Why is life like this?

[twcstp]

I went through hell and discovered these things.

I was given a choice between two options, one being submission and surrender, and the other being damnation; however, no minister that gave me this choice knew the great love and regard that I have for all people and all living creatures of the Earth. No minister stood with me to guide me in any direction, even though I sought out dozens.

My mother and brothers are the only ones that have ever blessed me before recent days, and many left me with troubles. My brother served 11 years in the military for our nation only to come back to people that betrayed him and religious people telling him he'd go to hell if he didn't believe.

Now, I wasn't all good and dandy. I was a terrible child, and I came to regret that more than you will ever know.

A few true lovers of God came along in recent days when I was so low that I couldn't get through a single day without considering suicide from dusk to dawn because I could not live this life alone any longer, and they gave me faith in others once again.

Nobody revealed the truth to me in the word. I already knew the truth in spirit; however, others sent me into the pit at a very young age and were not able to help me out of it--when it was them who gave me drugs and isolated me for more than a decade where I was treated like I was trouble and worthless--much in the same way that christians didn't stick around yet they were fully willing to tell me what groups to hate and where I'm going when I die. They didn't know the scriptures well enough to even begin to guide me into the truth in the first place even though they placed horrible consequences such as eternal damnation and hating others and condemning others and myself upon me. It was not only sin that damaged my soul--it was mankind--that which was done to me when I was young--that which I did--that which was done to my family--that which has been done to others--and those who preached Jesus and did not know God.

For years and years and years I suffered not only my own troubles; it was also the very love that I have for others that became a source of distress and agony to me as I was told that the only ones who ever loved me, and proved it, could go to hell for eternity if they did not believe.

Do you have any knowledge of how terrible the pain was, the agony, which came from your religion, your beliefs, as I was no longer responsible for my own wrongs alone but yours as well because I love all of you?

Can you know the dreadful sorrow that came over me as I realized that according to this religion, your souls might go to hell? Why? Why? I came to learn quickly that I was in a living hell; every person I've ever loved could end up in an everlasting hell


True evil is telling somebody that nothing in them is good, and that neither their concerns nor their love for others is sufficient; to deny the good in them, and to cast them down if they do not accept christianity. To tell a person that has real love for you, enough to go to war for you, enough to give to you when they have little for themselves... even if they already trust in God completely, that it is no good unless it's 'this' way... how could this happen?

How could anyone, ever, place such fearful and sorrowful things in a person's heart? How is this righteous at all?

Luke 12:4

Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but after that they can do nothing more to hurt you. 5 I will show you the one to fear. You should fear God, who has the power to kill you and also to throw you into hell. Yes, he is the one you should fear.

Luke 13
Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? 19 God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant. Someone plants this seed in their garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the birds build nests on its branches.”

God's kingdom is love; love is conscious and holds every virtue in perfect harmony.

Matthew 22:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

1 John 4:8

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

 

[twcstp]

One passage in Isaiah proves that others can be justified through the knowledge of a righteous person.

Isaiah 53:11
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

One passage proves that not all are sinners.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

One passage proves yet again that not all are sinners.

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

And again.

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”


I see that passage from romans tossed around all the time; "for all have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God."

That quote from romans not only denies righteous people who are without sin, it also denies Jesus who was the Son of Man (human) and the Son of God (God), indicating that Jesus also sinned... ?

There's a lie or many lies somewhere?


I suppose we don't all know what the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is, but since mankind gave it to me long before I knew what it was (the bible), I haven't been able to smile for years.

I don't understand this. I can't wrap my head around a group of christian brits killing the indians and then handing them a bible, telling them to be grateful. Th same people enslaved africans, abused them, raped the women, and murdered them at whim. The same people dropped a nuke on a japanese population causing destruction never seen before which also claimed over 100,000 innocent lives.

The Indians are among the greatest and most righteous of all the human groups seen in history.

I've read a lot of the bible. Come on. Eve didn't exist when God commanded adam not to eat of the forbidden fruit. How did she have a memory at all of what was said?


