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رقم المشاركة : ( 35411 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() Why does God allow natural disasters? Why does God allow earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, typhoons, cyclones, mudslides, wildfires, and other natural disasters? Tragedies cause many people to question God’s goodness. It is distressing that natural disasters are often termed “acts of God” while no “credit” is given to God for years, decades, or even centuries of peaceful weather. God created the whole universe and the laws of nature (Genesis 1:1). Most natural disasters are a result of these laws at work. Hurricanes, typhoons, and tornados are the results of divergent weather patterns colliding. Earthquakes are the result of the earth’s plate structure shifting. A tsunami is caused by an underwater earthquake. The Bible proclaims that Jesus Christ holds all of nature together (Colossians 1:16-17). Could God prevent natural disasters? Absolutely! Does God sometimes influence the weather? Yes, as we see in Deuteronomy 11:17 and James 5:17. Numbers 16:30-34 shows us that God sometimes causes natural disasters as a judgment against sin. The book of Revelation describes many events which could definitely be described as natural disasters (Revelation chapters 6, 8, and 16). Is every natural disaster a punishment from God? Absolutely not. In much the same way that God allows evil people to commit evil acts, God allows the earth to reflect the consequences sin has had on creation. Romans 8:19-21 tells us, “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” The fall of humanity into sin had effects on everything, including the world we inhabit. Everything in creation is subject to “frustration” and “decay.” Sin is the ultimate cause of natural disasters just as it is the cause of death, disease, and suffering. We can understand why natural disasters occur. What we do not understand is why God allows them to occur. Why did God allow a tsunami to kill over 225,000 people in Asia? Why does God allow hurricanes to destroy the homes of thousands of people? For one thing, such events shake our confidence in this life and force us to think about eternity. Churches are usually filled after disasters as people realize how tenuous their lives really are and how life can be taken away in an instant. What we do know is this: God is good! Many amazing miracles occurred during the course of natural disasters that prevented even greater loss of life. Natural disasters cause millions of people to reevaluate their priorities in life. Hundreds of millions of dollars in aid is sent to help the people who are suffering. Christian ministries have the opportunity to help, minister, counsel, pray, and lead people to saving faith in Christ! God can, and does, bring great good out of terrible tragedies (Romans 8:28). |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35412 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() "Is it wrong to be angry with God?" Answer: Being angry at God is something that many people, both believers and unbelievers, have wrestled with throughout time. When something tragic happens in our lives, we ask God the question, “Why?” because it is our natural response. What we are really asking Him, though, is not so much “Why, God?” as “Why me, God?” This response indicates two flaws in our thinking. First, as believers we operate under the impression that life should be easy, and that God should prevent tragedy from happening to us. When He does not, we get angry with Him. Second, when we do not understand the extent of God’s sovereignty, we lose confidence in His ability to control circumstances, other people, and the way they affect us. Then we get angry with God because He seems to have lost control of the universe and especially control of our lives. When we lose faith in God’s sovereignty, it is because our frail human flesh is grappling with our own frustration and our lack of control over events. When good things happen, we all too often attribute it to our own achievements and success. When bad things happen, however, we are quick to blame God, and we get angry with Him for not preventing it, which indicates the first flaw in our thinking—that we deserve to be immune to unpleasant circumstances. Tragedies bring home the awful truth that we are not in charge. All of us think at one time or another that we can control the outcomes of situations, but in reality it is God who is in charge of all of His creation. Everything that happens is either caused by or allowed by God. Not a sparrow falls to the ground nor a hair from our head without God knowing about it (Matthew 10:29-31). We can complain, get angry, and blame God for what is happening. Yet if we will trust Him and yield our bitterness and