Life Is A Temporary Assignment ~
Our life here on earth is temporary, our home is an interim to our mansion God is preparing for us in heaven (John 14:2 & 3). Our life is brief and earth is a temporary dwelling place for us. We won’t be here long, so let’s be sure we don’t get too fond of this planet we call home. We’re just passing through. Our homeland is heaven.
Living for the here and now only without regard to eternity is a dangerous thing to do. God warns us that friendship with the world is hostility with God (Bible, 2008). We are Christ’s ambassadors and our loyalty and commitment should be to God and Him alone. We should never compromise our roles as ambassadors and become traitors to the living God. We need to remember not to misuse the things in this world we have been entrusted with keeping in mind this world and everything in it is temporary.
The pursuit of happiness cannot be our ultimate goal in this short-lived journey on earth. Life is not about our happiness, comfort or success. Our life here is preparation for our eternal life. I Corinthians 4:18 encourages us to not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen because the things that are seen are temporary, not eternal. The Bible says it simply, “Keep our eyes on things above and not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
If you have always felt like you just don’t belong here or don’t fit in, well, you don’t actually. Our ultimate is heaven and earth is just a foreign land to us. We experience difficulty, sorrow, pain, disappointment and loss because this is not really our home. So that we would not be too comfortable with this temporary home of ours, God allows for trials and tribulations to remind us there is something much better than we have known, just waiting for us when we leave this world. It is not our final home, because our destiny was made for heaven. Realizing our life here is so temporal should drastically change the way we see life, others and circumstances let alone our future and that of others around us. All decisions we make during this lifetime should be made with these truths in mind. Abundant life for instance, has nothing to do with money, success or fame, but has everything to do with eternal crowns doing the will of God and obeying Him in all we do.
Often our view of eternal treasures is thwarted by our fleshly understanding of what truly matters most in this world. Throughout the Bible God reminds us that the true heroes of faith are those who died a martyr's death, lived almost penniless, and owned nothing. We all have been promised a reward in heaven (Matthew 5:12).
When life becomes unbearable, you’re overwhelmed with worry and life just doesn’t make sense, remember this is not your home. Something better is yet to be. Rick Warren says, “At death you won’t leave home – you’ll go home.”
Let me leave you with an important thought to ponder. “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.” (Warren, 2002)
Living for the here and now only without regard to eternity is a dangerous thing to do.
...that this is the exact opposite of the truth. One of the great burdens of atheism is that THIS life is the ONLY life that you will ever have, and that for me at least has led me to pursue the very best life that I can for myself and for others. To do otherwise is just a complete and total waste of your only opportunity. The fallacy of belief in eternal rewards and punishments is I would suggest one of the primary causes of the often rather insane way that religious people tend to act towards non-religious people (and to religious people of different sects, and even of the same sect when their fellows don't conform exactly to their particlar imaginary tenets). It is easy for to excuse their actions today on the basis of what they think will happen to them after they die. How many people have died because some religious nut-bag told them "if you kill those people in the name of 'god', you get to go to heaven?"
TTFN,
Blackout
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Yes, I've changed my username from "percivale" to "Blackout." Go here if you want to know why.
Hi Blackout,
I read your comment and I understand why you feel the way you do. Religion has people believing sin is forgivable and therefore can be continued no matter what, wrong. There are several different 'religions' that believe you can kill in the name of God, but this is not what God says. He says not to murder, to turn the other cheek when offended, and to not even harbor hate in your heart. Man has distorted the God we were created to serve. It is no wonder people want nothing to do with God. But the God people are seeing is not the God I am talking about.
If you want to find out what God, not people, have to say about life after death, the bestselling book of all time is the Bible. The book of John, about halfway through, gives you an account of those encountered lives with Jesus and who had a relationship with God,. A personal relationship is where it is at Blackout. It is not in any religion, but in personally knowing Jesus Christ.
We were not created to live only this life. Indeed we want to live it to the fullest, but do you actually think this is all there is? How vain is that? Think about this. Have you ever witnessed a dead dog or cat? Look into their eyes if open, and what do you see? Nothing, right? No life, no spirit, just deadness. Look into the eyes of someone you love, a friend or family member. What do you see? Life, a spirit within. When we die our spirits leave our bodies. Because spirits are not subject to death like our physical bodies, they live on. Where do you think they go? What do they do? Think about this. :-)
Abundant Blessings,
Denise Spooner
WWJD <><
*aside* Sign...Why do they always assume that I've never read "the bible?"
There are several different 'religions' that believe you can kill in the name of God, but this is not what God says. He says not to murder, to turn the other cheek when offended, and to not even harbor hate in your heart.
I don't know what bible you're reading, but the one that I studied said quite a bit more than that, and in fact "the bible" is FILLED with stories of those killed in the name of and who were at times (if one were to believe in these myths) actually commanded by "god" to do just that. Here are just a FEW examples...
"If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you." (Deuteronomy 13:6-11)
"Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known; Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword. And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers; When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God." (Deuteronomy 13:13-19)
"If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant, And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel: Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die." (Deuteronomy 17:2-5)
The bible tells you to kill gays, witches, fortune tellers, children who curse their parents, adulterers, fornicators, infidels, false prophets, blasphemers and people who work on the sabbath (and that's just old yaweh getting warmed up). Heck, just having a bit of property that "god" wants you to have is worth killing a whole tribe of people (like the people of Ai). Heck, one of the first stories I ever heard in bible school as a child was the story of "god" killing all the first born children of Egypt.
