The Christian walk and life...

[Stan]

It seems like many want to have 'the bar' lower and lower, and to have other folks give up and standards or principles they do not hold.

It is like "If I don't believe in that others may not either"

Does that make statement make sense to anyone but me?

[Tom Wetmore]

...And on the other side there are many that want to keep raising the bar higher and higher to the guaranteed failure point so that folks just give up trying...

[Stan]

So true...

[Gerr]

Soooooooo, WHERE'S the bar?

[Tom Wetmore]

Thirsty? Speak to the Bartender...

[Gail]

What bar? Whose bar? Whose standards?

We all need to allow the Holy Spirit to impress US personally. I suspect that it is human tendency to behave in the way described, and that is self talking. We want to bring God and His standards down to a level that we can grasp (as if that is possible anyway). Then we can handle things in our own strength.

But I rather think that the reality is that it's only by a miracle of God that we can attain anything, and only then by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We need to realise how very helpless we are against sin and depend on God's help.

[Gail]

We serve a BIG God, who is able to do big things in us and for us.

I'd love to hear more about God's love and His power. It is a wonder to me- does anyone else feel this way?

[Woody]

God can and does BIG things for his people. Praise God. The danger is that some think they can dictate what things He does for us. He does different things for different people. For some He has allowed for them the path of suffering. We each have our task to accomplish.

Praising God for the Big things he does for His people is great. But lets not think that we are not also called to suffer for Him. And if you are not suffering .... something is wrong.

[skyblue888]

What bar? Whose bar? Whose standards?

We all need to allow the Holy Spirit to impress US personally. I suspect that it is human tendency to behave in the way described, and that is self talking. We want to bring God and His standards down to a level that we can grasp (as if that is possible anyway). Then we can handle things in our own strength.

But I rather think that the reality is that it's only by a miracle of God that we can attain anything, and only then by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We need to realise how very helpless we are against sin and depend on God's help.

Well said Gail!

Mrs. White did say that unless we make it our life business to look to Jesus and to accept the merits which it is our privilege to claim we can no more be saved, that is, walk the Christian life, any more than Peter could walk upon the water unless he kept his eyes fixed steadily upon Jesus.

So Gail, you are so right in saying that being a Christian is, moment by moment, a miracle of God's power just as walking upon the water is.

sky :)

[Gerr]

Thirsty? Speak to the Bartender...

I anticipated that. I was chuckling to myself when I thought someone would come up with that. But I didn't expect you'd have that kind of humor, Tom. Was I wrong!

[Gerr]

God can and does BIG things for his people. Praise God. The danger is that some think they can dictate what things He does for us. He does different things for different people. For some He has allowed for them the path of suffering. We each have our task to accomplish.

Praising God for the Big things he does for His people is great. But lets not think that we are not also called to suffer for Him. And if you are not suffering .... something is wrong.

Big things? But apparently not big enough to keep people from living in sin?

[Woody]

Quote:

What bar? Whose bar? Whose standards?

Only a lawyer would know.

[Woody]

Quote:

But apparently not big enough

Like I said ... "big enough to do anything".

But it doesn't mean He is going to.

[Gerr]

What bar? Whose bar? Whose standards?

That's the rub. We claim THE BOOK sets the standard. We all read it. And yet one would say, here's where the bar is. Another says, No, it's over there. No, it's lower. No, it's higher! No, we can't reach it! No, there's NO BAR AT ALL! At the end of the day, it's a Babel of opinions.

[Woody]

Yes. Gerry ... there's a lot of 'babble' goin' on. But in the end it is very individualistic. Look at the Sabbath. There are few if any specific rules ... just guidelines. Each of us have to set the bar where we are inspired to do so. And God loves us all the same no matter where we place the bar.

[Guest]

The fourth commandment is pretty specific.

[Woody]

The fourth commandment is pretty specific.

Well ... the Jews made them specific ... but most Christians don't follow to that specificity.

[Guest]

It was written with God's own finger. The Jews had nothing to do with that.

[Woody]

The Jews made the law into specific rules. It is those rules that I am talking about. The church is not to make the Sabbath into rules like the Jews did. We each individually have to establish rules for ourselves. That is what I do. I fill in the blanks under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I am sure you do the same.

The Bible does not define if eating at a restaurant or reading the newspaper on Sabbath is a good thing. You have to come to your conclusion based upon the Bible and the Holy Spirit guiding you indivudually. The Bible has the guidelines not the rules.

[Guest]

If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking [thine own] words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it]. Isa 58:13,14

If you stick to this and the commandment you can't go wrong.

[Woody]

Quote:

If you stick to this and the commandment you can't go wrong.

Yes. But WHO does the interpretating?