Sunday, July 30, 2017

DO NOT GET MARRIED Unless You Ask Your Partner These

DO NOT GET MARRIED Unless You Ask Your Partner These 11 Questions!

Some good relationship advice before considering marriage is to take the time to ask questions that plumb the inner depths of your partner’s personality and psychology. Here are eleven questions you can ask to his or her suitability for a marriage partner:


1 – Why do you love me? – This is a questions that lovers have asked each other from the beginning of time, but it does provide real information about their psychological and social needs in a mate. If the focus seems to be on what you have or what you can provide materially in the marriage, you might need to look elsewhere for an authentic commitment.
2 – What are you goals and are you willing to adjust them for the relationship? – This question can reveal what priority the relationship has in the overall life plan. If the individual is more to achieve life goals and expects you to do all the adjusting, it could be an unfavorable sign.
3 – Do you know how to compromise? – Compromise is the essence of a good marriage. A person who shows an inclination to feel “it’s my way or the highway” is not a good candidate for the negotiations and compromises that marriage requires.
4 – What’s your relationship with your family? – A bad relationship with family can indicate issues that could affect the marriage. Similarly, someone is too close to his or her family may be so enmeshed that the marriage may not come first. Relationship counseling can help to resolve these issues.

5 – Why do you want to spend your life’s journey with me? – This answer can tell you about the expectations of your partner and whether relationship therapy might be needed to create healthier expectations about your role in the marriage.
6 – Can you keep the romance alive? – Someone who understands the value of keeping romance alive will actively work to invigorate the relationship over time.
7 – Can’t you work through the rough patches. Someone who dislikes conflict or who cannot work out differences will make a poor marriage partner.
8 – What are your parenting skills? – If you intend to have children, the previous family experiences of your partner can have a significant effect on his or her ability to parent.
9 – Can you commit to grow with me instead of away from me? – This answer can tell you whether the person understands the nature of close relationships and the constant maintenance they require.
10 – Will you continue to grow in the relationship? – A person that continues to have hobbies and interests that are separate from the marriage will make a more interesting and independent partner.
11 – If My Life Is Cut Short, Will You Honor My Memory Forever? – An individual that will continue to hold that relationship in memory as a valuable experience, rather than close the book on it, is likely to make the most of the time you have together.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Which of God’s attributes are above all others?

Question: "Which of God’s attributes are above all others?"

Answer: 
The question of which of God’s attributes are highest or most important or “above” the others must be answered in two parallel modes. One possible answer differentiates between the attributes of God that are more important for us to understand; but we must also consider whether or not some attributes of God are more important for Him, in reality. Interestingly, when we look at the attributes of God, we find they are all unchangeably perfect, so there is no practical difference in their importance—at least not to God. However, from a human viewpoint, the way we understand God’s qualities has to come in a certain order.

In order to be truly “infinitely” perfect, a being has to be perfect in all qualities. Attributes such as omnipotence and omniscience can only exist in cooperation with each other. For example, a being could not have all possible power unless he also has all possible knowledge. He could not be all-knowing unless he was all-present. And so on and so forth. For this reason, God’s attributes cannot be ranked on a scale of importance as if some were more critical than others to who God is. All of God’s qualities are equally perfect, equally “infinite,” and equally ranked.

At the same time, human beings are not infinite, nor are we perfect. Our understanding has to come in steps and stages. For this reason, certain attributes of God must be understood before we can properly appreciate the others. When all is said and done, the starting point for understanding who God is, from a human perspective, is His holiness (see Isaiah 6:3). God’s holiness means that He is set apart from mankind, that He is something other than we are, in a radical and fundamental way. He is perfection, without a hint of unrighteousness. Before anything else about God makes sense, we must understanding that God is holy—without recognizing this uniqueness, none of His other qualities make sense.

More generally, we need to understand attributes of God that are “beyond” mankind before we can make sense of those more connected to human experience. God’s holiness, sovereignty, and omnipotence, for example, are crucial foundations for our understanding of His other qualities such as love and justice. As pointed out before, God’s perfection ensures none of those qualities are “more” or “less” present in God than the others. But, in order to grasp God to the extent the human mind is able, we can arrange those qualities in a certain logical order. That begins with His holiness, extends to His power (omnipotence, sovereignty, etc.), and then to His personality (love, mercy, justice, etc.).