FatherSpiritSon.com

FatherSpiritSon.com

        Christianity defines itself in that it is a religion of being good. You're to do good in your life and trust God to do the rest. You're supposed to love everyone regardless of how evil they have been. Some will take this to the extreme of pacifism, but God is also a God of Justice, so if you're being attacked unjustly, you can defend yourself or others. Still it is difficult to love someone who has wronged you. Forgiveness is not always easy, but it is the stance God wants us to take so that we're on the moral high ground. If we forgive and love everyone else, they have no excuse for their evil actions. If we take revenge on someone who we think wronged us, a situation could escalate and we can be partly to blame. Romans 12:21 GNT Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good. God makes it clear that he wants us to be good and honest in every situation, and he'll do the rest and see justice is done.

        It is clear that being good is the superior route for existing with others. If beings are evil, they are only using other beings without love. This typically results in enslavement of one party if taken to extremes when everyone realizes everyone else is evil. Being good on the other hand results in everyone loving each other. When you love others, you want to help and build them up. When someone is helping and building you up, it is natural to feel more love for them. Eternally you can live in peace around other beings who are being good and loving. In fact that is an enjoyable situation.

        We do not live in an eternal world where everyone is good though. People are inherently sinful, people die, and the world itself is in a state of decay. It requires a savior to understand that it is right to be good to other beings even if they're sinful. Some people argue that they can be good without a savior, but they don't realize the savior has already came and the world is changed as a result. It is next to impossible to meet another person who isn't indirectly influenced by Jesus. If Jesus never came to the world when he did, the world may have discovered that everyone is sinful. Once you realize everyone is sinful, and you don't know of any savior, you can justify being evil to others. After all, if everyone is evil, why be good to them? Thankfully a savior did come and his influence in how people are good to others has spread across the world.

        The direct knowledge of Jesus conveys more benefits that an indirect belief that some people are good so it is right to be good in your own dealings. Knowing Jesus allows you to possibly make the right decision always. If you only think some people are good, maybe you'll only be good to those people who you think are good. Many people are like this. They're nice if people are nice to them, but they're all degrees of spitefully vengeful if someone wrongs them. That philosophy of living is wrong, and it is messy as you need to determine what degree you take vengeance. It is better for God to take revenge. Per chance you even misinterpreted a situation and took revenge when the person didn't do anything wrong. Maybe you will take too much revenge on someone, and in a way be evil for yourself for being unjust. It is a very messy philosophy if your way of getting back at someone is revenge. In our hearts we should not hold revenge close anyway since God wants us to forgive those who wrong us. Matthew 6:14 GNT "If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. “

        There are amazing benefits to building a personal relationship with God, rather than to attempt to be "good" without God. As I said earlier, if you try to be good without God, there is no equalizer for those who wrong you. Even if you could repay people who wronged you, often the person who wronged you goes unidentified. With God, you can know God is keeping score all the time and if you get wronged too much, you'll be looking forward to blessings either in this life or the next. This Earthly life is also only temporary, so even if you're good to everyone you meet and everyone you meet is mean to you, the suffering is only temporary. The next life will be most excellent in more ways than we can imagine. Seriously, you can imagine the most ultimate thing you desire on Earth, and as long as it isn't an evil desire, you'll experience better than that in Heaven. Happiness, pleasure, no suffering, loved ones, and God himself await. I always throw a disclaimer after describing Heaven as soul soothing awesomeness that we're supposed to serve God on Earth while we still have the chance. There are passages in the Bible that our experience in Heaven may be better if we follow and obey God on Earth. 1Cornthians 3:8-15 *1 So the way I look to life is that we only have a short while to live, so we should maximize service to God!

        Serving God has rewards. Because God is ultimate and knows what satisfies us better than we know ourselves, we should hold God's rewards in high esteem. In fact getting a reward from God is an honor itself! You've likely heard that it is good to praise God. God himself praises men sometimes! John 5:44 GNT You like to receive praise from one another, but you do not try to win praise from the one who alone is God; how, then, can you believe me? We should seek this praise from God even if we don't want anything from him! Sometimes you hear about a corporate suck up getting a bad reputation because he seeks praise from his higher ups. Those higher ups may or may not be right in what they do, but God is always right for he is perfect. If you're receiving praise from the being who is always right, this is a commendation that you can hold with high esteem. It is an honorable thing to seek praise from God, and it is not sucking up. It is always doing what is right even when it isn't in your best interest. God will not tempt you, but sometimes God will test you. If you pass the tests, God will be pleased with you, and maybe even test you harder as precious metals are refined. So it is difficult to see what plans for us that God has for us in any time, but if we lead our life to be good no matter what life throws at us, God will be pleased. You will receive rewards from God if you do good always, but your rewards may not come in the form of immediate gratification.

        It is identifying yourself as a sinner, repenting, then being a good person because of Jesus that gets you on God's favor. Again remember that life will not automatically be easy if you're on God's good side, but it is always preferable to the decay one experiences as a slave to sin. If a person understands this, yet refuses God in favor of being self righteously good, he is actually sinning more in that thought process. We need God to be our righteousness even though we've done wrong. Once you accept Jesus as your savior, you can walk and try your best to be good in every situation. You'll learn that one good thing you can do for others is to teach them about Jesus. But before you do that, I recommend getting a strong education about the LORD that you can get through the Bible. Proverbs 19:2 GNT Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good; impatience will get you into trouble. There is much we can do in servitude of the LORD such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, or sheltering the homeless, but I recommend the new believer to get an education on the LORD.

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-Jim Sager *1) 1Cornthians 3:8 There is no difference between the one who plants and the one who waters; God will reward each one according to the work each has done. 9 For we are partners working together for God, and you are God's field. You are also God's building. 10 Using the gift that God gave me, I did the work of an expert builder and laid the foundation, and someone else is building on it. But each of you must be careful how you build. 11 For God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation, and no other foundation can be laid. 12 Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw. 13 And the quality of each person's work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone's work; the fire will test it and show its real quality. 14 If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. 15 But if your work is burnt up, then you will lose it; but you yourself will be saved, as if you had escaped through the fire.