today's devotional-God's promise

[boomboom]

January, 17

Trust in His Promises
"God...calleth those things which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17).

What does that mean? Why Abraham did this thing: he dared to believe God. It seemed an impossibility at his age that Abraham should become the father of a child; it looked incredible; and yet God called him a "father of many nations" before there was a sign of a child; and so Abraham called himself "father" because God called him so. That is faith; it is to believe and assert what God says. "Faith steps on seeming void, and finds the rock beneath."
Only say you have what God says you have, and He will make good to you all you believe. Only it must be real faith, all there is in you must go over in that act of faith to God. --Crumbs

Be willing to live by believing and neither think nor desire to live in any other way. Be willing to see every outward light extinguished, to see the eclipse of every star in the blue heavens, leaving nothing but darkness and perils around, if God will only leave in thy soul the inner radiance, the pure bright lamp which faith has kindled. --Thomas C. Upham
The moment has come when you must get off the perch of distrust, out of the nest of seeming safety, and onto the wings of faith; just such a time as comes to the bird when it must begin to try the air. It may seem as though you must drop to the earth; so it may seem to the fledgling. It, too, may feel very like falling; but it does not fall--it's pinions give it support, or, if they fail, the parent birds sweeps under and bears it upon its wings. Even so will God bear you. Only trust Him; "thou shalt be holden up." "Well, but," you say, "am I to cast myself upon nothing?" That is what the bird seems to have to do; but we know the air is there, and the air is not so unsubstantial as it seems. And you know the promises of God are there, and they are not unsubstantial at all. "But it seems an unlikely thing to come about that my poor weak soul should be girded with such strength." Has God said it shall? "That my tempted, yielding nature shall be victor in the strife." Has God said it shall? "That my timorous, trembling heart shall find peace?" Has God said it shall? for, if He has, you surely do not mean to give Him the lie! Hath he spoken, and shall He not do it? If you have gotten a word --"a sure word" of promise--take it implicitly, trust it absolutely. And this sure word you have; nay, you have more--you have Him who speaks the word confidently. "Yea, I say unto you," trust Him. --J. B. Figgis, M. A.

[we can do it]

1. Whatever - God Does Not Care About Me

[boomboom]

2. ohhh yes he does. he cares especially about you.

I felt your way once. All you have to do is ask. And listen.

[Silent3]

3. And once you've emptied your head enough...

...to reach the appropriate level of vapidity, this schlock will sound like Deep Wisdom to you.

[Goblinmonger]

4. I saw a lot of people on American Idol tonight

that read that same inspirational message. They felt that god gave them a gift to sing. They believed in that gift. Sad thing is, they sucked.

So what about those people that have faith in god and their life sucks. God doesn't hold them up.

The sad thing to me is that at one point in my life I would have sucked that stuff up.

[cosmik debris]

5. This is a hoot!

"The moment has come when you must get off the perch of distrust..."

Does that sound more like a snake oil salesman or a used car salesman? I can't decide.

[trotsky]

6. No offense, boomboom, but...

you might find a more receptive audience in either the:

Christian Liberals/Progressive People of Faith Group
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=291

or the

Prayer Circle Group (non-denominational)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=237

You can keep posting here, but expect criticism from us nonbelievers. This forum was created for debate, not devotionals.

[Chorophyll]

8. ...

Hi trotsky. Just wanted to add, the progressive people of faith may not dig this too much either. Don't know about the prayer circle.

:hi:

[Meshuga]

9. I totally agree

and he should expect criticism from non-theists (atheists and agnostics) and from theists as well for the attempt at proselytizing in this board. There are Christian and other religious boards here in DU for this type of thread.

It kind of sucks to come here and the top two on my list of threads are actually religious sermons. Hopefully it will go back to where it was going before when the debate here was going pretty good until recently with the arrival of "devotional" threads.

[Chorophyll]

7. Are you "witnessing" here or something?

This is definitely not the place for it. Opening up a debate on end times is one thing, proselytizing is something else entirely and it's not gonna fly.

[More Than A Feeling]

10. Did you really have to pick one that boils down to "Believe because I said so"?

I don't know if you are picking these quotes, or getting them pre-picked, but I can't say I think much of your choices.

If you want to talk about belief and the justifications and rewards of it, then speak to us as equals, rather than lobbing quotes at us. You can't expect anyone to accept a belief because this or that person (who you think is "authoritative") said so.

Better yet, make it a question or a debate, and listen to other people and their spiritual opinions. Give those opinions a hearing beyond determining whether they conform to orthodox Christianity. People like to be asked what they think more than they like being told what to think.

You did this once before, with your question about belief in the rapture, and it was a very popular discussion. Ask more questions like that one, and more people will engage you. Hey, you might even develop a relationship or two.

[Meshuga]

11. Wow!

What a nice eloquent response!

I would probably respond with something like, "Stop trying to shove this shit down our throats!" myself, but I am just a vulgarian and a brute. :-)

Nicely put! :toast:

[Goblinmonger]

12. Dude, I'm part vulgarian

on my mom's side. Maybe we're related.

[Chorophyll]

13. !

:rofl:

[Shadrach]

14. LOL

Perhaps we are!

[Meshuga]

15. Vulgarianism

You have to believe in the one God of vulgarity!

[Shadrach]

17. Matrineality decides whether you are a true Vulgarian

So you cannot not part vulgarian. Since it is through you mother side therefore you are a true vulgarian.

[Silent3]

18. Does this mean that vulgarianism...

...is carried by mitochondrial DNA? :)

[Shadrach]

16. dupe