Preview

Lament Psalms: An Authentic Relationship With God

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
274 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Lament Psalms: An Authentic Relationship With God
You made the statement “The world turns off those who project a religious plastic perfection, for they know it is all a charade. What draws people to Jesus is an authentic relationship with God featuring ups and downs, and yet a desire to worship in the midst of pain and struggle.” Your statement made me realize that I had completely overlooked the Lament Psalms impact on those who do not have a saving relationship with God. I agree that the Lament Psalms are a great example of an authentic relationship with God and that those who are not Christians tend to appreciate that kind of authenticity. If those around us can somehow observe us as we interact with God during difficult times, they will better see the value of an authentic relationship
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Book Review- Share Jesus Without Fear
    • 1917 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Book Review- Share Jesus Without Fear

    William Fay begins the book, Share Jesus Without Fear by pointing out the underlying reason for evangelism. He argues that evangelism is not about bringing people to Jesus or “winning souls” but it is about obedience (p.3), motivated by faithfulness. Fay challenges believers about their “sin of silence” by pointing out that only five to ten percent of Christians have shared their faith in the past year (p.6). He argues that there are two groups of Christians: those who talk to the lost and lose who only talk about the lost (p.8). He encourages believers to talk to the lost and avoid the “sin of silence” and the lack of urgency concerning evangelism.…

    • 1917 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Laboring in the Harvest: An Evangelism Vision
    • 4061 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Laboring in the Harvest: An Evangelism Vision

    A great chasm exists that separates unbelievers from believers1. An example of this chasm is presented in the Gospel of Luke, “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.”2 The chasm is presented in the “afar off” statement. This chasm, as pointed out by David Wheeler and Richard Leach, is what makes evangelism necessary. Essentially, every Christian is to seek a way to bridge these chasms bringing the unbeliever face-to-face with their Creator3. In order to perform this great task, and the task was as great in the Apostles’ day as today, “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest”4 the Christian servant today must rely on the Lord in every aspect and seek out opportunities to present Christ to those around him. Seeing then that there is such great work ahead, and the laborers have been assigned their task, “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him”5, the only success to be found is through sharing the faith by the Word of God through the Spirit…

    • 4061 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    4MAT Book Review Share Jesus Without Fe
    • 1088 Words
    • 3 Pages

    4MAT Book Review Share Jesus Without Fe

    In his book Share Jesus Without Fear, William Fay lays out an easy and attainable way for one to reach people for Christ. A former mobster, and prostitution house owner, Fay says that if “God can take somebody like me and change him, he can take anybody in your life and change him as well.”1 In an easy to understand, comprehensive way, Fay shows how to overcome your fears and witness to those who are lost. By breaking down the six most common excuses one uses not to evangelize, he shows how to overcome the roadblocks that we place on ourselves. For instance, one of the fears he addresses is the fear of rejection. Fay points out that one must realize that this is not a contest. He says, “success is sharing your faith and living your life for Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with bringing anyone to the Lord.”2 He goes on to say that it takes someone 7.6 times of hearing the Gospel before they give their lives to Christ. Just because you may have been the 3rd, does not mean that it didn’t make a difference. Throughout the book Fay lays out questions to ask, verses to go to, and objections that you will encounter, to lay out a way for you to share your faith with others without excuse.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Psalm 139: The Omnipresence Of God
    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Psalm 139: The Omnipresence Of God

    Generally considered to be one of the most notable of the sacred hymns contained within the book of Psalms, Psalm 139 is perhaps one of the most sublime declarations of the omnipresence of God found in the Bible. Attested to David, Psalm 139 is classified as an “Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving” 1 a genre in which God is praised for the singers’ delivery from oppression and various life-threatening illnesses while also acting as a “Wisdom” psalm, celebrating the creative goodness of God. While the actual date of the text remains unclear as it is notoriously difficult to determine a date and historical context for every psalm, most scholars agree that the hymn was written during the time of King David’s reign, there is however, some dispute among…

    • 1308 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God: Writing Response
    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God: Writing Response

    It reminds people of the love of God and his mercy, and yet causes people to remember His holiness and the truth of His words at the same time. Although this message isn’t perfect, it does provide a strong balance to some of the common teachings that are deceiving people in this generation. Such a message, if preached today, could help the church to wake up from its slumber, and help to prepare believers for the return of…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Isaiah 22: What Rewards Your Life?
    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Isaiah 22: What Rewards Your Life?

