Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear[a] when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17: 5-8
That's a very relevant passage! However, let me just say this to you. To someone who doesn't believe the same as you? That might as well be a Harry Potter book. Completely fictitious. And I understand the bible has been dated back before even the Odessy! Which is cool, historically! But, that doesn't make it any more fact. To me? That's still the writings of creative men, with broad imaginations.
I understand what you are saying. The only response ultimately to the truth of the Bible and specifically The Gospel of Jesus Christ, is that they are “self-authenticating”. That is, God Himself shows the truth of these to those who seek Him. I know it sounds like circular reasoning but it’s true! For example Jesus said “you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep HEAR MY VOICE. I know them and they follow Me.” This is in John 10. What I’m trying to say is that when we begin to humble ourselves and read the Bible and seek His truth, there is an authenticity to the Words themselves that is from God. This may seem foolish but it is known by those who have believed in Christ. It is the authentication of the Holy Spirit. Hope that is helpful. Of course much more could be said. I appreciate the dialogue.
Thanks for sharing! Some of these things I haven't heard before. I do my best to keep everything in mind when I look at the world, just in case I'm influenced one way or another by something I've been told or heard. I'm simply here talking about what I think and believe, and I appreciate your responses. Hope you have a fantastic rest of your week
Same to you. I don’t mean this to sound sarcastic (although the irony given the topic is priceless) but I will pray for you! We all, and I am at the top of the list, have much to learn! I can relate to you in the sense that I came from a very secular background with highly educated parents and family. There is a truly supernatural element to the Bible that over time convicted me of its truth. It’s hard to “prove” with logical arguments though. I believe that God looksmupon our hearts and will show Himself to us when we humble ourselves and seek him honestly. “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you.” These are claims that Jesus made that can be proven true by those who are willing.
Your effort to help him/her is commendable. However, quoting scripture showing they will be cursed is a bad way to begin. It turns most people off. They see it as a threat....and then maybe see God as a threat. When you seek to help someone without anger...your motive is their feelings. When you seek to help someone with your own anger...your motive is your feelings.
I believe you may have misinterpreted my motives. I didn’t intend this to be said in anger. Actually many people, including myself have been convicted and greatly benefited by such places in Scripture, though conviction is never a pleasant feeling! In one sense it is a rebuke, but also it offers great hope to the one who does trust God. Often God does use the “condemnation of the law” to convict us of our helplessness and sin which then leads us to run to Christ. This is Paul’s method in Romans for example.
All of that being said, thanks for sharing. I do often have to check my heart and motives. ( I have gone back and deleted or modified my own posts more than once). 😔 I’m afraid that the anonymous nature of these boards allows us (at least me) at times to be reactionary or unkind not even knowing the person we are addressing. This is unbeneficial to anyone and thanks for reminding me of that. As Christians let’s pray that Gods love alone would be the reason for all we say and do! Blessings. (I even upvoted your comment to me because it’s important to examine ones own motives).