2020-08-16 16:01
* What is a key benefit of suffering?It increases our appreciation for Christ's love and suffering for us.* What is a key benefit of increasing awareness of our distrust of God i.e. our brok… Read More
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Thoughts About God Blog
thotsaboutgod.blogspot.com
Various thoughts about God; who he is, what he does, why he did it.
2020-07-29 00:05
Gen 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.Adam had no clue as to what it meant to die. In… Read More
2020-07-20 22:52
To be *told we should be loving is true but alone it is not helpful. Being loving is not something we can will ourselves to do, it comes from who we are.When we know we are loved… Read More
2020-07-05 17:00
The following article by Kevin Thomson is clear, concise, and exceptional. I have reproduced it below to add some links to related topics. The original post is at https://www.kevinathom… Read More
2020-06-30 20:42
In God's economy, the gospel takes privilege, as commonly used in the present political sense, and puts it on its head. What is that gospel message? In God's gospel driven economy-kingdom, t… Read More
2020-06-27 04:34
The following article was originally part of a larger paper on "Obeying the Authorities." Though it is related, we felt it better to break this out as a separate article. If you wish to read… Read More
2020-06-19 20:12
The 30-second video below is my son-in-law's mom. She is 71 and has (had) stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. It had eaten her lower spin up so badly she was paralyzed from the waist down in J… Read More
2020-06-10 12:12
What does it mean to be free in Christ and operate by the Spirit? Are these connected? How?How are the works of the flesh and being under the law tied together? Does this give us a clue on h… Read More
2020-06-04 18:03
Is white privilege a legitimate problem or does the problem have more to do with white guilt, and shame?Without question - for those of us who believe in God - God has blessed… Read More
2020-05-25 18:27
We must have a sense of meaning, purpose, and value to function as we were designed to. Without this, life is pointless. We normally obtain this through our achievements. This isn't bad… Read More
2020-05-13 17:58
The following is part 5 of a 5 part paper at https://thotsaboutgod.blogspot.com/2010/02/doom-and-gloom-of-dispensationalism.html I am posting this article separately for those who… Read More
2020-05-09 00:21
Most don't know, but "conspiracy theory" was a label created by the CIA to discredit any facts that came out exposing an "official" story. It was 1st used back in the 60s to debunk questions… Read More
2020-04-30 20:37
Why do we seek out relationships with other people? We are designed for relationship, but other people only give us part of what we long for - love.Why only part? Because we are designe… Read More
2020-04-22 22:38
God being sovereign - in control - doesn't mean he runs things in a wooden, mechanical or interfering way; setting aside, bypassing or overriding the will of mankind, but rather by organical… Read More
2020-04-17 18:22
When our passion for God is greater than our desire for other things, the appeal of other things wanes. This enablesus to turn away and notseek them as themain thing - i.e… Read More
2020-04-13 02:51
The following is part 4 of a 5 part paper at https://thotsaboutgod.blogspot.com/2010/02/doom-and-gloom-of-dispensationalism.html I am posting this article separately for those who… Read More
2020-04-10 02:05
If past tasks or ventures - business or otherwise - have failed, it doesn't automatically mean you should stop trying or that God doesn't want you to succeed or be successful. It *may s… Read More
2020-04-04 17:24
We have two subtle and deeply embedded needs. We need relief from guilt, shame, and a sense of failure. We also need to know we are valuable, significant, worthwhile. The former removes some… Read More
2020-03-31 17:09
Where do we get the strength **** to deny ourselves? To do things well for *others - i.e. to love our neighbor, requires supernatural strength.Why? Instead of focusing on our own needs and i… Read More
2020-03-25 22:00
There are two primary factors we must know to accurately assess the significance of any respiratory virus.1. How deadly is it?2. How contagious is it?If a virus is both highly contagious and… Read More
2020-03-23 15:47
Some of the following thoughts are more implied than explicitly stated in scripture. So take them as such. I feel however it is worthwhile to consider these things as long as we un… Read More
2020-02-29 16:03
The following article comes from the unpublished work “How Well do I Know God.”b. God is also dependentHow can or is the Almighty, all-sustaining God of the universe dependent? O… Read More
2020-02-24 15:56
Does wrongdoctrine pervert our understanding of truth or does our propensity towards a lie make us susceptible to it i.e. which comes first, a natural inclination to rebellious independence… Read More
2020-02-19 06:15
Can we say that the reason God is independent is that he is interdependent? In the ultimate sense we cannot say that God needs himself since he already has himself i.e. you cannot… Read More
