Give Your Life

[MoreCoffee]

Come on Snerfle, at least quote a whole sentence

For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints-- and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 2Co 8:3-6

 

[user1234]

My q is HOW? If a person is standing there, and says, 'Come on, Im walking down the street', a person can say, 'Ok' and follow.
Jesus is not physically standing here, so when He says, 'Behold, we go up to Jerusalem', in Mk10:33, they could go with Him, but How do we know whether we should follow Him to Jerusalem or Ninevah, the United States or ... Utrecht?

I know He says His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, but I don't hear His voice in that way to know where it is Im supposed to follow to, and that troubles me alot.
Does anyone here get that clear voice that says follow me here, and you know exactly where you're supposed to go? Whether its to another city, or just down the street to the food store, or up the street to the thrift store.

 

[user1234]

Come on Snerfle, at least quote a whole sentence

For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints-- and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 2Co 8:3-6

Come on, coffee, get off your high horse.
There are plenty of half-quotes and re-worked re-posts that you've taken from others and manipulated to make it look like they said something they didnt mean. You're notorious for it. Log/speck again with you.

Read what I wrote... Verse 4, kjv, ended in a period, so ... I quoted verse 5 completely, to show that ppl had given their lives to the Lord, in keeping with the OP by Brighten04.

Why don't you find somebody elses back to stick your thorn in, jack.
Try being useful and build up and edify the body of Christ, instead of judging, critcizing, and tearing down all the time. Go read 1st John...
Key on 2:25 and 3:11-16, get saved, praise the Lord, share the love, and have a marshmallow.

 

[Lamb]

No one can give their life to Jesus. Jesus already has it in his hands. The idea of giving your life to Jesus is rooted in misconceptions about God, freedom, gifts, and salvation.

What you can give is your willing obedience, love, compassion, work, time, prayers ... but you give them to others in your service in the Kingdom. God already gave you everything you have and everything that you are. There is nothing you can give to him that he did not give to you yet you can willingly seek to do what he asks and love as he does.

There is a book called The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz and in it there is a section of a pastor talking about how you can't give your heart to God. Here is a great quote from that book:

“But sir, if you do not give your heart to Jesus, you cannot be saved.”

“You are right, my boy. And it is just as true that, if you think you are saved because you give Jesus your heart, you will not be saved. You see, my boy,” he continued reassuringly, as he continued to look at the young pastor’s face, in which uncertainty and resentment were shown in a struggle for the upper hand, “it is one thing to choose Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior, to give Him one’s heart and commit oneself to Him, and that he now accepts one into His little flock; it is a very different thing to believe on Him as a Redeemer of sinners, of whom one is chief. One does not choose a Redeemer for oneself, you understand, nor gives one’s heart to Him. The heart is a rusty old can on a junk heap. A fine birthday gift, indeed! But a wonderful Lord passes by, and has mercy on the wretched tin can, sticks his walking cane through it and rescues it from the junk pile and takes it home with Him. That is how it is.”

 

[Brighten04]

The cry of the heart to God must be "Lord have mercy on me a sinner!". But once the heart's cry has been made, one must submit(give) one's self to the refiner's fire. Fire burns, but fire purifies. To know that one has been cleansed according to the scripture, we walk in the light of God. IMHO giving your life means bowing down in humble submission to the one who purchased you at a great price because He thought you were worth it.

 

[Rens]

My q is HOW? If a person is standing there, and says, 'Come on, Im walking down the street', a person can say, 'Ok' and follow.
Jesus is not physically standing here, so when He says, 'Behold, we go up to Jerusalem', in Mk10:33, they could go with Him, but How do we know whether we should follow Him to Jerusalem or Ninevah, the United States or ... Utrecht?

I know He says His sheep hear His voice and follow Him, but I don't hear His voice in that way to know where it is Im supposed to follow to, and that troubles me alot.
Does anyone here get that clear voice that says follow me here, and you know exactly where you're supposed to go? Whether its to another city, or just down the street to the food store, or up the street to the thrift store.

GO TO ARNHEM!

There you have your Word from the Lord.

 

[Brighten04]

GO TO ARNHEM!

There you have your Word from the Lord.

What is ARNHEM?

 

[Rens]

nm

 

[Josiah]

The urging of evangelists is "Give your life to the Lord Jesus." Most Christians do not know what this entails. What do you think?

I wish they'd be clear they are speaking of CHRISTIANS in their DISCIPLESHIP (not justification/salvation).... I've found them often to be profoundly sloppy on that point.... but properly understood, it is sound and right. Of course we are also to be morally perfect and holy (to the same extent that God is), we are to love all people (to the same extent that Jesus does), we are to forgive others just as God has forgiven us.... those commands should be equally proclaimed as they are key to CHRISTIAN discipleship/sanctification.



Pax Christi



- Josiah

 

[Brighten04]

My q is HOW?

Yes, this is the question. How do we follow? How do we hear God's voice? What is the work of God.
Lord Jesus tells us.But it is hard for us to understand what He means.

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

So we (today) say emphatically..."I believe on Him!" And we get angry if anyone hints that our faith is small. We get mad at God when things don't go the way we think they should go. In short, we do not trust. "Oh, but I do trust him!" Really? OK, get out of the boat Peter. Come. Come onto the waves and trust that I have you. Trust that because I told you to come, you will be able to do it. Pay no attention to the storm, just walk out on the water.
See, we say we trust Him...but do we? Really?? We cannot be so stiff necked that we cannot ask our Father to help our unbelief. IMHO spiritual pride in our own ability to serve Him trips us up, and we do not grow as we should. We get caught up in the weeds/thorny bushes of life and circumstances and we begin to doubt. We begin to sink. But Praise God! Lord Jesus is right there to catch us when we start to sink.