pain to Him, acknowledging the prideful sin of trying to force our own will over His, He can and will grant us His peace and strength to get us through any difficult situation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Many believers in Jesus Christ can testify to that very fact. We can be angry with God for many reasons, so we all have to accept at some point that there are things we cannot control or even understand with our finite minds. Our understanding of the sovereignty of God in all circumstances must be accompanied by our understanding of His other attributes: love, mercy, kindness, goodness, righteousness, justice, and holiness. When we see our difficulties through the truth of God’s Word—which tells us that our loving and holy God works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), and that He has a perfect plan and purpose for us which cannot be thwarted (Isaiah 14:24, 46:9-10)—we begin to see our problems in a different light. We also know from Scripture that this life will never be one of continual joy and happiness. Rather, Job reminds us that “man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7), and that life is short and “full of trouble” (Job 14:1). Just because we come to Christ for salvation from sin does not mean we are guaranteed a life free from problems. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble,” but that He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33), enabling us to have peace within, in spite of the storms that rage around us (John 14:27). One thing is certain: inappropriate anger is sin (Galatians 5:20; Ephesians 4:26-27, 31; Colossians 3:8). Ungodly anger is self-defeating, gives the devil a foothold in our lives, and can destroy our joy and peace if we hang on to it. Holding on to our anger will allow bitterness and resentment to spring up in our hearts. We must confess it to the Lord, and then in His forgiveness, we can release those feelings to Him. We must go before the Lord in prayer often in our grief, anger, and pain. The Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 12:15-23 that David went before the throne of grace on behalf of his sick baby, fasting, weeping, and praying for him to survive. When the baby passed away, David got up and worshiped the Lord and then told his servants that he knew where his baby was and that he would someday be with him in God’s presence. David cried out to God during the baby’s illness, and afterward he bowed before Him in worship. That is a wonderful testimony. God knows our hearts, and it is pointless to try to hide how we really feel, so talking to Him about it is one of the best ways to handle our grief. If we do so humbly, pouring out our hearts to Him, He will work through us, and in the process, will make us more like Him. The bottom line is can we trust God with everything, our very lives and the lives of our loved ones? Of course we can! Our God is compassionate, full of grace and love, and as disciples of Christ we can trust Him with all things. When tragedies happen to us, we know God can use them to bring us closer to Him and to strengthen our faith, bringing us to maturity and completeness (Psalm 34:18; James 1:2-4). Then, we can be a comforting testimony to others (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). That is easier said than done, however. It requires a daily surrendering of our own will to His, a faithful study of His attributes as seen in God’s Word, much prayer, and then applying what we learn to our own situation. By doing so, our faith will progressively grow and mature, making it easier to trust Him to get us through the next tragedy that most certainly will take place. So, to answer the question directly, yes, it is wrong to be angry at God. Anger at God is a result of an inability or unwillingness to trust God even when we do not understand what He is doing. Anger at God is essentially telling God that He has done something wrong, which He never does. Does God understand when we are angry, frustrated, or disappointed with Him? Yes, He knows our hearts, and He knows how difficult and painful life in this world can be. Does that make it right to be angry with God? Absolutely not. Instead of being angry with God, we should pour out our hearts to Him in prayer, and trust that He is in control of His perfect plan. |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35413 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() فما نوعية هذا الخالق؟ هل يمكننا أن نستدل عليه من الأشياء التي خلقها؟ ![]() بكلمات أخرى، هل يمكننا أن نفهم السبب من نتائجه؟ الإجابة هي نعم، يمكن ذلك، بأن نفترض السمات الآتية: • لابد أنه فائق للطبيعة بطبيعته (حيث خلق الوقت والفضاء). • لابد أنه قوي (بصورة فائقة). • لابد أنه أزلي (موجود بذاته). • لابد أنه كلي الوجود (خلق المكان ولكنه غير محدود به). • لابد أنه يفوق الزمن ولا يتغير (خلق الوقت). • لابد وأنه يفوق المادة (لأنه يفوق المكان والمادة). • لابد وأنه شخصي (الغير شخصي لا يخلق الشخصية). • لابد وأنه لانهائي ومتفرد لأنه لا يمكن أن يجتمع لا نهائيين معاً. • لابد وأنه متنوع في وحدة حيث توجد الوحدة والتنوع في الطبيعة. • لابد وأنه عاقل (بصورة فائقة). فقط الكائن العاقل يمكن أن ينتج كائن عاقل. • لابد وأنه له هدف حيث خلق كل الأشياء بقصد محدد. • لابد وأنه كائن أخلاقي (لا يمكن أن يكون هناك قانون أخلاقي دون وجود من يقدمه). • لابد وأنه يهتم (وإلا لم يكن ليعط أية قوانين أخلاقية). ولكون هذه الأمور صحيحة، فإننا نسأل ما إذا كانت أي ديانة في العالم تتحدث عن خالق كهذا؟ الإجابة هي نعم: إن إله الكتاب المقدس ينطبق عليه هذا الوصف بالتمام. فهو فائق للطبيعة (تكوين 1: 1)، قوي (ارميا 32: 17)، أبدي (مزمور 90: 2)، كلي الوجود (مزمور 139: 7)، غير محدود بالوقت/لا يتغير (ملاخي 3: 6)، غير مصنوع من مادة (يوحنا 5: 24)، شخصي (تكوين 3: 9)، ضروري (كولوسي 1: 17)، متميز ومتفرد (إرميا 23: 24، تثنية 6: 4)، متنوع في وحدة (متى 28: 19)، عاقل (مزمور 147: 4-5)، له هدف (إرميا 29: 11)، أخلاقي (دانيال 9: 4) ومهتم (بطرس الأولى 5: 6-7). أمر أخير نتحدث عنه في موضوع وجود الله هو مدى إمكانية تبرير مواقف الملحدين. بما أن الملحد يقرر بأن موقف المؤمنين هو غير سليم، فمن المنطقي أن نعيد توجيه السؤال ذاته إليه. أول شيء علينا أن نفهمه هو أن إدعاء الملحدين – "عدم وجود إله"، وهذا هو معنى الإلحاد – هو إدعاء لا سند له من الجهة الفلسفية. يقول الفيلسوف والعالم القانوني مورتيمر آدلر "يمكن برهان نظرية وجود إيجابية، أما نظرية الوجود السلبية – تلك التي تنفي وجود شيء — فلا يمكن برهانها." مثلا: يمكن أن يدعي شخص ما وجود نسر أحمر ويمكن أن يؤكد شخص آخر عدم وجود نسر أحمر. فالأول يحتاج فقط أن يجد نسر أحمر واحد ليثبت مقولته. ولكن الثاني يجب أن يمشط الكون كله ويوجد في كل مكان في نفس الوقت حتى يتأكد ألا يفوته أي نسر أحمر في أي مكان في أي وقت، وهذا من المستحيل عمله. لهذا يعترف الملحدين الصادقين في عقلانيتهم أنهم لا يمكن أن يبرهنوا عدم وجود الله. ثم من المهم أن نفهم أهمية وخطورة الإدعاءات وكمية البراهين المطلوبة للتحقق من نتائج معينة. فمثلاً: لو وضع أحدهم إناءين من الليموناضة أمامك وقال لك أن طعم أحدهما قد يكون لاذعاً أكثر من الآخر، وبما أن عاقبة الحصول على مشروب لاذع قليلاً ليست خطيرة فلن تحتاج إلى دليل كبير لكي تختار بينهما. ولكن إذا أضاف مضيفك السكر إلى أحدهما وسم الفئران في الآخر فإنك تحتاج إلى دليل قاطع عن مكوناتهما قبل أن تختار بينهما. هذا هو موقف الشخص الذي يختار بين الإلحاد والإيمان بالله. بما أن الإلحاد قد ينتج عنه عواقب دائمة وأبدية، إذاً يجب أن يطلب من الملحد أن يقدم دليل قوي لا يدحض يساند موقفه، ولكنه لا يستطيع. الإلحاد ببساطة لا يمكنه أن يواجه إمتحان برهان الإدعاءات الخطيرة التي يقدمها. ولكن بدلا من ذلك فإن الملحد وأولئك الذين يقنعهم بموقفه يذهبون إلى الأبدية وهم يأملون ألا يفاجأوا بالحقيقة المرة بوجود الأبدية بالفعل. كما يقول موريمر آدلر: "إن العواقب الناتجة عن الإيمان بالله أو إنكاره تفوق العواقب الناتجة عن أي أمر آخر." إذا هل الإيمان بالله له مبرر أو سند منطقي؟ هل توجد جدلية منطقية لوجود الله؟ بكل تأكيد. بينما يدعي ملحدين مثل فرويد أن الذين يؤمنون بالله لديهم رغبات وأماني يتمنون تحقيقها، ربما يكون الواقع هو أن فرويد وأتباعه هم الذين يعيشون على الأماني: أي تمني عدم وجود إله، أو محاسبية، وبالتالي لا دينونة. ولكن إله الكتاب المقدس يثبت خطأ فرويد بأن يؤكد وجوده وحقيقة أن الدينونة بالتأكيد قادمة لأولئك الذين يعرفون في قلوبهم حقيقة وجوده ولكنهم يقمعون تلك الحقيقة (رومية 1: 20). أما الذين يتجاوبون مع برهان وجود الخالق فإنه يقدم لهم طريق الخلاص الذي تممه من خلال إبنه يسوع المسيح "أَمَّا كُلُّ الَّذِينَ قَبِلُوهُ فَأَعْطَاهُمْ سُلْطَاناً أَنْ يَصِيرُوا أَوْلاَدَ اللَّهِ أَيِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِاسْمِهِ. اَلَّذِينَ وُلِدُوا لَيْسَ مِنْ دَمٍ وَلاَ مِنْ مَشِيئَةِ جَسَدٍ وَلاَ مِنْ مَشِيئَةِ رَجُلٍ بَلْ مِنَ اللَّهِ." (يوحنا 1: 12-13). |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35414 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() "Is there a conclusive argument for the existence of God?" Answer: The question of whether there is a conclusive argument for the existence of God has been debated throughout history, with exceedingly intelligent people taking both sides of the dispute. In recent times, arguments against the possibility of God’s existence have taken on a militant spirit that accuses anyone daring to believe in God as being delusional and irrational. Karl Marx asserted that anyone believing in God must have a mental disorder that causes invalid thinking. The psychiatrist Sigmund Freud wrote that a person who believed in a Creator God was delusional and only held those beliefs due to a “wish-fulfillment” factor that produced what Freud considered to be an unjustifiable position. