I feel stuck

[cloudyday2]

I feel stuck and not very hopeful about improving myself or understanding anything about my purpose.

As far as improving myself, I have a relationship problem with my brother and business partner. Also I have an addiction to inappropriate contentography (pretty pathetic for somebody my age (45) but oh well).

As far as purpose, I don't have much hope or faith in myself any more. When I went to church for 2 years I was hoping it might show me a way forward but it didn't.

So I have lots of interconnected problems and I have no idea how to fix them. I suppose this doesn't make sense, but I don't make sense to myself either.

 

[bling]

First off I can help you with our purpose:

Man’s purpose has always been to Love God (and really the children he has created) with all our heart soul, mind, and energy.

In order to do that, we first must obtain this Godly type Love that allows you to be totally committed.

This Godly type Love is defined by Jesus’ words and deeds (you can also use 1 Cor 13 and 1 John 4).

Since God is “Love” and part of the definition of Godly type Love is unselfishness God is totally unselfish? If God is totally unselfish, He will do and allow all He can to help those that are just willing to accept His help fulfill their objective (Love). That “all” includes: Christ to go to the cross, satan to roam the earth, tragedies of all kind, hell, evil, and even sin.

God is not trying to trying to get us to do something, but is trying to give us the most powerful force in all universes if we will just accept the gift as it was given (charity). Having Godly Love is having the most powerful force in all universes.

Will we know people do not like to accept charity especially from a giver that paid a huge price? People will try to earn the gift, pay back the gift, be more deserving of the gift than the next person or just say they got the gift without having to accept it. The easiest way to accept the gift is through accepting God’s forgiveness (this is after you have sinned) since forgiveness is charity, grace, mercy Love. AND Jesus has taught us “…he that is forgiven much will Love much…”

The problem is God wants us to be like He is (God’s Love is compelling Him to create beings that can Love like He Loves and made these beings for the sake of those that will accept His Love).

If we continue to refuse God’s Love and really do not want to Love unselfishly, where is there for us to go? Heaven is one huge Love feast so we would not be happy there and God wants us to be happy.


inappropriate contentography is a selfish type Love (you are not benefiting anyone else, so it is not a Godly type Love, but it can be an addiction like other addictions and treated very similarly, with lots of help from others (small groups). From my experience I have concluded everyone is addicted to something, so you are not alone. The way to keep from inappropriate contentography is not so much in trying to stay away, but in filling your life with other worthy stuff to do and just not having time for inappropriate contentography (this seems to have helped others in the past). There are just tons of good stuff you can be doing, make a list keep it in front of you.

The way to grow Godly type Love is by taking the little Godly type Love you do have with the little faith you have and do something with it, that you can do purely out of Love (do not hope on a plan to preach in Africa, but mop the kitchen floor without being asked).

 

[bobk]

Several years ago, I found myself in a similar state of mind. I woke up one morning and was overcome with a feeling of hopelessness. I had recently discovered that my office manager had embezzled $300k from me. I was also fighting with my wife, and I was mad at my kids. To top it off, I had a terrible hangover.

We were on a camping trip in the desert at the time, so I hopped on my dirt bike and rode to the top of the nearest hill. When I reached the top, I turned off my bike and started to pray. I asked God to forgive my sins and to give me some guidance. What was his purpose for me?

What he revealed to me is that he could open the door for me, but I had to walk through it. It was going to take some effort on my part. What I discovered is that when I give a little effort, God gives me the strength to overcome anything.

I would encourage you pray and confess your sins, then give up inappropriate content for 24 hours for the Lord. I think you will find yourself full of strength you've never had before.

Hope this helps, God bless.

 

[cloudyday2]

Several years ago, I found myself in a similar state of mind. I woke up one morning and was overcome with a feeling of hopelessness. I had recently discovered that my office manager had embezzled $300k from me. I was also fighting with my wife, and I was mad at my kids. To top it off, I had a terrible hangover.

We were on a camping trip in the desert at the time, so I hopped on my dirt bike and rode to the top of the nearest hill. When I reached the top, I turned off my bike and started to pray. I asked God to forgive my sins and to give me some guidance. What was his purpose for me?

