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To: HarleyD; bornacatholic

"God is a holy and fierce (yes) God who jealously protects, guides and direct His chosen."

Yup, left a throne in heaven to be born in a manger. The jealous fierce God you speak of must have been off somewhere else on the day of the Nativity.

"The Holy Spirit comes when we are receptive. He does not compel. He approaches so meekly that we may not even notice. If we would know the Holy Spirit we need to examine ourselves in the light of the Gospel teaching, to detect any other presence which may prevent the Holy Spirit from entering into our souls. We must not wait for God to force Himself on us without our consent. God respects and does not constrain man. It is amazing how God humbles Himself before us. He loves us with a tender love, not haughtily, not with condescension. And when we open our hearts to Him we are overwhelmed by the conviction that He is indeed our Father. The soul then worships in love." Archimandrite Sophrony


2,659 posted on 12/21/2006 12:55:24 PM PST by Kolokotronis (Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!)
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To: Kolokotronis; bornacatholic
We must not wait for God to force Himself on us without our consent. God respects and does not constrain man. It is amazing how God humbles Himself before us.

This is not the picture of the second coming is it; when our Lord Jesus comes to judge the world? It is certainly not my view of God.

I view God as totally in charge and far more proactive; choosing and directing the courses of events, raising kings and establishing nations. Not one sparrow falls to the ground without His express approval. Historically God has always thrust Himself upon a world that, quite frankly, couldn't care less about Him. He came to Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and others throughout history. He called out a nation to be holy to Him and to illustrate this holiness.

God greatest desire and love for his elect is to be holy. He has given us the means to be holy through His Spirit. Even as Christians, we are without excuse before God. When we fall and sin, God understands our weaknesses but that does not excuse us. We have all the resources of God at our disposal to conform to Him. Our failures are our own. Our successes are His. He continuously chastens and hastens us to become more like Him.

This is the great truth of the scriptures (at least one of them). God's greatest effort is to raise us up to be like Him, not to come down to our level to be like us. God jealously guards us (His elect) all the while lovingly reproving us to make us more like Him. This is God's great love for us.

2,669 posted on 12/21/2006 4:18:45 PM PST by HarleyD ("You in Your mercy have led forth the people which You have redeemed." Ex 15:13)
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