It really seems like Jesus is pretty demanding. I know much of the gospels is filled with stories of his compassion. But it seems most of the Bible is," Don't do this. Do this. Don't forget to do this. You better be doing this. Watch out and stay away from this." For those who want to paint it as true I must say that I think I picked this up from a very demanding parent who was the less religous one. I am not blaming that parent but I would really like to shake this view. I want to be spiritual all the time. Does this mean I need to pray a lot, always be thinking about how to serve others,study my bible a lot... etc... That just seems to wear me out. Where is the " rest for your soul" part.
2007-01-21 15:00:58 · 7 answers · asked by lend322 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It is time for you to realize that you are pursuing a chimera and give up on religion. There are far better ways for you to spend your time and energy.
2007-01-21 15:07:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I certainly feel for you, friend. It sounds like you're trying to do this by your own efforts, which are doomed to failure. Have you repented and asked Jesus to be Lord of your life? Have you been transformed by the Holy Spirit?
Jesus told Nicodemus, who was a strict Jew, that "Truly, I tell you that, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of Heaven."
If you have done all this, try asking the Holy Spirit to guide you as to what you "should" do, or not. You might want to ask yourself, what would Jesus do (your Bible will tell you)? You cannot be perfect, although you should be striving for perfection. You are on a marvelous adventure, but one that takes discipline. You should be moving forward (maturing) on the path to God.
Think of God as the perfect Father, who loves you and wants what is best for you. You should DESIRE to please Him. When He looks at you, don't you want Him to smile?
Or look at Jesus. He took every insult, every cruel pain, every agony on the cross for YOU! He could have come down off the cross at any time of His choosing, saying, "I'm not going through this for these ungrateful sinners." But he didn't. He suffered physical and emotional pain that we can't even imagine. Why? Because : "Greater love has no man than this: that he would lay down his life for his friends." You're His friend! Don't you want Him to smile when He looks at you?
You have entered into the most beautiful and sacred relationship you'll ever have. Talk to Him throughout the day. When you see something beautiful, thank Him. When something good happens to you, even the small things, thank Him. When something bad happens, ask for His help and thank Him for being there. Ask Him if there's something He wants you to learn from the experience.
Prayer, reading your Bible, obediance, etc. are things that are GOOD for you. They keep you on the right path and away from the Enemy. at the end of the path, don't you want to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Be encouraged!
friendsintruth@yahoo.com
2007-01-22 02:16:11 · answer #2 · answered by nursep 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have often in my walk felt the same way. Do this, don't do that. Then I realized the things, if followed to the best of your ability save you from other things in which you do not want to happen. Kind of like a parent/child relationship. You tell your kids the same. Bombard them with the do's and don'ts but it is only to save them from what you already know can happen. Same thing with God.
He says do not have sex before marriage. Well you can see what happens when you do. Its the same with the Bible. The New Testament is like instruction. He knows what will happen if you do something and so he is telling us how to live.
Just keep your faith, read the Bible, ask his will be done in your life. Keep your forward progression toward being Christ like and God will honor that.
BTW. you might also be worn out but that my friend is a lie from the devil. Pray before you read. Ask for his knowledge and ask that it be made real in your life. His will is always first. He will not keep you weary or faint . . . .. Read Psalms whenever you feel that way and thank him in EVERYTHING. You are on the right path, do not stray!!
God Bless
2007-01-21 23:21:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, Jesus is loving, but also demanding. Being spiritual all the time doesn't mean walking around with your hands folded every second. You could set up a time for Bible reading, but you don't have to read pages and pages to be spiritual. You could set up times for prayer, but you don't have to pray for hours to be spiritual. God hears the shortest prayers, so whenever you need help you can shoot off a one-liner and He will hear it. So yeah, be spiritual and follow God's commands, but you're not a monk, so keep it real. Be praying for you.
2007-01-22 07:58:57 · answer #4 · answered by Terial 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Two commandments are all you need to worry about love the Lord your God with all your heart and Love your neighbor as yourself, in these you have kept the whole Law.
And He will give you the grace and strentgh to keep these.
READ ALL THE CHARLES SPURGEON YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON. HE WAS A GREAT WRITER, PREACHER. HE IS CALLED THE PRINCE OF PREACHERS.
2007-01-21 23:13:05 · answer #5 · answered by wisdom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you look at the 10 Commandments they are wirttten as ..."Thou Shalt Not"...but if you read Matthew 22:36-40, where Jesus was asked by a young man..."Master, what is the greatest Commandment in the Law?" He was hoping to bait Jesus to give him one of the 10 Commandments... but Jesus did not answer him with one of the 10 Commandments... Jesus said ..."Thou shalt love thy Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighvor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Now Jesus did not put any ..."Thou Shalt nots..." Spirituality is nothing more than developing a strong friendship for God the Father as Jesus taught us. Jesus taught about God the Father... not himself. It was years after Jesus left us that man put the emphesis on Jesus instead of God the Father. What prayer did Jesus teach us when he was asked how to pray... "Our Father. Who art in heaven..." Not "Our Jesus, who art in heaven..." We pray to God the Father in the name of Jesus as taught by Jesus, in the Name of Jesus. Oh yes, If you want to read in the Bible what Jesus taught read Matthew 5-6&7. This was his most important teachings. It is called..."The Sermon on the Mount." And it does not have ONE... "Thou Shalt Nots..." in those three chapters... and Yes, God is demanding... You never earn and gain anything without having to work for it... and as it is easier to be lazy and slothful and not work... we see God as demanding. But if you put more positive energies into yourself... it helps to be successful. Hope this helps... My advice... read Matthew 5,6,&7 and then Matthew 22... The Sermon on the Mount replaces the 10 Commandments as the "New Law" or New Covenant that Jesus taught. Hope this helps. Good Luck!
PS... Why did Jesus put the order of loving God as 1st... "with all thy HEART"... then 2nd..."and with all thy SOUL"... and then 3rd... "with all thy MIND." In that order ... heart, soul, mind instead of ... heart mind and soul? Could it be that we have to love God first with our HEART... which will then activate that love into our SOUL... and that will engender our MIND to understand God better?
2007-01-22 00:22:59 · answer #6 · answered by Callie Kitty 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that if you desire to please God, He will give you rest for your soul. The things that you see as demands, I see as opportunities to please my Heavenly Father, which allows me to become even closer to Him. The closer you are to Him, the better your life will become.
2007-01-21 23:12:07 · answer #7 · answered by Iamnotarobot (former believer) 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