All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Blinded by hope for eternity?
Hello everyone, this is my first time posting on here and I have a question for the community..
I'm going through a difficult time in my life right now, and have lately found myself questioning the purpose of life, to counter my depression I've been focusing on hope for the future and the gift of eternal life which brings me to my problem..
I've filled my self with so much hope for heaven that all I can think about is doing what ever it is God want's of my life and then moving on to heaven and the next life as quickly as possible, life in our fallen world is depressive and difficult and all I have is hope for the future. I don't see the purpose for living in this world beyond doing what God wants of me.
I can't see any experience or pleasure in this world that can't be experienced in heaven and the next life. What does this world have that I can hold hope for that will encourage me to keep struggling?
It seems wrong to just focus on doing what God wants as soon as possible and moving into the next life with as little time spent in this world. What are some thoughts and helpful tips that I can use to stop being blinded into just focusing on the reward of eternal life and watch where I put my feet in the present?
I feel like; as I am now, I might miss the reason and purpose God put me on earth!
Sorry if this comes off confusing, I can try and elaborate more if needed.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Don Rogers on
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God put you on this earth to GLORIFY HIM and wanting to leave this earth before god wants you too is doing just the opposite, we all need to put god first and not ourselves. It is not our deeds or works that makes us christians, it is the wanting to know JESUS better and the growing in the belief and faith in him! Not the promise of eternal life! We all deserve death and it is by gods grace that we can be saved! read 2nd kings 6-thru the end of the story and notice what happened to the servent. The prophet prayed that the servants eyes to be opened SPIRITUALLY so that he could see. Glory be to GOD, not the serpent that defiled us in eden. The mark of the beast is our vanity and self preservation, not god's will.
in christian faith and trust in Jesus's love
Don
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Permalink Reply by Carla on
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Dear Ezra.. Beloved.... You have said this incredible beautiful statement:
I don't see the purpose for living in this world beyond doing what God wants of me..... the part "beyond doing what God wants of me" is what really stands out! Amen brother!
This world has nothing to offer, but that is not to say that we should not endure... We endure with Eternity in mind.
Hope keeps each one of us going, and also secure knowledge of our salvation. One day we will actually be with Jesus in heaven.... I can hardly contain myself! ;)
So why do we keep struggling in such a place as this? We endure for several reasons..
First off....so that others may know Jesus by our testimony of faith, and a life lived in the Spirit. Life here is very short.. Eternity is forever.
My friend, we will also appear before the Judgement seat of Christ for our rewards.. Yes.. there are rewards for all believers.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV)
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
This is not to judge whether we are saved or not, ... that was already taken care of
1 John 2:2 (NIV)
2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. ...
Rather the primary focus will be Christ rewarding us for what we have done here (i am not preaching a 'works' salvation here--we are saved by faith)
Here's a link to a great article regarading this topic:
http://www.gotquestions.org/judgment-seat-Christ.html
The primary reason each believer is here on earth is to bring God Glory, and also that others may know Jesus.. The circumstance you are in right now is to bring God Glory! Ask Him to show you what is next... ;)
Personally, God has called me to raise my children so that they will know Him. I feel there is something else that He is leading me towards, but i am in training (we all are). He calls each one of us to serve Him, ask Him and He will show you the context of that in your own life. He will, and is preparing you for that already....whatever it is! It may or may not be something huge...but remember that God is in the 'small things'....a gentle quiet selfless love...look for Him there.
Blessings, Carla
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Permalink Reply by Ezra Medcalf on
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Thanks for the encouragement Carla, I guess my issue right now is that I want to serve God in what ever way I can, but that he is not using me yet, it's frustrating! I would do what ever God asks me to do, but I haven't felt that he's guiding me to do anything yet besides following the principles of a Christian life.
As you recommend I will ask God for guidance again and to use me for his glory that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
My friends have suggested a number of things for dealing with the restlessness (trying to find hobbies and such) but for me hobbies just seem to be entertainment and while I have nothing against that, right now I need a deeper goal to work towards but I can't seem to find where to start and I fear just jumping head first without God's guidance.
I can't live life for myself, to seek personal gratification and entertainment leaves me feeling nothing but empty inside, I need to live for God but I can't find the path he wants me to take...
Are there any helpful quotes in the bible about finding God's plan for us?
In the mean time, thank you again, I look forward to hearing more from you and I will keep praying for guidance.
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That does an awesome job summing up how I feel Genuine, sorry if I seem blind to ask this, but where do I find the featured article you mention?
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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The Lord has brought you to a good place, a place where above all else we love one another beloved.
Philippians 1:10-35
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. 25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, 26 that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.
Bro - I can relate to you in much of your statements and we are in great company for the Apostle Paul had the same conflict within himself.
