A Few Questions

[Foofy]

Hello there! I have a few questions that I do not understand, and would really like to understand. Sorry for quite a few questions, I am only 14 so I'm kind of bound to .

1. First, I don't exactly feel "loving god". Does it feel like anything? I'm kind of not sure and would kind of like help with this.

2. There are a few different verses with all the same meaning of "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but the word of God shall not". And then there is one specifically (2 Peter 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." I thought heaven was eternal and forever?

3. John 4:20-21 states "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." This doesn't make sense because we don't exactly have to see somebody to love them, because looks supposedly don't mean anything. If I am not mistaken, we love him because of what he does to and for us, not because of the way he looks.

4. Why do we pray when God knows what we are thinking? Such as if we think we want somebody to be healthy for example, then why pray when he knows that you think that already?

Thank you for your help guys!

 

[Mediaeval]

Did you mean 'feeling God's love' or 'feeling love for God'? Either way, in an important sense, we are to walk by faith rather than by sight or feeling. That said, it is great when the feelings are there too. In another sense, God's love is tangibly felt in every blessing we enjoy--a delicious meal, a good time with family or friends, a spectacular sunset, etc., all such things should be received as gifts of God and tokens of His love.

Regarding prayer, I like how Isaac the Syrian put it, “God is compassionate, and He loves to give, but He wants us to be the reason for His giving. Thus His delight is when someone offers up to Him a wise prayer.”

 

[1watchman]

Yes, God wants our heart, and He wants to hear from us if we are really sincere. Write me at my PM on my profile, and I can give a more complete answer; also, I much recommend you visit the site: www.biblecounsel.net where you can ask questions, and read good Bible ministry. Look up always!

 

[mark kennedy]

Hello there! I have a few questions that I do not understand, and would really like to understand. Sorry for quite a few questions, I am only 14 so I'm kind of bound to .

1. First, I don't exactly feel "loving god". Does it feel like anything? I'm kind of not sure and would kind of like help with this.

The New Testament has three words for love, Phileo=family/friends; Eros=sexual; Agape=God's holy and righteous love. The question makes me want to chuckle, loving God is a lot like loving your Mom, there are a vast array of feelings. I can tell you this, when the love of God becomes manifest in your life and relationship with God and matures it's consuming.

2. There are a few different verses with all the same meaning of "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but the word of God shall not". And then there is one specifically (2 Peter 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." I thought heaven was eternal and forever?

Heaven would appear to be temporal (temporary) to this time, the permanent heavens and earth are created at the end of the age. Heaven as far as God's throne is probably eternal but anything that is not eternal gets burned up at the end of the age. Much of heaven is eternal, certainly God will be using the same throne he has always used but any termporal elements are burned up and recreated. That's just one of those things the Scriptures say without much explanation.

3. John 4:20-21 states "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." This doesn't make sense because we don't exactly have to see somebody to love them, because looks supposedly don't mean anything. If I am not mistaken, we love him because of what he does to and for us, not because of the way he looks.

She is asking him where to worship, he is explaining that the where doesn't matter, it's how:

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. (John 4:21-23)​

4. Why do we pray when God knows what we are thinking? Such as if we think we want somebody to be healthy for example, then why pray when he knows that you think that already?

Thank you for your help guys!

Good question! I think we should bear in mind God doesn't need to be briefed on the details and persuading God to act is as simple as asking in faith. A lot of words, Jesus suggested, is a poor way to get an answer.

This is what I usually recommend, get quiet somewhere private and before saying anything try to review the times God has blessed or helped you then start your prayer with thanks and simply addressing God as God. Then get calm, quiet and wait for a time. Your speaking to him, give him a chance to respond. Then you make your requests known, even though he already knows the actual request is important. The most important thing is to remember the times God has been with you.

One more thing, I don't believe God hears half hearted prayers. Sure he could read your mind but I think the act of prayer in the right state of mind is an event of great significance all by itself. I think God wants to answer our prayers but what he really wants is to fix whats wrong between you and him. I think that's why you have to ask, God wants to make that personal connection with you because it's the whole point anyway.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[SharonL]

Loving God - Do you feel it or do you know it? Use your mother and father as an example, if you did not know they loved you, would you feel it. The Bible tells us that Jesus will never leave us. He is your friend, you can talk to him just as you do a friend. As you turn to him in prayer, talk or friendship, your faith grows and the feeling that God loves you will be more evident.

