sandra

It is so much easier said than done to hold to these principles in every day life with everyday folks isnt it? When my friend sometimes "gossips" I try to say something nice and change the subject but I admit we do talk and gossip sometimers and back stab. I think when a church divides into two groups sometimes people get bitter, and that bitterness comes along with a sense of rightness that can not understand Love in the manner these verses mean but like a "baby" (like the other poster said) they fuss and spite one another . then you get the ones who know it all because they have been in for years and just refuse to see change or progreess.. Keeping the word foremost is what I think will work but then you get such interperations and "I think it means this or that and disagreements forms again. Well... I guess it is clear why Im doing the internet study ! I have had quite a time trusting groups from some of the trouble I have seen people do in the name of worshipping God . I think I need prayer .

helen that font size is a little scary lol . I hear what your saying , but I try not to judge what someone may do or not do as a follower of Christ . who am I to judge what another is doing? Yes we have the bible and that is our standard but to personaly punish someone with shunning isnt what I see Jesus do, he taught and loved the people he interacted with . Even Judas who betrayed him was allowed a seat at His supper . I decided to edit this post and add this. I just proved my own point Im sitting here as a christian telling helen I think she may be wrong and even gave a bible statement to prove me right !!! but if im honest I also have a person in my life I refuse to speak too because of the way we have interacted and my inability to understand where she is coming from. Many do not "see" her manipulations as I do and for me to go on about my conclusions abut her evil ways is very back stabbing and unloving . so in the end I try to take care of my own life as best I can to praise God , and listen to those who love him as best I can and leave the Lord to "fix" us all and remember we all live under a huge butch of grace. I like these forums it makes me talk to myself and then read and think about what I just said! lol

I do not care for arrogance or Christians who judge another (we all are sinners that Jesus came to Save) As a follower of Jeus I try to live in a manner that shows how Joyfull and blessed and happy I am to know the Lord Jesus Christ. We all fall short of Gods glory it is written as such and sometimes a hypocrit can convince someone to never believe God loves anyone or is capable of His story of Eternal life and forgivness. I do not blend in to the point of doing something God wouldnt have me do , but I do not live above others with a haughty attitude too good for a" common" man or woman nor did jesus He loved mankind so much ,the religous leaders became so angry they killed him. If someone I know choses to do something I know I would consider sin for my life, I would explain to them why I do not want to participate and WHY, not sit in judgement and shun them. I would explain how being born into this new life has made my life a good place to be and how thankful I am by doing what God says will work best for my life . I would continue to love them and do what I think is right . I have lost relationships because a friend may think I am to conservative or "strict" in my values but God always supplies another to love or serve . His family is massive . I do speak and educate and love and be around folks who do not always agree with where Im at in my life priciples I believe we are here to Love God first but Jesus Christ commands we also love one another and for me that sometimes means loving the unlovable like He does. not join in but with an atitude of loving as He loves me. How eles would any one be interested in knowing who jesus is?

Peter tells us not to conform to what this world may want because it isnt good for our soul. for me that means in a very practical sense do not do what is not good for you. As a christian I chose to live differently make different choices for my life . Yes the idea that we are in a temporary place and the Kingdom will be our eternal home is a nice comfort but I think he is telling me, that today if I chose to sin or conform to the sin of this world my soul today will suffer. I love grace and forgivness and the principles that the bible says we can be forgiven and it is Jesus Christ blood that gives us eternal life, yet I hear Peter saying we can no longer live here in grace and just do as we please or what may please our friends or people who do not claim to have Jesus as Lord because it will indeed "hurt" our soul today and when Christ returns for His people and rewards us for the good and the bad we have done. Jesus Christ paid for our sins with his life by obeying the Father always, this gave me a chance to spend eternity with those who will make Him Lord, and I think Peter wants us to understand we are seperate and chosen and it carries a sense of responsibility with it. to recognize what it realy means to us as a people and to God.

praise is an area I would like to study and experience more in my personal life. I sing and I tell God How thankful I am for the many blessings I hae everyday but somehow I never feel I am really praising him. I think I praise God by taking a stand on sin in my life and not doing what many think is ok in our culture. I try to live within the rules and standards Jesus says we should by loving one another , being honest , etc. but I do not think this is praise . how do you guys praise Godand know He is blessed by your actions?

