Comments for Good News Blog http://graceunplugged.org/blog Come Home To Good News Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:25:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on How’s your calculator working? by Dream Weaver http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142&cpage=1#comment-75 Dream Weaver Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:25:21 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142#comment-75 ~~GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU~~ Here is my two cents on the matter. 2 Corinthians 12 1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. 7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. In this passage, Paul talks about a revelation that we have. It would be my understanding that this revelation is the Gospel, It is Jesus and what he has done for us. It is looking ahead to heaven and what that will be like, and that we CAN be there because of Jesus. This is one FREAKIN COOL revelation. But he also says that because of that fact, we can become prideful and boastful. And if we look back into the passage Paul says that to keep us from becoming that way, God allows something to happen. He allows us to have hardships, he allows "bad stuff" to happen to keep us in check, to show us that we need Jesus. Paul even says that "...there was given me a thorn in my flesh...". He himself went through hardships everyday. It doesn't tell us what his "thorn" was but by the way he talks it was probably a sickness or physical handicap of some sort. You may say "well that hardship didn't come from God." and you would be right, as it says it was a messenger from Satin. But the fact of the matter is... God, our protector, our Savior, the person we put our entire faith in, allowed this to happen. Why? Because hardships is his way to protect us... from ourselves. Besides, God will never allow us to go through something that he knows for a fact we can't handle. Paul pleaded with God three times to take away his hardships. But God didn't. Rather this is what he said: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." WOW!!! God allows us to have hardships because he is so good, and his grace is so great a thing. He won't take us OUT of hardship, but he will take us THROUGH it, standing right by our side. We ask "Is there another way?" and the answer is "no". Because God's Grace Is Sufficient For You. ~~GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU~~

Here is my two cents on the matter.

2 Corinthians 12
1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.

7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In this passage, Paul talks about a revelation that we have. It would be my understanding that this revelation is the Gospel, It is Jesus and what he has done for us. It is looking ahead to heaven and what that will be like, and that we CAN be there because of Jesus. This is one FREAKIN COOL revelation. But he also says that because of that fact, we can become prideful and boastful. And if we look back into the passage Paul says that to keep us from becoming that way, God allows something to happen. He allows us to have hardships, he allows “bad stuff” to happen to keep us in check, to show us that we need Jesus. Paul even says that “…there was given me a thorn in my flesh…”. He himself went through hardships everyday. It doesn’t tell us what his “thorn” was but by the way he talks it was probably a sickness or physical handicap of some sort. You may say “well that hardship didn’t come from God.” and you would be right, as it says it was a messenger from Satin. But the fact of the matter is… God, our protector, our Savior, the person we put our entire faith in, allowed this to happen. Why? Because hardships is his way to protect us… from ourselves. Besides, God will never allow us to go through something that he knows for a fact we can’t handle.

Paul pleaded with God three times to take away his hardships. But God didn’t. Rather this is what he said: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” WOW!!! God allows us to have hardships because he is so good, and his grace is so great a thing. He won’t take us OUT of hardship, but he will take us THROUGH it, standing right by our side.

We ask “Is there another way?” and the answer is “no”. Because God’s Grace Is Sufficient For You.

]]> Comment on How’s your calculator working? by Dan (Grace Freak) http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142&cpage=1#comment-73 Dan (Grace Freak) Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:51:44 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142#comment-73 Great quote Adam, "God is good even when he seems bad." Grace Freak Dan Great quote Adam, “God is good even when he seems bad.”

Grace Freak

Dan

]]> Comment on How’s your calculator working? by blog master http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142&cpage=1#comment-72 blog master Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:21:16 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142#comment-72 Unknown blogger -- You are right. God is only good. That's for sure. As I mentioned in my blog, it's our calculator that is broken. When those things in our life that are "bad" come our way, we need to "consider" them in the light of how they can mature us, how they can be used for God's glory, how they can make us trust in Him more ---- which are ALL GOOD things. Our problem is "good" equates to easy, comfortable and fun. God's definition of "good" can sometimes be (dare I say alot of times be?) different than that. The final thing I will leave this part of my comments with is Hebrews 12:2 -- "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Was the cross "bad"?? I would have to say Jesus thought it was. He asked for it to be taken away. It sure was a bad thing for me if I had to experience it myself. But Jesus endured it for THE JOY set before Him. Adam Groff -- thanks for your comments. I love "God is good even when he seems bad". Tim Unknown blogger — You are right. God is only good. That’s for sure. As I mentioned in my blog, it’s our calculator that is broken. When those things in our life that are “bad” come our way, we need to “consider” them in the light of how they can mature us, how they can be used for God’s glory, how they can make us trust in Him more —- which are ALL GOOD things. Our problem is “good” equates to easy, comfortable and fun. God’s definition of “good” can sometimes be (dare I say alot of times be?) different than that.

The final thing I will leave this part of my comments with is Hebrews 12:2 — “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Was the cross “bad”?? I would have to say Jesus thought it was. He asked for it to be taken away. It sure was a bad thing for me if I had to experience it myself. But Jesus endured it for THE JOY set before Him.

