I agree.

God put us here to serve and please him.

And everything Scott and Jim said. Good answers, guys!

The Trinity is explained very well in the new New York Times bestseller "The Shack" even better the bible. What makes things that I don't understand more easy to accept is "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. NIV Isaiah 55:8.

I was saved in Nov 1995 and am so thankful for the prayers that were lifted up in my behalf.

I think prayer may be the most underrated action avaliable to us today and knowing "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" NKJV Psalms 19:7

Great thread. God is good

Man, talk about a surprise thread. This is the most awesome one I have ever found. Scottdau's post about him sending home really nailed it for me. My son is currently in Iraq so it puts the infinite depth of God's love in perspective for me. Thank you guys for this thread. I needed this more than you will ever know. May you all have a blessed New Year. I have been a Christian for 40 years.

I should have said "God sending his Son" not sending him. I was so excited about this thread, I didn't read mine before hitting submit. My motto on Xbox is Joshua 24:15. Joshua is my son's name so that is one of my favorite books in the Bible.

I would like to add to the above posts that, for me, it has been a struggle to "fight the good fight of faith". I find that when I allow the distractions of this world to capture my focus I begin to lose my peace and purpose in life. I believe that loving God and people (i.e. relationships) is the true purpose in life.

To play Devil's Advocate: Why not? Is it really so hard to believe that you just cease to exist the same as an ant when you step on it?

My short answer would be instinct. It instinct to continue to live and it's intstinct to reproduce. It's as simple as chemical's in our brains driving us to continue to live at whatever means necessary.

^^ Because we are energy and energy never goes away. If we are in the ground and that's it then how come ghost hunters claim to see ghosts on thermals and people feel presences even though nothing is there?

That's great Scott. It really is screwed when kids get involved in gangs, drugs and the like and are looked down on by society when in most cases it isn't 100% their fault. It's mostly bad parenting which in most cases is usually handed down by their parents having bad parents and cycling on and on. It's really great that your working to break the cycle. May God Bless you!

I just deleted the last few comments as it got a bit off topic. Keep the answers coming!

to go along with what's been already said, God created us to bring glory and honor to Him with our lives. Not everyone chooses to accept Christ as their personnel Savior but when you do, it brings live in to better focus knowing that your living your life to try and honor Someone who gave up so much for you by dying on the cross. We live to bring glory to God.

man just reading the post that you guys have wrote,and knowing how powerful GOD truly is working in everyones life is just amazing,may GOD continue to reveal himself to all who truly seek him,read a quote one time ,that said "if anyone ends up in hell the will have to climb over JESUS to get there"

check the link out for all who read and dont believe in jesus http://www.harvest.org/knowgod/

I found in this blog a great response to tragedies that we face in this current life:

http://blog.greglaurie.com/?p=875

I was raised in a religious family (not overly pressured, but we did go to mass and I went through the school to go through confirmation). Along the way I've lost my path with God. Simply because I'm a little close-minded I guess. I accepted Jesus, God and Religion at a very young age, but in my experiences I felt very alone at times. I always questioned why I never got any replies for my prayers. My personal life (family and friends) seemed to be disintegrating before my eyes. I was starting to believe that religion was a hoax and that science is where we live... the 'here and now' you guys speak of. At that point I turned to drugs, along with other bad habits and addictions. This was because in my personal opinion, a life which results in absolute death (no greater plane of existence) is not worth living. To me, in the end... the family, friends and experiences you've enjoyed in life meant nothing... if everything concluded in nothingness.
Well I can't tell you why I've turned my life around... just that I have. I also can't say that I'm a true believer in God, like I once was when I was a child. So it may be true that I've wandered in faith, but I definitely haven't lost hope. A part of me wishes I could find God yet again, but I'm also a man of facts. So that leap of faith may not come until later on in my life. But as of now this is how I live my life.. and I hope it helps some of you:

What is success? To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; That is to have succeeded.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm the other way around. When I was younger I was poking holes in the bible left and right. It just didn't make sense. Where did Cain's wife come from? How long were the 7 Days that the world was created in in the time that we have now? If god already knows who is going to heaven and hell then why are we living life here? Why can't we just start out in our appropriate afterlifes. And so on and so on. As I got older I started to think. There are notable times in history when the bible was edited and God does speak in odd ways in the bible. It almost seems like riddles that we are supposed to find out but instead of focusing on the bible I chose to pray to God himself. That way I could get things form him instead of what I read because if I read the bible I often end up a lot more confused than I normally would be. I try to stick to the basics.
1. Following the ten commands to the best of my ability
2. Having faith in god and my saviour Jesus Christ
3. Knowing that all of my questions will be answered when I go to whatever afterlife god has planned for me.