This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen…
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.”
“Why do you say that?” asked the customer. “Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.” The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: “You know what? Barbers do not exist.” “How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!” “No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.”
“Ah, but barbers DO exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me.” “Exactly!” affirmed the customer. “That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”
If you think God exists, send this to other people— If you think God does not exist, delete it!
BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS !!!!! Because we are all fighting some kind of battle each day.
The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you … For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:1-23)
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” {worth all you have} (Matthew 13:44-46)
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. {worth all you have} (Matthew 13:45-46)
“With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” {starts small on earth, grows fast} (Mark 4:30-32)
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” {starts small on earth, spreads fast} (Matthew 13:33)
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. {some get in, some do not} (Matthew 13:47-48)
“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves … So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” {some get in, some do not} (Matthew 18:23-35)
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom … Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” {some get in, some do not} (Matthew 25:1-13)
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son … For many are called, but few are chosen.” {some get in, some do not} (Matthew 22:2-14)
Jesus’ Parable of the Sower [farmer] {Battle of Good versus Evil}
And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:3-9)
Jesus’ Parable of the Weeds {Battle of Good versus Evil}
Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'” (Matthew 3:24-30)
Jesus’ Explanation
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:36-43)
Sometime people treat us in an unacceptable way. whether it’s in a direct contact or it’s just by words. When this things happened, we have choices to choose whether we choose the “An eyes for an eyes” way, or just ignoring it and waiting for the right time for a revenge, or we choose the hardest way of forgiveness. This reminds me what Christ have choose when he knows that he will be captured, punished and hanged on the cross ’til death. He was entirely human in the flesh and blood, but at the same time He is the Son of God. When he was praying in Gethsemane, He says, “Abba,[a] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for You. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” – Mark 14:36. That surely convinced us about human nature of afraid, worries, self-ambitious, etc. but the difference here is what He have chosen. He choose to obey the will of God, even though it is not what He wanted, and even though He had done no wrong. Even though the Romans authority found nothing to accuse Him. That is the meaning of Agape; an unconditional love.
Romans 12 (NIV) Love in Action 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Mat 5:39
But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.
24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Doing ministry in church has been a part of my life time, And I’ve seen peoples come-in and get-out of church ministries. Of course, church ministry is a voluntary and must not become an issue of being forced. But the issue here is about the heart of serving God. It was never meant to impress people, but to strengthen each other in faith. But unfortunately, Sometimes gossips, mocking, comments, and even advices or thoughts has become a destructive weapon that could kills a soul. Even those who was standing ON FIRE at beginning collapse down. So this is very clear indeed is a matter and issue of the heart. Our PURPOSE in doing something is the ultimate accelerator that drives us and keeping the wheel keep on spinning. So what are the right fuel that will keep our engine run smooth and generates the mighty “VRRROOOOMMMM…” sound in faith?
Here are some of faith engine faulty and system errors that I want to share:
1. TALENT / WISDOM / POPULARITY drives too fast (1 Samuel 2:3, Romans 12:3 & 16, Proverbs 8:13, Isaiah 13:11, James 4)
2. OVER SENSITIVES “Malfunction censor”
3. AGE make us think that we are better than everybody
4. LONE RANGER (Solo hero)
5. TOO BUSY racing and forgot to be maintained with spiritual fuel and replacement of tires and faulty parts
6. Too much SHOW OFF at the road, speeding and risk others’ life.
7. Just following the SCHEDULE / completing DUTY or it just becoming a routines of programs or activity for fun or just an extras during free times
8. CLOSED MINDED & BLOCKING others to overtake
9. SELFISH & EGO driver didn’t look the sign board, they turn when ever they want to, without giving signals, and they often make U-turn (NEVER REPENT) when they ended up lost at a death road . (Hosea 6)
10. DO NOT STOP when the traffic lights turn to red, and DO NOT OBEY by breaking thelaw and does not obey the authority.
If your engine is broke apart like this, It’s time to return back to the INVENTOR. Who really knows you from the bottom-to-top and inside-out. Not just as an inventor but far more than that, The ONE that give you the batteries to come alive, and back to “those” who maintain you everyday, who kept you from thirsty of water and fuel, and kept you clean.