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche bluntly said that faith equates to not wanting to know what is true. The voices of these three figures from history (along with others) are simply now parroted by a new generation of atheists who claim that a belief in God is intellectually unwarranted. Is this truly the case? Is belief in God a rationally unacceptable position to hold? Is there a logical and reasonable argument for the existence of God? Outside of referencing the Bible, can a case for the existence of God be made that refutes the positions of both the old and new atheists and gives sufficient warrant for believing in a Creator? The answer is, yes, it can. Moreover, in demonstrating the validity of an argument for the existence of God, the case for atheism is shown to be intellectually weak. An argument for the existence of God — something rather than nothing To make an argument for the existence of God, we must start by asking the right questions. We begin with the most basic metaphysical question: “Why do we have something rather than nothing at all?” This is the basic question of existence—why are we here; why is the earth here; why is the universe here rather than nothing? Commenting on this point, one theologian has said, “In one sense man does not ask the question about God, his very existence raises the question about God.” In considering this question, there are four possible answers to why we have something rather than nothing at all: 1. Reality is an illusion. 2. Reality is/was self-created. 3. Reality is self-existent (eternal). 4. Reality was created by something that is self-existent. So, which is the most plausible solution? Let’s begin with reality being simply an illusion, which is what a number of Eastern religions believe. This option was ruled out centuries ago by the philosopher Rene Descartes who is famous for the statement, “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes, a mathematician, argued that if he is thinking, then he must “be.” In other words, “I think, therefore I am not an illusion.” Illusions require something experiencing the illusion, and moreover, you cannot doubt the existence of yourself without proving your existence; it is a self-defeating argument. So the possibility of reality being an illusion is eliminated. Next is the option of reality being self-created. When we study philosophy, we learn of “analytically false” statements, which means they are false by definition. The possibility of reality being self-created is one of those types of statements for the simple reason that something cannot be prior to itself. If you created yourself, then you must have existed prior to you creating yourself, but that simply cannot be. In evolution this is sometimes referred to as “spontaneous generation” —something coming from nothing—a position that few, if any, reasonable people hold to anymore simply because you cannot get something from nothing. Even the atheist David Hume said, “I never asserted so absurd a proposition as that anything might arise without a cause.” Since something cannot come from nothing, the alternative of reality being self-created is ruled out. Now we are left with only two choices—an eternal reality or reality being created by something that is eternal: an eternal universe or an eternal Creator. The 18th-century theologian Jonathan Edwards summed up this crossroads: • Something exists. • Nothing cannot create something. • Therefore, a necessary and eternal “something” exists. Notice that we must go back to an eternal “something.” The atheist who derides the believer in God for believing in an eternal Creator must turn around and embrace an eternal universe; it is the only other door he can choose. But the question now is, where does the evidence lead? Does the evidence point to matter before mind or mind before matter? To date, all key scientific and philosophical evidence points away from an eternal universe and toward an eternal Creator. From a scientific standpoint, honest scientists admit the universe had a beginning, and whatever has a beginning is not eternal. In other words, whatever has a beginning has a cause, and if the universe had a beginning, it had a cause. The fact that the universe had a beginning is underscored by evidence such as the second law of thermodynamics, the radiation echo of the big bang discovered in the early 1900s, the fact that the universe is expanding and can be traced back to a singular beginning, and Einstein’s theory of relativity. All prove the universe is not eternal. Further, the laws that surround causation speak against the universe being the ultimate cause of all we know for this simple fact: an effect must resemble its cause. This being true, no atheist can explain how an impersonal, purposeless, meaningless, and amoral universe accidentally created beings (us) who are full of personality and obsessed with purpose, meaning, and morals. Such a thing, from a causation standpoint, completely refutes the idea of a natural universe birthing everything that exists. So in the end, the concept of an eternal universe is eliminated. Philosopher J. S. Mill (not a Christian) summed up where we have now