II Equip yourself for defusing someone's SUICIDAL mindset..

	laat weet	info	ander studies
vertel			epos
			homepage
antwoordblad			donasies

B	Y	B	E	L	S	T	U	D	I	E	A	A	N	L	Y	N
............. ...................
												W	E	E	K	2

..Verruim Jou Ingeligte Opinie Met Lekker, Kreatiewe Aflaai&Eposklets Bybelstudies..!

	Deel met ons in die gebed:
	Dear God, it is not the teachings of mortals we seek to hear or read; we seek to look closer at what You - Yourself teach us in Your Word! Your Word is BEYOND doubt; people's interpretation thereof is NOT!
	Will You inspire each one of us to actively take part in studying the Scriptures to equip ourselves with a spiritual compass for the dark emotional times that sometimes accompanies troubling, changing or dull circumstances in peoples lives. - To equip ourselves with the understanding that is needed to defuse someone's suicidal mindset.
	Thank You for establishing such a close relationship allowing such free communication between us and You through the life giving working of Your Holy Spirit and in the Name of the One Who came to save us from self-destruction: In Jesus' Name. Amen.

If a child is taught NOT TO leave his clothes lying on the floor	he in fact is being taught neatness.
If he is taught NOT TO eat with dirty hands	he is taught hygiene.
If he is taught NOT TO play with a pair of scissors	the positive teaching is: safety first!
If, by giving the sixth commandment God teaches us NOT TO murder	He in fact teaches us that life is precious..
If, by giving us the eighth commandment God teaches us NOT TO steal	He teaches us to respect one another's right to ownership.

The tenth commandment reads:

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's." (Ex 20:17 ESV)

..The Contemporary English Version puts it:

"Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don't want anyone's house, wife or husband, slaves, oxen, donkeys or anything else."

						Explain the difference between the eighth (Do not steal) and the tenth commandment. (Do not want/covet anything that belongs to someone else.)

( my eie gedagte	web-span se gedagtes _
	The eighth commandment is about the wrongful ACT of physically stealing someone else's possession, while the tenth commandment is about a wrongful FEELING: A desire to have something that is possessed by another. Or it could be a feeling of grudging admiration ..or spite and resentment at seeing the success of another.

If, by giving us the eighth commandment God teaches us NOT TO steal	the positive teaching is to respect one another's right to ownership.
If, by giving the tenth commandment God teaches us NOT TO covet/want anything that belongs to someone else	what would be the positive teaching of the tenth commandment?

						How does the positive teaching of the tenth commandment differ from the positive teaching of the eighth?

( my eie gedagte	web-span se gedagtes _
	While the eighth commandment positively teaches us to practically respect one another's right to ownership - the tenth commandment positively teaches about attitude: It teaches us to rejoice with others in their success - while staying thankful to God and content with what we receive from Him.

Scripture teaches us:

"Be satisfied with what you have." (Heb 13:5)

"..I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have." (Phi 4:11)

"And religion does make your life rich, by making you content with what you have." (1Tim 6:6)

Considering the positive teaching of the tenth commandment..

Hebrews 13:5 reads: "Be satisfied with what you have."

..Is it therefore a violation of the tenth commandment if I do not want my neighbor's house to be taken away and given to me, yet I so badly long to have the same living standard he has that it causes me to feel dissatisfied with what God has destined for me?

						If I feel dissatisfied for not being given the same living standard as my neighbor, am I thereby violating the tenth commandment?

( my eie gedagte	web-span se gedagtes _
	Yes, If I feel dissatisfied for not being given the same living standard as my neighbor, I am indeed violating the tenth commandment.

Surely transgression of the tenth commandment can't be as serious as committing murder, one might think - but Scripture states:

"If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all." (Jam 2:10-11 CEV)

What do you think? Is it a violation of the tenth commandment when my little niece feels unhappy to the extend of throwing a tantrum on her sister's birthday because of the nice birthday presents her sister received?

After all, she don't want her sister's presents to be taken away and given to her - she just wants to receive the SAME presents at the SAME time - and not a month later - on her OWN birthday!

						Is my little niece violating the tenth commandment if she demands to receive the same presents at the same time as her sister - rather than waiting for her own birthday?

( my eie gedagte	web-span se gedagtes _
	Yes, though this kind of reaction is to be anticipated and parents should emotionally prepare children for situations like these, my little niece is violating the tenth commandment if she throws a tantrum and demands to receive the same presents at the same time as her sister - rather than sharing in her family's joy on a special day..