Dear God, please don’t let me, my brothers and sisters in Christ lost in our faith, but please make us stronger to overcome any circumstances. remind us when we forgot, that you are our creator, father, savior and faithful friend. In the name my Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5 (NIV)
16Rejoicealways, 17 praycontinually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Is Bible powerful? Or is it just a book that has been written by man? I don’t know why are people thinking about this. yet, a bible is just a bundle papers with writings on it. But to me it’s not about the materials, ‘things’ or something that are in the logic of the atheist. The important thing here is, It still EXIST until today. People may think that it is not the oldest book on earth as in http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120601015226AAiPQhe. Because they look at things through the atheist kind thinking about existence of things, logic or something that can be proved (Even though they still cannot prove anything about ‘things’ like air, wind, etc which is cannot be seen). They claimed that it’s not a book because it’s only a collection, and it’s not the original or first copy of the book. Well, I guess they have forgotten that books was not actually a bundle of papers at the beginning. Even the manuscript that have been written in pyramid was written or drawned on the wall (not paper). what is the purpose of people writing at the beginning? is it to sale it on street like news papers or magazines? or is it to get popularity or creating a successful book selling business? I believe that there is peoples all around the world that have tried to vanish Bible, but they could not even make it until their last breath. You may also want to check my other post in my Blogger: Faith vs Science. God bless.
Don’t dare to talk about it if you don’t dare to READ THE WHOLE of it...
Yet it just made of paper and no demon is afraid of it.. but they afraid of the man that LIVE IT..
Something that I’ve been thinking from my yesterday’s devotion from an online devotional page, which was taken from the scripture of 1 Corinthians 13. It’s quite ironic coz almost every christians know about this verse, and probably could recite the verse “…love is patient, love kind, love is faithful and just…” but lack in the PRACTICE. And I realized that I am one of those. The topic was “Exercising Love”. It says that if we have everything but we don’t have love, it means nothing. I myself have been to church every Sunday, Involves in a lot of church ministries. But I realized that I need to be true to myself. I does not mean that I never aware but sometimes there is decision that are not optional. So am I just trapped in duty or am I doing it truthful? What I believe is, If I keep doing it and never give up, and still could doing it joyfully, then “I am truthful”. Because I know and have seen a lot of people that trapped usually will not stay long. Yeah!! that’s how it reveals the truth.
I was reborn in Christ around 1990’s after a couples of years of suffering leg pain and disorder. I was born in a Half-Christian family and the one who bring us to know Jesus is my mother. I did went to Sunday school but I wasn’t really understand yet about the love of God that offer hopes and eternal life ever after, until I went through the pain and limitations that bounds me. Like anybody else, in childhood I was never worry about anything. But there was times when I started to thinks about, “Why am I here?” and “Why it is me?”, while there is billions or may be more out there that exist all around the world. I also went to some Youth Camps and came to know more about God from time to time. and the first thing that really have captured my heart in church is an announcement of a guitar lesson, That was the beginning of my journey which has brought me into church ministries until today.
About my leg, I was going to school by a public bus, but unfortunately that day I ride the wrong bus which is going to the wrong way and I’ve jumped from the bus while it was still moving because the driver don’t want to stop the bus, even though I’ve pressed the bus buzzer a few times. As the bus speeding I was fell down and rolled, and almost hit by a car when I’m collecting my coins which dropped while rolling down from the bus. I’ve went to a person who is well-known in massaging, and I’ve went there almost every week. But after a couple of years, nothing was happened. But one day in church, My leg was healed after I’ve been prayed by a pastor in my church. My mother brought me to the front to be prayed by the pastor. It wasn’t happened straightly that time, but it was happened after I went home that day and I’ve tried to moves my leg as far as I could and believing, and I’ve seen God’s miracle happened that day in front my very own eyes. But that is one thing, and then there is more other things.
The picture of the father in the real world also affected my picture about God as a Father who care and knows more about me than I do. And it has been a great and long struggles to me spiritually to receive God boldly and even worst each time when my heart was crushed by acts and words that make me think that I’m useless, hopeless and I should have not ever been born. Sometimes I hardly almost couldn’t even say the word “Father” when singing a worship song which have the word. But now, all of those things doesn’t matter to me anymore. I have put my trust in Christ who have done something that is greater than what you and I have gone through. I learn to die to myself for Him no matter how hard it is, like the song of Linkin Park says, “I’ve tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter“. Which I have replaced with, “But those who put their hopes in the Lord, will soar on wings like eagles; They will run and not grew weary, they will walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:31“. I know that God has chosen me and I am chosen to die to myself like what He has done for the shake of all nations. Until my last breathe on earth, I pray that God will use me and protect me in every dimension that exist to share His loves, His hopes to the hopeless, a Father to the fatherless and Salvation until eternity. in John 14:6, “Jesus answered. ‘I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.’” It’s true that there is thousands of religions and philosophies out there that teaching about good things and deeds. But religions or philosophies never affect my faith in God, not even races or cultures. Nothing is ever sure than the Lord, Jesus Christ. Until today, there is some people who are still praying and finding for a way to save themselves, but Jesus has answered it. He is the only way. and there is only one way. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that who believes in Him shall not be perish, but receive eternal life.”
Rocky 
