Are we worthy?

[Diogenes]

I look at my children and I know I am not worthy of them and all the joy they give me. I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. But I know that they love me and would be devistated if I severed my relationship with them. Every day, all I can do is work a little harder to do my best by them in the midst of my ignorance. Maybe our relations with God follow a similiar pathos?

 

[Sonic247]

It is odd how Jesus focused on the poor, the sinful, the sick, etc... to preach to. Why? Because they were not as learned and easier to sway? Or were they truly able to understand because of their lowly nature? Is it that the more "worthy" we are in life, the less "worthy" we are in death?

Very true, the scribes taught the people after there own traditions but didn't love the people they were over, Jesus was such a change for them that many who were rejected before found hope in him. Who is worthy? Jesus was, he was called the man of sorrows, he didn't seperate himself from people's suffering, he felt their pain, an example of this was when he cried at Lazarus's funeral, some scholars say "He knew he would raise him from the dead and was crying because he would bring him back from heaven." I don't buy that for one second, as the one who came to fufill the law and make it honorable I think he was fufilling the word of God "..weep with those who weep." You said money was paper that was assigned worth, but if a person does not have enough money to buy something he can still recieve it as a gift from the person who does. That is why Jesus came, no one is worthy of eternal life except him, he purchased it with his blood on the cross and it can be recieved as a gift from him because he died for our sins.

This I am feeling more and more everyday. I am not worthy. I am not worthy. Please, have mercy on me.

God is willing to be merciful to anyone who recieves the eternal life that is in Jesus (the only one who was never for one moment unrighteous)..

Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy edureth forever.

 

[Master Vigil]

I look at my children and I know I am not worthy of them and all the joy they give me. I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. But I know that they love me and would be devastated if I severed my relationship with them. Every day, all I can do is work a little harder to do my best by them in the midst of my ignorance. Maybe our relations with God follow a similar pathos?

I think you're in the right frame of mind there.

Very true, the scribes taught the people after there own traditions but didn't love the people they were over, Jesus was such a change for them that many who were rejected before found hope in him. Who is worthy? Jesus was, he was called the man of sorrows, he didn't separate himself from people's suffering, he felt their pain, an example of this was when he cried at Lazarus's funeral, some scholars say "He knew he would raise him from the dead and was crying because he would bring him back from heaven." I don't buy that for one second, as the one who came to fufill the law and make it honorable I think he was fulfilling the word of God "..weep with those who weep."

I agree. I think the fact that he was "the son of man" truly identifies him with our suffering, and us with his.

You said money was paper that was assigned worth, but if a person does not have enough money to buy something he can still receive it as a gift from the person who does. That is why Jesus came, no one is worthy of eternal life except him, he purchased it with his blood on the cross and it can be received as a gift from him because he died for our sins.

How odd, I would have completely rejected this months ago. But I think I'm actually starting to understand this notion. I think it falls under the idea of pure humility. We humans are so set in thinking we are in control. Whether it is our environment, or our personal spiritual fulfillment. But it is this concept that we have self-sustaining spiritual fulfillment that diminishes our spiritual growth.

If we don't suffer, we never ask for help. Suffering brings us to our knees. But unless we first go to our knees, we can never stand up.

 

[Sonic247]

Right, the ways of God are a mystery, the way to be lifted up is to humble yourself, the way to find your life is to lose it, Jesus was the ultimate example of this and he is not only the saviour of the world but the ultimate example. The apostles rejoiced when they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the gospel (the religious leaders had them whipped) because they didn't seek honour from men but from God.

John 12:24- Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.

 

[Popeyesays]

Right, the ways of God are a mystery, the way to be lifted up is to humble yourself, the way to find your life is to lose it, Jesus was the ultimate example of this and he is not only the saviour of the world but the ultimate example. The apostles rejoiced when they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the gospel (the religious leaders had them whipped) because they didn't seek honour from men but from God.

Well, yes, but remember that Simon Peter did indeed deny Christ three times on the night Jesus was arrested. Peter eventually exonnerated Himself through loyal servitude and eventual martyrdom, true enough. It seem, though, that some vacillation was the norm.

Regards,
Scott

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

But when I drive past a homeless person in Downtown Pittsburgh, I can see a radiating hunger; a hunger for food, for help, for love, for community, etc... But we all just drive past with our windows rolled up, trapped in our little man made boxes we call automobiles. And we go on living as if nothing is wrong. We don't want to be accountable for that homeless person. But in the end, we are. We are accountable for everyone around us. Because humans are naturally social creatures, we are meant to be with each other, we are meant to care for each other with total love, compassion, and glory.

This I am feeling more and more everyday. I am not worthy. I am not worthy. Please, have mercy on me.

We are accountable, we are responsible - its just we can't understand what that means. What we do has potentially cosmic significance since we simply can't know the extent of influence our actions might have as they echo through the time-space continuum.

We're no more worthy or capable of understanding what our actions might lead to as the first most basic building blocks of life on this planet were capable of understanding what their presence would lead to billions of years later.

The capacity for love and compassion that we do have could lead to a catastrophe that could be terrible in ways we could never fathom. That's one kind of unworthiness right there - our blindness. The price of real humility is never being able to know. Nevertheless knowing that you do not know is at least a little less blind (maybe ). Also humility is amongst other virtues such as compassion that pushes our buttons for what we find to be a good life.

That we're here, that we find some things to be good and that we struggle to make good is all possible because we exist as a consequence of the universe. Maybe there is some important process going on here or maybe our consequence is essentially nothing. In any case I find that the more I ponder these sorts of things the more, in its little way, my mind becomes aware of what is happening around me. With this the contrast between what I feel & see to be good in life and I feel is not becomes more pronounced while at the same time I feel & see my own judgements to be of less importance! Is this some kind of joke?

Well anyway, the result is that I find unnecessary suffering and disharmony more and more...unnecessary and disharmonious. It really matters to me what happens to 'others'. My sense of what matters may be a delusion in itself but it grows stronger even though I question it. As things go on compassion isn't so much a virtue to be sought as a compulsion to have to live with. I resent its presence sometimes but it does great things and I have to come round.

*sigh* Master Vigil I'll cut right to the chase because I'm going nowhere with my rhetoric. The kind of sentiment you were expressing is really important. If you get that sort of unworthiness feeling I suspect its because you are so ridiculously lucky as to be capable of great joy. For all of us its different because we have to live in different circumstances and have different gifts but the more you seek to serve others, the world, god, etc. not as some 'rule' that says you must but as a natural capacity to do so that has arisen and is growing within you, the more you'll feel that joy. Might not be worthy but if there is a god I don't think it cares one iota.

Work out your own unique recipe. For me it was going for anything charity-wise but I found (by clumsy trial and error) that I'm better at using what I have to make money for charities than I was at working within them (because before I ended up so poor I couldn't even help myself so that interfered with what I was trying to do). In time I'll probably find a way to both work directly for charity and earn enough money from doing so to avoid bill dodging while giving the excess I make back. I'm hoping the IT qualifications I'm accumulating will be useful for getting me into such a place. I'm getting there slowly. For instance I've just got a job working as 2nd line IT support for schools, libraries and charities that depend upon local government IT services. It is ok but I also feel the local government are a curse to the poor as much as they are good because of the welfare system so once I'm ready I'm going to try for something else.

Er, um, I'm really going off on one here. Its just that I'm so happy and the kind of sentiments I feel behind your thoughts resonate with the joy behind my mask. I'm sure you understand me even despite my clumsiness in trying to express it. Words = confusion, right.

 

[Master Vigil]

Your seemingly clumsy expression was cleanly and utterly understood!