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Endurance, trials, other..
FROM
http://www.coptichymns.net/module-library-viewpub-tid-1-pid-417.html
"
Endurance:
Endurance is a characteristic of the narrow gate. In the spiritual life it has many elements:
* Bearing tribulations, without grumbling
Some may complain, grumble, cry, or weep whenever they fall in tribulations. But St James the Apostle says, "My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2). Bearing tribulations is an aspect of entering by the narrow gate, which leads to various virtues and rejoicing in the Lord. For the Lord in such cases provides a solution for all our tribulations and gives us a blessing and a crown.
How beautiful are the words of St Paul the Apostle, "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1Cor 10:13).
"
Does this mean we can not complain to God that some trials are hard and that we are weak and we need help..
Whats wrong with that?
I also want to ask what did the LORD mean when He said to lay up treasures in heaven where moth does not destory and thieves do not steal... I know it means to do good deeds... but is it true no thief can still what you have done? I do not think it is true .. for some people were righteous a lot of their life and were wicked at the end and their former good deeds will not get them to heaven..
I also want to ask what did the LORD mean when He said the master said to the wicked and lazy servant.. you should have at least deposited my money to the bankers so that I should receive back my own with interest?
I also want to know if some people got away with not doing good deeds... if they were saved just by humility.. how many good deeds do we need to do.. why are there so few who will be saved?
There was the story (?) about the monk (in the sayings of the fathers or desert fathers maybe)who was not afraid of death and the other monks said to him.. how come you are not afraid of death .. we all know you were not faithful in your duties or something.. or maybe that he did not labour much or something.. and he said all his life (Im not sure if he said all his life or since he became a monk or something else) he has tried to obey Jesus' teaching "judge not that you be not judged" and he depends on that.. But I guess maybe I have more of a problem with judging then I think..
http://www.coptichymns.net/module-library-viewpub-tid-1-pid-417.html
"
Endurance:
Endurance is a characteristic of the narrow gate. In the spiritual life it has many elements:
* Bearing tribulations, without grumbling
Some may complain, grumble, cry, or weep whenever they fall in tribulations. But St James the Apostle says, "My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2). Bearing tribulations is an aspect of entering by the narrow gate, which leads to various virtues and rejoicing in the Lord. For the Lord in such cases provides a solution for all our tribulations and gives us a blessing and a crown.
How beautiful are the words of St Paul the Apostle, "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1Cor 10:13).
"
Does this mean we can not complain to God that some trials are hard and that we are weak and we need help..
Whats wrong with that?
I also want to ask what did the LORD mean when He said to lay up treasures in heaven where moth does not destory and thieves do not steal... I know it means to do good deeds... but is it true no thief can still what you have done? I do not think it is true .. for some people were righteous a lot of their life and were wicked at the end and their former good deeds will not get them to heaven..
I also want to ask what did the LORD mean when He said the master said to the wicked and lazy servant.. you should have at least deposited my money to the bankers so that I should receive back my own with interest?
I also want to know if some people got away with not doing good deeds... if they were saved just by humility.. how many good deeds do we need to do.. why are there so few who will be saved?
There was the story (?) about the monk (in the sayings of the fathers or desert fathers maybe)who was not afraid of death and the other monks said to him.. how come you are not afraid of death .. we all know you were not faithful in your duties or something.. or maybe that he did not labour much or something.. and he said all his life (Im not sure if he said all his life or since he became a monk or something else) he has tried to obey Jesus' teaching "judge not that you be not judged" and he depends on that.. But I guess maybe I have more of a problem with judging then I think..
Comments
I will give you just a brief response, and I am aware that I am in the shoulders of giants here, so you probably get a much fuller and better answer.
However, in the Agpia, with the psalms, it is quite clear that King David put his complaint before God. In fact in those words starts a psalm 64, "Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy".
The Church has prepared us from our youth, if you think about it, to put our complaints before God. But in every psalm that King David and the other authors such as Moses and Solomon, you will see a faith and contentment that God will help and do what is best for the person in the long run.
So in no circumstances should you not tell God I am weak. In fact, some diabolic wars are allowed by God to get you to the point where you appreciate your weakness and increase in grace. Do you know what Grace is: simply (perhaps to the point of error) put it is the continuous self-giving of God. If we deny grace, we deny a truly wonderful gift. So, let those passages stop you from being weary, and anxious, but don't let it stop you from humbling yourself before God.
Even St. Anthony was humbled before the demons, and said to them: why do you bother me, I am weaker than you all. Such humility and dependence on the strength of God is what I lack, and perhaps many others.
God Bless You!
