouldn’t put as much faith in you, as you changed your mind and put him second, nor in Christ. A man’s word is his bond. Let’s not be Pharoah-like, let’s make sure we get more Christ-like.
Reply to this
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 JOHN 5-7 agree with you mac. we must be walking in the light, this does not mean we will be perfect, but we will be attempting to be. Sam Laing was the guest speaker on Sunday and he said something that made perfect since. we do not do "works of service" for God to get or stay saved, we do them because we are saved. this includes letting our yes be yes and our no be no. lastly If you do commit to be somewhere are to do something and can not I think a sincere apology can go a long way in keeping trust between the parties involved, unless you seem to be apologizing for the same thing over and over and over. then the "sorries" seem to lose there validity.
Reply to this
Rik - great to see you here today. Your words of wisdom are appreciated and meaningful. Because you just shared this with us, at least 2 more of us got something from Sam's talk even though we were not there. I think this is "sharing" faith just as much as going and meeting someone new and talking with them about the Bible. Maybe in the next conversation that Mac or I have, one of us will mention what you just shared with us. Thanks.
Thanks also for the "cut" whether you meant it or not. I have said "sorry" many times for being inconsistent in blogging (and obviously that means inconsistent in my QT's). I have said sorry to you guys and sorry to God so often that my sorries are probably losing their validity. The only way to regain trust is to start today making good on the sorries. We are not perfect and do not try to be perfect in order to be saved, but as you say, we need to try to be perfect because we are saved.
Reply to this
I see 2 ways of looking at the first line in this passage.
One, wow, God hardened Pharaoh's heart (and the hearts of his officials). I thought God gave man a free will? Does God actually harden people's hearts and therefore condemn them to hell? This is a tough one to think about.
There is another way to see this passage. God will do anything to help his chosen ones see and understand that he is God. He says in verse 1 that he does these things: "that you may know that I am the LORD." If we are of the chosen people of God, this is extremely comforting. God will do whatever is necessary, use any situation that he can, to teach us and to help us to get to heaven. Do I really believe this? I want to. Because if I can ever get my hands around this idea, I will stop fretting over all of my "light and momentary troubles." I will stop getting sidetracked every time something goes wrong. I will stop falling into the same sin over and over again thinking there is no hope. Because, this verse (and many others now popping to mind) tells me that there is hope. That all that I go through is just an expression of God's love. All is for a purpose. If I know that what I am going through has a purpose and that that purpose is to get to heaven, then all seems less difficult.
On another note, as I said yesterday, think of what Pharaoh and his hard heart did to Egypt and to his people. In verse 7 Pharaoh's officials state the now obvious: "Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" Why is it ruined? Because Pharaoh would not accept God's authority. Pharaoh did not want to accept that God was more powerful than him. Whether God caused this in Pharaoh or not, I don't know. But I do know that by Pharaoh not submitting to God, his people and his country were ruined. What about my people (my family) and my country (my household)? If I am not submitting to God's authority, am I doing the same (that is, ruining) them? This is a stern warning to us (as husbands and fathers) to submit to God and to his rule. Otherwise, what is described here as happening to Egypt (plagues) may happen to us and our families. How many plagues, to my family, wife and children, will it take for me to submit to God? Is this why things are like they are in my life and family? I wonder?
Reply to this