> General Discussions
Patience & Perserverence
hillsbororiver:
Thanks Carol, Rodger, Beau & jER for your input, it is true we should always be on guard, putting on the "whole armor of God" in all our interactions with others.
I know myself the second I take my eyes off of Him I am prone to fall, quickly and hard. I can find my thoughts entwined in the weeds of the old carnal man who springs to life immediately when given the opportunity.
Ephesians 6
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
This narrow path seems more like a tightrope at times! ;)
His Peace to you,
Joe
Bradigans:
--- Quote from: YellowStone on July 03, 2007, 09:02:29 AM ---Great Thread Joe and wonderful comments by all :)
If I may I would very much like to comment on the difference between finding something and understanding it. The truth that Ray has on his site is no different than the truth I have in my many bibles; sure, he explains it a little better but does not change it.
How many here have read something many times before WHAM!!!! the true meaning whacks one on the side of the head as one stares in amazement. "Where did that come from!!!!"
Truly, I have come to the realization that it matters little if a "newby" has the God given mindest to seek all truth diligently, or not. This is betwen God and this person. What matters most is not how they act around us, but how we act around them.
I was told so many times during my "church" life that my questions should not be asked. Which of course told me that they did NOT have the answers. My questons were legitimate. I'm not so sure telling a newby to go read Ray's writings is not so different. If we found someone injured on the side of the road, would we stop only long enough to tell them that there is an ER just down the road; that all the help they need can befound there.
Really? :) what if they are not strong enough to get there and die. What help was telling them about the ER then. Is this not the same as the newby seeking truth? Are we to assume that they have the strength and fortitude to find it themselves, even if we tell them where to look?
Anyone who has ever worked in an ER will know very well that the sick and injured will often lash out at who ever is closest; yet the staff never walk away. Rather, they simply turn the other cheek and continue adminstrating wahtever is needed. We must expect the same reaction on this forum; short tempers, bad language, impatience, etc. Likewise we must always be ready to calm the situation, to level the playing field and demonstrate always the Spirit of Truth by the fruits of our words and actions.
We must never forget that, that every opprtunity (that is every moment) given to us should be one to show that we are patient and willing to help in anyway we can. Is this not why the Spirit is given?
I think so. :)
Love to all,
Darren
--- End quote ---
I have got to say amen to what you said, brother. This is not an assembly. Everyone's plight, circumstance, and condition is different. Folks around here have got to be objective.
YellowStone:
Hi Joe, I must be working to hard, I forgot all about what I wrote in this thread. :)
You wrote in part:
--- Quote ---My point is when questions are raised by folks and it is clearly dealt with in an article or even an email we should point in that direction first, it has happened frequently enough to even frustrate me at times when I read over and over the same questions such as;
So how can we not have free will, so we are robots then? Somebody please explain this.
How can there not be a trinity when the bible says there is?
Jesus spoke more about hell than heaven so how can you believe there is no hell?
How can we not tithe when the bible says we are robbing God if we don't?
THESE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED IN THE PAPERS!
Sometimes being nice and compliant is not doing anyone any good and really we are rewarding an impatient spirit, slow down, take a deep breath, relax, pray in a humble spirit and READ!
--- End quote ---
Joe, my brother and friend, this is the point I was trying to make. Do the nurses, doctors and support staff in the ER ever get frustrated because the 600th broken arm just camr through the door, the 300th heart attack or the 14,000th car accident victim. Enough is enough, right!!! WRONG :D
Every patient is a new case, to the best of their ability, every paient is given respect and courteous treatment; yet do they have the spirit and know of its fruits? Likely not, yet they respect human dignity and their professionalism is rarely exceeded by anyone or group.
You pose some very simple questions, but they are so ONLY because God has given you and all here who understand the answer, the ability to do so. Expecting such as these to search out the answers for themselves is like expecting my garbage collector to research 'Quantum Mechanics.' Why, his God given ignorance on this subject (I only assume so) is reason enough to never go any futher. Why then should we even consider the idea that a detractor or even someone remotely looking for truth will continue on their own?
We should treat every newbie, regardless of the venom or niceties coming out of their mouth exactly the same (remember the ER nurses) and nurture them as if their life depends on it. God bought them here did he not?
Paul knew that not all could or would be able to understand cold hard truth from the beginning.
1Cr 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able [to bear it], neither yet now are ye able.
I will repost a statement I made in my original post, I still stand by it. :)
Truly, I have come to the realization that it matters little if a "newby" has the God given mindest to seek all truth diligently, or not. This is betwen God and this person. What matters most is not how they act around us, but how we act around them.
Love in Christ,
Darren
musicman:
Yes, they should be directed to Ray's papers. But it is the job of everybody who has spiritual eyes to answer every question presented to them if they can. Often, just saying it in different ways helps retards like me finally understand a concept. But if somebody asks me to explain why we don't have a free will or how the Lake of Fire is a good thing, I will tell them every thing that I can because I know that I have some understanding (thanks to Ray). However, if they ask me something which is over my spiritual head but I remember Ray saying something about it, I will send them to the site. That is usually a futile assignment to give to a churchian so it's usually gonna be up to me. The same gos with this forum. Not everybody has the patience to search Ray's papers here. Some do, but aren't confident that they will be using their time wisely. If it can be answered, just give the best answer possible, regardless of how redundant the question might be. And yes, I know we (people like me) shouldn't go out and try to set the world straight because the world will eat us alive.
Bamabee:
Hi all,
April here with her two cents worth. First of all, I would like to respond to Gmik (howdy BTW). It must be frustrating to see the newbies introduce themselves, but not participate. As a newbie myself, I can say that most of my time is spent scanning the posts and orienting myself to who is out there. I don't think it is a good idea to just start mixing it up with everyone because there are some nasties in here. I only have so much time to spend here and I want to put it to good use. So, maybe there are just a bunch of lurkers.
Secondly, to Joe's post (howzit goin). I know that it must get insanely repetitive to hear the same ole, same ole. But, I do think that some people are doing that to get their feet wet. Otherwise, how are they going to join in the discusion? They don't know much. For some like me, this is like being an orphan and finding at 34 that I have a family and we have so much in common. My natural reaction is to ask question after question. I know that can be annoying, but hey, at least it is a foot in the door. And I have to say, I love you guys, but you don't know where everyone is in their walk and abilities. I am an avid reader and have been since I was a kid. I also have a learning disability. So, I can read the material no problem, but sometimes have a problem with recall or mental organization. If I don't understand a point and want to ask someone for clarification, it can become maddening to hear "go read the papers" AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! I read them, okay! But, I hate to lay this on you, I think this is one of the cases where we are to bare one anothers burdens. Do I need to tell you my personal situation and background to get an answer to a question? And what about my husband, he is one of the smartest people I know, but he is not a reader. To ask him to read this material would be like asking me to climb Mt Everest. He is interested in the material, but this out of his reach. I read some to him and talk about principles. What if he came on the forum? That won't likely happen, because I won't encourage him to do so. Why would I? So someone can post a link to a paper in a reply. Thanks for nothing, pal. Now he's really felt the love. I don't want to sound unappreciative of the older members. They contribute so much. I'm just saying that is how I would feel. I apologize if I've been too blunt, but I've noticed that not to many people pull punches around here.
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