Comments on the by-log: Radical Dependence Upon God

Very interesting thoughts on dependence...One thin...

2006-11-06T19:41:00.000-05:00

Very interesting thoughts on dependence...One thing to ponder is that everything is not black and white with God. He does leave some gray matter. The gray matter is so that we relate personally with our Creator. What is right for one is not always right for the other (i.e. food or drink). Read Romans 14 as it deals with disputable matters. Whether you make money and store it, or make money and give it away, do so unto the Lord and be CONVINCED it is what the Lord is calling you to do. There were plenty of wealthy people such as Job who were dependent upon God even in the midst of their wealth. God took everything from Job, not to teach Job a lesson, but to demonstrate Job's faithfulness to Satan.

There are some matters within the Christian walk that are dependent upon our relationship with the Father.

Oh,laughs I knew you weren't thinking of it in t...

2005-07-28T12:19:00.000-05:00

Oh,*laughs* I knew you weren't thinking of it in the "mooching context", Byran. I just happen to have a perverse brain that enjoys spinning off on its own tangents sometimes.:) Please, excuse me.

--Delia

"What about the verses that I referred to, though?...

2005-07-27T23:48:00.000-05:00

"What about the verses that I referred to, though? Don't we make them say what we want them to say?"

To be honest, Byran, I don't know what about those verses. What is laying up treasure? What is being a wise steward if God blesses you financially?
What is worrying about food and clothes? I don't know how to reconcile this with Ruth gleaning in the field, Dorcas sewing for the poor, He that does not work shall not eat, and the fact that keeping my family clothed and fed has almost always required planning and work on my part.
Was Jesus talking in hyperbole as in "If your hand offends you, cut it off"??

That's the second time in one day that I ran acros...

2005-07-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

That's the second time in one day that I ran across AG (Anonymous)'s quote "One can't truly seek God and still protect one's heart." Can anyone tell me its origin? It calls for for meditation.

Dorcas, thanks for your caution. I've been thinki...

2005-07-26T16:22:00.000-05:00

Dorcas, thanks for your caution. I've been thinking about "giving" recently and how that I really don't give sacrificially, and I'm trying to flesh that out and figure out what's the way to go. What about the verses that I referred to, though? Don't we make them say what we want them to say?

Delia, I guess I wasn't thinking of it in the "mooching" context. The responsibility deal is a serious one to consider.

Byran,You are an amazing writer, and your post was...

2005-07-26T15:59:00.000-05:00

Byran,
You are an amazing writer, and your post was so deep. You have a passion for God and for the things of God that comes out in what you have to say. I miss you.
You favorite cousin :)
Amanda Beachy

Should you buy health insurance? My dad didn't th...

2005-07-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

Should you buy health insurance? My dad didn't think so. My husband does.

Should you buy life insurance?

How do we define needs?

Does it bug you to support missionaries that don't live all that frugally?

May I advertise my new blog? Or is that against proper blogging proticol? I'm Byran's aunt with some of the same genes and the same enjoyment of pondering deep questions. I am a new mother, so for parenting and mothering and any other sundry thoughts that come to my brain, visit me at http://lyricsop.blogspot.com/2005/07/its-all-new-for-me_23.html

The "radical dependence on God alone" is so much b...

2005-07-25T11:59:00.000-05:00

The "radical dependence on God alone" is so much bigger than material things. I'd say (from experience) that God wants us to know we're utterly dependent on him for salvation, every breath we take, and everything good we accomplish.
He may call you to voluntary poverty but as a child of a man who had five children on a tiny salary and turned down a raise, I would encourage you to be really careful with this.

By, you seem to have a tendency to write about stu...

2005-07-25T11:42:00.000-05:00

By, you seem to have a tendency to write about stuff that most Christians don't want to talk about.:)

I know what my dad's comeback would be on the subject though. He would ask where responsibility comes in. If you literally "lived on the edge" as you are suggesting, Someone would have to provide for you. But, from what my dad has observed, people who do that (i.e., live on the edge) tend to mooch off other people, (is it mooching or is it God's provision of generous people in the pathway of your life?) which means someone else has to suport them since they don't do it themselves. So, my dad says, "What if everyone would do that?" He thinks this type of lifestyle takes advantage of other people's hard-earned resources. And I will admit, he does seem to have a point. So, I guess my question is, "Can you be fully dependent on God without mooching off other people?" OR, "Is that what God wants more of-- less dependence on our own self-sufficiency and more dependence on other Christians and Him to supply our needs (that would draw us all together more)?" (I don't know if any of this makes sense or not-- it's all very stream-of-consciousness.)

--Delia

"One can't truly seek God and still protect one's ...

2005-07-25T08:50:00.000-05:00

"One can't truly seek God and still protect one's heart."

Oh the truth and oh the vulnerability that it requires!

Ag

I use to think that I had to work at least 40 or m...

2005-07-25T00:13:00.000-05:00

I use to think that I had to work at least 40 or more hours a week to just survive. God has used my current unemployment and part-time (16 hrs/wk) employment (almost three years to date) to open my eyes to the materialistic rut that I am in.

When we focus on the things of the world and not on the Word of God we fall into the trap of materialism and selfishness.

The hardest thing to realize is to look back at all you had and wonder what happened to it all. I would pass this on to everyone, but especially to all young and able persons; live on as little as you can, save a little, but give the most to God, both time and money. Matthew 6:19-34 is our direction here, but especially verse 33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his rightousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." The things here are food, shelter and clothing, our necessities, but God is generous in the extras at times too. Just do not expect those extras or the slippery slope of materialism begins anew.

I think you have a good thought in developing a radical dependence on God. We can only do this by allowing God full control of our material existence, but as you sense, it is the fear of our loosing control of our life that hampers us in allowing God to have full control of our lives. Yet without His control our life is lost.

Maybe it is the Christian work ethic that has been subverted by the spirit of this age that is our problem. We have been trained to work hard for our needs and the needs of others. The spirit of this world then says for us to selfishly use what we earn for our own pleasure and to save for the proverbial rainy day, thus the work of the kingdom goes unfinanced and lacks the workers needed in the harvest of souls because of our self indulgence.

"Does Byran's attitude change if he is responsible for a family?"

No. Because he would be one flesh with another in an equal yoke of commitment to God. He would then use the teaching in Matthew 6:19-34 to train his children in trusting God. And I would hope that we all realize that our families are God's anyway, so why would we fight for control if He owns them? Because we are sinners?

This is my opinion, I have wrestled with this issue daily in my marriage and family, and still do so since the children have married and moved on. My success was limited if existant at all, time will tell if I ever get it right.