Some difficult questions for us here, but let me see if I can make some contribution towards getting some more answers.
[quote author=mikeforjesus link=topic=5480.msg73022#msg73022 date=1182442166]
Does this mean we can not complain to God that some trials are hard and that we are weak and we need help..
Whats wrong with that?
We can, and probably will (knowing mankind) complain vociferously; but it is better to ask for help in prayer, and to seek to find what the Lord is teaching us in our trials. It would seem that He means that we should keep our minds focussed upon living the Christian life, not a worldly one. Salvation is not a matter of being judged in a court of law - it it were we would all be doomed as we are all sinners. It is a matter of spiritual healing; if we live with the Lord we have a good chance of being healed; but we can always turn aside and decided we have no need of healing - then we die spiritually, and that can, alas, happen at any time. The parable, Matthew 25:14-30, shows that the lazy and wicked servant who did not use any of the talents he had been given was cast '"into the outer darkness", where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"; that is what will happen to those of us who do not use what we have been given. God gives us opportunities according to our talents, and the very least we should do is to use them to be a witness to Him - that is the equivalent of banking the talent and getting the interest. We are not saved by deed alone, but also by Faith; work and Grace have to be together to live the true Christian life; this is what we are told time and again in the Bible. We can do all the good works in the world, but if they are not done in His name, they will avail us little. It is by no means clear who will be saved - only God knows that. We are told what we must do, but in the end it is His judgement, not our own; He is the only Just Judge, but he judges with mercy and love - but we will be held responsible for what we have done - and what we have not done.
We are told not to judge, nor should we. It is enough for us to try, every day, with His help to live the Christian life; in so far as we try that every day, we shall be doing His will. Through the Church and its sacraments, through Faith and work, we have the assurance of salvation; that he to be enough for us - not, sinners that we all are, we deserve what He has done for us. We can, however, try to show ourselves grateful. He, so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son to die upon the Cross and Rise to New Life that we might live in Him; a truly awesome thought.
I hope that helps us a little.
In Christ,
Anglian
"I also want to ask what did the LORD mean when He said the master said to the wicked and lazy servant.. you should have at least deposited my money to the bankers so that I should receive back my own with interest?"
Answer
"The parable, Matthew 25:14-30, shows that the lazy and wicked servant who did not use any of the talents he had been given was cast '"into the outer darkness", where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"; that is what will happen to those of us who do not use what we have been given. God gives us opportunities according to our talents, and the very least we should do is to use them to be a witness to Him - that is the equivalent of banking the talent and getting the interest."
My Answer to what you said
But that servant was already condemned for not trading (?) his talent to get more talents.. but the master said if you could not trade to get more talents you should have atleast deposited my money in the bank so that I should have received my own back with interest.. so that depositing his money in the bank should mean less than trading the talents shouldn't it?
Before God created the angels did He create time and then after they were created remove time? But then has God lived with time in heaven?
I think my way of thinking might cause me to be a heretic.. but these questions are important to me.. even though my questions could be answered not many know the answers to my questions and I might give up waiting on God to give me answers.. though He does give me answers.. but I don't know if He will always answer me since He might be saddened with some of my questions.
I don't want to think anymore and doubt.. I just wish I was righteous and not lazy and everyone was righteous and not lazy.. then I will have no complaints and no questions maybe
In the bible it says in the beginning was the word.. so was there a beginning? even though that beginning was negative infinity? after negative infinity was there a finite time in heaven when the angels were? what is negative infinity + 1 ? does it exist? how did He get Himself from negative infinity to a finite time ? and I know after that He can live forever to + infinity
Please answer me speedily.. I am troubled .. and pray for me!
You are in my prayers, for it seems to me that you are being tried to the limits of what you can endure; pray to Him for the strength He will give you to bear these heavy burdens. Remember what He told us in Matthew 11:28 'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'
Now to try as best I can to help towards an answer to you questions: Yes, indeed, but at least depositing it would have earned something, however little; it was the fact he used it not at all that led to his being condemned. So, the charge to us is to use what we have been given - or at the least not bury it away so it is of no use to anyone.
You ask God created all things, including the concept of time - but He is above and beyond time, as He is above and beyond all His creations: before time was, He was. Is this hard for our small minds to grasp - yes. Do we need to understand it fully? No, we just need to accept that the Creator of All things, visible and invisible sent His only-begotten Son to die upon the Cross and to be raised on the third day so that people like us could be saved: that really is awesome!
You comment, sadly God loves you, He never gives up on us - so don't give up on Him. He will answer you in the way that is best for you; but remember the advice of St, Isaac, we are not wiser than God.