Furthermore, regarding cain:
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.


Regarding adam;
Genesis 5:2 | View Chapter | ContextMale and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

Why does it say THEIR name?


Then There's this in John:
22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father

Then there's this in romans....

Romans 5:12
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that [1] all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.)

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.



What really is true? Were we born to suffer? We're mortal, we have fragile bodies and we die, and we're under constant threat...

 

[Andyindauk]

I went through hell and discovered these things.

I was given a choice between two options, one being submission and surrender, and the other being damnation; however, no minister that gave me this choice knew the great love and regard that I have for all people and all living creatures of the Earth. No minister stood with me to guide me in any direction, even though I sought out dozens.

My mother and brothers are the only ones that have ever blessed me before recent days, and many left me with troubles. My brother served 11 years in the military for our nation only to come back to people that betrayed him and religious people telling him he'd go to hell if he didn't believe.

Now, I wasn't all good and dandy. I was a terrible child, and I came to regret that more than you will ever know.

A few true lovers of God came along in recent days when I was so low that I couldn't get through a single day without considering suicide from dusk to dawn because I could not live this life alone any longer, and they gave me faith in others once again.

Nobody revealed the truth to me in the word. I already knew the truth in spirit; however, others sent me into the pit at a very young age and were not able to help me out of it--when it was them who gave me drugs and isolated me for more than a decade where I was treated like I was trouble and worthless--much in the same way that christians didn't stick around yet they were fully willing to tell me what groups to hate and where I'm going when I die. They didn't know the scriptures well enough to even begin to guide me into the truth in the first place even though they placed horrible consequences such as eternal damnation and hating others and condemning others and myself upon me. It was not only sin that damaged my soul--it was mankind--that which was done to me when I was young--that which I did--that which was done to my family--that which has been done to others--and those who preached Jesus and did not know God.

For years and years and years I suffered not only my own troubles; it was also the very love that I have for others that became a source of distress and agony to me as I was told that the only ones who ever loved me, and proved it, could go to hell for eternity if they did not believe.

Do you have any knowledge of how terrible the pain was, the agony, which came from your religion, your beliefs, as I was no longer responsible for my own wrongs alone but yours as well because I love all of you?

Can you know the dreadful sorrow that came over me as I realized that according to this religion, your souls might go to hell? Why? Why? I came to learn quickly that I was in a living hell; every person I've ever loved could end up in an everlasting hell


True evil is telling somebody that nothing in them is good, and that neither their concerns nor their love for others is sufficient; to deny the good in them, and to cast them down if they do not accept christianity. To tell a person that has real love for you, enough to go to war for you, enough to give to you when they have little for themselves... even if they already trust in God completely, that it is no good unless it's 'this' way... how could this happen?

How could anyone, ever, place such fearful and sorrowful things in a person's heart? How is this righteous at all?

Luke 12:4

Then Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but after that they can do nothing more to hurt you. 5 I will show you the one to fear. You should fear God, who has the power to kill you and also to throw you into hell. Yes, he is the one you should fear.

Luke 13
Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? 19 God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant. Someone plants this seed in their garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the birds build nests on its branches.”

God's kingdom is love; love is conscious and holds every virtue in perfect harmony.

Matthew 22:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

1 John 4:8

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Hi @twcstp,

I've got bad news and brilliant news for you. Bad first - Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sins, it dies. What's sin? It's anything that's not as glorious, pure, holy and righteous as Jesus. So please don't take it personally when Christians tell you that you're heading for Hell. The same's true for all 9 billion people that ever lived.

The brilliant news is that that death is not inevitable. Jesus gave us all an escape route, all you have to do is take it. That escape is Jesus. He said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life.' John 14:6, earlier in John 14:1-3 Jesus reassured you not to stress, there's tons of room in Heaven, in fact everyone gets a mansion. All you need to do is have faith in Him and follow Him.

Now I've got some more incredible news for you. Believe and follow and that same Jesus that's the all powerful son of the most high God is going to be your older brother, in fact you'll be changed to even look like Him.