2020-01-25 13:04
There is knowing God · by faith and · by unionBoth… Read More
2020-01-08 17:47
Growth for a believer is becoming more of who we already are in God's eyes. It is coming to the place that our experience of God's perfect, infinite love matches the love… Read More
2019-12-24 19:42
"For one who has died has been *set free from sin." Romans 6:7The above is an absolute statement, not a conditional one i.e. ... it doesn't say you will be set free if you take add… Read More
2019-12-09 17:56
The legal consequences of death, condemnation, and alienation for our rebellious distrust of God are no longer part of our status before God and God's posture toward us if we are in Christ… Read More
2019-12-02 18:47
All religions say:* Do good and be good* Then you will be accepted-approved by GodMuch of the church says:* "Trust Christ" --see footnote.* Do good and be good i.e. live a righteou… Read More
2019-11-15 02:24
Seeking comfort-pleasure is merely the flip side of avoiding pain. This also gives us a clue that pain is the true underlying state of our present condition.Why are we drawn to comfort? By i… Read More
2019-10-31 17:45
by Jim Deal You are who you areTo see what you seeTo do what only you can do To reflect Him uniquely You are God's perfect design Only lacking His perfect love To empower your greatest… Read More
2019-10-27 17:16
When we experience pain or suffer loss, the normal response is to ask *why. Even though we may never know the specific reason or whether there even is one -- or what circumstantial good we m… Read More
2019-10-15 19:50
Attorney General Barr offers insightful and lucid comments on the history behind religious liberty and why it is vital to the continuation of America and civil society. Given Oct 11, 2019htt… Read More
2019-10-15 09:24
There are willful and unwilling bad choices, or to say it more precisely there are deliberate bad choices and unintentional poor choices. The first is due to known, willful disobedience; the… Read More
2019-10-03 12:28
Does God actually value us? If so, why? After all, aren't we all a broken mess? Yet he values us never the less. So how does this work? Why would He value us? Because He values Hi… Read More
2019-09-25 12:50
To live by faith is to do as God directs regardless of whether you *feel like it or not. Living by faith comes from **knowing our faithful pursuit of God -- our obedience -- honors Him, as w… Read More
2019-09-19 15:16
Deep longings - desiring what this life cannot provide - indicates something vital is *missing. Even as Gods child, who has complete and total access to God and is perfectly loved… Read More
2019-09-12 01:00
Some may be surprised to know that those in the Old Testament as well as us on this side of Christ, lived according to the gospel -- the good news of grace.Abraham trusted God and believed G… Read More
2019-08-31 16:44
One of the subtle issues of Dispensational Eschatology is "identity politics." It's not at all obvious on the surface, but when you look closely, this teaching places a certain nation/r… Read More
2019-08-26 14:05
I experienced what I felt was significant discrimination twice in my life. Once when I transferred from one college to another. Another time when I moved from one area to another.Even t… Read More
2019-08-22 12:57
Does God love us because we are in his image or because we are in Christ? Both.Outside of Christ, God infinitely values us because we are in His image, like Him. In Christ God loves us… Read More
2019-07-31 14:44
Gen 2:19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man… Read More
2019-07-25 14:58
To do things well for (1)others requires we (2)deny ourselves.Why? Our focus is not on our own needs by exclusively indulging in (3)self-affirming and self-comforting activities but foc… Read More
2019-07-17 17:33
Is it legitimate to be aggressive in advancing Gods glory, good purposes, and truth to the point of appearing obnoxious? Did Christ ever present himself in a way that was offensive… Read More
2019-06-30 17:37
In the same way we can weather the storms of life when we are anchored in God, so a child can weather the criticism or rejection of their peers when they know they are loved and cherished by… Read More
2019-06-26 21:59
Do you love God will allyour *heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself? If we are honest I think we can agree, none of us do this consistently, much less perfectly… Read More
2019-06-15 20:49
Christ said, "...in this world, you will have tribulation..." Struggle and pain are inevitable in a broken world made up of broken people -- you and I included. To say it another way, w… Read More
2019-06-06 14:26
We are fully loved and completely broken at the same time. How do we function when these both exist within the same person i.e. us? This can only happen if we are in Christ and rec… Read More
2019-05-28 12:46
Where do our desires come from? We all have similar desires. We *all desire love, happiness, tranquility, meaning, purpose, pleasure and so on. What do we do with these desires? Are they ima… Read More
2019-05-23 12:33