Question #2 - The heavens and earth as we know it will disappear. The Word will never disappear. When Jesus returns to earth it will be a new Heaven and a new earth. The Word became flesh - Jesus is the Word and will always be here. He has no beginning and no ending.

Question #3 - Looks has no part of loving - it is all in the heart. You can love people you have never seen and find it hard to love people you know. We have to sometimes work at loving people. The love of God is a natural thing and grows as we grow in faith.

Question #4 - We pray out of faith. As powerful as God is He will not answer until you ask. Again use your family as reference, they know you want something, but if you don't ask, they think you are not interested.

Just remember that Jesus is always with you and only a heartbeat away. He knows your thoughts and loves you enought to die for you. Just walk hand in hand with Jesus, telling him your thoughts, prayers and love.

 

[parsley]

1. I don't exactly feel "loving god". Does it feel like anything?

Sharon brought up parents, and I think that's a great example.

Since having kids, a protective love welled up in me -- wanting to defend the rights and honor of people... sort of a passion for justice. Accompanying this, my stance toward God felt more vigilant, and my love turned more toward respect for what He tries to do for us.

"I love thy law, O Lord." Appreciation that He protects us.

These feelings in us change over time, as we see different facets of who He is.
​

2. "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but the word of God shall not".
(2 Peter 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." I thought heaven was eternal and forever?

Good catch! There are also different Greek and Hebrew words used for heaven, and one of them just means sky.

If you use Studylight.org to look up verses, click "interlinear" and it will show you the original language, clickable for word definitions.
​

3. "Whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. ..Anyone who loves God must also love..." This doesn't make sense because we don't exactly have to see somebody to love them..

The emphasis is on consistency. A person could preach from the rooftops but then treat people rudely. If they claim to love, they need to love.

Seeing -- think of established friendships, bonds and good feelings that you create with others. You know them because you earned a connection and heard all their stories...we need to build a connection with God even when we can't see him, and learn who He is.

We can publicly claim to love Him, but not even find out what He said in His Word. An extreme case: a scamming preacher who just teaches what they feel like saying, then takes the offering for himself and doesn't answer calls from his parishioners. He speaks out about love and about God, but then does not show love or show understanding of who God is.

(You show that you have done a lot of digging into who He is!)
​

4. Why do we pray when God knows what we are thinking?

Prayer is a conversation we develop with God, and a trust. The conversation has value, not just the goal.

My husband likes to use small banks, and talk to the tellers. He says a machine doesn't know him from Adam. He gets to know the people, and then if he needs to go in for a loan, or forgets paperwork, they already know they can trust him and are more willing to help him out.

A machine can process a request, but will it choose to?

We know that God stands for justice and peace, truth and love. But we look at the world and see He has not chosen to correct all the problems immediately. How does He want the problems properly corrected?

In His word, He shows that He wants us to have dominion over the land, and make it productive. Defend the rights of the weak, support orphans and widows.

He also tells us to ask, pray, seek, heal, cast out oppressors... take action with His power working through us.
​

 

[kayfeather]

This is a great thread! I certainly learned something too, being a Christian newbie myself.

Good catch! There are also different Greek and Hebrew words used for heaven, and one of them just means sky.

If you use Studylight.org to look up verses, click "interlinear" and it will show you the original language, clickable for word definitions.

Now I have something new to play with I'm always interested in the differences between the original and translated languages of the Bible.

 

[Tammy]

Hello there! I have a few questions that I do not understand, and would really like to understand. Sorry for quite a few questions, I am only 14 so I'm kind of bound to .

1. First, I don't exactly feel "loving god". Does it feel like anything? I'm kind of not sure and would kind of like help with this.

2. There are a few different verses with all the same meaning of "Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but the word of God shall not". And then there is one specifically (2 Peter 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." I thought heaven was eternal and forever?

3. John 4:20-21 states "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." This doesn't make sense because we don't exactly have to see somebody to love them, because looks supposedly don't mean anything. If I am not mistaken, we love him because of what he does to and for us, not because of the way he looks.

4. Why do we pray when God knows what we are thinking? Such as if we think we want somebody to be healthy for example, then why pray when he knows that you think that already?

Thank you for your help guys!

Those are all good questions, Foofy, and I'm so glad to read that you are only 14! It is nice to see such a young person who is really interested in spiritual things! God bless you!