If my Lord was to give me an option to go with Him or stay, I would choose Him in a heartbeat, yet this life though we live it in a world that is slowly dying is precious and beautiful. The same Apostle who was well balance by the living word in His life told us to Rejoice, again I tell you, he said (God through him) REJOICE in the same epistle.
Philippians 3
All for Christ
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. ....12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[b] let us be of the same mind.
I understand what you are saying and the will of God for you is in His Word. Dive into his word and you will see the beauty of life and the purpose you were created for. We are created to bring him Glory.
Rejoice dear brother for that is one of the most beautiful rewards we get to live and enjoy here on earth. When we have a well balance diet of God in our lives, then hahaha and only then will all fall in place. Through it all, TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS ETC we have the blessing of having peace that goes beyond human understanding and we can Rejoice and be a vessel of honor for our BEAUTIFUL LORD
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Thank you so much for that David, that is what I needed to read, thanks for the support and knowledge!
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You are very welcome bro and please do keep asking and sharing. We are here for one another.
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Permalink Reply by Stacey Osana Arquines on
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Okay today is going to be a new day :) why because i believe you will no longer be depressed. Yes this world is full of corruption but focus on the goodness of life.
I know you are living in the moment because you are concerned with doing what God wants you to do, all he wants you to do is to love Him with all your heart, mind, and soul. And to love others. Love others how you would want to be loved. Now when you focus on God and Jesus Christ and Love alone all things will fall into place. Loving God with all your heart is not easy because loving him with all your heart is symbolic of giving your heart away to him and that he in reality does have your heart because God provides every beat through the Holy Spirit. See when you love God in the mind you are able to have a creative mind and open your imagination. With an imagination, anything is possible :) As for the soul when you love God with all your soul you will be in happiness because all of your being is in his hands now and you have nothing to worry about and you have trust in Him, you know the prayer
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
thy angels watch me through the night,
And keep me safe till morning's light.
Well when you tell God my soul is in your hands you have nothing to worry about because the Father in Heaven has you in his hands and he will not forsake you.
When you wake up in the morning take a deep breath and say "Thank you father for another new blessed day to do good and to make others happy with a smile on my face :)
When you look at the mirror tell yourself "I am a child of God, i was born to be good and to walk in the light and to shine bright for others"
When you find yourself angry about the world look up to the sky whether it is rainy, starry, cloudy or whatever, just remember God is there and he knows what is wrong and he sees it, then say a little prayer for this world and move forth enjoying the day
Try interacting with others asking them how was there day and if they have anything excited planned for the day....If you are at a bookstore or if you go to college ask your professors or peers what inspires them to do the things that they are doing now?
Don't be blind read the book Invisible Man by Elisson Ralph and tell me what you think of it :)
As long as you live in love and in goodness in righteousness and in truth and sin no more and do away with evil works then eternal life will be granted upon you..it is crucial to remain in God and to talk to him everyday making sure all of your actions are in alignment with what the heavens want and that is not difficult to do all you have to do is focus on living a life like Jesus Christ...you can get your bible out and start reading at Matthew chapter 7 :)
Follow up with me and tell me how you are doing okie dokies :) take care and I hope my response helps to build up your relationship with God the Father in Heaven :)
By the way before you read make sure you ask God to grant you the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom needed to interpret the word of God.
If you need help with anything let me know :) in the mean time I hope you have a wonderful day and that you enjoy being around others :) take care <3
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Hi Stacey,
I love your positive outlook... It is very pleasant to read ;)..... You are absolutely right that our attitudes do matter. There is just one thing I'd like to address.
You said this: "As long as you live in love and in goodness in righteousness and in truth and sin no more and do away with evil works then eternal life will be granted upon you.."
We are not saved because of the works we do... we are saved by faith. Just as we cannot gain our Salvation by 'doing goood works'....we also cannot loose our salvation by 'not good enough works'.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [fn] not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Blessings, Carla
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Thank you Carla :),
Through faith your works come, not out of your own efforts but because of your walk in faith covered by grace. Do not boast of course I know this. Actions speak louder so by good works I mean by your actions of good that Bring Glory to God. You do not have to boast people will see. Everything is about God. I take no pleasure in this world and I only wish to please the Father. I did not mean to mislead anyone and I apologize. Even faith the size of a mustard seed is sufficient but remember you can have all the faith in the world, but what about love?
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Hi Stacey,
Love is the Greatest... without it we are just a noisy gong or a clanging symbol...
Now....this leads me to ask you...What is Love?
Is Love fierce optimism....where we just try our best to see everything from a sunny disposition---optimistic about everything...to a point where we will not acknowledge wrong doing or trials and tribulations?
Is Love a feeling, dependent upon our circumstances, and what the people are doing around us...how they make us feel, and we respond accordingly?
