God can do a lot of things. I have questioned at times if I am being punished by God. My best answere would be that God works in many ways. He is a loving and forgiving God, and all of us (sinners) were redeemed when He gave His son to die for us. If you lost your job, it can certainly be discouraging, but God may have bigger plans for you. I hope you find answeres my friend and that I was able to help.
Does God punish--of course,juts like a good parent. Read Hebrews about chastening(punishing) those whom He has received as His children and those He loves.It is His love for us to not continue in self destructive behaviour that motivates Him,and His wisdom in protecting all from what can be harmful in a broader sense.Is He going to cause you to lose your job over one slip--of course not.If He has to get serious in His judgement,thneHe will if we make it necesarry by our stiff necked, rebellious resisting.His punishmnet always involves exposing a sinful attitude or behaviorto be corrected. Attitude sometimes is more serious than habit. Our behaviour is always a byproduct of how we think, our values system, what we really believe about things and our attitude.Therefore he wnats to address the predominant attitude or values that are out of priority, etc., and then tehbehaviour will fallin line after we get our thinking lined up with His ways, which are loving,constructive,beneficial to all, and good in every way.You know that a young child can actually obey , but with the wrong attitude. Like the boy made to sit in the corner. After he got up he looked at his teacher and said defiantly, "I may have been sitting down, but inside I was standing the whole time!" Sometimes we can do wrong by not doing what we knew we should.
I don't think he does while we're here on earth. I think he gives us free choice and free consequences to those choices and actions. As for your specific example, losing your job because you said the Lord's name in vain could very well be simply a manager or boss who was offended and didn't want to give you another chance. It could also open up a whole new door on a better job that you weren't considering at the time. It would be wise to pray for forgiveness and ask God to lead you in finding a new job if that is his will. This is JMHO but hopefully it helps put things in a little better perspective.
__________________
Jesus Christ--The reason for the season!
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a veteran.
If you're certain you know everything, there's little opportunity to learn anything.
Fred.
Here is the verses Manuman was speaking about in Hebrews.
Hebrews 12:6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. NOTE this is written in the present tense. He disciplines us today. I get disciplined all the time..He helps to conform me to be Christlike
7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Once I was disciplined for putting fishing ahead of worshipping God on Sunday.
1st week ...a bullet sinker came back and hit me between the eyes.
2nd week. I got a rattle Trap stuck in my arm 2 nd cast.
3rd week I got a 45 .00 fine for not having a whistle in my tacklebox.
4th week ..my only set of car keys went over board. I finally got the message.
Although we have church at home I treat it just as serious. We start promptly at 7:00 AM with singing , a lenghthy Bible study, prayer and communion. We also give just the same as if we were in church.There are many very good places ot give.I honestly in good faith can not attend a modern day church in my area ...and support it.
It goes for anything that you get from God. It's all his anyways, not really ours.
However, I'm not sure he goes around punishing people all the time for the things that they do. I think most of His judgment and wrath comes on Judgment Day.
__________________
πνεύμα γ*μισα
"Error never shows itself in its naked reality in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself."
-Irenaeus of Lyon
i was just using that as a example i never did lose my job. there is something i want out of life but havent gotten it. prayed for it numerous times still nothing. maybe God punishing me for all the bad things I do by not sending me what i want.
__________________
I rather have a bad day in the woods then a good day at work
I beleive disciplines comes if we don't heed conviction..warnings..As believers we should be getting convicted about certain things daily...discipline comes from disobedience..in the Old Testament God disciplined many ways..
..giving Israel over to other countries,
..disease
..poverty.
Ive expereinced discipline by..
sickness
tough neighbors.
and being humbled by God.
"He does bring down the proud." ..and giveth more grace to the humble." James.4 I've been guilty of that many times and have been brought low many times." God is faithful to discipline and bless us as He sees fit.
A wise man won't shun the discipline of God... he appreciates it.
On a positive note ..God is quick to bless..
He has given me favor with my bosses
He has given me favor with my neighbors
He has healed me many times
Actually ..too many blessings to list.
If you do something bad like say Gods name in vain. Could he let you lose a job?
One way to be spanked by God is to commit the sin of rebellion, if one takes God's name in Vain because of rebellion, that might be a sure way to lose a Job and to live a miserable life until you repent in sincerety and heavy heart.
__________________
The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
פרץ
One way to be spanked by God is to commit the sin of rebellion, if one takes God's name in Vain because of rebellion, that might be a sure way to lose a Job and to live a miserable life until you repent in sincerety and heavy heart.
Alex
Amen Alex...I agree .. in my small corner of the world I've found he also hates..
Pride Porn Foolishness Most Television Shows...especillly the ones that make a mockery of sin. Music that glorifys or promotes lust Gossip Bitterness Selfishness lewdness coveteousness drunkeness Raging anger
No matter what a church tells you ...they who practice such things won't be going ot Heaven. ..at least that 's what it says in the scripture below spoken by Saint Paul. Galations 5 :19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
does God punish
