Well thanks, I appreciate the feedback. Yeah I haven't seen you be condescending in any way on here and you seem to be "legitimate" with regard to your walk from what I've seen so far.
Thank you for the encouraging words . . . I really appreciate it. While I could care less what people think of me, meaning that the weird things people say do not affect how I feel about myself, I often feel like not returning. All of the people that I place on the Ignore list last year . . . I removed each of them on a pre-chosen date so as to give them all another shot at being kind and peaceful with me. That's why all of a sudden I ran into persistent conflict. So, many have found their way back on the Ignore List and things will be calming down further still.
What I love about the Shimei story is that it reminds me so much of Christ as He was being led away. Even in David's younger days, he was patient with king Saul. David could have killed Saul so many times, but David knew that the Lord placed the king in that position. David was so respectful of what God had done, that even though Saul consistently sought his life, David remained faithful to Saul's family after Saul had died. Truly amazing.
1 Peter 2:21-23 NLT - "For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly."
Isn't it amazing that Jesus is the Son of David, yet it was David who was modeling for Christ how to behave? Or, we could say that David was modeling the future Christ. I am just mind-struck by how similar David's actions are to those of Jesus. And somewhere in all of this, the genealogy of Christ makes sense:
Matthew 1:1 KJV - "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham."
As for not having free will, no one can say anything about Paul's teaching where he states that nearly all of Israel had been placed into a deep sleep (quoting Deutonomy and Isaiah):
Romans 11:7-8 NLT - "So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have--the ones God has chosen--but the hearts of the rest were hardened. As the Scriptures say, "God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear."
How can we ignore this passage? These two verses are MAJOR clues as to what the entire Bible is about. There is a reason for this "Sleep." There are reasons for the Law that covered them like a "Guardian."
Galatians 3:24-25 NLT - "Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian."
By following the law, namely, offering sacrifices, the Jews were protected. Why would they need to be protected? Because of the "Veil of Moses." This story of the Veil shows us the problem that the Jews suffered from . . . all of the world, actually! The Veil shows us that when the Veil is lowered, this represents the Sinful Nature having removed, thus "we" can properly Believe, Submit, Obey, hold Confidence and ultimately, Share the Gospel. When the Veil was lowered, all of Israel could understand and make Holy and Righteous choices. But when the Veil was lifted back in place, they could no longer understand and thus continued in their disbelief. It is all just so unbelievable . . . what God has done.
2 Corinthians 3:14-15 NLT - "But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand."
So, free will. If we would only read out entire Bibles in a timeline, chronological order, we would recognize these things as a group. They are undeniable. I am just so enamored with the Power of God in how He controls the minds of humanity. What's incredible is that he can do this to an entire nation all at the same time. That, my friend . . . is Power!
I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with your vision. Fortunately for you, the Grace of the Lord is sufficient . . . meaning, you are one of His Chosen . . . one of His Holy Elect.
I'm glad that you're here.
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