|
SHOWBREAD
raw rock message board
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
limework
R-E-C-Y-C-L-E
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 11245
Location: Southwest Missouri
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:18 am Post subject: Oh Taste and See! |
 |
|
| Psalm 34:8 (NLT) wrote: | | Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him! |
If you believe in God, why do you believe? Were you taught to say that there is a God and to go to church on a regular basis? Do you exclusively feed off of others' enthusiasm for God and/or Christianity because you have no genuine excitement or thirst for the things of God on your own?
Your answer to any of these questions and many more like it would certainly be different if you have tasted God for yourself vs. if you have not. How do you "taste" God anyway? What does that even mean?
The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. Okay, so what does that mean? I understand it to mean that when you worship God in any form, be it singing to Him, talking to Him, etc, He becomes tangible, where you can feel Him in this natural world. The reason I understand it to mean this is because this is exactly what has happened to me several times.
Too many of us, Christians and unbelievers alike, are burnt out on religion. The Christians are so used to being either forced or obligated to "be Christian" or to tell others about the Gospel that we've run ourselves dry and apathetic about the whole thing. The unbelievers have either had bad experiences with the church, or have not yet found any evidence for God, or both. What both groups have in common is that they have not tasted and seen that the Lord is good.
When you go to a movie that you end up really liking, do you tell other people about it because you feel obligated to? Of course not; you tell everyone because you saw the movie yourself and know that it's awesome so you can't help but talk about it. It is no different than experiencing God for yourself, then telling people about Him because you just can't help it, as opposed to feeling obligated to because it's "what you believe".
Friends, if you haven't tasted God and don't genuinely believe in Him, stop being fake. You're not fooling anyone. As Landon from Showbread pointed out on this forum, most atheists know the Bible better than a lot of Christians. So if you're a Christian and you're trying to argue God's existence to an atheist or agnostic, chances are you're not going to shake them. If you don't genuinely believe in God, you're not going to carry a confidence necessary to be convincing. It doesn't matter how knowledgeable about the Bible you are. Scriptural know-it-alls convert the most people anyway don't they?!
So now you're curious. Now you want to taste God. But you're not sure if you even believe in Him. And I told you that He hangs out with you when you worship Him. But how do you worship something you're not even sure is there? Well, what do you have to lose? Start praying. All praying is is talking to God anyway. Be real. If you want real results, be real with your prayers. No "I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you...." (unless you mean it of course). Start with something like "Okay God, I don't know if you're really there, but if you are, please talk to me." And from there it will easily turn into a personal conversation if you're honestly wanting one.
_________________
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
mort
whitest kid u know
Joined: 04 Nov 2007
Posts: 6238
Location: In the Swamps
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
thanks, needed that.
_________________
| willev7 wrote: | | awsome, hopefully they will put out by both books for..?? sale! I'm all over that! |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
limework
R-E-C-Y-C-L-E
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 11245
Location: Southwest Missouri
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:29 am Post subject: |
|
|
oh, and if you guys actually try praying, you may not get an answer immediately. if you're honestly looking for God, He will make Himself real to you at the most appropriate time, which may not be right when you ask.
but seriously, "believing" in God and actually believing in Him make for two radically different lives. everything changes once you know God is there.
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MarkAtThePark
safa
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 3131
Location: Modesto CA
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
This hits home with me. Through with whole doubting God ordeal, I've basically only asked other why they feel God is real, expecting their answers to lead me to a conclusion. But even then, I doubt if I would actually attempt to make an effort myself to truly find out if God is real. Basically, I've been asking others to find God for me, but that won't do anything for me as far as me feeling God for myself. I'm amazed that I haven't thought of something as simple as this throughout this process. I mean, I've prayed and all, but it was always for other people, I've never actually asked God to make himself known to me. I don't know exactly where I was going with any of that, but just know that this is something I'm to try out. Right now, I feel like there is a God but until he makes himself known to me I'm not going to follow that God, so this advice actually fits me perfectly, and I feel pretty dumb not thinking of this myself...
thanks for that, great job.
like i said, i'll be doing just this.
_________________
| JeremySexytime wrote: | | Whatever you do, don't read Mark's sig. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
hannahsayshello
grape juice
Joined: 06 Dec 2008
Posts: 799
Location: the land of fake believe
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
i needed this.
like, really really needed this.
thank you.
_________________
photography |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Princeps
Seahorse
Joined: 04 Aug 2009
Posts: 373
Location: Portland, OR
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | Too many of us, Christians and unbelievers alike, are burnt out on religion. |
What is up with the religion hate? Every last Christian I run into these days thinks it's cool to bash religion, or ritual, or anything that's not spontaneous.
