What do you do when you realize that a life pleasing to God, has no chance of being pleasing to you?

Sam91 · Feb 12, 2020

Those were my thoughts exactly too.

Michael Garrett Andrews · Feb 12, 2020

I think there's freedom in living a surrendered life to Christ. God fights ALL our battles for us if we are living for Him. Matthew 6:31-33 This is just one verse with the promise of God to Us. If we believe just this one verse with our whole heart and apply it, then we're Gucci. Period !!! Letting Go, is a powerful thing. bible says " cast all your cares upon him, " and " all things work together for the good of them that are called according to his purpose" He's got you covered 6 ways from Sunday. You literally don't have to worry about money anymore. Only drawing closer to him. I also think it might help to view life as literally only actually needing , food . clothing and shelter. Anything beyond that is technically a luxury. And yes i am aware how technologically advanced the world is now. Example : You cant get a job because you don't have a car, and you cant get a car because you dont have a job. Just imagine if King David were alive today and he went to Walmart with you to buy groceries!! He would say " Let's get out of here and i will go slaughter us some meat lol . " Or can we just go eat some figs or catch a fish please. My point is we don't need modern technology to supply us with food and water that is a free gift to us from God, only thing required is a small amount of our labor on our part to harvest it. God Bless and take care , and remember : Love People and care for the Land.
Oh one more thing , Galatians 6:7-8 . I think its important we pay attention to the natural laws of the Universe God set in motion, oftentimes God does not go against these in order to help us, We have to find the inner Warrior within our Heart to seek and Understand him. So if we don't understand something , keep seeking, it doesn't mean God is wrong or not real, it means We don't understand it.

Gregory Thompson · Feb 12, 2020

Sounds like a grumbling Israelite to me.

I'd say seek to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. (so your will is transformed to want the things of God)

Christianity begins with a spiritual transformation - being born again by the Holy Spirit.

The Christian life is all about spiritual transformation day by day.

Anthony2019 · Feb 12, 2020

Jesus cared enough to go through unspeakable pain so you could be free. Free to experience the most precious of things in life you could ever wish for. Free from the slavery of sin. Free from the bondage of fear. The gift of eternal life with Him and inexpressible bliss. The 13th century anchoress St Julian of Norwich put it this way: Christ thinks nothing of his hardship and his bitter suffering and, if it were ever necessary, then he would do it all over again for love of you.
Whatever path you choose, whatever you make of your life, whenever you hear the name Jesus, remember He is looking at you with a tenderness, compassion and affection that has no equal or rival.

DamianWarS · Feb 12, 2020

Christ tells us to deny ourselves to become followers of him. You seem to have figured that part out but refuse to take action. You know the answer to you're own problem my only advice is that this terrible life you think that is waiting for you is probably not terrible at all. You already suffer, the very least with peace and contentment that amount of money or job can satisfy. Christ's initial call to his disciples was simple but clear "follow me" they got up where they were and followed him. Those words still echo to you now, you know the next step, so leave where you are and follow him.

Paulus59 · Feb 13, 2020

It's not about a terrible life that God wants you to live. God wants to take you on a spiritual journey where you discover your true self in Christ and grow in his likeness, this has nothing to do with being good (pre se) or being religious or trying your hardest, it's about having a personal relationship with God, living in HIS righteousness, and where that relationship will take you. It's full of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

I want to thank you for your honesty and it's good that you are honest instead of fooling yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5), but you obviously haven't been born again and received the Holy Spirit, forgive me if I'm blunt here as I don't want to offend you. Seek out God's son in his Gospels with an open heart and let the spirit change you. May God be with you.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
(Jeremiah 29:11)

lsume · Feb 13, 2020

Please stay the course. I can assure you that there is a day coming that will Truly change you. The Word of God in James 1:1-4 Tells the Truth. Christ can’t lessen the intensity of the lesson. The reason for that is that He can’t do less than perfect. Perfect means that when you step out of this body, you will be very thankful for everything you faithfully endured. I’m speaking as one who has failed a great deal only to be saved by Christ. I thought I was born again and we were somewhat active in our church but I was wrong. When Christ came to me as a thief in the night, I didn’t realize how far I had slipped.
James 1
[1] James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
[2] My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
[3] Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
[4] But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

lsume · Feb 13, 2020

If you stay on the course you have set, I think you can rest assured that the glory revealed in you will be? Seriously consider what you might be thinking. Antichrist?

Tolworth John · Feb 13, 2020

False assumption that a life pleasing to God is boring, involves suffering or being poor.

You may want to be wealthy and never do astroke of work, but onlypoverty lies that way.

In the same way God does reward Christian, after all they are the ones following the makers instructions. Those you think are having only fun are breaking his rules and while they know pleasure, they also know heartache and pain.

