RickD wrote:The last sport where they all won, was my son's YMCA soccer league. Everyone gets a participation trophy. My son's team went undefeated. They still give him the same meaningless trophy as the team who didn't win any games.
And they werent competing against one another right?
Apparently not.
To me, competing isn't competing, unless there's some prize for the winner.
It gets kids ready for the real world. In the real world, there's no prize for being on a crappy team with a bunch of losers!
John 5:24 24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”
-Edward R Murrow
St. Richard the Sarcastic--The Patron Saint of Irony
Nessa wrote:The exceptions? I dont believe that.
I didnt mean they were influenced to believe tho not saying God couldnt influence someone to believe. Was not paul influenced on the road to damascus?
influence
ˈɪnflʊəns/Submit
noun
1.m.
the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.
Paul believed in God, he didn't believe that Jesus was the messiah, much less the Son of God.
God also had plans for Paul, far beyond those of the "average believer".
We need to realize that some are chosen for special things.
It doesn't make them MORE than other believers, it simply means that God has decided that they have a special role in His plan.
God had special plans for mary yet when the disciples said hey your family is over there how did Jesus respond? Special plans dont equate more special people who have less of a choice somehow. We are talking about choices here and that applies to all of us equally.
Unless somehow paul had less of a choice because he was part of God's extra 'special' plan then this applies to paul as much as it does to you and me etc
No such thing as an average believer. We are to compare ourselves to Christ, not each other. We shouldnt look at any other christians as more.uniquely used or more specially chosen. The first shall be last and he who wants to be the most important shall become the least. Theres average tennis players not average christians.
I don't think you are understanding what I am saying.
All believers are the same in the eyes of Christ.
That God does choose certain believers for special tasks is clear ( look at the apostles).
This doesn't make them more or less than any other believer, it just means that God has chosen them for a specific task.
The choice to accept that calling is, of course, theirs BUT since God knows Us then He knows who will accept a special calling and who won't.