When I read these verses about the mindset of a priest, I think God wants us to know how big He is as God of His people. I read a maestic God that want me to recognize How He is the Most HIGH God. I do not think God is wishy washy or emotional about who He is to His people or to his enemys. Im inspired to know regardless of the fact enemys may abound in the flesh we as a people have a God who has won the battle over sin and has placed Jesus Christ as the One to show us how to continue to please HIM as a most Holy God. As the cornerstone of a new people a different people God is saying this whole creation is about What He is building for His worship and our life.

I am holy by the gift of holy spirit that lives within me. I need to live in a spiritual manner to hear the directions and vioce of this spirit to guide me to do the right thing make the right choices. I struggle as I think I can fix things that I know how it should be done better thatn trusting god to give the answers or salvation.. I am very resourceful and sometimes it isnt a good thing , the world has alot of quick fixes and answers for people searching for truth and I struggle with trusting that instead of Gods will or His word for my life.

Christs coming should get our attention because of the glory it will give to God to live in a kingdome without sin . He will see His children without pain or sorrow and we will live so much as He wants us to live without sin and pain and death. I am inspired to have hope and self control and soberness because I believe I will answer to the one who has loved me the most , everything today is like the grass and will wither and blow away . The hope of never dying or being sick. When I forget that christ may return today and redeem all of us to a bettter kingdom I could get caught up in anxiety and worry and greed that the world demands we live without the security of better days .

like that poem titled "footprints". I have felt the Lords strength the most when I am in a trial. sometimes I feel as if I am losing something very important to me... but I watch folks go seriously crazy over sirutations and have to take medicine for anxieties and I wonder why as much trouble as I have seen I never got that nervous... or unable to cope.. it is because deep inside I realize my life has had many memories of the Lord being real to me. and miricles and answered prayers. so I wait. and God comforts me. I guess I give up in a sense and allow God to remind how thankful and good life has been instead of being worried. that is the "joy" of the the Lord for me. then something changes and a good thing happens all over again among the trial and Im so very thankful for that JOY of it that only He can make happen. I look for the Joy in life every single and and it is truly here with me . amazing thing it is. I do not deserve one day to be alive I did nothing to deserve Gods blessing on my life yet I have seen so very many... the joy is firm within me when I think about the days when we will be in the kingdom with Jesus in the flesh once again in perfect bodies with no tears or sorrow and all that have died before me will be with me . that brings me so much joy ! how wonderful is it I know that??? beyond words!

putting God first has gotten really serious for me.. I have lost jobs I have loved because I would not lie about someone to keep the peace. and that person hated me more than anyone in the place.. I have lost relationships with people I truly had good times with and and "needed" to love me because I state what I think could be sin and they do not agree... doctrine issues have come up in the churches I have attended . The biggest accomplishment has been trust for me. I have at times had no one But God to turn to for comfort in life. I learned to trust Him for myself and for those I love. I also learned a degree of worth in knowing I can work for a Risen Lord and help others through this life as they have helped me. I learned Jesus is building a home for us and we are His body working together to make His people better and safer , to live in the Kingdom for all eternity together.

I do not think I am involved in a Mafia when I say I believe Jesus is Lord. I do not believe God would ever allow His children to be harmed it is not his Will . God is Love. God CREATED MAN and he is not a cruel dictator who will kill or hurt us if we do not obey His will for us. His Will is Love for us. But we have enemies God has a enemy and his name is satan , so now we get to chose just like Adam and EVe did which way we want to go with our decisions. Life or death is the choice really . Adam Gods creation chose the way of Satan but God gave us Jesus Christ who made the correct choice of obedience to His Father. God fixed it through Jesus Christ He gave us a way back in to His will for His creation through our Saviour . Because Jesus did chose to obey instead of disobey , like the first Adam did . We can now do our part and make Jesus Lord of our life and listen to Him to have the will of the Father done. praise God.

