Some background for slavery

Originally posted by C Hess

Being ambigous and unclear on just about everything but how we must not worship the wrong beast is really helpful in establishing a good, prosperous relationship with people, it really is. How could I possibly not have experienced and accepted the greatness that is this god? I don't know. He seems to care about such deep and profound issues, I'm surprised I haven't felt the connection yet.

I learn how to take Christ as my everything and my all in all. Whatever I need, I learn to take Him as that.

You say "I have no connection with God. I should have had a connection with God by now."

When I feel like that I begin to praise God for the connection the Son has with the Father. There was no problem with the connection of Christ to His Father.

I might pray "Abba Father, do You remember HOW very pleased You were with how close the Son Jesus was with You. Thank You Father that the Son's connection was and is so close to You. I am not for God. But the Son was absolutely for God.

Remember Father, You said 'This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased'? How very pleased You were for that solid, close connection. Only the Son is absolute for the will of the Father. I am not absolute. But Lord God I lay my hands on You. Lord Jesus, I identify with You. Lord Jesus I take YOU as my connection with God."

I learn to take Christ to be everything I need. We have to "look away unto Jesus". Don't believe your failures. Don't believe your weaknesses. Don't believe your loose connection. Believe that Christ is everything you need. Believe that Christ can be everything for you.

"Lord Jesus, I praise You that there is NO problem with Your oneness with the Father. I lay my hands upon You Lord Jesus. Lord YOU are my strong connection with God. "

Don't look to yourself. Turn your eyes away to behold Jesus Christ. Take Jesus as each and everything you need. He loves and honors this kind of casting your anxiety upon Him.

I'm curious. According to the bible there are clear commandments (like not killing people), that are sometimes allowed to be broken (self-defense, invading other people's countries when they're not of the same god, that sort of thing), are you also allowed to worship false idols under certain circumstances? Or is that one truly written in stone?

To be able to take Christ as everything you need, you need to be familiar with all the wonderful things He is.

If I had this kind of problem I might put the Old Testament away for awhile and spend more mornings reading the New Testament.

I would start my day reading about a chapter aloud, intermixing my reading with prayer and confession and praise. What you see Jesus say - you praise Him for His saying. What you see Jesus do - you praise Him for His doing. You need to be saturated more with the moving of Jesus.

I would come up out of the Old Testament for awhile - puzzled over the ten commandments and the Canaanite conquest. I would come to the living, the moving, the words and deeds of the Son of Man, I would read, say, through Luke or John registering the living of Jesus.

I would fill my heart up with consciousness and appreciation for Jesus on each page of the New Testament Gospels. How can you know all the things He can be for you if you are not familiar with His move? Or if you are too distracted by some difficult places in the Old Testament, you may be too sidetracted.

Back to slavery, maybe abolishing slavery is one of those okays under certain circumstances thing? Under the circumstances of the time the bible was written, here's how you treat your slaves, but feel free to not have slaves if you don't actually need them. Is that written somewhere in the bible? Is there any reason to think (from reading the bible alone), that holding people in slavery is a morally outrageous and despicable behaviour? Or is this something that modern humans have arrived at through serious consideration, and repeated discourse on the subject of human rights, perhaps?

To tell the truth, my attention to this post is mostly with your words above

How could I possibly not have experienced and accepted the greatness that is this god? I don't know.

So much of the issue here is WHO is doing what God WANTS? The answer is the none of us is absolute for the will of God except One - the Son Jesus Christ.

We cease from our striving by joining ourselves to the One Who alone fully carries out the will of the Father. We can pray "Lord Jesus, there are just many things here I simply do not understand. But I want to be joined to You. I want to lay my hands on You. I want to be thoroughly identified wit You for You alone are absolute for the Father's will. Thank you Lord Jesus that I can take You as my all."

Then you can experience the greatness of the Triune God and by faith, the FAITHFUL Jesus Christ can make His home in your heart.

"That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith." (Eph. 3:17)

This evening it seems that God is telling me not to waste your time. I think God wants me to help you to touch the Holy Spirit and touch the Lord Jesus - appreciating the living and available Christ as ALL you need for this experience.

You can even boldly say "Lord Jesus, Your intimate oneness with God I claim to for my enjoyment too."