Why believe in God? Why give God a try?
If you can you relate to or agree with any of these statements then this message is for you:
1. I base my faith on seeing God through people.
2. If not all, many Christians that I've encountered are mean, condemning, hypocritical, and/or judgmental.
3. I don't have much knowledge or experience with Christianity or the God of the Holy Bible.
4. The experiences in my life has taught me God isn't real.
5. I don't understand why God allows evil to exist.
Who is God?
I see God as a parent (who is like a father and mother, but we call Him Heavenly Father, so I'll refer to God as a father) who only wants His/Her children to have a beautiful, clean, and safe home (earth), who wants and teaches all His children to love, respect, and trust Him (Matthew 22: 36-38), and who wants them to be happy and get along with each other (Matthew 22: 39-40).
I see consequences...
With that said, I believe these principles are important because if practiced, they can accomplish just that, and I’ve seen and lived the benefits of practicing them and the negative consequences ignoring them. The principles I use to love God with my heart are practiced through how I love and treat others. The principles I use to love God with my strength is practiced in what I do with my body and energy. It’s the reason I love nature and going for walks and why I’m striving to improve and restore my health. The principles I use to love God with my mind are practiced in what I think, believe, reflect, watch, listen to, and imagine. Finally, the biblical principles I use to love others are practiced in my daily interactions and relationships with others. I’ve learned all of these principles from a few quotes here and there, but mostly from various scriptures.Here are some of the sub principles that come from the 2 stated above: (which in respect and consideration of your believes, I will highlight the basic principles and place the relating scriptures in brackets in case you want to skip over so you don’t feel forced to read them.) Persevere. Add knowledge and self-control. {James 1:4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 2 Peter 1:5-7 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. Romans 5:3-4 …be joyful in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.} Do not stress or worry. {Matthew 6:25-27 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matt. 6: 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.} Be Appreciative and Content. {Philippians 4:11-12 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.} Listen, Learn, and Seek wisdom, {Proverbs 3:13-22 13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.14 For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. 15 Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. 17 She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. 18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.21 My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, 22 for they will refresh your soul.} Be kind, giving, hospitable and friendly. Treat others right. {Romans 12:13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Matthew 5:42-44 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’[a] and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Luke 6:28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. Luke 6: 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. Forgive others. Don’t condemn others. {Matt. 7: 1-5 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.} Believe/Have Faith and Do Good. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 2 Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. Take care of your body. {1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? Leviticus chapter 11 and Leviticus chapter 20} (These involve knowing what people and things you shouldn’t put in or on your body, which science has proven to be true with the knowledge of genetics, sickness and disease, and the toxicity of scavengers and how all these can harm our bodies.) Live harmoniously and Love God and others. {Exodus 20:1-17 3 “You must not have any other God but me.4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 12 “Honor your father and mother. 13 “You must not murder. 14 “You must not commit adultery.15 “You must not steal.16 “You must not lie or testify falsely against your neighbor. 17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house… neighbor’s wife, … or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”}I’ve learned and often think and say the same as Socrates, which is, “If we knew better, we would do better.” To me, it’s like the saying, “You can’t miss what you never had.” So, if someone never had cake (experienced peace, love, etc.) then they’ll never know how good tastes (the benefits of it) and only the person whose had it knows exactly what the other person is missing. However, I believe Socrates gives people too much credit in thinking that people do wrong only because of not knowing. I know for a fact that people knowingly do wrong, (whether is due to selfishness or to self-sabotage, etc.) but, it’s usually due to a spirit that we don’t see and “don’t know” is influencing us and that spirit is fear. They say that hate is the opposite of love, but I believe that the opposite of love is fear. It hinders, cripples, twists, changes, and transforms us and our decisions and actions into something ugly, sour, monstrous, crazy... into something that’s NOT US, or not the “good” “us” that we are, and can make us go against our very nature. I would explain further, but in summary, fear can make us block out all the “good” and become empty, guarded, and confused and strip us of love for others and even ourselves. But love can give someone whose afraid of spiders or wasps the courage to step on one, if, they’re doing it to protect a loved one. Hence, love (if we have it and it’s stronger than fear) can help us conquer even fear, as love conquers all!In conclusion, if I get right down to it, as Socrates mentions, I know myself. So, I know that I couldn’t live as Callicles suggests and satisfy my desires to the fullest extent, because I’m aware of the desires in me that are dark and that would lead to twisted lusts, and all types of things that would bring misery, harm, and/or danger to myself and others. My principles of love, as God commands, are important because they help me to sacrifice, control, and overcome my dark, lustful, and selfish desires for the benefit of everyone, including me, and help me to live positively, peaceably, happily and well. I believe these would universally benefit others, if practiced, as well
My belief in God set me on a good path, but my growth is due to my love and understanding of God and God’s principles.
There are 2 moral principles in which I live by. These 2 principles sum up and embody a list of several other principles. Both of the principles I live by come from the Holy Bible. The first principle I live by come from Matt. 22: 37, which states, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength.” The second principle I live by is in Matt. 22: 39 which states, “…love your neighbor as yourself.” The key word to both principles is love, so, what is it to love and why live by that principle? I don’t have my own definition of love or hardly even any of my own answers to life and what moral principles to live by. My guide has always been the Holy Bible for the most part. From there, I have my definition/description/example of what love is which, in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude and does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs/it forgives. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” These can be challenging to live up to, (some more than others), but these are the characteristics that I strive to embody and exemplify. These are who and how I try to be. These, I believe, are characteristics and principles that help me live well within myself, helps me treat and serve others right, and pleases our Good, Wise, Heavenly, Most High God.