I pray the Agpeya seven times a day; I go to a church with not just a liturgy but a highly complicated one that takes three hours and changes every Sunday according to the weeks after Pascha (Orthodox Easter). And I have never, not once, experienced this "dead religion" that everyone keeps talking about in a church that actually practices it.
I've seen "dead religion" in the spontaneous churches though. Everyone's such an individual in their worship of God when they all mumble a drive-by "hi how ya doin" at the meet-and-greet, repeat the same worship chorus for a ninth time because the Jesus rock band is "in the Spirit", and listen to another individualistic three-point alliterative sermon before they decide to tack on a grape juice-and-crackers Communion at the end.
Religion is okay. It's actually pretty cool. Because I've never experienced God in the full outside of it. In an Orthodox Church, there are all these chanters and readers and you know what to say and do, but when you're focused on the worship and not the fact that you're such an individual and I don't know if I like this worship chorus or whatever, it's amazing. And everything is beautiful, the icons, everything. You can stare into a representation of Christ as you lose yourself in the Trisagion Hymn, or whatever. The theology actually reads that the liturgy is meant to create a "heaven on Earth" for just a short while, up until the benediction. And it feels just like that.
_________________
what |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
limework
R-E-C-Y-C-L-E
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 11245
Location: Southwest Missouri
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:07 am Post subject: |
|
|
religion itself isn't necessarily a bad thing (though i personally would say it pretty much is, but that's a different issue), but it's ended up that way in a lot of cases because people have focused too much on it and have lost focus on the one who christianity was named after.
i don't necessarily bash religion or anything that isn't spontaneous. i just don't like it when church is more about anything (be it rules, routine, ritual, whatever) than it is about God Himself.
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Princeps
Seahorse
Joined: 04 Aug 2009
Posts: 373
Location: Portland, OR
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
Church should be all about getting in contact with God, nothing less and nothing more. But ritual and religion is the method to accomplish that, at least from my POV.
_________________
what |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
limework
R-E-C-Y-C-L-E
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 11245
Location: Southwest Missouri
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Princeps wrote: | | Church should be all about getting in contact with God, nothing less and nothing more. But ritual and religion is the method to accomplish that, at least from my POV. |
it's one method, sure. but too many times people get caught up in the act rather than the One who they're supposedly doing it unto, which leads to fake christians. that's all i'm saying.
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Princeps
Seahorse
Joined: 04 Aug 2009
Posts: 373
Location: Portland, OR
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
I dunno. Like I said, I've found dead ritual more often in churches that don't believe in ritual than churches that do.
Anyway, nice thought-provoking piece. I won't derail it any further. :p
_________________
what |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
limework
R-E-C-Y-C-L-E
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 11245
Location: Southwest Missouri
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:28 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Princeps wrote: | I dunno. Like I said, I've found dead ritual more often in churches that don't believe in ritual than churches that do.
Anyway, nice thought-provoking piece. I won't derail it any further. :p |
that's funny. people can also go off the other extreme end, and try too hard to be spontaneous or whatever, and aren't exempt at all from being spiritually dead (as you said). it's just funny how people screw things up no matter what, haha.
and thanks. 
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
CJtheSloth
RECRUITER
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Posts: 4162
Location: Jackson, MI
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
Princeps, I don't have any prior experience with you as you came while I was on a leave of absence... I think I'm going to like you.
Also, much love to Limey. You are an inspiration. Thanks for this and every lesson you have ever taught me!
_________________
| mlatchaw91 wrote: | | heavymetal_dante wrote: | | Syd should all get to be admins |
|
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Demetrius
...Tentacles?
Joined: 09 Jun 2008
Posts: 7485
Location: Here.
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
This just makes me sad. The only time I've ever gotten word from God is when he tells me stuff I shouldn't do. He's a big guy in the sky pointing his finger at me and saying, "No."
Regardless, I still love Him. But I don't feel like I've ever truly experienced him.
_________________
| Dorothy Parker wrote: | | If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
limework
R-E-C-Y-C-L-E
Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 11245
Location: Southwest Missouri
|
| Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:58 am Post subject: |
|
|
when God tells you not to do something it's for your own good because He knows you better than you know yourself.
you probably already knew this, but did you REALLY know it? haha.
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
shelbytheshnazz
Showbreads biggest fan. Really for real.
Joined: 07 Apr 2008
Posts: 700
Location: in upendi
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 7:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
| wow, limework, that was fantastic. like, really really super crazily fantabulisticly fantastic. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dissonance
queen of the wild things
Joined: 01 Oct 2008
Posts: 420
Location: PA
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| shelbytheshnazz wrote: | | wow, limework, that was fantastic. like, really really super crazily fantabulisticly fantastic. |
This. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
|
|
