I was just thinking a few days ago that I hadn't had that many problems in a few months and that I was probably due for a share of them. Apparently I was correct.
Xian, I sometimes wonder if bad things happen to a person because God is "punishing" them for something they did?
Well, the Bible said "you will reap from what you sow"
But if you're truly sorry and ask Him for forgiveness (and mean it in the heart), I doubt He'd punish you. But you will reap what you sow, no doubt about it. All of us do. Whether it's good or bad, we will reap.
Lazarus wrote:Xian, I sometimes wonder if bad things happen to a person because God is "punishing" them for something they did?
That's a valid question, but bad stuff isn't always God's punishment (it's quite commonly not God's punishment). Go read Job to get what I mean. Job was righteous and was severely tested; his friends and family accused him of having some untold sin, but he wasn't guilty. After remaining true to God in spite of all of the bad stuff, Job was eventually rewarded with a great deal of physical blessings, and he has one of the greatest testimonies in the Bible. I'm pretty sure that all of the major prophets went through terrible things and persecutions, and weren't always rewarded in this life, but they remained true to God and made a huge difference in the world.
I know that this may not make you happy at the moment, but you've shown yourself to be true to God, so take heart! As long as you remain true to God, He will use you and ultimately reward you for it.
As far as God's punishment of sin is concerned, His punishments tend to be a bit more cause and effect than abstract punishment. Example: you mistreat your friends, then you may lose those friendships. Which makes sense, and is a common form of God's punishment. In contrast: You mistreat a friend and then you fail a test. Not exactly reaping what you sow.
All the same, if there's something you need to get off your chest, then do so. Usually you're your own worst punishment for sin for any non-capital offense. Guilt is a powerful thing, just remember what it's good at: making you feel bad for disobeying God's law so that you won't commit the sin again.
Xian_Lee wrote:I guess I was beaten to the punch with referencing Job.
And I guess I shouldn't try to fix everyone's problems (without a request) on the spam board.
Some People Are Mean - SPAM!
No - I'm glad you replied, and it was helpful to read that post. Thanks, Xian.
Btw, I think of this spam thread as a place to talk about a diverse variety of topics - NOT a place for people to post "spam" "plorp" etc. or nonsense that merely increases their post count.
Of course, my post count has gone through the roof because of this thread. And I agree with what it is this thread could/should be about. I just tend to make it a serious thread.
I would want to grow rustproof cars. To be able to biologically grow a mechanical object would be amazing. Money may not grow on trees but rustproof cars do!
Thanks, Xian.
