tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29021827.post226593170167543200..comments2023-10-18T09:55:09.577-04:00Comments on Venangoland: The Relationship with GodPeter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29021827.post-81723572541062088732008-03-28T14:14:00.000-04:002008-03-28T14:14:00.000-04:00Can we understand everything God has planned? Abso...Can we understand everything God has planned? Absolutely not. I recognized that as it says in Isaiah...His ways are not my ways...His thoughts are above mine (to paraphrase). However I do know that when He sent Christ, Jesus made it quite clear that "I am the way, the truth and the life...no one comes to the Father except through me". Jesus was not being egotistical, He was not condemning all...He was simply stating that because He is the way, and if you want a relationship with the Creator, it is through Him and only Him. I didn't say it, God Himself said it through His Son. Because of that, and because of how I've seen God work in so many ways through my relationship with Christ, I with my whole heart believe it. Church is a great way to worship Him with other believers as well as stay under a shelter of safety and accountability. In Hebrews it says "Do not forsake the assembling with one another". Church will never be perfect. It is "run" by humans. I know I have never claimed perfection, but I do claim His promises, one of which is "whoever believes in me, shall never, yet shall he live" Christ died and rose again to bring us life...an abundant life. When I go to church, my focus and heart should be on Him...not humans...because they will most definitely fail. Keeping my eyes on Christ enables me to worship with others, be accountable to one another and grow closer in my relationship with Him. Again, I don't know completely the mind of Christ...otherwise I would be perfect. But placing my trust in Him has been the best thing in my life. He is the way, the truth and life...and I am privileged to be called His child.justihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16210400714061913313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29021827.post-58647852228457180362008-03-10T19:36:00.000-04:002008-03-10T19:36:00.000-04:00Fair enough. My analogy was meant to draw a parall...Fair enough. My analogy was meant to draw a parallel between the maintenance one needs to do with one's relationship with a spouse to maintaining one's relationship with God. IOW, I was only making a comparison of one side of the process, not the entire whole hunk o' relationship (I also suspect that there are plenty of folks who would say the person-deity relationship is not one-sided, but that's a whole other kettle of worms...)Peter Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29021827.post-38434692505812497642008-03-10T18:45:00.000-04:002008-03-10T18:45:00.000-04:00Is marriage really an apt analogy to a relationshi...Is marriage really an apt analogy to a relationship with God? You suggest that both require regular maintenance and a daily effort to hear the other person involved. Leaving aside the unflattering likening of an infallible, non-corporeal, possibly sentient deity to a flesh and blood person, a marriage requires two-way communication, whereas the heavy lifting in any sort of "relationship" with a personal deity seems decidely one-way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com