What he revealed to me is that he could open the door for me, but I had to walk through it. It was going to take some effort on my part. What I discovered is that when I give a little effort, God gives me the strength to overcome anything.

I would encourage you pray and confess your sins, then give up inappropriate content for 24 hours for the Lord. I think you will find yourself full of strength you've never had before.

Hope this helps, God bless.

Thanks, ironically, part of my job is to do the bookkeeping so my brother doesn't need to worry about embezzlement. From what I've heard that is a surprisingly common problem for businesses. I'm not very good at this, but I try to muddle through.

 

[cloudyday2]

First off I can help you with our purpose:

Man’s purpose has always been to Love God (and really the children he has created) with all our heart soul, mind, and energy.

In order to do that, we first must obtain this Godly type Love that allows you to be totally committed.

This Godly type Love is defined by Jesus’ words and deeds (you can also use 1 Cor 13 and 1 John 4).

Since God is “Love” and part of the definition of Godly type Love is unselfishness God is totally unselfish? If God is totally unselfish, He will do and allow all He can to help those that are just willing to accept His help fulfill their objective (Love). That “all” includes: Christ to go to the cross, satan to roam the earth, tragedies of all kind, hell, evil, and even sin.

God is not trying to trying to get us to do something, but is trying to give us the most powerful force in all universes if we will just accept the gift as it was given (charity). Having Godly Love is having the most powerful force in all universes.

Will we know people do not like to accept charity especially from a giver that paid a huge price? People will try to earn the gift, pay back the gift, be more deserving of the gift than the next person or just say they got the gift without having to accept it. The easiest way to accept the gift is through accepting God’s forgiveness (this is after you have sinned) since forgiveness is charity, grace, mercy Love. AND Jesus has taught us “…he that is forgiven much will Love much…”

The problem is God wants us to be like He is (God’s Love is compelling Him to create beings that can Love like He Loves and made these beings for the sake of those that will accept His Love).

If we continue to refuse God’s Love and really do not want to Love unselfishly, where is there for us to go? Heaven is one huge Love feast so we would not be happy there and God wants us to be happy.


inappropriate contentography is a selfish type Love (you are not benefiting anyone else, so it is not a Godly type Love, but it can be an addiction like other addictions and treated very similarly, with lots of help from others (small groups). From my experience I have concluded everyone is addicted to something, so you are not alone. The way to keep from inappropriate contentography is not so much in trying to stay away, but in filling your life with other worthy stuff to do and just not having time for inappropriate contentography (this seems to have helped others in the past). There are just tons of good stuff you can be doing, make a list keep it in front of you.

The way to grow Godly type Love is by taking the little Godly type Love you do have with the little faith you have and do something with it, that you can do purely out of Love (do not hope on a plan to preach in Africa, but mop the kitchen floor without being asked).

Thanks, everything you say makes sense. I just feel discouraged and cynical.

 

[Johnnz]

What version of the gospel were you presented with at church - two views in this quote from "Living at the Crossroads by M Goheen.

The biblical story of redemption is about the restoration and healing of God's good creation. In order to understand this biblical concept well, it is instructive to compare it with that of the Greek philosopher Plato, whose beliefs, though based on a completely pagan worldview, have often been adopted by Christians. (We will explore the long history of Plato's powerful influence on Christian thought more fully in the next chapter.) In Plato's thought, salvation is:

· vertical (our destiny is upward in heaven)
· otherworldly (our souls are saved into another spiritual world)
· an escape ( we are saved not as part of this world but rather from this world)

But a genuinely Christian worldview contradicts the Platonic view at each of these points, since biblically, the goal of salvation is:

horizontal (we look forward in history to the renewal of creation)
of this world (the creation is to be renewed)
integral to God's ultimate plan for this world (no escape necessary)

