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sweetyface17
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 11th, 2007 |
| Location: | Hudson, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 43 |
| First Name: | Mandy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Lutheran, Considering Catholicism |
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Posted: Tue Apr 10th, 2007 01:36 pm |
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I have this routine of praying the Rosary, saying a few relevant prayers, doing my daily Bible study, then randomly opening the Bible, asking God to show me what he wants me to know. Very frequently, as in 6 times in about 2 weeks, Matthew 16:24 has shown up. It reads "Then Jesus said unto his disciples, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.' ". I usually ask something like, "Lord, what do you want me to do with my life?", or the like before this comes up. I'm trying to figure out exactly what this means for me. Any ideas? I get the general meaning, but I'm not sure what God is asking of me personally.
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Talithacumi
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| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
| Posts: | 308 |
| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Tue Apr 10th, 2007 06:15 pm |
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sweetyface17 wrote: I have this routine of praying the Rosary, saying a few relevant prayers, doing my daily Bible study, then randomly opening the Bible, asking God to show me what he wants me to know. Very frequently, as in 6 times in about 2 weeks, Matthew 16:24 has shown up. It reads "Then Jesus said unto his disciples, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.' ". I usually ask something like, "Lord, what do you want me to do with my life?", or the like before this comes up. I'm trying to figure out exactly what this means for me. Any ideas? I get the general meaning, but I'm not sure what God is asking of me personally.
Hi, Sweety 
Hmm... funny you should bring this up: "Lord, what do you want me to do with my life?"
This is a question I constantly find myself asking, as well. But not long ago - I forget exactly where or how - it came to me that it's not really my life... it's His. And a passage that keeps coming to me is "Seek first His Kingdom...
Anyway, I can't "interpret" the "message" you keep getting for your own personal self. I don't know you and I don't know what you need. But the first word that came to my mind when I read your post was "surrender." Your question just reminds me a lot of myself. So anything I say is pure conjecture and also self-application here... Maybe God just wants us to remember that He is the Great "I AM". Everything comes from Him and goes back to Him. Maybe you and I need to stop concentrating on what we think the Lord might want us to do and instead, just be still and know that He is God. I'm not saying to sit back and do nothing, but sometimes I think we worry so much about what we're supposed to be doing that we're like Martha, busying ourselves with all kinds of things instead of just sitting at Jesus' feet like Mary, listening to what He wants to tell us and allowing ourselves to just take Him in, so to speak.
Certainly we must be active, but sometimes I think we need to learn to be contemplative and just soak up Jesus' presence. He will let us know what He wants to do without us having to beg Him to tell us all the time. Maybe a better way of putting it would be to say that we need to just be vessels and allow Him to work through us instead of worrying about what we're supposed to do, as if everything depends on us. I think sometimes - at least for myself - I think sometimes I spend so much time asking, "Lord, what am I supposed to be doing?" that I can't hear Him as He's quietly trying to tell me what He wants to do through me. In other words, maybe I'm drowning Him out by my own worrisome thoughts. Maybe I'm "trying too hard" sometimes, so to speak, to get His attention and being demanding... kind of like a baby that's wailing for his bottle while Mommy is even at that moment warming it up - if he just knew it and waited patiently, maybe he wouldn't wail so loudly and make himself hoarse in the process - and maybe he could be content in knowing that he was being answered even in that moment.
I don't know if I'm making any sense to you or not and really, I guess in a way, I'm just thinking out loud - or rather, typing out loud to myself (and my keyboard is a bit rattlingly loud  ). You may not be anything like me at all, but what you said did remind me of myself.
Sorry I didn't give you anything concrete and direct, as I'm sure that's probably what you were looking for. I just felt compelled to respond the way I did, so there it is.
