The Christian Thread

Jim Garten wrote: Re Psalm 139 verses 1 - 9 My word, is there no privacy?

Apparently not. 

Re Psalm 139 verses 1 - 9

My word, is there no privacy?

Best sermon ever.  Amazing.

Psalm 139:

1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
          You understand my thought from afar.

3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
          And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
          Behold, O LORD, You know it all.

5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
          And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
          It is too high, I cannot attain to it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
          Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
          If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
          If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
          And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
          And the light around me will be night,”

12 Even the darkness is not dark to You,
          And the night is as bright as the day.
          Darkness and light are alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;
          You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
          Wonderful are Your works,
          And my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,
          When I was made in secret,
          And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
          And in Your book were all written
          The days that were ordained for me,
          When as yet there was not one of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
          How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
          When I awake, I am still with You.

19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
          Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.

20 For they speak against You wickedly,
          And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
          And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
          They have become my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
          Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
          And lead me in the everlasting way.

What a thought, that the creator of the universe should be mindful of one like me.  The psalmist says that God knows when I get up and when I lie down, and that there is nowhere I could go (neither the depths of the sea nor the highest of heaven) that will rob me of God's presence. 

I read this psalm to my son on the night he was born, because it says that God forms us (weaves us!) in the wombs of our mothers, and set up all our days before we drew our first breaths.  How comforting it is to know that no matter what troubles surprise me, not one of them was a surprise to God, and He knew all along that difficult times would come, and He also knows how they will end.

And what manner of God is this, that His thoughts toward me outnumber the grains of sand of the vastest desert?  He thinks of me (with kindness! ) far more than I think of Him.

One's love for God should ultimately be such that it angers and pains one to hear others speak ill of Him, perhaps in a similar vein that one would not stomach hearing foul things said about one's spouse.

And finally, because God knows every secret thought of our hearts, both good and evil, we should ask Him every morning to reveal to us those areas of our lives that are displeasing to Him (and we are fools if we think there are none- see 1 John 1:8).  God will certainly show us what we do that is wrong, and He will also reward a repentant heart with strength to overcome it.

Epignosis wrote: progismylife wrote: I have something I'd like prayer about: Some of the other youth in my church. The way they act / talk / stuff they go to and call good is a bit scary and I'm thinking its leading them down a road that isn't good. I hope I'm wrong, but its just bugging me. Also they don't see the amazing stuff I see in sermons and this concerns me. Would you mind elaborating a bit (certainly okay if you don't)? As for sermons, I wouldn't sweat that at all.  God brings believers closer to maturity at different rates.  If you're a more mature Christian (and it sounds like you very well may be), then of course that's nothing to brag about (because it's God's work in you), and you should be excited that He has placed in a place of leadership, and you will be able to work with your peers, set a solid example, and be a mentor.

Well it's just like they don't really seem to be paying attention in youth group, and definitely aren't paying attention to service, and I asked one of them why he goes to church he said: "To worship and praise God with other members / friends of fellowship, to educate myself about God, and how to apply it to my life, and i enjoy it"

and I just don't see that happening at all. During sermons and youth he talks with his friend or texts people during the service.

That's just one example.

And I realize I have been blessed by having a pastor for a dad, and one who did seminary and so has a wealth of knowledge as well as numerous books. I'm at least encouraged that the youth are coming to church, even if it is a bit irregular.

cacho wrote: Sorry if I'm going off-topic, but I really don't want to start another thread, unless you, Robert, want me to do so... What do you think of people of "believing more" after watching the Passion of(the?) Christ?

I think it's wonderful.

There's so much in the world aimed at tearing down the believer's faith, that I welcome anything that builds it up.

As to the movie itself, I saw it and intend to purchase it at some point.  I found watching it in the theater as a draining but immensely touching experience.

Chicapah wrote: Some Christians might have objections to satirical slants on God and consider them blasphemous but I find material like Tull's "Oh, God" or "Passion Play" (as well as Randy Newman's "God's Song" and the majority of his take on "Faust") to be relevant because they poke fun of how mankind pictures the Almighty as having the same emotions, feelings and hangups as we have.  Fact is, we were created in His image, not the other way around.  Not sure what I'm trying to say here except that songs like those mentioned can be instructive in pointing out our tendency to view God as a big guy in a robe sitting on a throne in the clouds.  He's obviously much, much more than that.  Any thoughts?

Satire is an ingenious way to get one's point across, to be sure.  The Bible even contains some.  It's sad, however, that there's so much about Christianity to lampoon.  Christians should be thirsty for discovering the many nuggets of truth in the Bible, and yet many of them are content to just judge others (to make themselves feel better), view God as a cosmic Santa Claus (who will give them what they want), or use Christianity as a way of "covering their bases" (a "just in case it happens to be right" religion).

Sad really, and until we clean up our act, we give lyrical masters like Anderson and other such people reason to satirize us.

I have something I'd like prayer about:

Some of the other youth in my church. The way they act / talk / stuff they go to and call good is a bit scary and I'm thinking its leading them down a road that isn't good. I hope I'm wrong, but its just bugging me. Also they don't see the amazing stuff I see in sermons and this concerns me.

As somebody born and bred in Europe, I have to say that the figures for Italy are higher than in other parts of the continent (I'm talking about western Europe at least) as regards religious practice. However, to be perfectly honest, though most people call themselves Catholics, it has mostly to do with keeping up appearances (like having your children baptised, or getting married in church) than with real faith.

Personally, though I was raised as a Catholic, and attended church regularly at least until the age of 21, I now consider myself an agnostic, and my view of the Catholic Church and its role is extremely critical. However, I don't like people who insult those who are religious and call them brainwashed (unless, of course, we are really talking about fanatics), and I have often reported posts of people who overstepped the mark in this sense.

Thanks Rob - well I'm still not around too much but I will say this - do you find John 3:16 (a powerful passage despite being an unfortunate cliche) resonates more now that you are a father?