I’ve been thinking about what you said about doubt, and of course it just brings up more questions. I feel like for people who have that gift of wonder and imagination, doubt is pretty normal. I agree with you—everybody probably deals with it from time to time.
Matthew 29 got me thinking a little deeper, though. Jesus promised to be with us always. I feel like that means He’s with each of us individually. He didn’t say, “When people mess everything up and destroy all the good things, I’ll step in and fix it.” That got me thinking about disease, illness, famine, and things like that. Was that given to the world by God? Probably not. So much of the destruction comes from people just being people—greed, power, and always wanting to be first in line.
Sorry for rambling, but that verse really made me dig deeper.
As always, thank you for sharing. Looking forward to Mark.
There are things I have very little tolerance for, and lies, liars and deception hold the top pedestal.
Regarding the often thought and spoken words, "Where are you God?", I always try to see these obstacles, challenges and hardships as not just a test of faith, but an opportunity to learn hidden internal strengths. Never easy, but in the long run, worth the scars.
You are correct, we do need to be careful. The common idea is the use of discernment, as we travel this path. But I also think that doubt is a common, and actually a useful part of that journey. As with making mistakes when we try something new, and then learning from it, having a doubt, or doubts, should lead us to dig deeper to understand what is truly happening. I think that doubts and doubting are normal human traits. All the disciples doubted at least one time or another, and they were personally chosen by Jesus. We are to have faith, to have trust, to believe, but none of those are ever without doubt in our lifetimes. When our souls leave this world, my personal faith tells me that then I will know, without doubt, the truth of the Lord. In the meantime, my faith keeps me connected.
Thank you again for walking us through another book. The years behind us have been a blessing and journey with many twists and turns, and I am looking forward to (as Paul Harvey used to say) the rest of the story, with your reading and interpretations.
Matthew was a really interesting book.
I’ve been thinking about what you said about doubt, and of course it just brings up more questions. I feel like for people who have that gift of wonder and imagination, doubt is pretty normal. I agree with you—everybody probably deals with it from time to time.
Matthew 29 got me thinking a little deeper, though. Jesus promised to be with us always. I feel like that means He’s with each of us individually. He didn’t say, “When people mess everything up and destroy all the good things, I’ll step in and fix it.” That got me thinking about disease, illness, famine, and things like that. Was that given to the world by God? Probably not. So much of the destruction comes from people just being people—greed, power, and always wanting to be first in line.
Sorry for rambling, but that verse really made me dig deeper.
As always, thank you for sharing. Looking forward to Mark.
Lies and doubt ...
Lies are the currency of the deceiver.
There are things I have very little tolerance for, and lies, liars and deception hold the top pedestal.
Regarding the often thought and spoken words, "Where are you God?", I always try to see these obstacles, challenges and hardships as not just a test of faith, but an opportunity to learn hidden internal strengths. Never easy, but in the long run, worth the scars.
You are correct, we do need to be careful. The common idea is the use of discernment, as we travel this path. But I also think that doubt is a common, and actually a useful part of that journey. As with making mistakes when we try something new, and then learning from it, having a doubt, or doubts, should lead us to dig deeper to understand what is truly happening. I think that doubts and doubting are normal human traits. All the disciples doubted at least one time or another, and they were personally chosen by Jesus. We are to have faith, to have trust, to believe, but none of those are ever without doubt in our lifetimes. When our souls leave this world, my personal faith tells me that then I will know, without doubt, the truth of the Lord. In the meantime, my faith keeps me connected.
Thank you again for walking us through another book. The years behind us have been a blessing and journey with many twists and turns, and I am looking forward to (as Paul Harvey used to say) the rest of the story, with your reading and interpretations.