Originally posted by Humblesmith:
Here's a question: Are we supposed to ask for a blessing, or give thanks? Are we to request something, or tell God thank you?
I always leaned away from the idea of asking for anything at a meal, even blessings, and leaned toward giving thanks. What I usually don't do is say it aloud in public places, esp. if I'm by myself.
But I agree with superdave above.
People at the next table: "Hey, does that guy look like he's leaning to you?"
God wants us to go to him with requests. Don't you like it when your kids come to you for things? (unless they're banging on the bathroom door with cookies in their hand)
Originally posted by King James:
Hey Jim. Those passages are all correct. Not going to debate them. I will say this though...when Jesus thanked God it was for the miracle of giving all that bread and fish out of only a few pieces, so that the people would believe.
KJ, You'd be surprised how far you can make food stretch when you have a limited budget. If you could see some of the "meals" that's come out of my oven, you'd consider them miracles that the family would even eat it.
Ever put peanut butter in macarion and cheese? I was concerned for my kids' protein and we had no meat, so I added peanut butter. They ate it and asked for more. The stuff grossed me out.
Some of my meals were burnt sacrifices.
My parents never let me in the kitchen, so when I first got married, I didn't even know how to make pancakes...the kind that come in a bag/just add water. I had to ask my MIL how to cook them when she had insisted I make some pancakes for my husband. (She wasn't being overcommanding...that was her way of making me feel at home while visiting her)
Originally posted by King James:
Mt.6:27 was talking about the Lord's Supper.
Now...if you mean we should do all that Jesus did...well, He died on a cross. So...
Actually He does want us to folow His example with that, also...only He wants us to be a living sacrifice, holy acceptible unto God, which is our reasonable service. We'd be no good to Him on a cross since we can't possibly save the world that way, but we can be living instruments to spread the Gospel.
And, remember, Paul said, "I die daily", which meant that we sacrifice our flesh...our physical desires for God's service..spend time with the Lord spiritually...concern ourselves with the spiritual welfare of others. I don't think you could name me a sin that does not involve the pleasure of our physical bodies in some way...our tastes (cake...ice cream); our eyes (lust of the eyes); our ears (rock music), etc.