How's this all possible? What about that Ezekiel 18 verse? Well when Jesus came down from Heaven and was tortured and crucified to death, and then spent a weekend in Hell before God resurrected Him, well God was able to take that death as fulfilment of Ezekiel's warning. All your sins are instantly 'ready punished' through Jesus. His death was for you; your place in Heaven awaits you.

If you accept Jesus's invitation to follow Him, here's some easy steps to help you along the way -

Pray to God as often as you can, not just once a day but as much as possible. Talk to God like He's your best pal that you went to school with because that's what He is. Tell Him all about how you feel, what you like and dislike, what makes you happy, fears and hang ups. Praise Him for what He is and what He's done for you and of course keep asking God for His provision of all your needs.

Find a church that believes all that I've told you and ask them for baptism. Get involved, not just Sundays.

Get to know God by reading the Bible. Download an app called YouVersion. It's a Bible on your smartphone or tablet. There's loads of different versions, the ones I like are NKJV, NIV and the Amplified. There's also loads of free reading plans to help you along. Another reading plan is Jesus's sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters 5 - 7. Try and read that at least once a month.

Get to know the Holy Spirit. Soon as you decide to follow Jesus, He'll come into you and guide, comfort you and slowly work on you to make you more Christ-like.

I'm praying for you that God will reveal Himself to you and draw you to Him. All you need to do is follow Him and believe in faith.

Just know and believe that God loves you, literally to death - His son's death. He can hardly wait to welcome you into His family.

Meanwhile I'm hoping and praying for you that you will choose life. If you want to chat more, I'm only a PM away.

Best wishes,



Andy

 

[twcstp]

Thank you.

 

[twcstp]

I couldn't send you a message so im putting it here.

Hey Andy.

Thank you for allowing me to speak with you. This is a long message, if you dont want to read it that's okay.

My mother deserved far more love than i'd given her in all my years of life. She's had a very difficult life, and because of how much she sacrificed for me and my brothers, her health is very bad with chronic pain, bone spurs, arthritis, fibromyalga, depression, and osteoperosis.

I took her into a surgery center a little over a month ago. She had surgery on her foot and some bones & a socket were replace with. She's going in again in a week from now to have work done on her hand. She's always in pain, and next week marks her fourth sergery.

I was born with a twin brother, fraternal. I was a devil from the beginning, and he is an angel. My morther and my twin have the kindest souls; my mother believes, and my twin doesnt. My youngest brother disowned her. My oldest brother is severely autistic and doesn't believe either. My twin has taken many lives as a navy soldier. He has also helped everyone he could, for a very long time, and not a single person returned what he had given them: love.

I cost my twin brother 110k because I came up with a phone app idea that was too difficult to produce, so we never made it to the MVP release. That was almost 5 years ago.

I borrowed a few hundred dollars a couple months ago from my twin. I promised him a return with an interest, and I delivered on my promise.

What he said after that broke me. He told me I was the first person to start repaying him. The first. He has helped a countless number of people, and they never came back.

When I took my mother home from her last surgery over a month ago, I'd lost my job. I've lost another two since then. But here's what happened that day. After an hour passed (2pm now), the painkillers she was given in recovery wore off. She began to sob. Another hour passed by, and she could not stop crying. She was in complete agony. 40mg of vicodin, and it did nothing for her. She's a strong and stubborn woman, so it took me till midnight to convince her to let me take her to the ER. I prayed about it. She finally agreed. By 3am discharge was being prepared, and we left around 4am. She was given a shot with a drug that was around 100x the potency of morphine. She almost fell asleep around 3 am. 4am, we left, and within 30 minutes of taking her home, she was crying again, and an hour following she had agony on her face; she would hold her leg and say 'i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry.' I continued to sit with her and help her as she could not use her leg and her weight made it extremely difficult for her to move around with her leg. By 9am, we were able to get a post-op painkiller that would work--it was the same drug she'd been given at the er in tablet form. By 12pm, she was finally able to sleep. 23 hours later.

