Thursday, September 18, 2008

Other Questions

A few of the questions from last night are excellent discussion questions and I would love to hear what you all think about them since we ran out of time last night...Here they are...

*What does perseverence look like? (vs 3, 4, 12) Is it situational, big picture or both?

*What does "every good and perfect gift" look like? (vs. 17). Do I view my trials as good gifts if they are producing spiritual maturity?

*"God is tempting me" (vs 13). Why would someone think that??

3 comments:

GFish said...

*"God is tempting me" (vs 13). Why would someone think that??

I could see a "God is sovereign over everything" theology get to the point where a person might think God tempts them. The logic being that if God controls everything, and temptation falls under everything, therefore, God controls temptations.

I believe God is sovereign over everything. But somehow in that we still have moral responsibility. We can't just blame our failings on God saying "well if God were truly in control he would have stopped me from doing that sin."

Truth is God could have chosen to stop you in that sin. He probably even "provided a way out" (See 1 Cor. 10:13) but we, "enticed by our own desires," choose the temporary pleasure of sin.

In God's sovereign knowledge does he "let" us be tempted knowing that in the long run it is better for us? How about Job? He told the devil to go ahead and tempt Job.

GFish said...

Jesus prays in the Lord's Prayer "Lead us not into temptation..."

It seems like we are to ask God to not lead us into temptation (as if he might), yet James says God tempts no one.

Is there a difference between being "led into temptation" and being tempted?

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. The Spirit didn't do the tempting, just the leading.

Does God lead us into situations where we might be tempted by our own desires? Does God give me a pay raise knowing that my heart is covetous for more things of this world? Is he leading me into temptation to choose other gods before him?

Or is this just archaic wording in the Lord's prayer and it shoud actually be "Lord, lead me far away from temptations!"?

Lorraine said...

I think perseverance is both situational and big picture.

In one respect, we have to daily carry on, even when difficulties seem to create obstacles for us. Most days, things happen that were not in "our" plan for the day and we must carry on, regardless.

On the other hand, there is the big picture form of persistance ... funny, I meant to write "perseverance," but wrote persistance instead. In some cases, they are interchangeable, I suppose. We have to persist or keep going - "pressing on in Jesus" name for our own good in life on Earth.

Perseverance looks different for different people and at different times in their lives.

One person may have to carry on after a tragic loss of a spouse leaves them broken-hearted and has to force themself to get out of bed each day. The only way they can do that is because of the Strength & Hope of the Lord. Even when they don't FEEL it, they do it because they must keep moving forward, and somewhere deep in their soul they have the knowledge that the Lord is upholding them.

Another person may have to persevere through the month when their bank account is lower than ever before. Normal day-to-day living has gotten more expensive, but the paycheck hasn't gone up. Then they must continue on anyway. The only way to keep from despair is to remember the ways the Lord has rescued them before and have the Faith that He will do it again.

The key is persevering in the name of the Lord with the Lord's help, or one may become their own demise.