Questioning Brother · Feb 13, 2020

At this point, they would have a leg up on me. Pleasure in life and me parted ways a while ago. And yes, that was before the problems eroded the faith I had.

fhansen · Feb 14, 2020

Properly understood, our state of righteousness in God’s eyes is based on how we love. If we examine our consciences based on how well we love God and neighbor, which should be accompanied or evidenced by fruit in our lives, then we won’t be far off from knowing where we stand.

K2K · Feb 14, 2020

The question in the OP is an excellent question. It got lots of responses but how many recognized the importance of the question?

The best advice is of course to seek the instructions from the Lord and do what He says. He does actually promise us life and that more abundantly. But did we miss the fact that He does what He see the Father do, and the Father sent Him to the cross? Did we miss the fact that it is written to pick up your cross? Maybe we missed the fact that those who call Him Lord are saved? I mean if you call Him Lord and mean it then you must be getting instructions from Him and following them otherwise you might call Him Lord but you are lying, because He is not your Lord if you are not listening to His instructions!

Now it is pointed out that He gave us free will and indeed He did. Jesus Christ had free will and concerning the cross He asked the Father to take that cup from Him but not His will but the Father's be done. That is to say that Jesus gave up His free will and put it under the feet of the Father. So what about us?

I don't know about "us" but I can comment on me. I hear from our Lord and I sometime do the things I hear from Him and I sometimes don't do them. And frankly, I am often amazed at what I will do for Him and what I won't do for Him! He once asked me to quite my job and open a Christian Bookstore for Him. It coast me all the money I had, but I did it. Another time He wanted me to ask an extremely good looking lady if she was going to go to church on Easter, which was then next day. I was working in the summer isle of the retail store I was a manger at and she was wearing short shorts and getting a charcoal to barbeque with on Easter. It should have been very simple just to ask her if she was going to church before the barbeque, but I couldn't do it.

So the question in the OP is one of the best questions I have seen asked on this forum!!

Yeah we have free will and forgiveness of sins, but it is a sin to not do what God tells you to do. Then also it is a sin to not pay attention when He wants to talk to you also! All unrighteousness is sin and He always tells you the right thing to do!

It is a good things for us that Abram was considered righteous just because He believed the One talking to Him was the Lord. That cause Abram to listen to the Lord and he did some things right but he also had Ishmael. If we are sons of Abram, spiritually speaking, we are going to do things because we listen to Him and believe He is the Lord. Then we are going to mess up some things too.

So my thoughts on that excellent question in the OP is to listen and believe. That will at least cause you to do some of the things He tells you to do. But you are going to be humbled because you are not going to do all the things He told you. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That is going to mean you too. Yet you will do things and you can show them to others, because a faith that saves will mean you listen by faith to the One who you call Lord and mean it. So you will do what you can get yourself to do for Him, and that's good isn't it?

Robin Mauro · Feb 15, 2020

I had to chuckle cuz that's just silly. A life without love is the saddest life of all. Money won't buy you that. And God's best gifts are free, nature, a laugh between friends, health...
There is a line in the book "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis, where a demon complains to Satan that his job of geting man to sin is just too hard, because God gave them so many great things that aren't sin.
So you're thinking is backwards. All good things that make life worth living are from God, and sin will destroy you in the end.
And no one wants to suffer, but what if your suffering is for a higher purpose, as was our Lord's?
"Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you."

longwait · Feb 16, 2020

The life that you see as terrible when lived according to God's will is actually the blessed life that should really be going after. Live the way you want and you might only realize at the end of your life that it was not worth it after all.

Arbown · Feb 16, 2020

It's the best thing ever. You are free from all external judgment, free from materialism, free from a LOT of stress due to trying to take responsibilities that aren't yours to take. When trouble comes, you just tell God, "okay, this is what I need". Then you watch the entire world bend around you in awe as God make it more for His plan. It's humbling and terrifying and amazing. And never, ever boring.

Hazelelponi · Feb 16, 2020

It can't be reconciled - you must choose.

Heaven isn't a transaction, it's not something you can be owed - it's a gift given freely to those who believe in Him (something far greater than mere intellectual assent). He first loved us and His Son died to reconcile us to God while we were enemies of God.

He will require your everything, but that everything may also be far less than you imagine. He loves you, are you willing to accept that love, and return it?

That's up to you.

jasonMalloy1999 · Feb 16, 2020

do they go to hell

OldWiseGuy · Feb 17, 2020

God will judge.

jasonMalloy1999 · Feb 17, 2020

arnt christians free from judgment

HARK! · Feb 17, 2020

I serve the Father out of love and appreciation for him. It's not about where I'm going. I don't serve him for what I might get. I serve him because I appreciate what he has given me,

What do you do when you realize that a life pleasing to God, has no chance of being pleasing to you?

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