Again you say So we all wish, dearest to Christ Mike, but it is not so, and that is why He came to save us; if we will work with Him in the Church, we shall be transformed - but that means hard work on our part as well as His Grace; so go to Church, pray, talk to your priest - then pray some more. Go out and help those in need - don't hide your talents.
You write Mike, do not trouble yourself with these thoughts - they are sent to confuse and sadden you - and they have done it. Talk to your priest - NOW. (Sorry to shout, but you need to DO THIS NOW because you are being sorely tried).
In the Beginning was The Word. That is saying that God was before time, as He is beyond it. There was a beginning for the world, and He was its beginning. There is a beginning to new life for us - and the same creator makes us new. Think on that Mike - thank Him.
You are very troubled, and that is not surprising. The questions you ask are asked by many, for there are many in this society who seek to undermine the faith of others; and they do the work of Satan. Make the sign of the Cross to guard yourself against his temptations; pray to God for help; pray to the ever-Virgin and most holy and blessed Theotokos that she may intercede for you; and see your priest as soon as you can.
But know, dearest to Christ Mike, He will never give up on you - even if you seem at times to give up on Him. But please, please, do see your priest - only he, and Our Lord, can know what is best for you.
My poor counsel is designed to aid you in your urgent cry for help, but I am just a layman and a sinner like you; but my prayers and with you.
In Christ,
Anglian
Hmmmm...this is something I only was able to understand when I learnt some physics and was able to grapple concepts such as relativity and things.
Let's agree with one thing, the Spirit is immaterial.
What does this mean? Well to start of with you can't say any part of the brain is the Spirit. You can't touch it. There has been some leg way in giving hard evidence for the existence of the Spirit, but it is nothing we can observe under the microscope. So in understanding this, we can see that the spirit doesn't follow the same laws as you like as the things we observe. I will try to make that a bit more clearer.
Think of it this way, in the moon we are very light, but on earth quite heavy. That is because gravity is different there. So from this example you can see how behavior changes once we go from one place to another. Not everything we can see here on earth, acts the same in other places.
Now let's change one more thing, air. In the moon there is no air. On Earth there is. If life existed on the moon, they would be able to make energy (oxygen is part of the agents that help us make energy to keep the building blocks, cells, alive) without oxygen. This is something that is actually happening here on earth- some bacteria (the germs that you get) can't live in places of oxygen (and are called anaerobic). So, you can see again, that what we observe to be needed, such as oxygen, is not needed for other things. For us the rule is no oxygen- we die. For these germs that may exist in the moon, if they have oxygen- they live. The rules are completely different!
So going back to things here. God is immaterial- He is Spirit. As a Spirit, he lives under rules that are different than our rules, because we are co-existing as material (our body; things we can observe under a microscope) and immaterial (our spirits).
Being immaterial- He doesn't have a beginning. I will tell you why. Everything material has a beginning- this is something we observe to be true from our experience. Babies have a beginning. Life has a beginning. Scientists have found out that the Universe, that it must have arisen from nothing, as the Universe has been expanding. Thing about it as a balloon. Scientists have found out that the ends of the Universe is going further and further away from us, and that means it is getting bigger as time goes. That means the Universe must have started from one single point and from nothing. Everything material began from nothing. When that single point became bigger, time began.
But because God is not like us, these rules don't apply.
To get even more confusing, He started time. You learn later in Science that just like height, width and bredth, that time is also another dimension- and these 4 dimensions make up what we call space. We live in Space.
God, however, He transcends space. To put it this way, think of the Sun and its rays. While the Sun is not in the Earth's atmosphere, the Sun's ray goes through it, though not part of it. So God is the Sun and Space being the Earth. If you can understand this, you can see that while God is outside Space, just as the Sun's rays influences the Earth (heats it up, makes light etc), does God influence Space outside it.
It also shows that God is outside time, though works inside time as well. Remember, Space is where time exists. It is where you can measure things. God, like the Sun is outside the Earth's atmosphere, is outside Space.
I know...that was quite hard stuff...And I hope I didn't put any gaps...
If someone can rephrase and fill the gaps, thanks.
"But because God is not like us, these rules don't apply. "
But musn't there be something like time in heaven (and how can that not be time) for the angels not to have existed forever?
I guess God can do everything.. I know not how He does it without time.. but since He can exist from the beginning by Himself He can do everything..