This is my mother, who raised 4 of us by herself working 2 jobs, paid her tiths, and took all of us to church as young boys. She helped strangers, and she was there for friends. She's always had one of the most beautiful souls you could meet in the world. Always. Her, and my twin.

It broke me.

I have been broken my whole life; a degenerate without a concious. When I'd finally found a drug that works, I was able to start learning and changing at the age of 17. I started to see how I was doing wrong, and how I'd been wrong to my family. I don't need to say where my soul has been for a long time now. I have been given the punishment I deserve, but them? Never should a woman like my mother suffer even a minute of the pain that made streams of tears roll off her face, and my twin deserves a twin brother that wasn't a spawn of the devil.

He went to war for me. He took lives for me. He guarded me from enemies he did not create. But he will not go to heaven according to scripture? Impossible. He bought the time I needed to learn about Jesus; who is worthy of paradise if not them? Yet I can choose where I go? With time he bought, I have a choice, even though his sacrifices closed him off to God? Except that the love he shows is proof of the spirit of God being in him. God is with him, he does not need to confess Jesus, or have i misunderstood something?

I would never settle in heaven with a brother of mine in hell, and if I were to share the messages in the bible, who is to say that people who find guilt in themselves because I opened the pages to them are not condemned because of me? If I withhold the message from them, there would be no sin in them, and sin would not come to life in them; sin, which is death. Yet, a little struggle and people change and cast off their bad ways as they prepare for their own families.

I am broken, cursed from the beginning, 26 years of pills and 'mental illness,' brought back to life twice, and guilty of many things. They have no sin.

God told cain that if he doesn't do well then sin is at the door waiting for him and he shall be his desire. That means he'd be cast into outer darkness?

Then, later it is revealed that the angels minister to God; so I suppose that God is alltogether the whole spirit of all mankind which is in everyone.



Jesus said he is the way, rhe truth, and the life; he is the tree of life of the garden of eden.

An apostle said this about God: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

'If a man hate his mother and father and broher and sister, he can be my diciple'

"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed and illustrated in him.


36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22;36-37

If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
John 12:47

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).

Genesis 3:
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.


All that matters to me is my family and my friend's family. I am grateful to God that I lost that job, else nobody would have been there the night I took her home after her surgery. I was awake and stayed next to her the whole time. Seeing my mother's face in agony and streams of tears, and the pain she was in for 23 hours straight, it was a sight I could not bear. Nothing in life is fair.

What is joy? Or hope? I am completely lost and I don't know what to believe anymore. For years I have sought to do good, but there is pain at the center of everything I do; what could I do for them? They have been wounded so badly in life, I don't understand.

 

[Andyindauk]

I couldn't send you a message so im putting it here.

Hey Andy.

Thank you for allowing me to speak with you. This is a long message, if you dont want to read it that's okay.

My mother deserved far more love than i'd given her in all my years of life. She's had a very difficult life, and because of how much she sacrificed for me and my brothers, her health is very bad with chronic pain, bone spurs, arthritis, fibromyalga, depression, and osteoperosis.

I took her into a surgery center a little over a month ago. She had surgery on her foot and some bones & a socket were replace with. She's going in again in a week from now to have work done on her hand. She's always in pain, and next week marks her fourth sergery.

I was born with a twin brother, fraternal. I was a devil from the beginning, and he is an angel. My morther and my twin have the kindest souls; my mother believes, and my twin doesnt. My youngest brother disowned her. My oldest brother is severely autistic and doesn't believe either. My twin has taken many lives as a navy soldier. He has also helped everyone he could, for a very long time, and not a single person returned what he had given them: love.

I cost my twin brother 110k because I came up with a phone app idea that was too difficult to produce, so we never made it to the MVP release. That was almost 5 years ago.

I borrowed a few hundred dollars a couple months ago from my twin. I promised him a return with an interest, and I delivered on my promise.

What he said after that broke me. He told me I was the first person to start repaying him. The first. He has helped a countless number of people, and they never came back.