come to: “It is self-evident that only Mind can create mind.” The only rational and reasonable conclusion is that an eternal Creator is the one who is responsible for reality as we know it. Or to put it in a logical set of statements: • Something exists. • You do not get something from nothing. • Therefore a necessary and eternal “something” exists. • The only two options are an eternal universe and an eternal Creator. • Science and philosophy have disproven the concept of an eternal universe. • Therefore, an eternal Creator exists. Former atheist Lee Strobel, who arrived at this end result many years ago, has commented, “Essentially, I realized that to stay an atheist, I would have to believe that nothing produces everything; non-life produces life; randomness produces fine-tuning; chaos produces information; unconsciousness produces consciousness; and non-reason produces reason. Those leaps of faith were simply too big for me to take, especially in light of the affirmative case for God’s existence … In other words, in my assessment the Christian worldview accounted for the totality of the evidence much better than the atheistic worldview.” An argument for the existence of God — knowing the Creator But the next question we must tackle is this: if an eternal Creator exists (and we have shown that He does), what kind of Creator is He? Can we infer things about Him from what He created? In other words, can we understand the cause by its effects? The answer to this is yes, we can, with the following characteristics being surmised: • He must be supernatural in nature (as He created time and space). • He must be powerful (exceedingly). • He must be eternal (self-existent). • He must be omnipresent (He created space and is not limited by it). • He must be timeless and changeless (He created time). • He must be immaterial because He transcends space/physical. • He must be personal (the impersonal cannot create personality). • He must be infinite and singular as you cannot have two infinites. • He must be diverse yet have unity as unity and diversity exist in nature. • He must be intelligent (supremely). Only cognitive being can produce cognitive being. • He must be purposeful as He deliberately created everything. • He must be moral (no moral law can be had without a giver). • He must be caring (or no moral laws would have been given). These things being true, we now ask if any religion in the world describes such a Creator. The answer to this is yes: the God of the Bible fits this profile perfectly. He is supernatural (Genesis 1:1), powerful (Jeremiah 32:17), eternal (Psalm 90:2), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), timeless/changeless (Malachi 3:6), immaterial (John 4:24), personal (Genesis 3:9), necessary (Colossians 1:17), infinite/singular (Jeremiah 23:24, Deuteronomy 6:4), diverse yet with unity (Matthew 28:19), intelligent (Psalm 147:4-5), purposeful (Jeremiah 29:11), moral (Daniel 9:14), and caring (1 Peter 5:6-7). An argument for the existence of God — the flaws of atheism One last subject to address on the matter of God’s existence is the matter of how justifiable the atheist’s position actually is. Since the atheist asserts the believer’s position is unsound, it is only reasonable to turn the question around and aim it squarely back at him. The first thing to understand is that the claim the atheist makes—“no god,” which is what “atheist” means—is an untenable position to hold from a philosophical standpoint. As legal scholar and philosopher Mortimer Adler says, “An affirmative existential proposition can be proved, but a negative existential proposition—one that denies the existence of something—cannot be proved.” For example, someone may claim that a red eagle exists and someone else may assert that red eagles do not exist. The former only needs to find a single red eagle to prove his assertion. But the latter must comb the entire universe and literally be in every place at once to ensure he has not missed a red eagle somewhere and at some time, which is impossible to do. This is why intellectually honest atheists will admit they cannot prove God does not exist. Next, it is important to understand the issue that surrounds the seriousness of truth claims that are made and the amount of evidence required to warrant certain conclusions. For example, if someone puts two containers of lemonade in front of you and says that one may be more tart than the other, since the consequences of getting the more tart drink would not be serious, you would not require a large amount of evidence in order to make your choice. However, if to one cup the host added sweetener but to the other he introduced rat poison, then you would want to have quite a bit of evidence before you made your choice. This is where a person sits when deciding between atheism