I think there was a word missing in your first question..would you mind reposting that one?

As for #2, when the Bible speaks of Heaven in this verse, it means the sky, the atmosphere...not the Heaven where God and Jesus are. There is one principle that is good to remember when studying the Bible and that is that there are often more than one thing, called by the same name. That is why it is so important to read verses in context and to compare verse with verse, so that you are sure you are understanding the word as it was intended to be understood.

#3...I think of the saying, "Out of sight ~ Out of mind".... It is easier for us to love those who we see with our eyes, more so than those who we have never laid eyes on. And if we hate our own relatives who we see, how then can we say we love God Whom we have never laid eyes on? Yes, looks shouldn't matter, but sadly, often times it does...and Yes, we should love God/Jesus for what They have done for us...for the wonderful sacrifice They have made for us...and if we truly do love them, it will be evident by how we treat our family and those close to us...

4. Regarding prayer: Praying does as much for us, as it does for the people we are praying for. Yes, God knows what we are thinking, but He wants us to come to Him and ask Him for what we need/desire, as the act of asking Him does a work in our own hearts....it makes us realize more than ALL GOOD things come from God, and that He hears our prayers amongst all the millions of prayers offered everyday....and sometimes it helps us to see that what we are asking for maybe isn't what is best for our own good. Praying causes us to trust Him more...

 

[com7fy8]

3. John 4:20-21 states "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." This doesn't make sense because we don't exactly have to see somebody to love them, because looks supposedly don't mean anything. If I am not mistaken, we love him because of what he does to and for us, not because of the way he looks.

Foofy, it does not say here to love someone because of what the person looks like. It simply shows that our Father wants us to love people whom we can see. And if you can not love people whom you actually can see, how can you love God who we do not see? It does not say to love someone because we see the person.

We have what was

You can love people you have never seen and find it hard to love people you know.

So, even if you see someone, you might not love that person. I didn't think of this, before.

And, like Sharon says, it can be hard to love ones we actually can see. But if people are wrong, we with God can win with good example, and not allow wrong people to have power over us to decide if we love or not. Paul's example feeds me >

"And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." (2 Corinthians 12:15)

This is how my translation put it, and this feeds me

Foofy, you are right that we should not love anyone because of their looks . . . or their acting charming and being popular. Thank you for this reminder; I need to keep remembering how God wants me to love any and all people, and not judge anyone by his or her looks, and not judge about how important I feel someone is > Jesus came for any and all people ! ! !

But I understand that He does want us to evaluate who we should trust for a close relationship. You should not evaluate someone only by how nice the person looks, and how charming the person is. Also, having a job and money is not a main thing; yes, someone should be responsible, but having good grades and business success does not necessarily mean someone is "smart" and successful in how to love. "'Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.'" (John 7:24)

Trust Jesus to make us able to tell the difference about who we belong with in close sharing with trusting. We are not required to trust blindly; we trust God because He has proven Himself So, you don't have to just take anyone's word for anything, I can now see.

None of us is smart enough to do this, on our own; we all need to submit to God and obey how our Father takes care of us, so He connects us with the people He knows we belong with for sharing as His family

So, make sure with God about who you belong with for close friendship and companionship, and stay with your mature and good example people who are Jesus people

God bless you prayer for us Bill

 

[Foofy]

Thank you all so very much for your long and interesting replies! I feel alot better and know a heck of alot more than I did when I posted this. I'm sorry but I'm not really sure what else to say, so thank you all very much I read each and every post.

 

[PROPHECYKID]

Just to add one thing concerning question #2.

Most times when the bible uses the phrase heaven and earth, it is not referring to the heaven that God dwells.

For instance, in the beginning God create the heaven and the earth. That heaven is the atmospheric heaven, the heaven that we see. That is the heaven of our world. The heaven where God dwells is a perfect place which needs to modifications. So when the bible talks about heaven and earth passing away, it is referring to the total area of our world.

 

[SharonL]

Just to add one thing concerning question #2.

Most times when the bible uses the phrase heaven and earth, it is not referring to the heaven that God dwells.

For instance, in the beginning God create the heaven and the earth. That heaven is the atmospheric heaven, the heaven that we see. That is the heaven of our world. The heaven where God dwells is a perfect place which needs to modifications. So when the bible talks about heaven and earth passing away, it is referring to the total area of our world.