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Thread: Lent

  1. #41
    Princess Sparkles Paula's Avatar
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    Luke 12:13-21
    [13] Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” [14] Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” [15] Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” [16] And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. [17] He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' [18] “Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. [19] And I'll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ' [20] “But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' [21] “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

    The commentary today reads:

    “This isn’t just a story about the uncertainty of life, although that is a fact. No, Jesus puts his finger on the rich man’s real problem. He had made himself his god and treated that god richly; but towards the true God he had been a pauper (v 21). He was a worshipper of the ‘covetousness.... which is idolatry’ (Colossians 3:5). The superglue on his possessions was so strong that he foolishly imagined they were his permanently. But that glue contains a fatal poison which killed him, and he ended up with nothing”
    The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

  2. #42
    Boss Lady ;) Suzi's Avatar
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    So basically love God more than possessions and riches?
    Do a little of something that makes you happy every day!


  3. #43
    Princess Sparkles Paula's Avatar
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    Yesssss but also, I think, about apostasy - turning away from God and towards idols
    The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

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  5. #44
    Princess Sparkles Paula's Avatar
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    Luke 12:22-34
    [22] Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. [24] Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! [25] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life ? [26] Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? [27] “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [28] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you---you of little faith! [29] And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. [30] For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. [32] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. [33] Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. [34] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

    I’ve always found this passage extremely challenging. I’m a born worrier, after all. But the commentary today states that, in the ‘grammar of faith’ all the imperatives of God’s words (commands: this is what you are to do) are rooted in indicatives (statements of fact: this is what God has done, or will do, for you and in you). ie, it is because of what God has done for us (gave up his Son for us all) that we can trust he will care for us.

    I love this verse from 1 Peter. I try every day to do this. I don’t always succeed, but I try

    1 Peter 5:7
    [7] Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
    The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

  6. #45
    Boss Lady ;) Suzi's Avatar
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    I'm a born worrier too, and although I'd love to just let God do all the worrying, I'm also sure that they have enough to worry about without me and my life too itms?
    Do a little of something that makes you happy every day!


  7. #46
    Princess Sparkles Paula's Avatar
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    Totally. But i try to tell myself that he is God, omnipotent and loves me, and you
    The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

  8. #47
    If we trust in God to feed us why is there so much famine in the world?

  9. #48
    Princess Sparkles Paula's Avatar
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    That’s a question that most Christians also ask, and are afraid of. This, I think, is the closest to an answer that I have....

    https://www.gotquestions.org/starving-children.html
    The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

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  11. #49
    Princess Sparkles Paula's Avatar
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    “3.6 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry every year in the UK” fareshare.co.uk
    The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.

  12. #50
    There are many reasons for famine, including corruct governments and droughts but the passage states that God will provide what you need and maybe he does in a way but not everybody is able to access it. I know we're talking about a couple of thousand years ago but does that statement still stand today? Don't worry, God will give you all you need to survive. I might not have been starving to death but I can think of many occasions in my life where I have needed more than I had to get by and I felt I was left to suffer. Blind faith was never going to get me through, It just led to more abuse and distress.

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