Opposites :) or :( ,,,, ? - Page 16

GSDtravels,

Romans 10 vs. 9 says: "If you confess with your mouth "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Only God knows if you have truly made this commitment, because God alone is the one who makes such a commitment possible.

Romans 3 vs. 10 - 11 says: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." GSDtravles If you have come to a point of understanding and belief, it is not because of anything you have done or understood. If you are so inclined as to believe and be saved it is only because God is calling you; calling you by name. It is solely by the grace of God that one becomes a Christian.

Ephesians 2 vs. 8 says: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

GSDtravels please note that the verse says that it is the gift OF God, not FROM God. It is the saving work of Christ's death and resurrection FOR you and IN you that allows you to be saved.

Christianity differs from all other world religions in that in all other religions you have to DO something to earn favour from their fictitious Gods, In Christianity it is what is DONE in you and for you that allows you to stand blameless before God. If you are urged to examine your own actions for the reason that you have been saved, rather than what Christ has done for you on the cross, then you are looking in the wrong place.

GSDtravels it is my hope and prayer that God has made it possible for you to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord (The One who has ultimate authority over you), and Saviour (The One who rescues you from the fate you deserve), so that you can repent of your sin and enjoy an eternal relationship with Him.

When I use the term "Godless" it always means without knowledge or reverence for the "God" of the Bible! IMO there is no other god other then Him, except false gods as it where ,,,,

It's time to go visit the wife.

Yesterday I went to see her, asked if she wanted to go out to eat. Made a list of restaurants and told her to point at the one she wanted to go to. She picked a nice one that has a huge formal dining area but the bottom floor is like a pub with a sports bar. The menu is the same for both. We went to the sports bar, they have KENO there. I played the date 8/30/14 all three numbers came up on the 2nd draw, 2 of the three came up three times. In all I won $162.50.

The waitress we had is an absolute sweetheart and has been there a long time, and she has always gotten a very generous tip. She knows us and has waited on us quite a few times. When she brought the food I asked how long has she worked there, she said it will be 17 years in March.

Normally we get dessert and coffee but we were both full and only ate the meal.

When she brought the bill I said wait don't go away yet. What do we owe you. She said $52.45. I handed her $70.00 and said so if I give you &70.00 you get a buck tip for each year you have been here. She was elated, hugged us both and when we were walking out she yelled, you're the best...

She's going for Pizza tonight...

I hope the children behave while I'm gone.. LOL

I know Ruger, I understand and respect that, I have no problem with it at all. 

ML, I'm glad you got to spend some time with your wife, I feel really bad that you're both going through this and I hope her problems can be resolved.  ((((ML& Mrs. ML))))

I was only being that nasty to beetree to prove a point, I had no intentions of playing along forever.  I'm sure she at least got a taste of what we experience and that's the only reason I did what I did.  When I try to engage her in an honest conversation/debate, she always thinks I'm trying to "trick" her into something and walks away with some rude comment under her belt.  Since she will never fully engage, but tiptoes around the edges of everything, I knew that's what would draw her out, a personal insult about something that can't be "chosen".  I meant not one bit of it and if I knew she actually WAS fat, that's not what I would've used, so I was assuming she wasn't.  I wanted her to defend a position she was being accused of, without it being the honest truth.  I never heard anyone on here refer to her being fat, so it was a ruse and then it was cracking me up.  It also helps that I've always had a sense of humor about my size, because I get comments all the time on how I'm mistaken for a child until I turn around.  That means I'm old AND short, LOL.  I'm also secure in that, so body type doesn't impress nor repel me, I like to think I'm a lot less shallow than that.  Anyway, I needed  a laugh after the week I had, I really laughed at the Ace clip.  That's one of my daughter's favorite movies from her childhood, so I knew the "Fatty" and "Saddlebags" off by heart.  I was going overboard, I admit, but it was basically a comedy routine.  I won't apologize for how it made her feel at the time, that's why I did it.  But I do apologize for the gist, in general. I'm not a miserable person at all, as a matter of fact, laughing is one of my favorite things to do.  I have a wonderful family, a home of my own, a job, a Jeep, a silly but very loved GSD, sweet Brad and my fish tank.  They're all happy to see me when I walk through my door and there is peace, I'm happy the way I am.  I just believe in one god less than you do.  I don't think you're miserable because you don't believe in Allah, but if the tables turned and Islam was in the majority and laws were passed elevating Islam to special status and expecting you to go along or shut up, you'd have a response, would you?  Or would you just accept that the "majority rules" and let it go?  Honestly put yourself in that position, for just a minute.  That's all I've ever stated, that's all I care about and your belief shouldn't have an effect on my life at all, nor should my lack of belief have any effect on yours.  Christians always seem to think they should never have any of their views disputed in an honest forum and attack anyone who does respond with why they can't accept it.  That free speech thing is supposed to apply to all of us, whether we like what's being said or not.  It's no reason to push people into the closet and put tape over their mouths, is it? 