New believers often wonder, "what is God's will for my life." In asking they are usually thinking of what job they should take, whether they should or shouldn't marry and if s… Read More
2019-05-13 23:56
Have you ever wondered about the curious description of Christ as the "only begotten Son?" For years I just brushed over this, not truly considering or understanding its significance. What d… Read More
2019-05-07 19:36
We have two sin problems: · Legal· PracticalChrist fully addressed our legal… Read More
2019-05-03 15:17
Never repeatedby Jim DealRight standing settled by God. Faith answered by us.Unrighteousness fixed by Christ's work broad. In this work, we must trust.His love anchored in history past,Our u… Read More
2019-04-30 15:06
Is there a difference between our legal relationship with God and our day to day relation? Are these completely separate or are they connected in some way? Let's take a closer look. Onc… Read More
2019-04-29 02:47
Longing for Perfect loveby Jim DealLove on the big screen before us played. Longing for perfect love, in sight. "Happy ever after” clearly displayed Hearts riveted… Read More
2019-04-20 16:57
Though most put a good face on things we all regularly, quietly -- sometimes loudly -- experience pain. Everything we do involves struggle – emotionally, mentally and p… Read More
2019-04-16 15:44
Dear blogger subscribers and followersI will be publishing my first book in the next 6 months or so. Lord willing this will be the first of several. I'll be starting with a 365 day devotiona… Read More
2019-04-13 16:21
Everything is struggle by Jim DealEverything is struggleEmotionalMentalPhysicalThere is decaySicknessAgingDeathIn RebellionTrust was brokenRelationship blockedUnion severedDesigned For… Read More
2019-04-09 12:33
What is it exactly that the Father loves about the Son and the Son about the Father. The Father is the initiator, the first cause of all things, which makes Him most valuable and worthy of h… Read More
2019-03-07 18:48
When you see (or saw) a well-known landmark, such as New York City, sitting in rubble and smoke what do (did) you feel? Or a scene of children disfigured from war, bandaged and bloody… Read More
2019-03-02 04:25
How do we engage God's promises -- and thereby God Himself?We "plug in" to God and more fully experience his love when we are *singular in our focus on Him. A focus on: · … Read More
2019-02-21 15:10
*Both the depth of evil actions or height of achievement displays the greatness of God. How? The void within that drives those to great harm (evil) or ** "great good" is so vast, what i… Read More
2019-02-15 13:55
No one operates without hope. We all must have it. Without hope, we give up trying to accomplish things. If we lose hope we quit.What is hope? It is *anticipation or expectation -- sometimes… Read More
2019-02-06 12:27
We are like God, His image bearers, but in time (i.e. created) not eternally. Christ bears God's image eternally -- no beginning or end -- and we everlastingly -- no end but a… Read More
2019-02-01 01:51
Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he (Christ) appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone… Read More
2019-01-25 14:55
He appears to be and in one sense *he is, however, due to the nature of his being three persons while also one God there is an "otherness" within the very being of God; he is other-focused/o… Read More
2019-01-17 13:18
Psa 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,Two things are involved in *experiencing God's working in our liv… Read More
2019-01-09 13:14
If we are a child of God, we possess the Spirit of God. The reality that the infinitely loving Creator and Sustainer of all things indwells us is an incomprehensible wonder. This is possible… Read More
2019-01-04 12:37
Is there a difference between being finite and being sinful/rebellious? If so, what is it?Because we are finite -- not all knowing, all seeing, all powerful or everywhere present… Read More
2018-12-26 14:39
How do you bring your "A game" and not be overly weighed down i.e. anxious over whether you will represent/honor/glorify God well?By knowing you cannot and will not do things excellently on… Read More
2018-12-18 14:12
A complaint we often hear from those outside the church is why are there so many hypocrites in the church? It comes down to intent. Since *those of us within the church are given a… Read More
2018-12-05 13:32
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God." Jesus (Matt 5:3)This is the first of a list of core teachings of Christ, commonly referred to as "the Beati… Read More
2018-11-29 14:03
The Bible speaks of two kinds of righteousness:1. Legal - declared righteousness by grace through faith 2. Practical - day to day righteousness through faithful obedience. These tw… Read More
2018-11-22 17:56
We often read into the expression "led by the spirit" something that is not there. Some interpret not being "led by the Spirit" to mean we are out of 1 God's will. And in one sense… Read More
2018-11-14 17:00
When God calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, he's not telling us to love ourselves, he's calling us to care for our neighbors in the way we already care for ourselves. Sel… Read More
2018-11-06 17:36
