Who is already in Heaven?

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Hullexile said:
So we should not have any pleasure in this world? Don't come to the Philippines, the happiest place in the world.
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So when Philippines law enforcement carry out extrajudicial killings of drug suspects that is a happy thing to be celebrated? The loves ones of the executed person celebrate the death of their loved one i guess... not..

So when Islamic Abu Sayyaf took over a city in the Philippines and caused the death of thousands in a months long siege and beheads Christians i guess you smile with happiness for some reason??

I am not happy with people having their heads hacked off by ISIS allied wahhabist islamic jihadists.. Makes me wonder how much of the reality of the Philippines must one willfully shut out to walk around in a happy frame of mind all day long?

John 12: KJV
25 "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
 
Hullexile said:
So we should not have any pleasure in this world? Don't come to the Philippines, the happiest place in the world.
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The Filipinos Ive met are generally speaking joyful people as a whole. This is despite their circumstances. The ones Ive met in Australia work hard , rarely complain and most Im told send money home to help their poverty stricken relatives. And on top of this, its very common for priests in Australia to be from there. What generous people!
 
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morefaithrequired said:
Some people can be joyful despite their suffering. Ive met joyful people in wheelchairs. As l said I was expressing my gratitude. when things go well for me, i feel its a glimpse of Heaven. And when things dont go well, I can be the biggest complainer of all! 😁
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Well said. (y) We have been going through a Bible study series at church on how to have the joy of the Lord, which transcends our circumstances which may not always be pleasant. For many people, life can be very hard at times. Our daily circumstances can at times rob us of our joy. In the middle of these realities, experiencing continuous, heart filled joy can seem unattainable. But the Bible repeatedly talks about experiencing a kind of joy that transcends our circumstances. Jesus told his disciples that he wanted them to experience the fullness of his joy in their lives (John 15:11; 16:24; 17:13). The apostle Paul calls believers to "rejoice always," pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians that speaks of joy multiple times. Paul uses words like rejoice or joy to describe what our state of mind or general attitude should be as Christians. And he writes this letter in the midst of his own very difficult circumstances, even having been in prison. So by the time Paul wrote to the Philippians, he had experienced many hardships! Yet rather than allowing his circumstances to drive him to despair, bitterness and discouragement, Paul experienced deep joy and pleaded with the Philippians to share in his joy. Now that is truly experiencing the joy of the Lord! :)
 
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mailmandan said:
Well said. (y) We have been going through a Bible study series at church on how to have the joy of the Lord, which transcends our circumstances which may not always be pleasant. For many people, life can be very hard at times. Our daily circumstances can at times rob us of our joy. In the middle of these realities, experiencing continuous, heart filled joy can seem unattainable. But the Bible repeatedly talks about experiencing a kind of joy that transcends our circumstances. Jesus told his disciples that he wanted them to experience the fullness of his joy in their lives (John 15:11; 16:24; 17:13). The apostle Paul calls believers to "rejoice always," pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians that speaks of joy multiple times. Paul uses words like rejoice or joy to describe what our state of mind or general attitude should be as Christians. And he writes this letter in the midst of his own very difficult circumstances, even having been in prison. So by the time Paul wrote to the Philippians, he had experienced many hardships! Yet rather than allowing his circumstances to drive him to despair, bitterness and discouragement, Paul experienced deep joy and pleaded with the Philippians to share in his joy. Now that is truly experiencing the joy of the Lord! :)
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Extremely well said! 😀
 
Bingo said:
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I study the Bible 8 to 10 hours a day including prayer and reflection, don't watch TV or read a paper, withdrawn from social media apart from this site because it is also Bible study. Don't smoke, drink. The only spend on myself outside of food and medical is on Bible study books. Go out once every two or three months. Sold my car.

I am not saying I am special, circumstances, which means God, have pushed me this way luckily.

I still have a good laugh with my family and find both happiness and joy. At times like the OP I can think this is a bit of heaven on earth. It doesn't mean I really think it is heaven just that I feel close to God. If you are not feeling joyous get closer to God.
 
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This was a useful thread. I thank everyone for their response. Including those who disagreed with me. I still have the utmost respect for those who find no joy in their life. Sometimes that is impossible. Just watching the news of places like Syria, I imagine it is incredibly difficult to find something to smile about.May such people find joy one day if not in this life, then the next.
 
psalm118-24m.png
 
I think of my pastor I grew up with, my daddy, his daddy, my uncle that sadly died during labor, as well as my great grandma. Lots of family reunions with people I never got to meet.
 
Adstar said:
So when Philippines law enforcement carry out extrajudicial killings of drug suspects that is a happy thing to be celebrated? The loves ones of the executed person celebrate the death of their loved one i guess... not..

So when Islamic Abu Sayyaf took over a city in the Philippines and caused the death of thousands in a months long siege and beheads Christians i guess you smile with happiness for some reason??

I am not happy with people having their heads hacked off by ISIS allied wahhabist islamic jihadists.. Makes me wonder how much of the reality of the Philippines must one willfully shut out to walk around in a happy frame of mind all day long?

John 12: KJV
25 "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
Click to expand...

Firstly the extra judicial killing stuff is made up. There is a coalition of the oligarchy liberal party, the communist party and the Catholic church hierarchy. (That is not an invention on my part). The Philippines is 90% Christian, and Duterte has around 80% support. Go figure. Big reduction in hunger, in poverty, free college and university introduced, universal healthcare being introduced, free contraception for the poor, massive fall in crime, communists all but defeated, peace with the Muslims, booming economy, plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Bad things happen, but people here respond with trust and faith in God. So they stay happy despite volcanos, earthquakes, typhoons, terrorism, oppression, corruption.

One of the things I love about living here is that almost everyone is a believer, many strong believers. Perhaps 1% atheist.
 
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morefaithrequired said:
What interests me are the influence of Evangelicals and Pentecostals there for example.....still Catholics rule ! 😇😁
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Hundreds of years of history and dominance in political and economic life will not be shifted overnight. It is interesting how many of the new politicians are Evangelical.

My youngest goes to a private Catholic school and probably 20% of her class are Protestant. Protestant numbers are growing as a percentage year by year. Baptists, some Methodist, mostly nondenominational.

In terms of influence of the Catholic Bishops. Duterte called "their" God stupid, told people not to confess to priests but say sorry to God directly, not to give money to the Catholic Church because they priests just used it to support their illegitimate children, etc.

In the 2019 election for Senate the Bishops said on TV, in the papers, from the pulpit, vote Liberal, a vote for Duterte allies was an attack on God. Landslide for Duterte allies, Liberals got zero seats.
 
1 Core 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

It does not matter how joyous and happy I am in this life, it is not to be compared to heaven.

If I'm so happy and joyous in dis ol' world, fine then, let me remain here. After all, it's just like heaven.

1Cor 7:31 It won't make any difference how much good you are getting from this world or how much you like it. This world as we know it is now passing away.

Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Watch ye and pray!
 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Bob and I just read that chapter :)

Ephesians 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father
for everything, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ.
 
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