And I have talked to my FOC before when I was having other doubts and a Bishop.. Maybe I got all that they could tell me... the priest thinks if I continue this way of thinking I will go crazy (out of love it seems) .. (that doesn't mean there is no answer to my questions but I will go crazy not having them maybe.. I don't know exacly what he meant).. and the bishop said willfully ignore them and humble yourself before God (maybe he meant God will give me answers in time .. I don't know).. I don't know why I can not do that.. I think if I do not answer them then the unbelievers have an excuse not to believe.. since noone can answer their questions..
In the bible it says if you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small..
Jesus said come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.. but I do not labour much and I complain that I am too weak to labour.. is there any rest for me?
You are in a relationship with God- some One you haven't seen face-to-Face. So, of course you going to have doubts- it is natural.
But what do you do when you have doubts about your friends or your beloved family? You reflect on the past experiences- and you hope in the future.
To have doubt is assuring even. It shows that you are really thinking. That the Devil is scarred of you, because you are trying to have or increase in a relationship with a real Being.
Of course heretics will have doubt, and you could probably say the same thing. But trust me have faith for as long as you can- endure as much as you can- because God promises to give. He won't allow you to have more questions that He can't make the answers available to you.
So don't worry.
Now I will answer the next question.
What do we know about Angels? They had a beginning. They were able to change- this needs time. God doesn't change- why- because He is timeless- He exists out of time.
So the answer is quite simple. Heaven has time. Genesis 1:1 says in the Beginning God made Heaven and Earth.
But, the Highest Heaven- where only God dwells- does not have time.
This is theory- but it is to my knowledge the most plausible.
Thomas offers wise counsel.
If you wish to know all things, then you will be disappointed: that is given only to God Himself.
Because God existed before all created things, time for Him has a different meaning than it has for created things; if we try to grasp the vastness of the Infinite it is like looking straight into the sun without sunglasses; but using the sunglasses of the Church, so to say, we can see what we need to see without harm.
It sounds as though the Tempter is trying to undermine your faith; that is always a sign that you are making some spiritual progress; he hates it if we get closer to the Lord; so be encouraged to keep going. Remember, unbelievers need to no excuse for their unbelief, and it is not your job to convince them; your job is hard enough - it is to be humble and faithful. That tries you enough - that is your labour - and a heavy one it is - for you, and for all of us here, sinners that we are.
Rest comes in Him, in surrendering yourself to Him; rest upon Him, stop these questions for the moment - then answers will come.
May He sustain and strengthen you.
In Christ,
Anglian
I want you to identify things that are stopping you from believing. Often the logical questions are just a cover your mind makes for its self so that you could do something you know your faith wouldn't permit.
Perhaps list your desires. I want you to identify everything that would make you unwilling to believe.
If you do this sincerely, I think at this stage you just address these things, because they probably are clouding your judgment. This is what the Devil is using really to undermine your faith- it usually isn't the logical questions. I mean, you don't understand maths to the level of the Maths professors in University, but if you looked into a Maths student's (from University) homework, you won't be able to answer it, but that doesn't mean you will believe that Maths doesn't work. And just because your High School can't give you the answer, and says to you, keep getting good at High School Maths, doesn't mean there isn't an answer.
So, now that you know what is making you unwilling to believe, then you can honestly and sincerely look at the whole picture and decide. And I promise that when you are willing and sincere, that God does not disappoint.
And Mike. I "lost" my faith a few times. And I believe though I had really hard questions about believing, it wouldn't have mattered at those times whether I got the answers or not, because frankly I wasn't honestly wanting to believe. I didn't want to be liable and accountable for my actions any more. It was only when I started living a faithless life that I found that the life I was living was a cheap one.
I don't understand everything. But I honestly have more doubt about there not being a God than for God.
God Bless.
I don't think though that I am having these doubts because I want to do some sin.. but maybe its true without me being aware of it.. I get really happy when I have answers but not very long after sometimes another doubt comes..
I think maybe God allows these doubts to happen to adults.. but does He allow them to happen to children too?
everyone pray for me
Do remember that God has given us free will, which means that we are free to doubt Him - and free to accept Him.
In this world there is another who seeks always to shake our faith. Doubts come from Satan, the father of lies. The best defence is to pray and to take the sacraments of the Church regularly. Always remember to make the sign of the Cross; say the 'Jesus Prayer'; and ask God for help.
It is perfectly natural to have doubts; if we did not have doubts from time to time we would not strengthen our faith through renewed efforts to be with Him; but do remember, God is infinite, and we cannot expect to understand everything about Him. We approach Him via the Son, and we have the assurance that who has seen the Son has seen the Father. So, read your Bible, especially the New Testament - read something like the Sermon on the Mount, and marvel at His wisdom - and compassion.
All you need to know in reality is that He loves you and died that you should be saved.
In Christ,
Anglian