Does strength of faith determine your place in heaven?

Pearl said:

That's like my experience. It isn't the bible as a whole that makes the difference in our lives, it's the individual verses that jump off the page and give us hope and direction, encouragement and inspiration. The bible is a library, a series of books. We wouldn't go into our town's library and start at one end and work through it. There are reading plans for reading the bible in a year but I find those big chunks too much and too boring. I read small portions each day and ask the Holy Spirit to show me things. Occasionally there is a wonderful response to something I'd been praying about but most times not. But it's still food. And because I've recently read something I can often quote it for it to bless someone else

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You make a good point, but I don’t see this as an either/or situation. Sometimes the Holy Spirit has led me to study certain books or sections of the Bible. It’s the man-made pressure to do this that can quench the Holy Spirit’s ministry to us through the Bible. As I see it, it’s all about letting the Holy Spirit take the lead. And this is how I see the Christian life in general.

Adoration said:

@Stuart I highly recommend the book Victory over the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson.
It deals with the issue of insecurity and who we really are in CHRIST.

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Pearl said:

Who the heck told you that? Your place in heaven does not depend on how much of the bible you have read but on your heart, on your relationship with Jesus. If you are re-born spiritually then you are a son and heir and your place in heaven is assured.

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Good post/comment.
---
You wrote,
"..does not depend on how much of the Bible you have read but on your heart, in your relationship with Jesus.."
- I agree.
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I have been studying/reading the Bible..for 50 years.
- Still learning..

Blessings,

Error.. on my post.
@Adoration
Sorry..my post was response to Pearl.

Pathfinder7 said:

Error.. on my post.
@Adoration
Sorry..my post was response to Pearl.

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LOL.... not a problem... Good morning and Blessings to you from Canada.

Stuart said:

I read a little now and then but i feel i am not doing enough, i sometimes miss Church and forget about God a lot of the time, I try to live from his point of view though every action or choice i make i subconsciously ask myself 'is this ok with God?' i think about the bigger picture and God is at the forefront of my outlook on life. if i had more knowledge i'd be stronger in Christ but my memory is also poor. I'm not sure what is worse my I have a lot of improvement to make, it feels like i am at the foot of mountain at the moment that i need to climb and all i can really do is pray.

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May I suggest you redirect your thoughts from "Is this ok with God?" to actually asking Him, whenever the thought crosses your mind? It sounds like much of your thought life, like with your Bible study reading, is too disconnected from Him when it doesn't have to be. Scripture says He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, so what you need to do more of now is just get in the habit of continually asking Him, about everything.

I even ask Him where my keys are every time I can't find them, and you know what? I always find them when I do that. Just get in the habit of making Him someone you talk to all the time, and you will likely stop feeling like you are "not doing enough."

Closeness with God, if you will give yourself to it, gives you a reassurance that cancels all those thoughts out.

Stuart said:

I read a little now and then but i feel i am not doing enough, i sometimes miss Church and forget about God a lot of the time, I try to live from his point of view though every action or choice i make i subconsciously ask myself 'is this ok with God?' i think about the bigger picture and God is at the forefront of my outlook on life. if i had more knowledge i'd be stronger in Christ but my memory is also poor. I'm not sure what is worse my I have a lot of improvement to make, it feels like i am at the foot of mountain at the moment that i need to climb and all i can really do is pray.

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You are looking too much at yourself. my focus is on Jesus, what He has done, what He can and will do ... He has promised to save you and present you to the Father without spot or wrinkle, see? that's what comes from reading the bible and believing it.

... You may fail but He will not fail.

... I start to wimper when I can't find my keys ... God allus finds them for me.

another thing is putting up the net curtains ... oh boy

Stuart said:

If you are not as learnered about the bible or proficient in the word, does that determine your place in heaven? will i get judge for weakness of faith,

I feel like i have strong faith but i am not as proficient as others, i havent read the bible fully, so i think maybe i will be judged for that it is something i want to improve, i would like to read the bible before i die but i am very slow

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Isn't making it to heaven good enough, I mean why care what your place or position is there? Hmmm, interesting.

Hi, Stuart. I like to start each day by singing to God. A gift that costs one is welcomed by the recipient.

Stuart said:

Maybe i will be further from the throne

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Well I always thought I would recognize God if a saw him, then one night I had a vision of God, and I didn't recognize him. I was filled with the Holy Spirit fruits as proof that it was him (Galatians 5:22-25). We have to remember he has countless children, think about all the people just born on this planet, and then multiply that by the number of planets of creatures he has. He's God of countless children. And while he can commune with all of us intimately all at once, we are countless many.

I think what is important isn't that we are close to God in heaven physically, but rather that he has family for us to be close to in heaven. And that is who we also love and who take care of us and we them. That is part of the reason for family.

Stuart said:

I still have doubts that i will get into heaven as i dont think i am good enough, i dont feel worthy enough, if i was a boat i'd have sunk a long time ago

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There is not one man on this earth "good enough"to make it on his own, so you are amongst equals. He did it because He loaves you warts and all

Stuart said:

If you are not as learnered about the bible or proficient in the word, does that determine your place in heaven? will i get judge for weakness of faith,

I feel like i have strong faith but i am not as proficient as others, i havent read the bible fully, so i think maybe i will be judged for that it is something i want to improve, i would like to read the bible before i die but i am very slow

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I think that we all have opinions of ourselves, but I wonder how much those opinions even matter.

I think we can know when we are drawing nearer to God, and when we are not. The closer we are to God, the more our lives will reflect His, and the more abundance of life we will have, I think both now and in the eternal.

But I think that to try to focus on what our judgment will be is to second-guess things we cannot really know, and that we are much better off just seeking to know Jesus better.

Much love!

Devin Wintch said:

I think what is important isn't that we are close to God in heaven physically, but rather that he has family for us to be close to in heaven.

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He lives inside, and has promised to never leave. I don't know what the age to come will be like, but I know that the intimacy we have with God will not end.

Much love!