If you were suddenly in front of ten thousand people who were disenchanted with life, weary and cast down, and even desperate for a higher and better life; what would you speak to them for the next 30 minutes or so? It's really up to you now for their sakes provided you care.
It would be interesting to hear from all types of sources on this; from the atheist, to the legalist Bible thumpers, and simply from those who are in love with Christ, life, justice, and his goodness. What would you say? You only have a 30 minute window.
This message has been edited by doug-64 on Oct 25, 2009 7:40 AM
I think you know that I would say " Ask God to show these individuals the way for them to go.
Practice The Golden Rule with all mankind daily!
Add on....I did not understand the 30 minute window, correctly. So I would say ask them "heart" questions...then listen...then address them positively and with hope... from the heart.
Oxy
Add on... Doug, you got such good responses following mine, it made mine seem rather off the subject and inane, also.
This message has been edited by oxymoronish on Oct 24, 2009 11:05 PM This message has been edited by oxymoronish on Oct 24, 2009 5:26 PM
I will not respond to anymore on this post because I honestly am interested in what many of us would do in such a case.
Pray that God will direct is always a good thing, but what are we going to tell those ten thousand people sitting there intently looking to us to supply the answer in a 30 minute window to their sadness, disenchantment, or life destroying disappointments in life?
Practicing the golden rule can get touchy. To do toward others as you want to be done by, sounds good and usually it is good. When my own life was in a go nowhere mode a certain man witnessed Christ assertively to me for over a year. I was hungry, I wanted what he was saying. So if I do how I want to be done by, I will witness aggressively to all those I come in touch with as this man did. He treated me like I wanted to be treated. There will be somebody who will say that to do this is not the golden rule in motion. Everyone is different. Some have a bad taste in their mouth concerning the sharing of the Gospel of Christ because of past experiences.
I was referring to a 30 minute window that one knows would soon close and it was up to us to help hurting people who are honestly looking to us for real answers. There was a time I probably would have said; subscribe to Psychology Today and then took my seat.
This message has been edited by doug-64 on Oct 25, 2009 7:43 AM This message has been edited by doug-64 on Oct 25, 2009 7:35 AM
I earlier erased a part of my understanding of what The Golden Rule consists of. As you
stated "everyone is different".
My understanding of "the Golden Rule is to go the extra mile to find out what the other person
wants or needs from us, not simply what "we" think they want and need.
I see this as the "simple version" for everyday living.
However, there is such a thing as "Tough Love" that can go into many avenues of thought, actions
and deeds as you described. Meanwhile the action of "Tough Love" can be a very controversial
subject, so I will stop here. Doug!
Except to say....that I believe all kinds of love should be
shown with the base being kindness from the heart. Control, ego, self aggrandizment should never
be a part of being involved under the guise of "tough love".
Oxy
I will stop my opinions now...and HUSH as they say in the South!
This message has been edited by oxymoronish on Oct 24, 2009 5:33 PM
It won't be 10,000 people, And I am not sure how many will be sinners, But this is what I hope to say tommorrow morning as Testimony before I am baptised.
When I was 10 or 11 years old I realized that I was a lost sinner
and I remember well where I prayed to God for forgiveness
Faithful to his promise he forgave me gave me Peace However
through the years I was not always true to him. In fact in my
20`s I lived a very reckless life. When times were rough I would
sometimes pray and try to get closer to God. However when
temptation came my way it seemed I had no power.
2 years ago I got sick and tired of living a double life. I well
remember Christmas eve almost 2 years ago I had been
searching , Studying my Bible and reading some good books. I
wanted not only forgiveness but deliverance from my sins. I
cannot say that I have become an angle however I have been
free from the sins that kept haunting me. I have also
found that daily study of Gods word has helped me to remain
true to Christ who died for my sins.
You may be at your lowest point that you have ever been. You don't see much hope ahead for a brighter future, but whatever you do, don't give up, never give up. I have been there, I know how you feel. Try to stop the negative thoughts and think of something positive. Ask God to help you in your struggle. Be thankful for what you do have. We all know of someone that has it worse than we do.
Follow your dreams. If there is something you would like to accomplish, do it, and don't let anyone stop you. Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. Try new things. Overcome the fear of failure and rejection. Each of us has much more hidden inside us than we have had a chance to explore. Unless we create an environment that enables us to discover the limits of our potential, we will never know what we have inside of us. Now, go out there and do it!.
Right On! The message people in that situation need to here is that YOU have the power to change YOUR circumstances. The secret to life is accepting responsibility for your life. If you do not like your present circumstances, change them.
Candidate Obama did have a good message during the recent presidential campaign. CHANGE. But, do not look to the president, or anyone else, to bring about change in your life. If you depend on others to improve your situation, you will always be disappointed.
If you accept that you have created your present situation, then know that you can also change it.
GM: I couldn't have said it better. And thanks for what you said. My husband, the only income earner, has been out of work for 7 months now, and we're thankful for the reminders to "never give up".
OriginalSinnick: The moment I realized that the secret to life was to take responsibility for myself, was the moment I was "saved". To me, salvation isn't found in the Christianity theory that "the blood washes all the humanness away." In fact, that theory attempts to deny what is real and what is, ultimately, our greatest gift; our humanity. No, salvation is complete in being human, and in taking responsibility for (and accepting) our humanity. When we take responsibility for ourselves we will be open towards making conscious choices, learning lessons and the end result is becoming better and stronger.
Thanks, eng. I hope you're husband can find some employment soon. Our area still has employees getting laid off, like my brother will be next week. And the government says the recession is almost over.
This message has been edited by GMman1 on Oct 25, 2009 3:43 PM
You both have answered succintly and to the bottom line of the subject. I agree with both of
you 100%! You did not give "off the cuff" answers as I did. My apologies, Doug.
I found my "gut level" honesty with self about self responsibility 25 year ago.
It changed my life, totally. Just as Original-S explained about himself.
The BEST...Eng...I fully understand, having looked for work for over a year, fruitlessly. Fighting depression is not a fun thing.
I have found some solace in the words of the song" It's in the Valleys we Grow".
No,
Sirius I am not a phoney! I believe learning and growth are one of the most positive and exciting things in life, therefore, albeit being an agnostic, I am continually searching for enlightment in every aspect of my life! Although, Showing and Sharing LOVE, to me, is the bottom line...
This message has been edited by oxymoronish on Oct 25, 2009 4:35 PM
After posting that this morning the word came to me that if you are called before KINGS and Princes not to worry about what you would say but to rely on his spirit.
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