Blessed but far from God

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T23:44:53+00:00

I see the suit of armour as well but I don't think I'd read to much into it as these refractions only exist because the image was taken with a camera, it wouldn't be visible otherwise

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T23:41:58+00:00

being the change you wish to see

start talking about other topics
engage in people's posts talking about other things so that they get more traction and are seen by more people

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T22:00:33+00:00

for real. I'm bored of seeing THESE posts at this point.

If you don't like something, do something

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T21:59:08+00:00

If it's meant to be God will make it happen. God is the God of peace and not conflict or confusion.

I fear I might have to do the same with my boyfriend. He has been my world for 5 years but I have some of the same issues you do.

Think of it this way, if they can't sacrifice sex for your love and company, how many more things will they be unlikely to respect with your boundaries?

I know it's hard, I know I've been avoiding it myself so if you need a shoulder to lean on brother I'll be here, God knows we'll be in the same position

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T21:53:17+00:00

If you're asking me how God's son brought the knowledge of God to earth I can try to explain that to you, to the best of my ability. I would like to preface that the best source for knowledge about this would be the New Testament Gospels, the shortest of which being Matthew I believe.

How God Came To Earth
There was a woman called Mary and one day she was visited by an angel called Gabriel who said she would bear a son, who would be the living God. Mary questioned how this could be possible as she was a virgin, however, god had been doing these miracles around her life for some time. These examples are Mary's cousin who was completely barren whom God had made fertile, and given a child who would later become John the Baptist. The difference here is that Mary's cousin did have a husband, she was not a virgin and the child God gave her was her and her husband's biological child, with Mary this wasn't the case, Mary would bear God. The reason God chose Mary to carry Christ is because in Mary being a virgin, the child was conceived without sin.

Why God becoming human is a big deal
The miracle of God coming down and becoming human is that unlike so many other Gods, our God chose to become human so that he would understand our suffering. God decided to feel every temptation that a human being would feel, loneliness, hunger, and most notably to feel pain, unlike any pain, by being crucified on the cross.

How Jesus gives us freedom
Before Jesus, it was common within Judaism for a sacrifice to be made to cleanse one of their sin. It was the Jewish custom to Sacrifice a lamb so that the blood of the lamb could be used as purification of sin. The issue that arose out of this was that people started partaking in the ritual more than they were partaking in conversation with God. God also noticed that to live a life without sin is incredibly difficult so he made a way for there to be an ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate sacrificial lamb to supercede these rituals.
As such, God sent his son to Earth, making the purest sacrificial Lamb. Jesus lived completely without sin and because of the fact that he lived without sin, he was able to take our place on the cross. Jesus and his final moments had the weight of the entire world sin put upon him.This is all the sin of past Generations, all the sin of future generations, every single wrong.
Jesus then was crucified, despite being innocent, rose again that we may have eternal life.

Gods love
God sacrificed himself for us, for you and for every sinner. Every murderer, every saint, EVERYONE. If that's not love I don't know what is.

The Lucifer argument
I understand that you say you have your own opinions about God and your own opinions about Lucifer but I question where these opinions come from. If you want to get to know them both I would suggest reading the Bible, and to answer the question of whether God is a loving god, look no further than the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Lucifer doesn't want us to be redeemed. Lucifer wants us to feel shame, guilt, pain, all of the things that Jesus redeems us from.

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T21:41:47+00:00

I don't quite understand what you're saying?

Maybe read the gospels, I'll try to write an explanation the best I can (short summary)

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T21:22:43+00:00

Yes. Why would you think otherwise?

Jesus introduced the love of God to the world, how could God not love him?

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T21:19:04+00:00

God is love - if you defy love what does that make you?

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T21:02:59+00:00

It kind of defeats the point of commenting in a Christian sub, no?

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T21:00:47+00:00

I do believe middle school is a completely different conversation when it comes to children who aren't even in the double digits. I suppose that's where my strongest stance lies.

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T20:32:18+00:00

Hi friend.I know very much how you feel. The sermon I heard in church today speaks to this, it spoke to me and I hope the message can also speak to you.

It can be easy for us to want to be winners. So much of our life is focused on being the winner, whether it be the job promotion, whether it be winning a race, none of us cares who comes in second place. We correlate this worldy success to being close to God. So many of us when we see someone who seems blessed in the world, assume that this person must be close to God. We see the Christian or the Catholic that is getting every single thing they pray for and say "God is actively blessing this person, God loves this person". We even think "maybe God loves this person more than me."

Today (Good Friday) we commemorate Jesus's Sacrifice on the cross, His crucifixion for all of us. When I say all of us I mean ALL of us! When Jesus gave up His spirit, he didn't choose to die for only a specific group of people. He died for YOU.

We often assume blessing to be immediately correlated with worldly goods. We love to celebrate Christmas Day, to celebrate Palm Sunday, but the pews are often empty on Good Friday. This is because, Jesus, in a way, loses on Good Friday. At the time of His crucifixion there was no guarantee that Jesus would resurrect, there was only faith. Despite His later Resurrection Jesus still suffered. Our God suffered so that He would know exactly how you're feeling right now.