As a mom I can relate to this on a certain level. If my child choses to have a behaviour I do not think is good or healthy or safe for him I tell him why he can no longer do this .. and I explain why. He learnes and stops the behaviour that is destructive. I forgive him and we move on in our love and life. or he can rebel and continue to do an activity I know will hurt him . Now we may have to have some consequences . If my child wants to play on the highway and I do not want him to be smashed by a truck I will remove him from the highway because He chose to not obey my wisdom and I do not want him killed or hurt. How many christainas continue to play on the highway and then blame God when the truck runs them over? I think we have an enemy on this earth and he is involved in a war with the Lord to have Gods children killed stolen or destroyed in any way he can make possible. Without my Heavely Father who knows all things I have zero hope of not being hurt in some way because I am ignorant of Satans devices but God is not . As adult we have been given free will to choice to make Jesus Lord of our life , Jesus conquered death and knows how to keep us safe . I need to obey to live. I am forgiven , but if I chose to play in the highway and the Lord clearly says it is a danger for me , He can not force me to do His will . It is my choice to listen to my Father or not ... Also I believe the more times goes by as a christian the more responsible I am as His child and the Life I get to live for him and do for Him. I can not tell my three year old to drive the car to the store for me today but when he is mature enough and has listen to my instructions and obeyed I can trust him with more responsibiliies and freedoms in life.. I have learned I grow as a christian every single day and I will never "arrive" till the return and this takes obedience and a ton of forgivness it is a relationship .

hello I am also so thankful to be involved in this study and am learning we are never alone even in this world when we have other christians who decide to follow Jesus as Lord and Master of our life. I avoided this question ! I had to be willing to admit what it means out loud on a personal level not just those "other" chrisitians . that is why I like these studies I can be me and truly be honest about what this is doing in my spirit and thoughts.. cool . The problem is when I think I have a good plan for myself or another. I think it is a good one seems to go along with what Gods words says so I assume it will all work out just as I think it should . then something bad happens and I learn over and over Jesus truly is my best friend and He brings comfort and Love and salvation without strive and vain glory to what I may think I have accomplished ... bam. With folks I can never determine how they will react to me as a christian or any other role I may play in my life. I have lost relationships due to my convictions of what is right and wrong for my life and my home here on earth. like drinking or lying or any number of things we do to belong that is not healthy or holy. As a believer I pray and like to think well God will fix them and all will be happy and we can all get along here on earth. no so . Being a follower of Jesus has caused me choices that have made me very very sorrowful in life , I want to think my love will convince another to do what God whould have us do and live the manner God would have us live... as the lesson states so wonderfuly I sometimes forget it is the Lord who saves and fixes our life . not my will but His be done. I want the power to decide whether the people I chose to become attached to will Love God or not , and at times have compromised my own thankfullness for what Jesus has doen for our family by people pleasing . thinking I can convince them by some worldly standard that God is good and graceful. it didnt work. When I take the focus off what and where Jesus Christ wants me to be and start directing those I think I can control I lose all hope and realize to grow with the Lord means sometimes leaving relationship behind for a while . till the return maybe and this at times has caused me sorrow. to get my prioritites straight I remember who has blessed my life and Never let me down or forsaken me in life. the answer is simple and it has only been one and that is Jesus christ . I have disappointed people and vice versa ... that is how we live today But the Lords holds us all together in His Love. I remember when he was in the garden praying for all of us and his disciples fell asleep . I know who I believe in and I know He loves us all even if we cant manage to manage one another so well .. So I love those I can today and pray alot for my relationships to be healthy and whole and giving of His spirit . I remember everything is on a temporary bases now for us. My friend husband just died an early death in his forties yet she says I know I will see him again some day so Im ok God didnt die . WOW!