    “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22 (NKJV). I heard the question asked last night. “What rewards your life?” The answer was; to deeply appreciate those, who love you by loving them back. That’s what life is all about. You can ruin your life by desensitizing yourself. We are all afraid to say too much, feel too deeply, to let people know just how much they mean to us. But not God, in fact, we find in this verse how much He loves us. Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be. Yet many of us don’t make ourselves vulnerable enough to fully narrow all our interests until our mind, heart, and body are completely focused and looking at…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ortberg 4mat
    • 1527 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Ortberg 4mat

    John Ortberg’s manuscript, The Life You’ve Always Wanted: a spiritual disciples for ordinary people, published in 2002 at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ortberg tells us the pathway in rejoining our connection to God, which allows us to have what our heart’s desire, the life we have always wanted. He describes it through spiritually disciplined. Ortberg (2002) defines spiritual discipline as “Any activity that can help me gain power to live life as Jesus taught and modeled it” (Ortberg, p. 48). Spiritual disciplines are simple; they help me live in the fruit of the Spirit. The spiritual disciplines discussed in this book are celebration, slowing, prayer, servanthood, confession, receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit, secrecy, reflection on Scripture, developing your own rule of life, and the experience of suffering. To practice celebration we need to celebrate and be joyful about the life we have. According to Ortberg (2002), we need to find joyful people to be affect by joy, which can be found in children living a “Dee Dah Day” and “often it is the people closest to suffering who have the most powerful joy (p. 68)” We also need to practice the art of slowing and practice of simplicity. When we are in a hurry, we tend to cut out time with God that deforms the effects that God has on our life, our purpose. Through the authorities and commands of God’s will we as Christians shall morph and have a hope of transformation or change through conviction and optimum hope for conversion. Ortberg 2002 “relays the ideals of training for proficiency and living as Jesus did on Earth. To become better at prayer we need to set up a time and place in peaceful solitude, which set limits for ourselves that we will not break. To practice servanthood, we need to do good as good Samaritans…

    • 1527 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Evangelistic Ministry
    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Essay On Evangelistic Ministry

    The Evangelistic ministry design, will take the unchurched back to the beginning of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelations, and allow God to take on the battle of any given concern of lostness, hurt, or the pain of life, at any stage. The unchurched of the community then expects the miracles that only God is capable of, through faith, to heal and address added concerns.33 Bible-based counselors of the evangelist ministry will teach adults who find themselves in a situation where life has become unbearable and in some cases overwhelming, well-studied coping methods. Unfortunately, the Christian who seeks counseling, encounters the how, who, what, and why God is, has been challenged. In relation to Floyd Barackman’s findings the mindset of humankind suffers greatly when decisions and lifestyles are lived without God. Barackman states, “God is reliable and the qualities of His nature are…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Agent Of Grace
    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Agent Of Grace

    An example of this can be seen in one of the more poignant moments in the film Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace. Towards the end of the film, while Bonhoeffer is incarcerated in Nazi prison, Bonhoeffer communicates with a distraught man one cell over who knows he is likely to be executed in the near future. Bonhoeffer consoles the man, and prays with him through cell walls, despite the man stating his atheism to Bonheoffer. While the man is later executed, the Nazi officer does inform Bonhoeffer that the now executed man was one of the more peaceful prisoners the guards had ever reported killing . In this simple act, we see the effect Bonhoeffer had on others, and see the value committed Christians can find in their community. Even though Bonhoeffer did not know the man, or have any tangible connection to him, through his teachings and faith, Bonhoeffer was able to offer the man comfort and solace despite the precarious situation the man was in. Bonhoeffer viewed the man as just another of God’s creations, and correctly assumed that he was as deserving of peace as any other human. Additionally, by reaching out to a fellow human, even one who did not profess faith in Jesus Christ, Bonhoeffer was able to offer the comfort and spirit of God and Christ to a human in desperate need of such comforts. Bonhoeffer. This was no small theme in Bonhoeffer’s life, with his brother in law writing that, “what marked [Bonhoeffer] most was his unselfishness and preparedness to help others up to the point of self sacrifice.” If a disciple of Jesus Christ sees someone else in need, they should willingly and without hesitation help them in any way they can, regardless of their connection to that person. We humans are made in God’s image, and should be treated, as a whole, as the visual embodiment of God himself. Given…

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stealing In The Holy Bible
    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Stealing In The Holy Bible

    For instance, during my 8th grade year my best friend succumbed to juvenile Diabetes and passed away in her sleep. If it was not for the hope that delving into God’s word granted me, I cannot imagine how I would have handled the situation. I read many comforting scriptures, most notably John 14:1-3…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Psy/230 Birthday Narrative
    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Psy/230 Birthday Narrative