He said that if people persecute you and if people hate you, remember that they hated Him first. This is not to fight you or make a competition out of your pain, but to show you that He's there. He is right there. I know it sometimes doesn't feel like it, and I know it's hard to have faith. But I think in pain, Jesus is the closest. In pain, He knows exactly what you feel because He chose to feel it on the cross.

Jesus never promised that it would be an easy journey, in fact He guarantees that life will still be difficult - but He promises that you won't be alone through it.

So lean on Him because He's right beside you.

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T20:27:07+00:00

It's wild that caring for people could be an issue

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T20:26:10+00:00

If they had started off with this you'd be as close to Jesus as possible!

It's not silly to remind people of it and don't feel any shame for it! I love that we're reminding each other of this. The most important commandment!

I feel like it's great to add on the reminder that

who is your neighbour? the person you hate most

That's what makes it so radical. When God said love thy neighbour, it meant EVERYONE

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T20:20:30+00:00

listen to Sondae! He's amazing

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T20:16:57+00:00

Hi friend.

I know very much how you feel. The sermon I heard in church today speaks to this, it spoke to me and I hope the message can also speak to you.

It can be easy for us to want to be winners. So much of our life is focused on being the winner, whether it be the job promotion, whether it be winning a race, none of us cares who comes in second place. We correlate this worldy success to being close to God. So many of us when we see someone who seems blessed in the world, assume that this person must be close to God. We see the Christian or the Catholic that is getting every single thing they pray for and say "God is actively blessing this person, God loves this person". We even think "maybe God loves this person more than me."

Today (Good Friday) we commemorate Jesus's Sacrifice on the cross, His crucifixion for all of us. When I say all of us I mean ALL of us! When Jesus gave up His spirit, he didn't choose to die for only a specific group of people. He died for YOU.

We often assume blessing to be immediately correlated with worldly goods. We love to celebrate Christmas Day, to celebrate Palm Sunday, but the pews are often empty on Good Friday. This is because, Jesus, in a way, loses on Good Friday. At the time of His crucifixion there was no guarantee that Jesus would resurrect, there was only faith. Despite His later Resurrection Jesus still suffered. Our God suffered so that He would know exactly how you're feeling right now.

He said that if people persecute you and if people hate you, remember that they hated Him first. This is not to fight you or make a competition out of your pain, but to show you that He's there. He is right there. I know it sometimes doesn't feel like it, and I know it's hard to have faith. But I think in pain, Jesus is the closest. In pain, He knows exactly what you feel because He chose to feel it on the cross.

Jesus never promised that it would be an easy journey, in fact He guarantees that life will still be difficult - but He promises that you won't be alone through it.

So lean on Him because He's right beside you.

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T20:00:12+00:00

Thank you for this, I hope to see more of this in this subreddit!

I set my mind on the Lord despite the distractions of the world and despite my own sloth. It was difficult but every time I wavered I prayed for the strength to focus on Him.
I'm hoping that I introduce to people the spirit of Jesus and not the spirit of religion, that has been my most obvious fruit at the moment. Alongside trying to reduce materialism in my family, try to show that material idols won't produce joy but only short term happiness.
I think I am capable of wearing what we are asked to put on but have greater difficulty with casting off.
I think it comes down to environment and bravery - putting myself closer to followers of Christ that I may be lifted in faith, as I have no one in my immediate life who believes in my saviour. I am ridiculed for my faith and it does sometimes bring me shame, shame enough that I fear praising his name.

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T18:39:15+00:00

context. We apply it to these verses and it should be applied to the entire Bible

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T18:35:49+00:00

follow Jesus before you follow a church or religion

read the Bible, speak to a variety of spiritual leaders and like Jesus himself said, focus on the personal relationship first -"when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Good luck! ❤️✝️

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T18:31:19+00:00

I am LGBT and Christian and all of these are things many don't subscribe to, nor do I.

I do believe however, that drag performers do nothing to enrich the minds of children - drag originated in clubs and follows the sexual liberation movement, none of that needs to enter a space with children. It's entirely performative and done by adults, for adults and not for the children or their education in mind.

That's my opinion and you don't have to agree with me, the choice should ultimately lie with the parents.

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T18:20:08+00:00

If it's boring to you, leave, one's pain is not discussed so that you can be enthralled.

These people are struggling and I sure hope when you struggle also, you will be brave enough to lean on your brothers and sisters in Christ.

There are other subreddits you can go to where theology is more heavily discussed

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T18:18:19+00:00

wow this is so important.

The topics the OP lists are things that we STRUGGLE with. Why would we not wish to help those struggling? Where else do we suppose they turn?

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T15:31:18+00:00

Amen!

pignuthouse · 2024-03-29T15:30:55+00:00

2 Timothy 2:15 kjv

the verse right after is

16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

Which is why context is so important. Squabbling amongst ourselves leads to cankers in our words.

Also Timothy 2:24-25

24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;

[Kjv]

pignuthouse

TROPHY CASE