Talk:KCU/03/Lions

Instructor Feedback on First Draft

As a first draft, this contribution falls short. (This would not pass if submitted for the final draft.) You do have some promising introductory paragraphs. You need to incorporate sources into your discussion. The unfilled parts of the outline need to be developed.

Things to work on:

1. Write out paragraphs for the rest of the outline like with the introductory section.

2. Bring in sources

3. Look up biblical evidence

4. Look up technical commentaries on the biblical evidence: e.g., commentaries from the NIV Application Commentary Series, the Word Biblical Commentary Series, the New International Commentary on the New Testament Series, &/or the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament Series

5. Clean up the formatting

Here's some web resources that may be helpful:

http://www.drcloud.com/Articles/HPG_5_The_God_of_Grace.htm

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/2/

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/3/

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TopicIndex/56/

http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/486462.html

Below is a good forum contribution from one of the students in the Christian Heritage online class (Erika Simpson), which may be helpful to you (which you can use as one of your dialog partners):

The question "what difference does our view of God make" is a broad and complex question with many possible areas to explore. However, I will focus on one particular area of personal interest, which is mental health. I believe that our main purpose in life, our motivation for living and how we spend our lives all revolve around our view of God. As a nursing student, I am currently spending many clinical hours working with mentally ill patients who are under psychiatric care. Although many mental illnesses are the results of chemical or hormonal imbalances and may result from neurological deficiency or alteration, the phenomena of illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression must exist somewhat because of a distorted view of God.

If we view God as a loving and all-powerful God, our lives will reflect that; but if we, by believing the enemy’s lies, view God as an angry, punishing God whom we must work to please, our lives will negatively reflect that as well. Recent research studies referenced in the Journal of Christian Nursing have shown that a positive correlation exists between religion and “well-being, hope, optimism, meaning and purpose, and higher quality of life” (1). When people incorporate spirituality into their lives as a top priority, they experience the good things that God intended for us to experience. Psychiatric research also shows that the exhibition of Christ-like characteristics such as “gratefulness, forgiveness, altruism and social support” has been positively linked with greater mental health and well-being” (1). Many people who suffer from depression and other serious mental afflictions complain of feeling hopeless, lacking energy and motivation and the classic sign of depression- not enjoying the things they used to enjoy. Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galations 5:22. God wants us to enjoy good things in life. He gives us “hope and a future,” in other words, purpose (Jeremiah 29:11). The scripture is also very clear that the enemy comes to “steal, kill and destroy” and in essence, take our hope, our joy and our purpose for living (John 10:10).

Cloud & Townsend suggest that we must move from a “natural human view of God to a real, Biblical view of God” (p.66). This means seeing God as a God of grace instead of a God of law. We must train ourselves to view God as who He is presented to us in the Bible, i.e., loving, forgiving, helping, compassionate and merciful. We do not have to carry our burdens and our sorrows alone. In fact, we are not designed to be able to do so. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30). I believe here, Jesus was speaking to those who were depressed or prone to depression and despair. When we misunderstand who God is, we disconnect from Him. We become bogged down by the evil forces in this life when we allow lies to infiltrate our minds and we see God inaccurately. I can attest to this, because my view of God is developing and maturing as I stay close to Him through study and prayer. However, when I stray from Him, my view of Him changes, because I get caught up in the negative circumstances of life. Romans 12:2 says that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. The mind is a powerful tool that we can either use or we can let it use us. If Satan can get control over our minds, he can control our lives. Mental health starts with a basic, Biblical view of who God is. Once we understand and accept the view of God as a gracious God who freely gives us what we cannot earn and do not deserve, we can form healthy, accurate views of ourselves as His children, healthy relationships with others, and we can work towards fulfilling our purposes here on earth.

Perhaps, Nancy DeMoss sums up this point by stating:

Our problem isn’t so much a “poor self-image” as it is a “poor God-image.” Our need is not to love ourselves more but to receive His incredible love for us and to accept His design and purpose for our lives(2).

Once we shift the focus off of ourselves to God, we realize that it is not about ourselves or our miserable circumstances; rather, it is about glorifying God through living a Godly life and allowing God to fulfill His purposes through us.

1. Journal of Christian Nursing. “Religion and Mental Illness: Safe Spirituality or Risky Religious Intervention?” Vol. 24, April-June 2007. p. 71

2. Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. Moody Press, 2001. p. 71