How are we able (empowered) to live for God?Eph 3:16 say, "...that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner b… Read More
2018-10-31 14:15
Israel was clearly instructed to care for/love the sojourner/ foreigner/alien. Lev 19:34 You shall treat the strangerH1616 who sojourns with you as the native among you… Read More
2018-10-25 14:18
To do things with excellence for God's honor, is to put on display our value of God and others i.e. to do things in such a way that others can see we *value God (first) and them, i… Read More
2018-10-17 14:40
Is competition helpful or unhelpful? It can be either or both.Competition that is unhelpful is rooted completely in performance for the sake of praise/approval of others. In this scenar… Read More
2018-10-11 14:01
1. For those who are in Christ, God's love is totally unconditional. Nothing they do, can add to or take away from his infinite never-ending love for them. Rom 5:8 … Read More
2018-10-02 18:21
It is true that pursuing God takes energy and focus, which can be emotionally and physically draining over time. However any endeavor worth pursuing can be emotionally and physical… Read More
2018-09-29 03:07
Being a victim and "playing the victim" are not the same. Being a victim is rooted in the reality of being harmed i.e. someone really and truly was hurt and suffered loss of some kind (physi… Read More
2018-09-13 12:22
The spiritual is that which addresses our spirit; the essence of our being, our sense of value, our identity, our glory, our ability to love and be loved and partake… Read More
2018-09-05 17:13
Matters of the heart and matters of faith go hand-in-hand. If one is present the other also will be. When we participate in and experience faith this is primarily an activity of our heart; o… Read More
2018-08-29 11:35
Are there different kinds of guilt? Can there be good and bad guilt? Most everyone agrees we experience guilt when we hurt or damage someone in some way and are called out (or call… Read More
2018-08-24 12:47
A co-dependent relationship is a mutually accepted arrangement between two people to take/get from the other what they need i.e. a relationship where each party agrees (not necessa… Read More
2018-08-19 11:29
Those who try to guilt and shame others into certain behavior are themselves usually influenced or driven by guilt and shame.We do who we are. The further away from God's *design we ope… Read More
2018-07-30 18:54
Many are offended by Christ's claim to be the only way to God. They say it is *narrow minded; that there are many ways to God; all religions are good and should... Sounds reasonable... howe… Read More
2018-07-25 13:47
We all have the same basic dilemma. We are *finite (in resources) yet also infinite (in **need) at the same time. We are infinite in need because we are designed to participate, engage… Read More
2018-07-20 11:42
Some significant keys in addressing fear; keys I am always learning to more consistently live by: Shift your identity (who you are; your significant, importance, value) from t… Read More
2018-07-15 14:52
Humanity has two opposite and contradictory characteristics. This is not only addressed in Scripture but observable in human behavior (ourselves and others).Among humanity we hav… Read More
2018-07-05 16:31
When are we most alive? When we are participating in the life of God. The more we participate in his life, the more we are restored to our original design and the more alive we become.  &hell…Read More
2018-06-30 12:32
It is obvious we are dependent beings. We see this demonstrated on a daily basis. We must have food, air, water and shelter to remain alive. If any one of these are not available we will phy… Read More
2018-06-25 09:08
In our attempts to make life work best (i.e. to protect ourselves and get what we *need or want) we develop unsound tendencies or patterns (self defense mechanisms, if you will) fr… Read More
2018-06-21 19:50
God gives to us what we need most. If he doesn't give it, its not what we need most or we are not sufficiently humbling ourselves (i.e. praying) to receive it.To say it another way, we may n… Read More
2018-06-09 23:38
If something is given with clear instructions on how to use it correctly, according to its design/function and we accept that gift under those conditions but then use it as we see… Read More
2018-05-31 12:27
When we draw our identity and well being from God by virtue of who we are in Christ, the accolades of men no longer allure us or matter. To the degree we do or don't derive our value from Go… Read More
2018-05-28 12:36
If you have done any reading on quantum physics you know most scientists have concluded there is *more space then matter. Some have even argued because of this, that those things that appear… Read More
2018-05-15 19:57
God fully sees all your faults and flaws, yet he doesn't see them at all. He sees them in that he's fully aware they exist. Yet he doesn't see them at all i.e. they have no bearing on his in… Read More
2018-05-06 18:23
God always eagerly awaits and enjoys our times of deliberate and focused worship and pursuit of him through *private meditation and prayer. It is during these times we often sense… Read More
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