The argument that salvation is the restoration of creation can be summarized as follows:

o The creation is very good, the way God intended it. As Albert Wolters has put it, "God does not make junk, and he does not junk what he has made."
o Human beings are created to live in the context of the creation. We are made to live not as spirits in some ethereal world but rather as embodied people in this world.
o The materiality of creation is not what is wrong with it; the problem is sin. God's redemptive work is to remove the sin that has infected the creation.
o In the Old Testament (and especially in the prophetic promises) the future kingdom is described as restored life within a new creation.
o Jesus proclaims the gospel of the kingdom. No Jew immersed in the Old Testament (as Jesus himself was) would have ever conceived of the kingdom as something "heavenly" or "spiritual"; it was God acting in power and love to defeat sin, death, and Satan and to restore his creation.
o Jesus' resurrection is a preview of what we can expect for ourselves. Jesus goes to be with the Father after his death (cf. Luke 23:43) but returns in resurrection as the firstfruits of what is coming. We too are with the Lord at death but will be resurrected in our bodies in the final day.
o The biblical images of redemption, restoration, and renewal all point to the good creation coming back to what it was meant to be.
o Satan's goal from the beginning had been to ruin and destroy God's world. A final destruction of the creation would signify a powerful victory for Satan-a victory that God has no intention of allowing.
o Salvation is about continuity between the original creation and a restored creation.

We can get areal vision for living from the latter.


John
NZ

 

[cloudyday2]

What version of the gospel were you presented with at church - two views in this quote from "Living at the Crossroads by M Goheen.

The biblical story of redemption is about the restoration and healing of God's good creation. In order to understand this biblical concept well, it is instructive to compare it with that of the Greek philosopher Plato, whose beliefs, though based on a completely pagan worldview, have often been adopted by Christians. (We will explore the long history of Plato's powerful influence on Christian thought more fully in the next chapter.) In Plato's thought, salvation is:

· vertical (our destiny is upward in heaven)
· otherworldly (our souls are saved into another spiritual world)
· an escape ( we are saved not as part of this world but rather from this world)

But a genuinely Christian worldview contradicts the Platonic view at each of these points, since biblically, the goal of salvation is:

horizontal (we look forward in history to the renewal of creation)
of this world (the creation is to be renewed)
integral to God's ultimate plan for this world (no escape necessary)

The argument that salvation is the restoration of creation can be summarized as follows:

o The creation is very good, the way God intended it. As Albert Wolters has put it, "God does not make junk, and he does not junk what he has made."
o Human beings are created to live in the context of the creation. We are made to live not as spirits in some ethereal world but rather as embodied people in this world.
o The materiality of creation is not what is wrong with it; the problem is sin. God's redemptive work is to remove the sin that has infected the creation.
o In the Old Testament (and especially in the prophetic promises) the future kingdom is described as restored life within a new creation.
o Jesus proclaims the gospel of the kingdom. No Jew immersed in the Old Testament (as Jesus himself was) would have ever conceived of the kingdom as something "heavenly" or "spiritual"; it was God acting in power and love to defeat sin, death, and Satan and to restore his creation.
o Jesus' resurrection is a preview of what we can expect for ourselves. Jesus goes to be with the Father after his death (cf. Luke 23:43) but returns in resurrection as the firstfruits of what is coming. We too are with the Lord at death but will be resurrected in our bodies in the final day.
o The biblical images of redemption, restoration, and renewal all point to the good creation coming back to what it was meant to be.
o Satan's goal from the beginning had been to ruin and destroy God's world. A final destruction of the creation would signify a powerful victory for Satan-a victory that God has no intention of allowing.
o Salvation is about continuity between the original creation and a restored creation.

We can get areal vision for living from the latter.


John
NZ

That sounds sensible. In some ways a person is a reflection of his/her environment and is always changing. So resurrection must be a gradual transition of our environment to preserve our personalities. I think this is why salvation and resurrection must be universal to all of creation and all people.

I have a problem with the idea of metaphysics/magic/supernatural (including church rituals such as baptism and communion). I had some experiences that seemed supernatural that I have to keep at a distance for my own sanity. So church rituals such as communion bother me in a way that they wouldn't bother me otherwise.

 

[Johnnz]

As you grow in maturity and wisdom you will find the supernatural can become better integrated. Bad experiences can leave a residue, but we must not let them interfere with all the God has provided for us.

John
NZ

 

[cloudyday2]

As you grow in maturity and wisdom you will find the supernatural can become better integrated. Bad experiences can leave a residue, but we must not let them interfere with all the God has provided for us.

John
NZ

Thanks, I know I have a long way to go still.