Ask, Seek, Knock

[Darkstar]

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You find contentment because it is in your head.

Again no. For we seek contentment in a better Job, a bigger house, good health, a pretty girl friend/wife. all these are the types of things we seek contentment in. For me it took God taking all of these things from me before i found contentment. When I sat on the bottom I can assure you with all honesty content would be the last way I would describe myself. Yet i remained faithful and contentment was given.

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"For me it took..." Yes, for you, not necessarily for others.

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God somehow offers every theist exactly what they want because they can make up anything. If anything good happens in your life, it was god. Anything bad happens, well, he can't be expected to do everything, right? (Though there would be no way to distinguish between his doing it and it occuring due to ther factors.)

Actually I have found the oppsite to be true. When things are going too good I take a 'moral inventory" of my life to make sure I am still connected with God. Because an easy life breeds complacancy. Christ warned us about becomming Luke warm. so why would God give something that would make us Luke warm in our faith? I have also found in my darkest hours I have been given the greatest gifts. My greatest strengths were forged on the threashing room floor. God's gift can be found where we would not think to look or ask.

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Actually, that was what I was reffering to. Not a general good mood, per se, but a good event that breaks a trend.

God offers us nothing. If god offered us something, then why doesn't he answer prayers?

He does, but according to His will and not your own for He is not your personal genie.

I've heard the 'gumball machine' argument before. Firstly:
Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
Of course, some prayers that are never answered.
How is there a difference between god answering prayers when he feels like it and not doing it at all? There is no way to tell the difference.

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(And don't say because we are asking for something selfish; If I pray for the starving kids in Africa they will still be starving).

when was the last time you asked for this? If you ask loud enough He will answer. I can tell you what His answer would be because I heard it when I prayed a similar prayer. He will tell you Go and fill that need. That His work will be done by your hands.

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Me: Uh, god? There are some starving kids in Africa, and ones dying of diseases you created, so could you please help them? I'm just a poor college kid, I don't have much money to give.
god: pfft, yeah right! Do it yourself, fill that need! I have better things to do, like help Tebow score some touchdowns.

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Uhh...Let's look at this again. "God was the god of the Jews"...
Now, what does that tell you? It tells you that the Jews worshiped him as their god. It does not explain why god offered Judaism to only a small portion of the world, and why he let them worship false gods for a long time before revealing himself.

Actually it does exxplain why God only offered Himself to s select few. Because God does not love everyone the same. He knows you are not basically a 'good person,' and that you have little to any redeeming qualities of your own accord. He also know the rest of the world suffers from this as well. The reason He choose the jews was because their father Aberham, had a faith that impressed God, so He made a promise to aberham to make him a great nation that from which the whole world would be blessed/saved.

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I see... How exactly did Abraham have [more] impressive faith if god didn't reveal himself to other people? Why did god never advocate peace?

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By your logic (and, in fact, from what I understand) god arbitrarily revealed himself to the Isrealites and helped them decimate the world in his name. Why them? Why didn't he show himself before paganism took hold? Or is it because he wouldn't have had a [weak] justification to spill some blood?

see above.(the unworthy/not basically good people bit.)

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Why didn't he reveal himself and then see who had impressive faith? Or did he purposely allow paganism to spread as a test of faith?

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500 posts!
Wow, this is going by fast!