This is an example of why I speak up, this should appall every American citizen, religious or otherwise.  Can you honestly say that this is not a violation of his rights?:

  I don't think you're miserable because you don't believe in Allah, but if the tables turned and Islam was in the majority and laws were passed elevating Islam to special status and expecting you to go along or shut up, you'd have a response, would you?  Or would you just accept that the "majority rules" and let it go?

As  gouda and I have said before, that very scenario is happening in other countries as we speak, and will happen here, it has already started.  We are aborting babies, declining in numbers and they are having an average of 6-8 children/couple. Do the math, then check out the  Current events thread.

How do know this?  The Bible written 4 thousand yrs ago says so, which is why we Christians know we are in the last days.   So, in answer to your question, no, we as Christians will not accept the majority rules, if the majority are worshipping a false god.  It's not worth spending eternity in hell. 

Sorry, there is that word again. /

Shtal, I could throw quotes at you from the Qaran, would it make a difference to you?  Would it have any validity in your mind, your life, you heart?  Is there anything at all that would convince you, because the Qaran says so?  My answer to you is the same answer yours will be to me.  I don't fear things I am not convinced exist.  I won't worship things I am not convinced exist.  I will not give another the power over my mind, my actions, my life and my choices.  I will likewise not use any power I may have, to do the same to others.  I would prefer that we agree to disagree and get on with the business that affects us all, equally.  I will not confess to your God on my death bed, I will not conform to your mind set, I will never be a Christian.  I am a human being going about the tasks and pleasures of my life, that's all.  If I have regrets when I die, I'll die with them and I'll own them. I don't need, nor have I asked for anyone's sacrifice on my behalf, nor will I bow or kneel by choice and only by force when the force is stronger than I am.  But that still doesn't make me believe it, that just makes you feel better, for some odd reason.  I'd be willing to bet Shtal, that in any given week, I sin less than you do, using your own definition of "sin", of course.  If my behavior produces negative results for me or causes harm to another, I will regret it, attempt to make it right and make sure I don't repeat the behavior.  If I am harmed or denied rights, I will defend them.  I'd prefer to live in a more friendly society and if everyone would just live by that golden rule that I happen to agree with, we could all live in peace.  You may mean well, but what you propose is total disrespect for my opinions, so I will, in turn, give no weight to yours.

RS, not only have the 'End Times' been predicted continually for millenia, what you don't seem to realize is that it's the secular laws that protect YOUR religion from that.  It's not anti-Christianity, it's fairness to all and special priviledge to none.  That's the only thing that stops a theocracy and you're willing to sacrifice that for your own agenda.  A holy war can only occur in a threocracy.

GSDtravels, your argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how do you have this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What you comparing this universe with when you called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did you, who was supposed to be part of the show, find yourself in such a violent reaction against it?...Personally me myself I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then let say if I had argument against God collapsed too--for the argument depended on saying the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus, in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist - in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless - I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality - namely my idea of justice - was full of sense. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never have known it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.

Something to consider VK4 can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.

GSDtravels, you see there are two different kinds of revelation, natural revelation, which we find in the world, and special revelation, which we find in the word of God. A basic rule of Biblical interpretation is that we should always interpret natural revelation through the grid of special revelation that is the word of God. We don't look at the world and then say this is truth, therefore we must conform the Scriptures to what we see. This view is a deadly mistake and would lead to atheism. I interpret science through the lens of the word of God, which presupposes the truth of Genesis 1-3. There is no evidence of higher value or authority than the word of God.

If VK4 asks why we should obey God, in the last resort the answer is, 'I am.'
To know God is to know that our obedience is due to Him. If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshiped. There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.

VK4 complain because God puts thorns on roses, while others praise God for putting roses among thorns. The real attitude of sin in the heart towards God is that of being without God; it is pride, the worship of myself that is the great atheistic fact in human life.