XPost: alt.religion.christian.adventist, can.general, can.politics   
   XPost: alt.dear.whitehouse   
   From: spamspamspam@montypython.org   
      
   Ninth Commandment wrote:   
      
   > On Sat, 19 Feb 2005 13:29:53 -0500, Mike Wilcox   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   >>   
   >>Ninth Commandment wrote:   
   >>   
   >>   
   >>>On 19 Feb 2005 07:57:02 -0800, "Jim"  wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>>>Sh'ma Yisrael wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>>>How much do you have?   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>>Always gotta appreciate a mind that can stay on track.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>There are places, you know, that claim to offer God's Presence to the   
   >>>>general public.  They have signs out front that say things like, "Come   
   >>>>and Experience the Presence of God This Sunday!"   
   >>>>   
   >>>>But I have always found that the Lord is wherever you recognize your   
   >>>>need of Him and are willing to meet Him.  He seems always to be there   
   >>>>before I get there, and to remain there even after I have gone.  This   
   >>>>has been true for me out in the desert, or by the ocean, in the deepest   
   >>>>woods, up in the mountains, down in the valleys, and out on the rolling   
   >>>>green prairies.  Just as true in the inner city as out in rural areas.   
   >>>>Just as true at midnight as in the welcome light of early morning.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>And I'm not saying that it isn't good to be gathered with others when   
   >>>>worshiping the Lord.  I nearly always appreciate being among hundreds,   
   >>>>or even thousands, when singing the praises of the Lord Jesus.  But the   
   >>>>Presence of God is never limited to a building, a time of the day, or a   
   >>>>special day of the week.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>So I sometimes wonder exactly what is meant by those who advertise   
   >>>>God's Presence.  One group near me recently advertised that to attend   
   >>>>their meetings was to experience a relationship with God.  And I really   
   >>>>do believe that they meant well.  I'm sure they are simply saying that   
   >>>>it would be good to go to church this Sunday.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>But I wonder if maybe we don't go too far, at times, in trying to get   
   >>>>people over to our place of worship?  No mortal man or group of people   
   >>>>can claim to function as a spiritual "filling station" for the Spirit   
   >>>>and Presence of God in other people's lives.  Yet I think that too many   
   >>>>are doing exactly that.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>What any person has with God (and of God) is a matter decided between   
   >>>>that individual and the Lord alone.  I certainly cannot give you more   
   >>>>of a relationship with God than you already have or want.  And you   
   >>>>cannot sell more of God's blessing to the next fellow.  Nor can any   
   >>>>mortal rightly claim to offer either of us more of God than we already   
   >>>>have and want.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>God is with us all, to the extent that we will have Him.  He is not   
   >>>>diminished by our lack of faith, our refusal to obey and trust in   
   >>>>Jesus.  But we close down our hearts to the light and life and laughter   
   >>>>of God when we resist His good Spirit, when we reject His assurances to   
   >>>>help, and when we refuse to listen to Him or learn from Him.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>Like Isaiah preached, long ago, "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the   
   >>>>waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine   
   >>>>and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend your money   
   >>>>for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not   
   >>>>satisfy?  Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight   
   >>>>yourselves in rich food."  (Isaiah 55:1,2)   
   >>>>   
   >>>>We all need Jesus.  And Jesus is here for all of us, having already   
   >>>>died on the cross for our sins -- for all sin.  But each human soul   
   >>>>remains as far away from God as they like, or draws as near to the Lord   
   >>>>as they wish to be.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>The light is already in the world, through the gospel, by the Holy   
   >>>>Spirit, and through the witness of the church (such as that may be).   
   >>>>The truth is right here among us in the message that God has given.   
   >>>>And we will either open our hearts to Him, inviting Him in, or we will   
   >>>>try to go the whole way alone, on our own, refusing all the help, the   
   >>>>wisdom, and the power God offers.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>May we all be wise enough to simply open our eyes to the glorious light   
   >>>>of God's Presence and blessing and truth.  May we all learn from the   
   >>>>Father and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life and god's   
   >>>>richest blessings.  Amen and amen.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>Jim   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>>Selah and have a good weekend.   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >>Whatever gives you peace go for it, but don't expect everyone to   
   >>subscribe to the same magazine. In some places people who talk to   
   >>an "Invisible friends" or "Hear Voices" are locked up. ;~)   
   >   
   >   
   > That is why it is best to read the written word of the LORD. As for   
   > praying if you want to lock me up for that then I'm guilty as charged.   
   >   
      
   Sorry friend, "The Lord" didn't write anything. The bible is a   
   collection of stories put together by man, putting in what fit the   
   agenda of the times and leaving out what would be a problem to the   
   powers in control at that time.   
      
   P.S. Who said anything about locking you up? It was just a statement of   
   fact, what is real to one person is to another a sign of mental illness.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)