 

[atpollard]

This is a great thread and I have been reading it, but slow to offer any opinion for fear of causing harm. I'd like to share some opinions (I will claim them to be nothing more than that).

So the question is "What does it mean to give your life?" For me, the answer was that while I had absolutely no interest or thought about anything to do with God, having long ago embraced the logic of a quote from Bertrand Russel "The evidence of contemporary Christian life is such that God, if he ever existed, must surely be dead." My life had embraced nihilism, not as a philosophy, but as a life style. Life and death really didn't matter, because death was not the end of life, death was just the end of pain. As the time for my planned departure drew closer, I gave some thought to the problem known as Pascal's Wager (what if you are wrong in your belief about God?) I came to the conclusion that in the unlikely event that there really was a God, then I belonged in hell. Not because of my sins, but because I belonged with beings that hated the sadistic, indifferent creator of mankind and the earth as much as I did. If God existed, then he had a lot to answer for and was a monster unworthy of worship. Once upon a time, for real, I was involved in a world of crime and activities best not spoken of. I will say that I reached a point where it became clear that I would not die either an old man, or from natural causes. I know more people who are dead than alive and none of my companions from youth have died of natural causes. Death by overdose, murder, and suicide by cop were the three most common ways to die. I had come to accept the inevitable and chosen a still more violent exit strategy.

There is a popular saying in Pentecostal circles: "But God ..."
It is usually not followed by any further explanation, because to those who have been there, the meaning is obvious. But God did what God does!

That's what happened to me. But God ....
The details are personal and irrelevant to this discussion. What matters is that like Paul on the road to Damascus, I was forced into an encounter that instantly shattered my worldview. What I once believed was no longer an option. Jesus Christ made me an offer ... a sort of "gentleman's agreement" just between the two of us. An even swap. Everything that I had, for everything that He had. My death for His life. My darkness for his light. My despair for His hope. My purposelessness, for His purpose. ... and so on down the line it went: Past for future, hate for love, anger for peace, etc. ... It was a simple agreement at its core ... ALL for ALL ... Nothing would be held back or off the table.

So for 37 years now, an even swap of All for All, has been the working definition that I have used for what it means for me to give my life. I eventually found a Bible verse that explained it:

Exodus 21:5-6 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life."

I love my Master and I choose to be His servant for life.

(Your mileage may vary)

 

[Rens]

What is ARNHEM?

You don't know Arnhem?
The best place in the world. Who wouldn't want to go there?

View attachment 722

 

[Brighten04]

You don't know Arnhem?
The best place in the world. Who wouldn't want to go there?

View attachment 722

Hi Rens. I clicked the link and this is what I got:
Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator

 

[Rens]

Ah now it works I think.

 

[Brighten04]

This is a great thread and I have been reading it, but slow to offer any opinion for fear of causing harm. I'd like to share some opinions (I will claim them to be nothing more than that).

So the question is "What does it mean to give your life?" For me, the answer was that while I had absolutely no interest or thought about anything to do with God, having long ago embraced the logic of a quote from Bertrand Russel "The evidence of contemporary Christian life is such that God, if he ever existed, must surely be dead." My life had embraced nihilism, not as a philosophy, but as a life style. Life and death really didn't matter, because death was not the end of life, death was just the end of pain. As the time for my planned departure drew closer, I gave some thought to the problem known as Pascal's Wager (what if you are wrong in your belief about God?) I came to the conclusion that in the unlikely event that there really was a God, then I belonged in hell. Not because of my sins, but because I belonged with beings that hated the sadistic, indifferent creator of mankind and the earth as much as I did. If God existed, then he had a lot to answer for and was a monster unworthy of worship. Once upon a time, for real, I was involved in a world of crime and activities best not spoken of. I will say that I reached a point where it became clear that I would not die either an old man, or from natural causes. I know more people who are dead than alive and none of my companions from youth have died of natural causes. Death by overdose, murder, and suicide by cop were the three most common ways to die. I had come to accept the inevitable and chosen a still more violent exit strategy.

There is a popular saying in Pentecostal circles: "But God ..."
It is usually not followed by any further explanation, because to those who have been there, the meaning is obvious. But God did what God does!

That's what happened to me. But God ....
The details are personal and irrelevant to this discussion. What matters is that like Paul on the road to Damascus, I was forced into an encounter that instantly shattered my worldview. What I once believed was no longer an option. Jesus Christ made me an offer ... a sort of "gentleman's agreement" just between the two of us. An even swap. Everything that I had, for everything that He had. My death for His life. My darkness for his light. My despair for His hope. My purposelessness, for His purpose. ... and so on down the line it went: Past for future, hate for love, anger for peace, etc. ... It was a simple agreement at its core ... ALL for ALL ... Nothing would be held back or off the table.

So for 37 years now, an even swap of All for All, has been the working definition that I have used for what it means for me to give my life. I eventually found a Bible verse that explained it:

Exodus 21:5-6 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life."

I love my Master and I choose to be His servant for life.

(Your mileage may vary)

I am happy you decided to join the discussion. And, thanks for your very candid testimony.
I heard someone say once that he was minding his own business on his way to Hell when God messed with him. LOL Those of us who have been on the skids recognize that it is not our goodness or works, It is only by His grace, and His mercy that we are not consumed. The Palmist writes.
Psalms 116 I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

4 Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

6 The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.

7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:

11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.

12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?

13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.

14 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

16 O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.

19 In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.