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2429 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Apr 11th, 2007 02:13 am |
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sweetyface17 wrote:If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Matthew 16:24
Mandy, I think Cheri has given the correct answer. (I know this will surprise you no end, Cheri, but most of the time you don’t do nearly as badly as you think!) Basically the point is union with God’s will. This means less of your own will, more of God’s will in everything you do: self denial. It means doing what you don’t like or want just because God is requiring it: cross. It means accepting everything God asks of you as an absolute requirement: follow.
Exactly what God is calling you to be and do is a very personal thing. But it always starts with a call to holiness and virtue. I would look there first.
David
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MitchyMitch
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Snellville, Georgia USA |
| Posts: | 104 |
| First Name: | Mitch | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Independent Baptist and Southern Baptist...Now Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Apr 11th, 2007 05:12 am |
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I'm not a fan of "Bible divination" (that is, randomly opening the Bible and pointing to a verse), simply because the Bible is not a Magic 8 Ball. I know this seems harsh, and I don't want to be, but God uses His Word to talk to us as we read it every day.
Wanting to know God's will for your life - try to take up some prayer time to pray in your own words to God, asking Him for His guidance for you to do His will. If you are specifically asking guidance for an occupation or college major, assess your skills and strengths, weaknesses, interests, and what you are comfortable doing. This will give you a great start. Pick up a "What Color is my Parachute" book - great advice in this book for occupational direction, and the author was a Christian.
Most important, though, is the verse that keeps coming up for you: take up your burdens, your responsiilities, your pain, and accept what a future with Christ will take from you - take all of this up, and follow Him. The burden He puts on you is light, and he helps you when you stumble.
____________________
Pax,
Mitch
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sweetyface17
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 11th, 2007 |
| Location: | Hudson, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 43 |
| First Name: | Mandy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Lutheran, Considering Catholicism |
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Posted: Wed Apr 11th, 2007 02:37 pm |
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MitchyMitch wrote: I'm not a fan of "Bible divination" (that is, randomly opening the Bible and pointing to a verse), simply because the Bible is not a Magic 8 Ball. I know this seems harsh, and I don't want to be, but God uses His Word to talk to us as we read it every day.
Well, I know the Bible isn't a Magic 8 Ball. But if God speaks to us through His Word, don't we have to open it first? What's wrong with asking God to guide you to what He wants you to apply to your life? Anyway, I ask fror general direction, nothing very specific. I don't think God worries much about which ice cream flavor I choose. Thanks for the book advice too, I might check it out sometime.
Sorry I didn't give you anything concrete and direct, as I'm sure that's probably what you were looking for. I just felt compelled to respond the way I did, so there it is.
Cheri, I think you underestimate yourself. I wasn't looking for anything concrete at all, just what other people thought. I'm big on 2nd opinions.
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Truthseeker
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
| Location: | Costa Mesa, California USA |
| Posts: | 457 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | lapsed and returned CATHOLIC!!!!!! |
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Posted: Fri Apr 13th, 2007 12:49 pm |
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Maybe, He is asking for all of you. Maybe He is asking you to literally follow Him.
This bible verse may be about accepting your burdens and trusting Him, and it may be about giving your whole self to him, the way his disciples did - leaving everything to follow Him. I know that sounds scary, but maybe, you should ponder that, also.
Good faith-
Laura
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Lord, please make my will your Will!
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sweetyface17
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 11th, 2007 |
| Location: | Hudson, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 43 |
| First Name: | Mandy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Lutheran, Considering Catholicism |
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 08:26 pm |
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Thanks, Laura. Sorry it's been so long since I've been on. I'm not sure what it means, but i'm going to start with becoming Catholic, then see where the Lord leads me.
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 09:44 pm |
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sweetyface17 wrote: i'm going to start with becoming Catholic, then see where the Lord leads me.
We wish you the best, Mandy. Please let us know if we can help you in any way.
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sweetyface17
Member
| Joined: | Sun Mar 11th, 2007 |
| Location: | Hudson, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 43 |
| First Name: | Mandy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Lutheran, Considering Catholicism |
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Posted: Sat Jun 23rd, 2007 12:04 am |
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^ Thanks Rick. 
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