Saturday, 31 March 2012
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Listening to Shame
Submitted Anonymously
I was introduced to this video in Bible study this afternoon, and thought I would share this video with you.
It's a little lengthy for a Youtube video, but it is pretty inspirational -- although it does not have much to do with religion itself. But it made me think a little about myself and about God.
So many times in my life, I've been asked about my faith and my God, and I keep having this feeling that I am insufficient. I'm a strong believer, but that's all to it. I believe, but I'm not as committed as I would like myself to be.
When people ask me about the Bible and expect me to know all or most of the important verses, I feel insufficient and ashamed. Ashamed, not because of my actions or behaviors, but because I am not dedicated enough to learn about my faith, to expand on my beliefs and to speak about my own God. I feel ashamed because I think that I am not good enough and do not know enough to confidently converse about my faith.So my friends, I ask of you today -- if you are willing to share -- has shame ever stopped you from doing something?Please don't feel obligated to answer, but just think about it for a while. And remember this important message from the video: Don't ever stay in that state of shame where you constantly tell yourself, "I'm sorry, I am a mistake."That's what so great about God; He knows that we have a tendency to make mistakes, and He forgives us for that. But He also stresses that each of us is not a mistake. So look at yourself and go for risks -- do things that you don't dare to do. And please don't ever feel like your not good enough, pretty enough or smart enough. Just open the door and God is with you.
When has shame stopped you from doing something? How can we see past our own failures to the good that God wants us to do?
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Comments (6)
As a Christ-follower (Christian) we must read and follow the words of Christ. In John 1:1-7 it says something to the effect "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God, so it was He who was there in the beginning." When you read this carefully you understand that Christ is God and was there in the beginning. The means the words in the bible are all Christ's words.
We cannot be a follower of Christ if we never read his words. people hate hearing these words but they are so true. The entire bible are the words of Christ breathed through the prophets. We are told by Christ to go into all nations and all peoples baptising all in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,Matthew 28:18-20. We cannot witness to people if we are not familiar with God's words. This is not the job of those other Christians, rather it is the job of all Christians.
Read your bibles people. Get a better one if you have to to understand it. Maybe you need a study bible that simplifies everything, or an updated version without all the thees and thous. Don't be scared to make notes in pencil on the sides of certain verses or stars that becken your soul to reread the same verse over and over. This is food for your very soul and carries life deep deep down which churns until it burst out overwhelmingly for all to hear and see. I say if you want to witness read your bibles! For the desciples did not witness the day after meeting Christ, rather they followed him around for a long time sitting at his feet and it was only then, after the words were deep within their souls and ready to burst that they were sent out to proclaim the good news to people!
Commentaries might be good to encourage you at the beginning but eventually a time comes when you must read the scripture yourself and with the Holy Spirit determine what God is saying to you and mankind. Get a book on basic interpretation techniques of theologians and the pitfalls to avoid. You do not need to go to the Greek or Hebrew. God in all his wisdom already sent his Holy Spirit, to the interpreters when they translated the bible into your language.
This is something personal between you and God. Go with the translationyou understand the best and is easiest to read. Also go with the one that has the best and largest helps section so you are able to navigate scripture easier. This is my view of the whole thing and how you can get to the next level of your Christian walk. Walk in the spirit always!
God Bless,
Brother Robert
You can still feel God's spirit without beating yourself over the head with a Bible. So many churches and evangelical preachers pick and choose specific scriptures to keep us in control, to keep us from studying Greek, or to make sure we vote like they do. To say that we need not Greek or Hebrew is putting us 600 years back in Rome, when basic texts were changed to convince people of how easy it would be for them to go to hell, and how easy it was for them to control the masses. It's like saying we'll take a few scriptures from cultural norms back then, Pauline texts, and make them ours. We say women cannot be ministers or preachers, but can teach, and wear their hair as they wish, since back then the women who had shorn hair were prostitutes. If we are going to take so many things out of context, then we really need to do more than just read any old Bible that reads like a four year old's story book. We need to understand the culture involved during Christ' time, and recognize his usage of women in his ministry, and also recognize the fact that Paul never ministered with him.
@RobertLeeRE@xanga - Which "Bibles" would you have us read of the hundreds of variations throughout history and the three major ones in existence today. Have YOU read all thress Bible versions? Have you read the Coptic Christians version? If you have then how do you explain the RADICAL differences????? And who is more correct? The Coptic version that existed from around 41 AD or YOUR favorite I assume -- the King James Version - which came HUNDREDS of years later. Which is more reliable?
The fact is - anyone who believes that by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of a jewish zombie in a dogmatic ritual that you are going to live forever because he will remove an evil force from your soul put there because a talking snake told a rib less women to eat fruit from a magical tree - needs to rethink their version of reality.
@Captric@xanga - My reply wasn't for you for you are a liar and hater. You were born of a liar and your fathers father was a liar and hater of God. Your Father is Satan and you will be cast into the lake of fire with Satan. This is why you go out of your way to prevent people from hearing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You have no love for all love comes from God. You are cursed and everything you do are cursed. Everytime you attack this website more and more demons are going to be allowed to attack you. I would suggest that you go hide somewhere. In Jesus name I bind you spirit and all the spirits with you.
@RobertLeeRE@xanga - actually my father is a devout Lutheran and since you never mentioned her my mother is too. They sent me to Lutheran school at a young age - which is how christians brain wash small children, This is where an adult male teacher three or four times my size would take me to the "boiler room" in the basement of the school.....make me drop my trousers and BEAT me with a wooden handled janitors brush till I had bruises on my ass for not completing math homework. Thats a REAL Christian man for you!!
My fathers father was also a Lutheran and of course that is why it was handed down as a meme to my father. Its not like it was a conscious choice.As for your Mideveal curse on me ----- I have not felt a thing so far!! LOL But I am not surprised that you would think that God granted you the scientifically designed internet to post your mythology and not expect criticism in a country where the right to free speech is protected.....but my right to criticize your free speech is equally protected. If you do not like that concept - perhaps I could suggest you move to IRAN!