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NASB | Hebrews 13:17 ¶ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 13:17 ¶ Obey your [spiritual] leaders and submit to them [recognizing their authority over you], for they are keeping watch over your souls and continually guarding your spiritual welfare as those who will give an account [of their stewardship of you]. Let them do this with joy and not with grief and groans, for this would be of no benefit to you. |
Subject: Why is marijuana use prohibited? |
Bible Note: Friend in Christ Jini, Your view is a actually quite a natural position and easy to argue both ways... I wont listen to your opinion/view and ask you insulting questions like "how long you been smokin that stuff?" or "duh, get real, what do you think?" because you bring up a valid question to be asked in our time. Statements like that are only argumentitive and detract from the discussion more than address it. In days where law makers are getting more and more corrupt and there are no doubt many questionable laws, some made even to benefit the lawmakers themselves, its easy to question laws that we are supposed to follow. The bible clearly states that we are not to follow laws that are against God's teachings. We are not to follow a law that goes against what God has said in the word given to us, that is clear. You are also correct in saying there is no exact part of scripture that verbally addresses marijuana use itself and whether it is a sin to smoke it or not. But heres some thoughts.. First just to be completely honest, ive smoked marijuana for the last 9 1/2 years more than once a day...it is from this perspective I speak to you. I now no longer smoke marijuana, or do cocaine, or snort herion...(yes, for those of you who dont know, lucky you, you can snort it). I have met many people in what I call my "human garbage can days". To be honest, they were all quite different. There is the stereotypical "stoner" that the general public automatically see soon as they here that they smoke the "horrible, deady stuff". There was also people that you would never suspect who smoke, good people (please dont try to judge these people you never met, let me stop you now in your head, one of God's children is not a bad person because they have a different sin or addiction than you, ill move on now) good people who are caring, kind, live normal lives. Normal lives as in goto work, take care of their bills, feed their family, help others...and yes, read the bible, have a PERSONAL relationship with God and goto church. Now, with such a debatable subject, like many questioned subjects of "is it a sin or not". You have to look to God's word AND what he tells you. What I mean by that is exactly what we ALL innately know to be God speaking to us, our conscience. God made us in his likeness and has a connection with all of us, he gives you a feeling inside letting us know right from wrong because Adam and Eve ate from the tree of life that told them the difference between good and evil and us in turn. So in deciding something like this you could easily say "yeah, but what if you DONT go to other drugs?" or "what if I do do it in moderation and control myself?" or "what if it ISNT hurting anyone else?"...well actually, very good question. Some of the people who wrote back to you on this board and who also read this and didnt decide to write back have their own sins, some more disgusting in the eyes of God than smoking a plant that makes you smile in your living room and watch TV for 2 hours hurting no one but your own lungs and some brain cells...that the world doesnt have a personal war on so they dont see it as as bad...but we know God sees a sin as a sin, so let that be all that has to be said about how "bad" smoking is. But in deciding if you should do it is actually quite simple. You have to look at the end result, the effect, the "fruit" of it if you will. What actually happens when you do this? Well being from experience I'll tell you what it did for me. It made me lazy and less ambitious..it made me not care about some things as much as I would have considering them sober...it made me forget things, some big some small, but I would like to have remembered some of the things that happened around me in this gift of a life God has given me. Now these things may all sound rather trite and harmless...perhaps they are to some, perhaps not. The message im trying to tell you is this: When deciding if something is a sin or not when the Bible does not SPECIFICALLY address it, consider the outcome, the fruit of your actions. Is what your doing pleasing to God? Are you truly keeping your body a temple like he asked of you? Would you do roll up a joint if God himself was sitting right next to you in all his glory and was staring at you with his soft loving eyes that you know love and care for you? Do you really have to smoke pot so bad you want to risk his dissapointment? When you search your heart in light of the knowledge he has instilled in your soul about good and evil do you really still question if you should? Listen to God's silent voice lovingly speaking to you inside your heart...and remember he knows your heart better than you do. Do you hear him? Do you want to make him happy with what youve done with the life he has given us? Do we really need to ask this question? Peace be to you Jinni. Love Steve. |