Abraham longed to have a son of his own. This was not wrong. What he longed for was according to the will of God, for God had promised Abraham that he would have a son:

In due time (..after turning a hundred years old!) Abraham did receive his son Isaac who was born according to the promise he had been given by God, but not before Abraham had made a terrible mistake.. We read:

"..and Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine." Abram agreed" (Gen 16:2 CEV)

Abraham did not covet his neighbor's son. He did not kidnap someone else's son. He simply wanted the son he had been waiting for for too long now, the son who had been promised to him - and like my little niece he wanted for the promise to come true WHEN HE so deeply LONGED for it to come true: ..INSTANTLY!

He had a child with Hagar.

"But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave-woman AND HER SON; for in no way shall the son of the slave-woman inherit with the son of the free woman." (Gal 4:30 MKJV)

Abraham's error:

Not very much unlike someone trying to take a suicide shortcut to heaven - Abraham tried to make God's promise for the future come true in the present. It was now he's promise. He's to make come true in he's own way.

	Like Abraham, we too received a promise.
	It is not our promise.
	It is God's promise to us.

Jesus promised: "There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I WILL COME BACK and TAKE you with me. THEN we will be together. (John 14:2&3 CEV)

What we can learn from this:

It indeed is honorable to desire eternal life in Heaven with God,	but it is sinful to desire eternal life in Heaven with God - INSTANLY!
Now that we believe in life after death,	it would be sinful not to be satisfied with the life on earth where God placed us for the time being.

It is wrong for us to want today	what is promised for tomorrow.
It is wrong to be so preoccupied with the thought of eternal life in heaven	that it makes life on earth seem depressing.

At funerals especially we focus on the wondrous life that we and our loved ones are promised in heaven.

While we thank God for this comforting and wonderful hope that we are privileged to share, one should keep in mind that afterwards believers have to return to hard work and difficulties - satisfied to proceed ordinary, earthly lives.

It is wrong for us to demand today what is promised for tomorrow..

Teenagers tend to fantasize about death.

They need to leave a loved one's funeral with hope, with an intense awareness of God's promise of life after death - that is much more glorious than anything we can ever know in this life, and because they believe so intensely - they need to leave INSPIRED to live an earthly life for the glory of God - not romanticizing obsessively about what is not promised for us for today, for this could lead to depression.. and eventually this depression could end in suicide..

						Do you believe that suicide is a transgression of the tenth commandment? ..Elaborate.

( my eie gedagte

web-span se gedagtes _

Yes, the motivation to commit suicide stems from a deep dissatisfaction with one's circumstances; a desire to flee from God's decision for your life (..like the prophet Jonah once did). On the other hand it is a desire to claim today that which God promised - NOT for today, but for the date that He set aside in His Godly wisdom to COME and TAKE you with Him according to His promise in John 14:2-3. To put it harshly: You desert your post when the battle gets tough an covet the Heavenly life that is reserved for those who (..like Job and the poor beggar, Lazarus) ENDURED to the (bitter) end!! Thus you are definitely violating the tenth commandment when you commit suicide..

						End Part Two of this Study on equipping yourself for defusing someone's SUICIDAL mindset with a concluding prayer..

( my eie gebed

Web-Span se Gebed

Lord Jesus,

In the parable Your servant, Lazarus was not satisfied with being hungry: He kept begging for something to take away his constant hunger. Yet he was satisfied to know that You are the ultimate Provider who would provide no more, nor less than according to Your design for his life.

During the time You spent as a Man on earth many others were so dissatisfied with their situation that they walked for miles so You would change their circumstances by healing them - if YOU decided to do so.

Your servant, Job was not satisfied with his circumstances at all. In fact, he was so dissatisfied that he longed to die. This urged him not to sit back idly, but to seek You with all his heart and mind - as he tried to understand! Yet, he was satisfied that those horrible circumstances somehow would play a part in Your design for his life. He was satisfied with Your purpose for his life. He trusted You to know best when all seemed to go wrong.

Lord Jesus, in many ways we are not satisfied with our circumstances: We work and pray toward change - yet we are satisfied to know that not through idleness, but through our constant effort change will come as soon as it suits You to allow for it! Meanwhile we know that You have a plan with each and every disaster and tragedy that You allow in our lives!

We are satisfied to have some patches and even chronic stretches of dissatisfaction in areas of our earthly lives - for we wholeheartedly trust in You!!

Amen.

Part three of this study should be available in a week or so. Meanwhile, whether you study with us individually or together with your local study group, we call upon each of you to please report back on your findings, suggest future topics, share your insights with the rest of us and ask questions that might arise by email. (Paste the contents of your answer page into your email: this will make it easier for us to follow your line of thinking!)
Enjoy a deeply thankful - and satisfied week!
Nicolaas en die Bybelstudieaanlyn Span!