and belief in God. Since belief in atheism could possibly result in irreparable and eternal consequences, it would seem that the atheist should be mandated to produce weighty and overriding evidence to support his position, but he cannot. Atheism simply cannot meet the test for evidence for the seriousness of the charge it makes. Instead, the atheist and those whom he convinces of his position slide into eternity with their fingers crossed and hope they do not find the unpleasant truth that eternity does indeed exist. As Mortimer Adler says, “More consequences for life and action follow from the affirmation or denial of God than from any other basic question.” An argument for the existence of God — the conclusion So does belief in God have intellectual warrant? Is there a rational, logical, and reasonable argument for the existence of God? Absolutely. While atheists such as Freud claim that those believing in God have a wish-fulfillment desire, perhaps it is Freud and his followers who actually suffer from wish-fulfillment: the hope and wish that there is no God, no accountability, and therefore no judgment. But refuting Freud is the God of the Bible who affirms His existence and the fact that a judgment is indeed coming for those who know within themselves the truth that He exists but suppress that truth (Romans 1:20). But for those who respond to the evidence that a Creator does indeed exist, He offers the way of salvation that has been accomplished through His Son, Jesus Christ: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13). |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35415 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() "Is it wrong to feel disappointment with God?" Answer: Disappointment with God is not necessarily wrong or sinful; rather, it is a part of the human condition. The word disappointment means "a feeling of dissatisfaction when one’s hopes, desires, and expectations fail to come to pass." When God somehow fails to satisfy our hopes or does not live up to our expectations, disappointment inevitably follows. If God does not perform in the manner we think He should, we become disillusioned with Him and dissatisfied with His performance. This can lead to a wavering faith in God, especially in His sovereignty and His goodness. When God does not act when we think He should act, it is not because He is unable to do so. Rather, He simply chooses not to. While this might seem an arbitrary or capricious act on His part, the exact opposite is true. God chooses to act or not to act according to His perfect and holy will in order to bring about His righteous purposes. Nothing happens that is out of God’s plan. He has control of every molecule that floats around in the universe, and God’s will encompasses every act and decision made by every person throughout the world at all times. He tells us in Isaiah 46:11, “From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” Even the birds are somehow part of His foreordained plan. Furthermore, there are times when He chooses to let us know His plans (Isaiah 46:10), and times when He does not. Sometimes we understand what He is doing; sometimes we do not (Isaiah 55:9). One thing we do know for sure: if we belong to Him, whatever He does will be to our benefit, whether or not we understand it (Romans 8:28). The key to avoiding disappointment with God is to align our wills with His and to submit to His will in all things. Doing so will not only keep us from being disappointed with God, but it will also preclude grumbling and complaining about the events that occur in our lives. The Israelites in the desert griped and questioned God on several occasions, despite having seen miraculous displays of His power in the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna and quail in the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord that followed them in the form of a pillar of fire (Exodus 15–16; Numbers 14:2-37). Despite God’s continual faithfulness to His people, they grumbled and were disappointed with God because He did not act as they thought He should. Rather than submitting to His will and trusting Him, they were in a constant state of turmoil and confusion. When we align our wills with God’s will and when we can say, with Jesus, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42), then we find the contentment Paul spoke of in 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and Philippians 4:11-12. Paul had learned to be content with whatever God sent his way. He trusted God and submitted to His will, knowing that a holy, righteous, perfect, loving, and merciful God would work all things together for his good because that is what He promised. When we see God in that light, we cannot possibly be disappointed with Him. Rather, we submit willingly to our heavenly