Adam Groff — thanks for your comments. I love “God is good even when he seems bad”.

Tim

]]> Comment on How’s your calculator working? by Adam Groff http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142&cpage=1#comment-71 Adam Groff Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:17:25 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142#comment-71 In response to the response to Tim's post, I have to say I agree with you for the most part because everything that God does to us IS good. But I believe that God does do or allows us to encounter bad things in life. These are basically good things disguised as bad things. Just like when parents take away a privilege from their children to teach them a lesson, God gives us "trials" or bad experiences to teach us some sort of lesson. Therefore, God does bad things to us that we are meant to "consider" and calculate to find the overall good meaning of it. God Is Good...even when he seems bad. In response to the response to Tim’s post, I have to say I agree with you for the most part because everything that God does to us IS good. But I believe that God does do or allows us to encounter bad things in life. These are basically good things disguised as bad things. Just like when parents take away a privilege from their children to teach them a lesson, God gives us “trials” or bad experiences to teach us some sort of lesson. Therefore, God does bad things to us that we are meant to “consider” and calculate to find the overall good meaning of it. God Is Good…even when he seems bad.

]]> Comment on How’s your calculator working? by ginger pearce http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142&cpage=1#comment-70 ginger pearce Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:37:48 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=142#comment-70 Dude! if it anint good it doesn't come from Jesus! He is good and only good! i think it is bogus crap! i long to use stronger language but i don't know if you can handle it. i spent my life thinking God was letting bad stuff happen for my own good. wow so He is double minded? NO! may it never be. All we have is God , if He is a skitz that is all we have, we can't change or take away God. He is constant. But what a joy to know He is good and only good! Check out His personality the essence of HIS nature in Galatians where the fruit of His Spirit is recorded. That my dear beloved holy brother is who our God is! That is who He is! Jesus Him self in red letter under the law said God is good! take that to the bank! it is true and never change ing. many are the afflictions of the righeous but the Lord DELIVERS from the m all!!!! so if you have called upon the name of Jesus(become righteous) you WILL have affliction, but no way do i believe He is the One who gives or allows or what other way to say it, bad in our lives! No! He only gives good! Listen please He is good! period. Le t us rejoice our God is only good! Dude! if it anint good it doesn’t come from Jesus! He is good and only good!
i think it is bogus crap! i long to use stronger language but i don’t know if you can handle it.
i spent my life thinking God was letting bad stuff happen for my own good. wow so He is double minded?
NO! may it never be.
All we have is God , if He is a skitz that is all we have, we can’t change or take away God. He is constant.
But what a joy to know He is good and only good! Check out His personality the essence of HIS nature in Galatians
where the fruit of His Spirit is recorded.
That my dear beloved holy brother is who our God is!
That is who He is!
Jesus Him self in red letter under the law said God is good!
take that to the bank!
it is true and never change ing.
many are the afflictions of the righeous but the Lord DELIVERS from the m all!!!!
so if you have called upon the name of Jesus(become righteous) you WILL have affliction, but no way do i believe He
is the One who gives or allows or what other way to say it, bad in our lives!
No! He only gives good! Listen please He is good! period.
Le t us rejoice our God is only good!

]]> Comment on Persevering and Loving God by Dan (Grace Freak) http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=149&cpage=1#comment-69 Dan (Grace Freak) Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:38:39 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=149#comment-69 Thanks Tim. You are digging into challenging stuff. I appreciate you laying it out... plain and simple. Dan Thanks Tim. You are digging into challenging stuff. I appreciate you laying it out… plain and simple.

Dan

]]> Comment on Fail by Dan http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=127&cpage=1#comment-42 Dan Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:59:46 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=127#comment-42 Tim, Creative and grace filled. Thanks for the encouragement. Dan Tim,

Creative and grace filled. Thanks for the encouragement.

Dan

]]> Comment on Racial Diversity by Dan Rockwell http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=124&cpage=1#comment-31 Dan Rockwell Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:41:14 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=124#comment-31 Ashlin... I"m with you. It's exciting but I'm so whiteified...I haven't a clue. I'm gonna keep talking it and keep learning... Ashlin… I”m with you. It’s exciting but I’m so whiteified…I haven’t a clue. I’m gonna keep talking it and keep learning…

]]> Comment on Racial Diversity by Ashlin http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=124&cpage=1#comment-30 Ashlin Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:24:11 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=124#comment-30 This is exciting to me, although I don't know how to work this out in any application yet. Ideas? This is exciting to me, although I don’t know how to work this out in any application yet. Ideas?

]]> Comment on Safe by blog master http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=110&cpage=1#comment-24 blog master Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:45:17 +0000 http://graceunplugged.org/blog/?p=110#comment-24 Thanks for the good word Ash... yeah.. I don't want to stumble around like a drunk not knowing where he is going... Stumbling Forward! Thanks for the good word Ash… yeah.. I don’t want to stumble around like a drunk not knowing where he is going… Stumbling Forward!

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