Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: hall@vice.ico.tek.com (Hal Lillywhite) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Tests of faith ( was Spiritual Warfare ) Message-ID: Date: 30 Aug 90 07:28:48 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR. Lines: 29 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article vice!zephyr.ens.tek.com!uunet!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian jmoon@lehi3b15.csee.lehigh.edu (Jonggu Moon [890911]) writes: >This is so slightly related that it is almost a different subject, >but your posting reminded me of it. >A FF ( Friend of a friend ) was mourning the death of her mother. >A priest in an effort to console her said that God does not put >such trials apon His people unless they had the strength to handle it. >She asked then if her faith had been weaker, would her mother still be alive ? Well, everybody makes mistakes and I think the priest made one here. While what he said was true enough it was unlikely to console the bereaved who was probably more concerned with her mother than herself anyway. As a matter of fact, while I believe Satan does work harder on those who are trying to follow Jesus, I seriously doubt he would be allowed to take somebody's mother to further his ends. Even in the case of Job's children I suspect that they were well prepared to leave this life or God would not have allowed them to be killed. Most likely your FF's mother was ready to be taken back to God. and FF's faith had little or nothing to do with it. Job's statement "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" indicates, I think, a faith that God knows what he is about and while we may not understand why some things happen we can trust him to do what is best in the long term. All of us will eventually be taken anyway, we just don't know why one person goes today and another remains for 20-80 years longer. From the eternal viewpoint a few more years of earth life may not mean a lot.