So thanks...but no thanks.
To suggest that the "god" that is described in "the bible" is anything short of a bloodthirsty fiend is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. One of the biggest problems that I have with modern christians is their utter lack of familiarity with the contents of their own history and mythology.
TTFN,
Blackout
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Yes, I've changed my username from "percivale" to "Blackout." Go here if you want to know why.
Dear Blackout,
I knew you were not ignorant of the scriptures. I could tell from your comments. I just didn't want you to know I knew already. It just kind of felt like an invasion of your privacy.
I have a very good understanding of the Bible as well and am aware of the scriptures you have quoted. One thing you are missing though, alot changed after Jesus came and died for us, for you. God’s wrath for one, of sin in this world, has been bottled up per se’, for Judgment day. Jesus came and fulfilled much of the Old Testament where killing and death did reign and often ruled. Since the resurrection of Jesus, God has called us to be peacemakers as you know in Matthew 5:9. Jesus took our punishment on Himself so we would we no longer have to make for the wrong things we do through sacrifice, but now through the blood of Jesus (remember, the shedding of His blood [instead of sacrificing animals] His death on the cross for our sins, and new life and power through His resurrection) we were made pure and clean if we accept Jesus as our Savior.
Blackout, I believe you have been hurt, deceived and disappointed, possibly even abandoned. I am sorry for this. Life is not fair so often. We roll with the punches... or fight them. I am about to lose my two grandchildren of 9 and 11. I have been with them a great deal since they were born. We regularly spend a few days a week together and they are moving to Arizona in about two weeks. I feel like Myrel Streep on The River Wild when she tells Kevin Bacon she cannot maneuver the raft down the most dangerous waterfall and rapids on that river while her son is helplessly tied to the raft. I hear the desperation in her voice as it is the same desperation I have in mine. I do not see the possibility of leaving them and waving goodbye to them for who knows how long. I feel out of control, panicky and totally broken. I now must trust God to be there at the time I must turn away from them and physically leave them. It is beyond my capability how to do this as I don't feel I can; but I know when I must, it will be possible because of God's strength in me. This is worth believing Blackout, this is how I know there is a God who loves me, who wants the best for me and has great plans for me. Just like you, Blackout. He would have died for you if you were the only man alive. I know God's ways are not always our ways, that is why He is God and we am only us. This, we can be thankful for.
Abundant Blessings from the Cross ~
Denise Spooner WWJD <><
www.created2bless.blogspot.com/
I knew you were not ignorant of the scriptures. I could tell from your comments. I just didn't want you to know I knew already. It just kind of felt like an invasion of your privacy
.
That kind of dissembling is unnecessary.
One thing you are missing though, alot changed after Jesus came and died for us, for you. God’s wrath for one, of sin in this world, has been bottled up per se’, for Judgment day. Jesus came and fulfilled much of the Old Testament where killing and death did reign and often ruled.
No, I didn't miss it. Its just that even if the myth of Jesus were true, it wouldn't change the brutal and frankly blood-thirsty characterizations of this "god" character. Regardless of what one thinks of the Jesus character, the "god" that he claimed to worship, and that he instructed his followers to worship, is not the kind of character that I find worthy of respect. A person who wantonly murders, and commands his followers to murder anyone who doesn't do what he tells them to do is a evil person. Even if that murder had a son who convinced him to "bottle up" the murdering until a later point, the murderer would still be an evil, albeit restrained, person. I see no reason to apply a different standard here.
As for the rest of the myth...that's all that it is. Unless you can provide actual, objective evidence that would compel me as a rational person to believe YOUR made up religious crap more than the made up religious crap of all of the other equally baseless stories of supernatural boogems and their antics, then I see no reason to treat YOUR stories as any more real than theirs (which is to say, not real at all).
Blackout, I believe you have been hurt, deceived and disappointed, possibly even abandoned.
Indeed...and all by people who were so wrapped up in the fantasy of their religion that they lost the ability to act rationally, much less compassionately. Those experiences started me down the path of questioning my religious roots. That path took me many places, but throughout my journey of questions there was ONE answer that remained consistent...that the fundamental precepts of religion...of ALL religions...are based on a single, irrational supposition for which there is no actual, objective evidence.
People cling to this fantasy because they lack the strength to face the world on their own two feet, and because misery loves company, they try to convince as many other people as possible to share in their weakness. I find the whole process to be quite despicable, and appealing only to the lowest common denominators of human existence...fear and ignorance.
I am sorry for this. Life is not fair so often. We roll with the punches... or fight them. I am about to lose my two grandchildren of 9 and 11.
I am sorry for your loss, but nothing in what you say provides the actual, objective evidence that would be necessary to convince me that your beliefs are true.
This is worth believing Blackout, this is how I know there is a God who loves me, who wants the best for me and has great plans for me.
No, you believe, which is not the same as knowing. If it gets you through the hard times, that's fine for you. But some people aren't willing to accept a falsehood just because it is easier to believe the lie than it is to face the truth.
TTFN,
Blackout
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Yes, I've changed my username from "percivale" to "Blackout." Go here if you want to know why.