Does god want you to have good things? And what are good things?
Does god want you to have the best life? Right now? And what is that supposed to look like?
Many preachers preach some sort of version of a "health/wealth" message. I think this grew out of the charismatic movement from the 1970's. And I'm sure that movement came from christian faiths based in western countries.
Somehow, I can't see the handful of believers meeting secretly in a barren North Korean countryside preaching this message.
Why don't preachers preach "follow christ through death"? Or "we must die to everything to follow him"? And what do those mean?
Somehow, I believe god doesn't want you to be rich. And god doesn't want you to be poor.
God wants you. Period. Everything else must be moot point.
Do you have two cloaks? Share with the one who has none.
Do you have no cloak? Ask god to provide you with one somehow. I don't know.
...just random early morning thoughts on a rare day-off. But somehow I'm thinking: if god wants us to have "the best" as in "nice stuff, situations, life in general", then those persecuted christians in third world nations must not have got that message.
Silly third worlders...they must be taking that follow Jesus unto death stuff literally...
4 comments:
Well said... It only occured to me recently that when Jesus said we'd have life "to the full" he didn't mean it would be wonderful, but perhaps more that we'd get the whole experience: the good and the bad.
Good point Andy.
I know a local church that once had the motto: "Live life to the fullest!!"
I wonder if they meant that. Come to our church and get the good...and the crap...all at our service. Ha.
I'd recognize those smiles anywhere.
http://www.odysseyarena.com/assets/_files/images/mar_07/bel__1174061646_UK_Tour-landscape-small.jpg
This has really bothered me for a long time. If God wanted us to be happy, then why did he use persecution to drive the spread of the gospel in the the book of acts?
I guess the phrase I've been killed with Christ doesn't mean what it used to.
Thanks Mike.
Persecution. Yeah, good point.
And welcome to you & Andy. Always love having new input around here.
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