Mature chat thread..... (2)

[memoriesbymichelle]

Hey Jenster!!! Glad to see your post. I TOTALLY get what you are saying. Right now I have an issue in my bible study group and I am finding that the leaders are kind of Pharasitical and now a whole family has left the group! And they were the sweetest family too! I am going to keep in touch with the family that quit and it just saddens me what happened. But yeah, that's why we christians get a bad rap sometimes because of all the legalistic judgemental christians. So like dayhiker is doing, we need to change the outlook by being part of that change ourselves.

 

[renewed21]

Would it be fair to say that if a particular viewpoint is grouped together and termed Legalistic and Pharasitical then the opposing ziewpoints can also be lumped together and all called Relativistic or Hedonistic?

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Would it be fair to say that if a particular viewpoint is grouped together and termed Legalistic and Pharasitical then the opposing ziewpoints can also be lumped together and all called Relativistic or Hedonistic?

I don't think so, but I could be wrong. Can you elaborate?

 

[Doctor Strangelove]

Hi Jenster! Don't let people get you down. Often when people are immature or insecure or they feel guilty about something they will try to make other people feel inadequate rather than dealing with their own problems.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Hi Jenster! Don't let people get you down. Often when people are immature or insecure or they feel guilty about something they will try to make other people feel inadequate rather than dealing with their own problems.

Or they think that since they have "arrived" as in not doing "those" things anymore, it should be just as easy for everyone else. It's like some people when they quit smoking and then they berate everyone they know that hasn't quit smoking even though they hated that when they smoked. So in other words, they become the people they used to despise when they are around people that still smoke.

 

[Jenster]

Aw, thanks for understanding, y'all. I do try not to let people get me down, and try to understand that maybe they are having a bad day or something, but when the first thing outta someone's mouth is harsh, it's hard to get much of my own compassion going.

Its so easy to think God knows what's right, He doesn't change and He's not partial in his judgment, so God's morality doesn't have gray areas and He doesn't wink at sin any more so this is the way it is.

Exactly! Is God's morality absolute? Yes, absolutely! But he is merciful and compassionate, since none of us could possibly uphold the law. And goodness knows, I've been guilty of applying the law towards others as well, at least in my head.

But wow, am I finding love is so much better than that.

Great to hear! I myself am only now starting to trust that God's love for me is truly, deeply intimate and REAL.

Or they think that since they have "arrived" as in not doing "those" things anymore, it should be just as easy for everyone else. It's like some people when they quit smoking and then they berate everyone they know that hasn't quit smoking even though they hated that when they smoked. So in other words, they become the people they used to despise when they are around people that still smoke.

LOL about your example. We humans can get so self-righteous when it comes to "obvious" or "easy" things we think everyone should do, just because we did it.

 

[CounselorForChrist]

Often when people are immature or insecure or they feel guilty about something they will try to make other people feel inadequate rather than dealing with their own problems.

Exactly. My mom has some serious raging anger issues. Of course she blames everyone else. So sometimes she will say "So and so has anger issues and needs help, they are such idiots!". I chuckle inside. So often the pot calls the kettle black.

 

[renewed21]

So help me understand. Aren't we supposed to do what God says? And isn't what God says, the Law?

Therefore would it not be factual to say that we need to obey what God says for us to do (rules)?

 

[dayhiker]

Good question renewed.

When we say the law we are often referring to the law given by Moses. Paul tells us that that law while good righteous and holy didn't have the power to make anyone righteous. That law was also given as a purity law for Israel. All people groups back then had purity laws as it defined by who kept their purity laws as who was in your group and who was out of your group. The church's purity law is Jesus. If we believe in Jesus we are pure, if we don't believe in Jesus we aren't pure. Our idenity as a group of believers is Jesus.

This is a very powerful concept that comes up often in the NT as Paul starts to take the gospel to the Gentiles. What are they going to have to do to be pure? Will they have to circumcised? Will they have to obey the dietary laws of Israel? No, Paul says we aren't under the law 6 times and also says Jesus is the goal and end of the law for righteousness.

So as Christians today we are to be lead by the Holy Spirit. All the law is summed up in these two commandments, to love God and love people.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

So help me understand. Aren't we supposed to do what God says? And isn't what God says, the Law?

Therefore would it not be factual to say that we need to obey what God says for us to do (rules)?

If we crossed every T and dotted every i we could not obey all the "rules". Have you read the OT? The Jews had this issue over and over again, just as we do and will as long as we are in this human form. We shouldn't "obey" the law because God told us to, IMO.
Jesus died on the cross for us. HE paid for ALL our sins, past, present and future. There is NOTHING we can to, aside from denying Him and what He has done that can get us into, or keep us out of heaven. If we love God, we will do our best to follow what His word says. But we are human and we WILL fail. Otherwise Jesus died in vain. If what Jesus did for us was not enough, then He really didn't have to go to the cross at all. If there was something we could do to pay for our sins, we would not need Jesus. We try to do our best to follow the bible BECAUSE we love Him and what He did for us, not to get brownie points to get into heaven. We don't obey under compulsion, it's because we WANT to please our Lord because He has done so much for us.

And we should not put the "law" or the "rules" above being kind and compassionate or helping someone. The Pharisee's had this problem. If someone was getting healed on the Sabbath, they were more concerned about keeping the Sabbath than the person that had been suffering, that could be healed. If a donkey fell in to a ditch, too bad, let it die, because it's the Sabbath. And then there is the one that was praying in the temple and he saw a poor person beating his chest and crying out to God and he prayed "thank God I'm not like THAT person" (paraphrased) and God said the poor man was more highly esteemed because he prayed from his heart, while the other man thought he was better than the poor man.

 

[dayhiker]

God a nice weekend, only the 2nd weekend since before Thanksgiving that I'm not working on the weekend ... yaaaa

So I worked on my bathroom. Got a lot of plaster turn down. So got to insult the outside wall and get the pipes in to connect the new shower controls. Oh, and buy the shower also.

Tonight is D1(date 1) with L, I'm curious how its going to go. Going out to dinner and then dancing. I like that she follows my lead so well. That makes it look like we know what we are doing on the dance floor!

Praise the Lord.

 

[Jenster]

Have fun tonight, Dayhiker!

Me, I was just ruminating on a major blowup that happened with a friend of mine a few years ago. Made me twinge again, thinking about it. We patched things up afterward, but it was pretty ugly. But today I realized how amazing God is because He always is willing to forgive us when we screw up, even though He's never at fault, never wrong, never to blame. We humans can be so prideful sometimes ... casting stones... God has every right to be prideful, but He's not. He chooses to love.

 

[dayhiker]

Jenster, had a good date. We learned a lot more about each other.

Your so right about God's forgiveness and humility. sweet

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Wow good news and bad news. I just found out that I have been wrongly adding the SS I get for the kids to my income! The bad news is my husband has been gone for 8 years and I can only amend the last 3. Oh well, the good news is I get a refund even though I took money out of my IRA to pay for my AC unit! Woot! SO happy about that!

 

[dayhiker]

OUCH ... glad you found out now tho.

 

[Jenster]

Jenster, had a good date. We learned a lot more about each other.

Fantastic, dayhiker!

 

[dayhiker]

This weekend I'm going to VT with some people. Time to enjoy the winter. See you all Sunday night.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

can't wait to hear about your adventure!

 

[dayhiker]

Well, a nice big snow storm tonight. Just went out for a while, wind was blowing the snow into my face. So that limited the enjoyment of the walk. Also got the snow blown out of the driveway.

 

[Eagle Of Oz]

Just droppin in to say urroooooooo, and hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend!