Comments on: A Surprisingly Good Man

By: laney

laney — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:44:11 +0000

GeeTee, What a blessing your testimony is.Isn’t it great to know that all the struggles we have to go through in this life will be worth it in the end.Blessed is the man who persevers under trial,because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.When the chief sheperd appears you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade.

By: mtman

mtman — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:12:14 +0000

GeeTee: What an absolutely wonderful post and so full of examples. Thank you.

By: Rick123

Rick123 — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:24:38 +0000

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
(Job feared God and departed from all sin, which is the beginning of wisdom. And it was his whole duty to love God and man, therefore keeping God’s moral code of conduct.)

Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
(As the dragon was wroth with Job, and went to make war with him, so is satan wroth with Us(woman) because we keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.)

Rev 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
(As Job had patience and the faith of Christ, Job uttered these words of faith. For I know [that] my redeemer liveth, and [that] he shall stand at the latter [day] upon the earth:)

Jam 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Jam 1:12 Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

The ultimate reality is that God controls everything in the universe, including Satan, and that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Luke 22:31–32 (NIV)
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Clearly in this case Satan had to ask permission to tempt Peter. Jesus tells Peter that He has prayed specifically for him so that Peter can strengthen the other disciples, the implication being that the others WILL be sifted in whatever way Satan intends.

Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations Satan

Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
(Satan has always been angry with God’s family from the beginning, satan’s attack begun with Eve, who was misled by satan’s lies. But remember, that he first misled a lot of God’s sons in heaven, who were God’s first family.)

By: Laurielee

Laurielee — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:16:59 +0000

GeeTee, I thank G-d for you! What an amazing testimony! To whom much has been given… and Who do you think loves Him the most…one to whom a little has been forgiven, or one to whom much is forgiven? For some, such as myself, also, it takes feeling totally alone in the world to find out that you’re not!
Did you once say that you live in California? That makes me feel a bit closer to my daughter, whom I’m missing today. She’s a resident of California, but goes to school in Boston. She finished her 3rd year of medical school today, and I’m missing her. She’s hoping to go back to California for her residency. If she does, I’m thinking of relocating to Northern California to be closer. It’s very beautiful there. The Lost Coast reminds me of Ireland, where my family’s from. Excuse me for my goings on, though we miss our children, we must give them their wings…

By: GeeTee

GeeTee — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 02:03:12 +0000

Well spoken, Laurielee. That was good. You have no idea how many times I’ve come up against that wall here in the past couple of years. I was a part of one of the “anonymous” groups that use what they so casually refer to as ‘higher power’ in a feeble attempt to get someone to consider a god in their life. So that they can appeal to a broader range of suffering substance abusers the concept of “God” is left up to the individual, and can be anything other than yourself as long as it’s loving and caring. Ooooo, dangerous. Dangerous. People would say, “I believe in God.” My retort would always be, “Satan and his crew believe in God…and tremble.” Being a recovering addict myself I spent 2 years actively involved with that particular fellowship, and for the entire time I struggled with that particular aspect of the deal like nothin’ else. The folks knew that I was a born again Christian because I gave testimony outside the meeting rooms, but I never once had someone honestly inquire about Jesus Christ. I told them how I had an unfair advantage in recovering from my addiction by having a living relationship with the Lord, but it pretty much went in one ear and out the other. They couldn’t quite believe that I have been delivered from 40 years of substance dependence. They insist upon dealing with it on their own terms in their own way, and for me to testify that I’d been delivered was totally foreign to their way of thinking. In their understanding “God” was somewhat of a cosmic butler that was waiting to serve them at beck and call. When I finally severed myself from the group I let them know how hard it had been for me to hear all that talk about “God” from persons that had no idea who He really is. To mention Jesus Christ in a meeting was a capital crime. Being Judgmental. My swansong to the group was an evaluation of how I perceived things to be. I didn’t single anyone out but I made it clear that everyone I’d heard share was profane, vulgar, rude, shallow, and inconsiderate. To a T. Some tried to soothe my displeasure and convince me that it was not really like I was seeing it to be, but by then it was over for me. I could not incorporate their belief system into mine, and I wasn’t about to consolidate mine into theirs. Sometimes things just can’t be homogenized. The old oil and water thing. What it all came down to was: Am I going to compromise my salvation to be a part of a worldly system? Not even close. I can’t deny the One that purchased my life from the slavemarket of sin with His own precious blood. To make the stand I made will forever be the choice I made. Just like every decision we make we have to live with the outcome. Good Works. After Jesus fed the 5000 and crossed over the lake, the multitudes came and found Him on the other side. When all was said and done they wanted to know, “What must we do that we might work the works of God?” Always being straight to the point, Jesus replied, “This, is the work of God. That you believe on Him whom He has sent.” John6:29 There’s all kinds of stuff we can come up with on our own that will give us the impression that we’re doing the good thing, but is that really the case? Is our motive pure? Unselfish? Do we only want the recognition and approval of men. Or does compassion drive us? Is sitting in front of a planned parenthood clinic with a sign what God really wants? That die has been cast along time ago and I don’t think civil protest is going to change it. Pray for the women that are considering, that they might be saved, would be better suited. America is on a bumpy road at this time and it’s inevitable that the wheels fall off. Can our prayers for our leaders be heard? Of course. Will God grant us repentance? Let’s keep praying and find out. You know what Yogi Berra said…It ain’t over till it’s over.

By: Laurielee

Laurielee — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:16:01 +0000

Good post, Daisy!

I often make the mistake of asking rhetorical questions…they don’t always go the way I think they will, but I’ve always been convinced that getting people to think about why they believe what they believe is strengthening. Have you ever asked someone what they believe, they answer, then you ask them WHY they believe that, and they flounder for an answer?

