robvalue,
From my perspective as a Christian.
No.
Yes.
Both at the same time.
Both in equal measure.
I am a Father. My children are all grown up. I raised them to be the best people they can be.
Did I need their help in raising them? Of course not. I was the teacher. They were the students.
Did I need their help in raising them? Of course. They had to put the teachings into practice to internalize what they were learning. They could not have become who they are without their participation in the process. Part of the teaching was about how to treat other people, so they interacted with other people a lot.
God's plan is not a mysterious secret. God's plan is to create His own children, and to raise us up to become the best that we can be, which is to be like Him.
God's plan is not something that will happen in the future, with we Christians just sitting around waiting for that future to occur. God's plan is unfolding in our lives all the time. In a nutshell, we are God's plan.
Now that you know God's plan, the answers to your questions should be self-evident.
The greatest act of faith and confidence in God is to live a Godly life to the best of my knowledge and ability. In doing so I am fulfilling His plan, becoming more like Him with each passing year. At least that is my hope. Other people might consider that I am failing utterly.
Regards,
Shadow_Man
From my perspective as a Christian.
robvalue Wrote:Does god need your help?
No.
Yes.
Both at the same time.
Both in equal measure.
I am a Father. My children are all grown up. I raised them to be the best people they can be.
Did I need their help in raising them? Of course not. I was the teacher. They were the students.
Did I need their help in raising them? Of course. They had to put the teachings into practice to internalize what they were learning. They could not have become who they are without their participation in the process. Part of the teaching was about how to treat other people, so they interacted with other people a lot.
God's plan is not a mysterious secret. God's plan is to create His own children, and to raise us up to become the best that we can be, which is to be like Him.
God's plan is not something that will happen in the future, with we Christians just sitting around waiting for that future to occur. God's plan is unfolding in our lives all the time. In a nutshell, we are God's plan.
robvalue Wrote:If the answer is yes, then your God is pretty feeble. No offense, but you're just a human. If he needs your help, he's more comparable to us than to a deity.
If the answer is no, then why are you acting on his behalf? Do you know better than God how he wants things done? Can he not cope on his own? Does he need protecting? Do things need to be a certain way before he can continue with his "plan"?
Now that you know God's plan, the answers to your questions should be self-evident.
robvalue Wrote:I suggest that the greatest act of faith and confidence in God is to leave all of that up to him, and to stop acting like he needs armies of people to do his bidding. Every action taken on his behalf betrays a lack of faith, and a frustration with his inaction. It also reveals an arrogance that you know better than God what should be done.
The greatest act of faith and confidence in God is to live a Godly life to the best of my knowledge and ability. In doing so I am fulfilling His plan, becoming more like Him with each passing year. At least that is my hope. Other people might consider that I am failing utterly.
Regards,
Shadow_Man