When I took my mother home from her last surgery over a month ago, I'd lost my job. I've lost another two since then. But here's what happened that day. After an hour passed (2pm now), the painkillers she was given in recovery wore off. She began to sob. Another hour passed by, and she could not stop crying. She was in complete agony. 40mg of vicodin, and it did nothing for her. She's a strong and stubborn woman, so it took me till midnight to convince her to let me take her to the ER. I prayed about it. She finally agreed. By 3am discharge was being prepared, and we left around 4am. She was given a shot with a drug that was around 100x the potency of morphine. She almost fell asleep around 3 am. 4am, we left, and within 30 minutes of taking her home, she was crying again, and an hour following she had agony on her face; she would hold her leg and say 'i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry.' I continued to sit with her and help her as she could not use her leg and her weight made it extremely difficult for her to move around with her leg. By 9am, we were able to get a post-op painkiller that would work--it was the same drug she'd been given at the er in tablet form. By 12pm, she was finally able to sleep. 23 hours later.

This is my mother, who raised 4 of us by herself working 2 jobs, paid her tiths, and took all of us to church as young boys. She helped strangers, and she was there for friends. She's always had one of the most beautiful souls you could meet in the world. Always. Her, and my twin.

It broke me.

I have been broken my whole life; a degenerate without a concious. When I'd finally found a drug that works, I was able to start learning and changing at the age of 17. I started to see how I was doing wrong, and how I'd been wrong to my family. I don't need to say where my soul has been for a long time now. I have been given the punishment I deserve, but them? Never should a woman like my mother suffer even a minute of the pain that made streams of tears roll off her face, and my twin deserves a twin brother that wasn't a spawn of the devil.

He went to war for me. He took lives for me. He guarded me from enemies he did not create. But he will not go to heaven according to scripture? Impossible. He bought the time I needed to learn about Jesus; who is worthy of paradise if not them? Yet I can choose where I go? With time he bought, I have a choice, even though his sacrifices closed him off to God? Except that the love he shows is proof of the spirit of God being in him. God is with him, he does not need to confess Jesus, or have i misunderstood something?

I would never settle in heaven with a brother of mine in hell, and if I were to share the messages in the bible, who is to say that people who find guilt in themselves because I opened the pages to them are not condemned because of me? If I withhold the message from them, there would be no sin in them, and sin would not come to life in them; sin, which is death. Yet, a little struggle and people change and cast off their bad ways as they prepare for their own families.

I am broken, cursed from the beginning, 26 years of pills and 'mental illness,' brought back to life twice, and guilty of many things. They have no sin.

God told cain that if he doesn't do well then sin is at the door waiting for him and he shall be his desire. That means he'd be cast into outer darkness?

Then, later it is revealed that the angels minister to God; so I suppose that God is alltogether the whole spirit of all mankind which is in everyone.



Jesus said he is the way, rhe truth, and the life; he is the tree of life of the garden of eden.

An apostle said this about God: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

'If a man hate his mother and father and broher and sister, he can be my diciple'

"I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed and illustrated in him.


36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22;36-37

If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
John 12:47

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).

Genesis 3:
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.


All that matters to me is my family and my friend's family. I am grateful to God that I lost that job, else nobody would have been there the night I took her home after her surgery. I was awake and stayed next to her the whole time. Seeing my mother's face in agony and streams of tears, and the pain she was in for 23 hours straight, it was a sight I could not bear. Nothing in life is fair.

What is joy? Or hope? I am completely lost and I don't know what to believe anymore. For years I have sought to do good, but there is pain at the center of everything I do; what could I do for them? They have been wounded so badly in life, I don't understand.

Hi @twcstp,

Thanks for opening up and sharing. An awful lot of what you say I can relate to from personal experience. My mum was doubled up with osteoporosis, she was also blind with glaucoma but worst of all, she had dementia. Her life towards the end was a living hell. At the time I thought, when she dies, I'll be so relieved but no, when she did die, I was devastated and I still miss her dearly. So yes, I know about the bond between family, it's amazing and wonderful during good times but excruciatingly painful when you see loved ones suffer.