    We speak to people in passing with our heads turned downward or looking past them to our next step. How many eyes gazing through brokenness and hopelessness do we miss the opportunity to pray for because we have stopped being present in every moment but instead we are trying to keep our eyes from sharing our own battles? I love to share the story about the time my husband saw a guy walking in an outdoor mall and in this case his eyes were exposing tears. He said the weight on the guy's face was so heavy and he looked so worried that he, hesitantly, stopped him and asked him if he could pray for him. He said the guy began to cry even harder and my husband, by this point, was rethinking this entire decision. It’s no secret that we are in a world where crazy eyes can expose scary truths so it’s no wonder people don’t take these type of comfort zone stretching more often. At any rate, it turned out that the guy had accepted his call to preach the gospel but lacked the support of his family. He said he was walking, crying, asking God to send him someone to pray for him and encourage him in that particular moment. He shared that he grew up with (and still had) family members who are very racist so for God to send a black man to pray over him, He knew that not only is God bigger than the things we give little (g)OD access to but also receiving the revelation of seeing the goodness of all people, no matter what they look like.…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Interventions That Apply Scripture in Psychotherapy
    • 6014 Words
    • 25 Pages

    Interventions That Apply Scripture in Psychotherapy

    (e.g., Adams, 1970), while others take a situationspecific, client-specific stance. This article uses the case of George (a fictional amalgam composed from several different clients) to provide examples of various intervention strategies. The article is not an exhaustive literature review of all interventions that might incorporate Scripture as a resource; rather, the aim is twofold: first, to increase Christian therapists’ awareness of the variety of types of Scripture interventions available, and, second, to stimulate “divinely inspired creativity” in the further development of strategies to incorporate the living Word of God in Christian psychotherapy. THE CASE OF GEORGE George is a 30-year old single Caucasian male construction worker who presented for psychotherapy with…

    • 6014 Words
    • 25 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Share Jesus Without Fear Analysis
    • 1547 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Share Jesus Without Fear Analysis

    Share Jesus Share Jesus Without Fear- Critique Abstract Christianity is declining in America at an alarming rate. Our nation is suffering morally and spiritually with no differentiation between Christians and lost people. Christians are committing the sin of silence and are putting their lamps under a basket instead of sharing the Gospel message. Without Christians dutifully carrying out the mandate of the Great Commission, millions will never know that there is hope in Jesus. It is my conviction that I must change from inaction to action and from fear to boldness. I pray that the reader of Share Jesus Without Fear will draw a similar conclusion. Share Jesus Without Fear- Critique The Sin of Silence is one of the most disobedient acts that a believer of Christ can commit…

    • 1547 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Personal Narrative: Adele's Spiritual Journey
    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Personal Narrative: Adele's Spiritual Journey

    My (Adele’s) spiritual journey, a time to seek the Lord, a time to heal, and a time to experience oneness with Christ Jesus. I have mournfully and spiritually died and been revitalized—through the blood of Jesus. For this, I thank to the Lord. My journey has been spiritually awakening and transforming. Understanding the meaning of Christianity did not develop overnight. Unfortunately, I really thought being born again meant all my life struggles would disappear—immediately. Regrettably, during each of my worldly life events I was angry with God. And during my most challenging life events I would seek advised from my pastor. I remember asking my pastor, “Why am I going through this?” and he said “Try asking what the Lord wants you to learn?”. I must have asked the same question a million times and…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    what jesus means to me
    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages

    what jesus means to me

    Jesus has transformed the lives of many, including me. To some people, he is a story, just a legend. But to me, he is a King, a Savior, but most of all, he's my best friend. I've heard people talk about Jesus like he's some kind of made up story, or even a joke. Also, a name to say when they slam their thumb in the door. They don't seem to realize that he's as real as the person sitting right next to you. I can talk to him, explain my day, and you know what's great? He's never too busy to listen. God always has time to listen to me. God wants to be with you every second of every day, not for a few hours a week. Jesus, to me, is a king worthy of all praise. He is God almighty. He is the light of the world, when all seems to be darkened. He is my savior. Jesus is my best friend. The person I cry to when I've had a bad day. The person I thank when my day has gone well. I go running to Jesus when it seems like my whole world is crashing down and, somehow, everything just seems....okay. He lifts me to my feet, dusts off my shoulders and helps me get back in the fight. A personal relationship with God is just like any other. In order for it to be healthy, it needs communication. The way I communicate with God is simply through prayer. He's available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He doesn’t care when or how you talk to him, he just wants to be a part of our lives. He is God almighty. I do realize (and have experienced) that because I love Jesus, I'm not always going to be the most popular kid in school. But you know what? That's okay, because I do love my God and can't live without him. He gives my life meaning. So to me, Jesus is more than a story, more than sitting in a church half paying attention. He is real, he is alive and he loves me. My life hasn't always been easy, but Jesus never left me. He was always there to wipe away my tears, to give me his shoulder to cry on and give me strength to carry on when things just…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More