tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70860844073464910.post7212687586606738305..comments2009-06-22T23:39:46.169+02:00Comments on The Jesus Path: The REAL Goal and Purpose of Jesus.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16466809222640840199noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70860844073464910.post-8179295229299282342008-09-24T09:49:00.000+02:002008-09-24T09:49:00.000+02:00Hi Christine. Wow, you're facing a serious life ch...Hi Christine. <BR/><BR/>Wow, you're facing a serious life challenge. I'm sure as you move forward with God He will protect and heal you.<BR/><BR/>About my article: I am simply trying to point out the interesting way Jesus approached the "Big Picture" of life. He was completely focused on the Father. When certain specific actions were required, Jesus dealt with them with great skill and without distraction, but the actions were driven by His harmony with the Father. I see that also in the situation you described. Everything you wrote tells me you want to be in harmony with God in what you do. That's the "Big Picture". You dealt with the specific situation the best you know how, have made a decision and then evaluated it by whether you had peace and clarity in your heart with God after having made the decision. <BR/><BR/>I wouldn't advise people to take my article and use it as a "law" of life. I think too often we set these strict rules about how things work. If someone wants to use my article then they should read it, pray about it and then ask God if any of it applies to them. Perhaps it doesn't. That's OK. Or maybe in six months something about it will come alive in them. That's great too.<BR/><BR/>No strict rules from this writer about how God works in an individual's life. The only thing I know for sure is that Jesus is the way, truth and life.<BR/><BR/>Rich blessings and God's wonderful grace on your journey back. May He bring healing and life to you in a wonderful way.<BR/><BR/>Jim.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16466809222640840199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70860844073464910.post-83955471423058456082008-09-24T04:24:00.000+02:002008-09-24T04:24:00.000+02:00But don't you think that sometimes you must focus ...But don't you think that sometimes you must focus on what is ahead in order to find God?? For example: At the moment I have been weighing up whether or not to go back to my city of origin and face what will potentially be a horrible time, or I stay here and face what could be a very lonely time. Not a very nice decision and as far as I can hear, not one that God has been very forthcoming about. Granted the lack of Godly wisdom is probebly more to do with my listening skills than his lack of communication. However, I have decided to go back, bite the bullet and face whatever may come and believe that God will give me strength and peace to endure it. In other words, until I made that decision I was in a sort of limbo, finding it very hard to focus on God as I was constantly focusing on this. Now I have got that hurdle out of the way I am finding it much easier to pray and to listen to how to deal with the forthcoming trials.<BR/><BR/>Does that make any sense? Sometimes you need to focus on the material in order to find God in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70860844073464910.post-87744170373907807702008-09-23T18:22:00.000+02:002008-09-23T18:22:00.000+02:00Thanks for your comment Christine. You're right wh...Thanks for your comment Christine. You're right when you say Jesus and the Father are one. That's the apparent dichotomy. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. That's a bit hard to wrap our brains around. It's interesting to read how Jesus functioned while living his 33 years on earth. It appears to me that Jesus laid down his 'God'-ness and lived on earth in his 'Man'-ness as stated in Phil. 2:5-8. He lived with the same limitations and opportunities to draw strength from the Father as we do. It's strange to our minds how Jesus can be God and man at the same time. (Heb. 4:15 talks about him being tempted as we are). It's also interesting to see the struggle Jesus had in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus (the man Jesus) didn't want to go through the suffering. He prayed three times that the Father would let him out of that. But finally he said, Not MY will be done but Father your will be done.<BR/><BR/>My main goal in the article is not to show a difference between Jesus and the Father. It is to show the example that Jesus gives us about focus (perhaps a better title would be the 'Primary Focus of Jesus' but I used the words from The Message as the title). The example Jesus gives us is that realizing the ultimate end often requires focusing on something other than the ultimate end. For example, if I want to be holy in my actions I don't get there by focusing on my actions and trying to make my actions holy (I will always fail). I get there by focusing on the Holy One and allowing Him to live in me and transform me.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your thoughtful ideas and this conversation.<BR/><BR/>Jim Johnson.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16466809222640840199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70860844073464910.post-48295341946860482572008-09-23T02:58:00.000+02:002008-09-23T02:58:00.000+02:00Hi Jim,This was a very thought provoking post. I ...Hi Jim,<BR/><BR/>This was a very thought provoking post. I am not sure that I entirely agree with it though. I think that you have split the persons of Jesus and the Father too far. Jesus and the Father are in theological teaching one and teh same being, if not the same person. To say that they then have different agendas is to say that God as a whole is split against himself in what his goal is. I do agree that Jesus did strive for the Father but in so much as that he was seperated from himself and wanted to be reunited. I do not think that this was his 'goal' per say, more his desire which would be achieved by reaching his goal of saving mankind. <BR/><BR/>Feel free to disagree, I would love to hear your thoughts on this further. Could lead to some interesting discussions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com