Is Love a choice....a selfless giving where we put the other person first...no matter what they have done or are doing (an action word)?
What is your definition of Love?
Blessings, Carla
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My definition of love is not making others feel less than they are, being there for others with an encouraging spirit.
My definition of love is telling the truth and telling people that life can be hard if you choose to make it hard for yourself. You don't have to cry and you don't have to dwell on things.
Love endures everything and I am love.
My definition of love is also tough. I grew up in a family with tough love and love doesn't have to be tough. Love hurts and its painful. Love is the willingness to die for the people that you love.
Love conquers all.
I AM COMPELLED TO LOVE IT IS NOT A FEELING FOR ME IT JUST HAPPENS I LONG FOR LOVE BACK FROM OTHERS BUT ONLY GOD CAN LOVE ME IN THE WAY THAT BRINGS COMFORT TO MY HEART MIND AND SOUL.
Love is Love it's not doubtful.
LOVE is optimistic, why should we look at life sadly, I refuse to, I see how sad this world is but I choose to make the ugly beast of this world into a lovely dove.
I love even when people do not love me back.
I will always be optimistic and happy because to me life is short.
Everyday is a blessed day and I love the life that I have. I do not rejoice in being sad for one moment. I prefer happiness over sadness. I prefer love over hate. I prefer helping others to see the goodness in life rather than saying that life is all about hardships.
I say bring on the trials so I can prove to people that you can live a life of sadness or a life of happiness. THE MORE TRIALS THE MERRIER.
I LIVE HAPPILY AND ALWAYS WILL. I DO NOT LIVE TO BE SAD I LIVE TO BE HAPPY AND TO BE A SHOULDER FOR OTHERS TO CRY ON.
I LOVE OTHERS FIRST YOU CAN ACCEPT OR NOT BUT I WILL KEEP ON LOVING EVEN IF MY LOVE IS REJECTED I KEEP COMING BACK, I NEVER FAIL. EVERYTHING I DO IS NOT WITH MY OWN EFFORT BUT WITH THE STRENGTH AND LIFE THAT COMES FROM GOD AND WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND MY LOVE THAT I WANT TO GIVE BACK TO JESUS CHRIST.
I ONLY WANT TO BRING GLORY TO GOD I AM NOTHING WITHOUT HIS LOVE. GOD LOVED US FIRST AND I PERSONALLY HAVE GIVEN MY LIFE SO THAT JESUS CHRIST CAN TAKE THE LEAD IN MINE, BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. I TRUST IN GOD.
Love is like being a mother, it does not matter what your child does wrong all you want to do is love them and discipline them in a way that will lead them into the goodness of life. I will not tell my kids life is hard, i will say "Life is hard if you make it hard, you can choose to look at adversity as a good or bad thing, trials are good hardships are good they test your faith so keep your head up focus on Jesus Christ and dust yourself off and try again, Yes cry but dry your eyes soon, because the longer you cry then like my father says "Your eyes will get puffy."
I LIVE LIKE I AM DYING AND I LOVE LIFE. ITS ON YOUR ATTITUDE SO KEEP A POSITIVE ONE AND WATCH HOW THE DAYS JUST PASS BY SO FAST. I ENJOY EVERY MOMENT IN LIFE, I GET HURT ALL THE TIME BUT I ENDURE THE PAIN AND I MOVE FORWARD. I, IS GOD. LOVE, IS ME AND JESUS, LOVES YOU. EVERYTHING IS ALL ABOUT GOD.
LOVE IS POWERFUL. IT IS ACTION. I PREFER ACTION OVER WORDS.
IF YOU SAW ME IN PERSON AND OBSERVED HOW I LIVE MY DAY, YOU WOULD DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO SEE AND FEEL MY LOVE FOR ALL PEOPLE. MY ENERGY IS LIKE NO OTHER FOR GOOD. I SHINE FOR MY DADDY IN HEAVEN. IF I HAVE OFFENDED ANYONE BY BEING TOO FIERCE IN OPTIMISM THEN I BELIEVE THAT IS A GOOD THING. IF ONLY PEOPLE WOULD JUST BE A LITTLE MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT LIFE THEN MAYBE THIS WORLD WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE. I PRAY AND HOPE EVERYDAY THAT PEOPLE WOULD JUST LIVE IN LOVE AND LOVE GOD AND BE HAPPY WITH WHATEVER LIFE THEY HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH. WHAT GOOD IS LIFE WITHOUT THE CHALLENGES? CHALLENGES ARE GOOD. ITS ALL ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE. I HAVE A LENS OF BEAUTY. I TURN UGLY INTO GOOD. I MAKE ALL THINGS I SEE ALL THINGS AS BE BEAUTIFUL.
GOD BLESS YOU,<3 Stace
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