Results 1 - 2 of 2
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | True Disciples - eternal importance | Luke 14:26 | seeking4truth | 101433 | ||
Aixen, You wrote: "Seeker seems to have one overarching question and several underlying questions." So true. My main struggle is believing the teachings of Jesus. I admit that. Yes, I want to put whole-hearted faith and trust in Him. And He taught so that others would place their faith and trust in Him as Messiah. But I desire a reasoned faith. The "blind" faith of my childhood has brought me no peace and joy. I feel like Thomas, "Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief." seeking4truth |
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2 | True Disciples - eternal importance | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101520 | ||
Dear Seeker: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brother, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish even us. It is good to see that you are also open to receiving help. It will be easy for you to check and see that is was “a certain man” who said “Help mine unbelief”. Thomas was the one who wanted proof. Jesus said to him, “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed”. And believe me Seeker, you do not want to see. Many saw and did not believe. You, on the other hand, you want to see your faith increase. And faith is the evidence of things not seen. It would not be good to turn this into a therapy session, I suppose, but I think it would be good for you to sort out in your own mind what you are seeking. You have believed in Jesus, and you know you have to trust him for your eternal security. Whom else can you trust? There is no other Savior. You trust that Jesus is telling the truth. You know he said he is the truth. You do not think he is lying. You want a clearer understanding of what he is requiring. You are hindered by the fact there are others who believe on, or say they do, and do not seem to be following his teachings. You find it hard to walk alone with him. And you do not have to. There are many who have not bowed the knee to Baal. But you have to be willing to walk alone. Then the Lord will show you company. There are some things Jesus taught, that people have come to regard as dark sayings. It is interesting that they are not the ones that seem to be troubling you. You do not seem to be bothered even by the ones that his contemporaries called a “hard saying”. I take it you do not find it difficult to eat his flesh and drink his blood. And yet, to “hate” father and mother seems to be a difficult thing for you to accept. It is my sense that you have a deep longing to see the teachings of Jesus in action, in your own life, and in the church. Unfortunately, it is not happening. People do pick and choose what they will obey and/or disobey and/or ignore. Culture and tradition seem to have such a large effect. And yet, this is what you are seeking, the kind of company and reinforcement that the community can provide. It is my hope that this community, this forum, can provide some of that. But sometimes we do have to walk alone with him. I hope you find what you are seeking, and it is, I believe, wholehearted trust in the Savior that you need. Not a “because faith”, but an “in spite of” faith. After all, you do not want to be trusting in your intellect, but in him. He that comes to God must first believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. I say “in spite of” in relation to what people around you do. Faith in God is not unreasonable for any other reason. It seems to me, Seeker, that we have to take everything from God by faith. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. We cannot reason that out, but it is not beyond reason. We can accept it. It is by faith that we understand. The things which we see were made from things we cannot see. And yet Noah and Abraham and Moses were able to believe even when they knew nothing about atoms or molecules. There is enough, the heavens and the firmament, to cause us to believe. God is speaking to us through these, through our consciences, through his word and through his Son. And faith is believing God. It is clear to me that you believe in God. So what’s next? Jesus said, “You believe in God. Believe also in me.” Let us trust him. If he says we must hate father and mother, let us take the step of faith to do it, and he will lead us. I am afraid that if we demur, he will say you cannot be his disciple. But if you seek to obey, I think you will understand. Hate your mother the way Jesus hated his mother. After all, you are following him! You may find yourself saying, “Woman, what have I to do with you” and still be putting some wine into her life. You may find yourself doing God’s will for her and not her own will. If she accepts it, as Mary did, then there should be no problem. If she rejects God’s will, then your choice is clear. You may find yourself asking, “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? ”, and saying, “whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother”. You can trust Jesus, and if you do you will accept his teaching. The way is not dark, because we have the light of his word, and the fire of the Holy Spirit keeps us going. The way is narrow, my brother, and few there be that find it. But this is the way. Walk in it. |
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