Can I please ask you to break off reading this post and instead read this passage out to your mum -

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:15‭-‬18 NKJV

It will mean a lot to her. Paul is writing about persecution but these verses apply equally to suffering the ravages of aging when the body deteriorates painfully and rapidly. What he is saying is that when your mum does eventually go upstairs, all the screaming pain and agony that she's suffering now will be completely forgotten in a moment when she sees and experiences the incredulity, the wonder, the joy and the absolutely fantastic and jaw-dropping splendour and opulence of Heaven, and that's going to be her home for the next few billion years and beyond. And then she'll meet God and Jesus. I can't even begin to imagine, let alone describe what that'll be like. Her suffering ..... I doubt she'll even remember it. That's what Paul's talking about, suffering now as compared to the glory that awaits. But that only applies to believers, those who have accepted and followed Jesus.

Can I please urge you to make that decision and say yes to Jesus. Then spend a bit of time praying and chatting to God along the lines I described in my previous post and then go and tell your mum what you've just done and then have your first of many prayer sessions together; pray with her, pray for her. Your mum will be so pleased to know that her little boy's name is written a few lines down from hers in the Lamb's Book of Life.!!!

Let's talk about your brother who you look up to and respect, and that's good. A truism is that everyone's default situation is destruction from the moment of our 1st sin. I said in my last post that you can reverse that default by accepting Jesus. Thankfully you don't have to have led an exemplary and inspirational life to go to Heaven, which is brilliant news for those like you and I who've been complete jerks and done some stupid bad stuff that we both regret (and believe me, I've done a lot worse things than you.) No, you just need to accept Jesus. You might ask, is that it? Well no, that's just the beginning. You then need to ask for the Holy Spirit to transform you from being a bit of a jerk, into Jesus's younger brother, and like Him in so many ways.

I'm pretty sure that your brother will see that transformation and hopefully he'll want to buy into it. Meanwhile, you and your mum must pray for him.

Please, let's not hear any of this judging your brother and refusing to accept his judgement. Number 1. You're in no position to judge your brother, that's not your role, that's between him and God. You don't know, he may well have sufficient faith to have crossed that threshold. And number 2. in any case, what a futile gesture, saying I don't want to go to Heaven if my brother's not going to be there. Like that's going to change God's mind. No, the best thing you can do for your brother is to follow Jesus and hopefully, with a lot of prayer and a bit of encouragement from you and your mum, he'll do the same.

Right, I've given two good reasons to follow Jesus, for your mum's sake and for your brother's sake, but there's two better ones. For your sake; God will totally transform your life, He'll rebuild you, give you purpose, He'll be with you, lead you, encourage you, guide you, provide and protect you. Read the rest of Romans chapter 8 and then focus on verse 28. That's only for those who believe, the rest are in canoe without a paddle, heading towards a waterfall! The 2nd good reason is for God's sake. He absolutely adores you, He's yearning for you to accept Jesus's rescue and to join Him and become His son. If you do, they're going to have a party in Heaven Luke 15:7.

So, what are you waiting for? Do it!

I'm praying for you, and your mum and your brother and there's loads of other TJers that will be praying for you to.

May God bless you in every way.

Lots of love,


Andy.

 

[twcstp]

Thanks Andy.

My decision is to obey.

 

[Andyindauk]

Thanks Andy.

My decision is to obey.

Aww ... welcome brother, that's fantastic!

Please re-read my first post in this thread, as to how to grow in the faith and have a close walk with God.

It's not easy, you'll find lots of stumbling and difficulties presented by your enemy Satan but keep focused and persevering. Through everything, keep close to God and He will bring you through.

May God bless you.

Love,



Andy

 

[Andyindauk]

Thanks Andy.

My decision is to obey.

Aww ... welcome brother, that's fantastic!

Please re-read my first post in this thread, as to how to grow in the faith and have a close walk with God.

It's not easy, you'll find lots of stumbling and difficulties presented by your enemy Satan but keep focused and persevering. Through everything, keep close to God and He will bring you through.

May God bless you.

Love,



Andy