I didn’t say, in my earlier post, what I was trying to say very well. I’ve seen people that thought they were being loving and socially conscious by getting on the bandwagon with an issue that the Bible specifically says is wrong, so that they don’t appear to be unloving towards others. They say that you can’t say something is wrong because it’s unloving, and only G-d is able to judge at the end. They say that it’s wrong to say something is wrong to someone else, quoting “the log in your own eye” verse…ignoring the fact that we are to continually be working on ourselves, also. Pointing out a wrong behavior is not “judging”, in fact, the Bible clearly says that we are to correct one another…”Be merciful to those who doubt: snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear–hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” (Jude 22,23)
Some think that you can only act as if you approve of wrong behavior, in order to be loving. Some think you must beat them over the head with a “you’re going to h**l” attitude…neither is right.

By: daisymarygoldr

daisymarygoldr — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:49:01 +0000

If the Christian life is only about social responsibility of caring for orphans and widows, then we have lost sight of God and the purpose of the gospel of Christ.

The purpose of the Gospel is not to change the world by fighting for social justice, doing relief work, wiping out world hunger, working for world peace or conserving nature. The purpose of the Gospel is to change the world by changing sinners into Disciples of Christ.

God’s original purpose for us, His disciples is to grow into the full stature of Christ. When we deviate from the original purpose and focus on our good works, we are also guilty of sin. God will surely bring us to our knees in order to redirect our eyes back on Him…. just the way He did with Job.

With our eyes fixed on Him, as we grow in the knowledge of God we will seek to live a life worthy of the Lord…Disciples of Christ will then live selflessly… to meet the physical and spiritual needs of those around them.

By: daisymarygoldr

daisymarygoldr — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:47:20 +0000

Laney, the glowing gene from jellyfish and other sea creatures has been used to clone fluorescent fish, mice, swine, cat and dog. The main purpose or goal of these cloning techniques is to develop effective treatment for genetically inherited disorders like diabetes, cancer and heart disease. However, when people deviate from the original purpose, the goal is missed and I agree with you… that it is horrifying to have these fluorescent animals as pets.

It was the same in the case of Job. He was doing very well and what made Job such a stand-out in the eyes of God? He feared God and shunned evil. God was proud of an upright Job and testified him as blameless.

However, when troubles came, Job’s finely tuned sense of social conscience filled him with a sense of self-righteousness. In the midst of his trials Job lost sense of the original purpose… He was full of himself and self-absorbed about his own good works… to the point of justifying himself as right and condemning God as wrong (Job 40:8).

Job’s focus shifted from fearing God and shunning evil… to reflecting on his own good works and thus he deviated from the purpose of honoring God. Job missed the goal… and was found guilty of sin!

It is the same with us in our Christian lives. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless/blameless is this:

- To look after orphans and widows in their distress
…and let us not forget this…
- To keep oneself from being polluted or corrupted by the world i.e. to live a holy and righteous life.”

By: Rick123

Rick123 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:28:23 +0000

If one is considered a friend of the world, then that one is considered an enemy of God, and a friend of satan. So satan considered Job his greatest enemy, for he(Job) was honoring his Father in heaven, as did he honor his biological father on earth.

The Father did not allow his son(Job) to be attacked by satan. There was a time in the Father’s heart that he was searching out Job’s heart with the light of his lamp to see what was truly in his heart. So when the time came forth, for the Father to decide weather Job was ready or not to be tested, to see if Job’s love for him(Father) stood up to all the pressure of the enemy. The Father allowed satan to attack him(Job) from all sides, even his wife, satan did not kill, because she was a tool in satan’s hand to beat up and break down Job’s faith in God. But as we all know, it back fired on satan, because Job was maintaining his integrity in his Creator.

So we can conclude, that Job’s greatest weapon against the unknown,(satan the enemy) was his love, it stood-out in the eyes of God. For faith which worketh by love, had grown up a lot in Job’s heart, for his God and Father, and mankind.

He(Job) was the shining example in the sky, like the “bright and morning star,” who shines brightly in the hearts of his Father’s family. Whom they will shine as stars in the heaven, for they have been wise, and they have turned many to righteousness as the stars in the heaven.

For it is he, the Father of spirits, who examines, tries, proves, the hearts of man. He weights their hearts motives and deeds in his balance. For there is none who can escape his balance, for man is continually tested and weighted, to see if man loves and obeys the Father of spirits.

We, who are in Christ too, are tested every day of our life, to see if we choose to obey our heavenly Father, and take up our cross daily.

And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny(the lust of the flesh) himself, and take up his cross(dead to sin but alive to God in Christ) daily, and follow me.

Rev 2:7… To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God…

Rev 2:11…He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death…

Rev 2:17…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth [it]…

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name.

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

By: blowentw

blowentw — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:51:08 +0000

Could it be that in the end Job (as Paul did) came to the realization that all of his righteous actions were just as filthy rags before God? Is it the difference between actions that are rooted in a transformed heart and actions that come from an attempt to justify myself before God? It seems that one of the things that evangelicalism has struggled with in the past is the whole issue of works, which became the focus of much of the church in the 20th century, and then the source for salvation (instead of dependence on Christ). We threw the baby out with the bathwater. I remember while growing up that Ephesians 2:8 & 9 were often quoted, but verse 10 that completes the thought was pretty much neglected. Maybe our focus on right thinking and neglect in our actions is because we neglected the teaching on actions. That, and we had a list of “good behaviors” that made us “good Christians” – they just didn’t reach to the poor, the widowed or the oppressed so much. Relearning is so much harder than learning it right the first time.