Father, knowing that His will is perfect and that everything He brings to pass in our lives will be for our good and His glory. |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35416 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() "How should I understand the concept of the Father God?" Answer: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him” (1 John 3:1). This passage begins with a command: “See.” John wants us to observe the manifestations of the Father’s love. He has introduced the subject of God’s love in the preceding chapter (1 John 2:5, 15), briefly discusses it here, and fully explains it in the fourth chapter. John’s purpose is to describe the kind of love the Father gives His children, “what great love.” The Greek word translated “what great” is found only six times in the New Testament and always implies astonishment and admiration. What is interesting to note here is that John does not say, “The Father loves us.” In doing so, he would be describing a condition. Instead, he tells us that the Father has “lavished” His love on us, and this, in turn, portrays an action and the extent of God’s love. It is also interesting to note that John has chosen the word “Father” purposely. That word implies the father-child relationship. However, God did not become Father when He adopted us as children. God’s fatherhood is eternal. He is eternally the Father of Jesus Christ, and through Jesus He is our Father. Through Jesus we receive the Father’s love and are called “children of God.” What an honor it is that God calls us His children and gives us the assurance that as His children we are heirs and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). In his Gospel, John also tells us that God gives the right to become children of God to all who in faith have received Christ as Lord and Savior (John 1:12). God extends His love to His Son Jesus Christ and, through Him, to all His adopted children. When John then tells us “that is what we are!” he declares the reality of our status. Right now, at this very moment, we are His children. In other words, this is not a promise which God will fulfill in the future. No, the truth is we are already God’s children. We enjoy all the rights and privileges our adoption entails, because we have come to know God as our Father. As His children we experience His love. As His children we acknowledge Him as our Father, for we have an experiential knowledge of God. We put our trust and faith in Him who loves us, provides for us, and protects us as our earthly fathers should. Also as earthly fathers should, God disciplines His children when they disobey or ignore His commands. He does this for our benefit, so “that we may share in His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). There are many ways the Scriptures describe those who love God and obey Him. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17); we are holy priests (1 Peter 2:5); we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17); and we are partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). But more than any of the above—more significant than any title or position—is the simple fact that we are God’s children and He is our heavenly Father. |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35417 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() فقال لها يسوع ؛ #يا_امرأة_عظيم_ايمانك ( مت 28:15) طوبي لنفس نالت التطويب من فم الرب القدوس. ربنا المحبوب. علمنا كيف نحيا معك. كيف ندخل معك في حديث كيف نصارع من اجل خلاصنا ![]() ![]() |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35418 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() افتكرنا حجمنا عرفنا قد اية احنا صغيرين عرفنا قد ايه احنا ضعاف فهمنا انها رحلة و ممكن تنتهي أي وقت عرفنا ان اختراعتنا و اكتشافاتنا متقدرش تحمينا شكرا لكل الكوارث الطبيعية اللي بتفكرنا بحجمنا فرصة نحسبها تاني صح ، نحسب ايه أولويتنا نفتكر احنا عايشين لية نراجع علاقتنا نرجع لنفسنا و للي خلقنا وقت تنظيف العالم من دوشتة و فسادة و شرة. فرصة مش بس كارثة وراء الغيمة في انوار ![]() |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35419 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() #صباح_الخير ![]() ![]() على الطيبين الذين لم تلوثهم الدنيا بعد. اولئك الذين ثبتوا و لم يتغيروا رغم كل المتغيرات والمغريات.. اولئك الذين لازالت قلوبهم غضة رقيقة تحب ولا تجد فيها مكانا للضغينة والكره.. اولئك الجميلي الروح المرهفي الاحساس المميزي الشعور. القلة الباقية معنا |
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رقم المشاركة : ( 35420 ) | ||||
† Admin Woman †
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![]() هو احساس الوحدة ده دليل علي ضعف علاقتتا بربنا ؟‬؟؟ الإجابة: مش شرط. ‫نحن نحتاج لثلاث نطاقات من العلاقات:‬ ‫علاقة مع النفس، وعلاقة مع الله، وعلاقة مع الآخر.‬ ‫وشعور الوحدة قد ينتج عن فقر أي نطاق من هذه النطاقات‬. |
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