All my guns

manitou said:

Think about all the people we could help if we only kept what we needed and donated the money.
There will be people freeze to death this winter due to lack of clothing or noursihment. Tonight, mothers will cry because they know their children will not make it another day without food.

Really, how many guns and "stuff" do we actually need?

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Timnterra said:

A relationship is not just something between two individuals who choose communicate and interact with each other. A relationship exists when one person develops a connection with someone or something. The relationship is the inclination of the heart. To use the word inclination litterally would mean leaning toward something. I develop a relationship with someone or something when my heart leans towards that person or thing. This relationship is not just with my heart but my mind and body. I spend my mental energy and time thinking about the thing or person I use my physical body and energy to interact with this person or thing. The stronger a relationship I develop with this person or thing the more of my physical mental and emotional energy is tied up in this relationship necessarily reducing the time and energy I spend with other relationships. Here's how the problem developed for me. A collection of guns has nothing to do with God. But building and owning a collection of guns does become a relationship. We all have a relationship to our guns unless they were given to us and we are quite indifferent to their existence. (Like my wife who I have given guns to and she was not even a little interested in receiving or shooting them.) Searching for and buying guns and gun parts became for me an all consuming hobby. I spent hours each day searching the forums for someone selling the barrel or stock o was looking for. I spent hours each day thinking about the guns and how cool they would be when o finally finished the build. I woke up with hope of pm's in my inbox about gun parts, scopes, reloading components etc… For the last 10 years I've spent more time thinking about guns than probably anything else. And this is how a hobby, or a collection of material things affected my relationship with God. It took His place in my mind and schedule and heart. One of the attributes of God is that He is Holy, this means that He will not be grouped together with anyone or anything else. He is in a category all His own high above all the other categories. When my hobby took the place of prominence in my heart where only God should be it became and idol of worship and that's why it has to go. God will not share His throne with anyone and I'm not going to ask Him to any longer.

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rvannoy said:

Hope this helps...
What the Lord requires of one may not be required of all...for Example, God told Abraham to take his son up on Mt Moriah to sacrifice him. In the end, Abraham was willing to obey God and his faith was greatly rewarded. I have one Son. The Lord has never told me to sacrifice my son. Years ago, it looked like a ministry change was going to require a move. I had worked hard on this old house and property. My son didn't understand why all the work and now sell out and move. In the end, God did not require us to move, but he did require me to be willing. He has blessed my family and me beyond measure. Guess what I'm trying to say in a nutshell is this...these decisions are personal between a man and his Lord. He does not lead us all to do the same thing. The OP is minding what God put in HIS heart. He knows that giving up something good for SOMEONE GREAT is the right thing to do FOR HIM.

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Mrvmax said:

The underlying biblical principle has been stated already. Anything can become and idol, when it does that takes the place of God and it becomes sin. It is not wrong to have things but, as humans, we tend to let them become idols.

Each of us knows what our idols are and others may not see it. I have no addictions to alcohol or drugs but know people who are drawn to that. It can be something different for all of us.

I commend the OP for doing this and even more, for stating it publicly, It is not a popular action.

This is a good message explaining that concept: Holiness, idols and the like by Martin Lloyd Jones

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Timnterra said:

A relationship is not just something between two individuals who choose communicate and interact with each other. A relationship exists when one person develops a connection with someone or something. The relationship is the inclination of the heart. To use the word inclination litterally would mean leaning toward something. I develop a relationship with someone or something when my heart leans towards that person or thing. This relationship is not just with my heart but my mind and body. I spend my mental energy and time thinking about the thing or person I use my physical body and energy to interact with this person or thing. The stronger a relationship I develop with this person or thing the more of my physical mental and emotional energy is tied up in this relationship necessarily reducing the time and energy I spend with other relationships. Here's how the problem developed for me. A collection of guns has nothing to do with God. But building and owning a collection of guns does become a relationship. We all have a relationship to our guns unless they were given to us and we are quite indifferent to their existence. (Like my wife who I have given guns to and she was not even a little interested in receiving or shooting them.) Searching for and buying guns and gun parts became for me an all consuming hobby. I spent hours each day searching the forums for someone selling the barrel or stock o was looking for. I spent hours each day thinking about the guns and how cool they would be when o finally finished the build. I woke up with hope of pm's in my inbox about gun parts, scopes, reloading components etc… For the last 10 years I've spent more time thinking about guns than probably anything else. And this is how a hobby, or a collection of material things affected my relationship with God. It took His place in my mind and schedule and heart. One of the attributes of God is that He is Holy, this means that He will not be grouped together with anyone or anything else. He is in a category all His own high above all the other categories. When my hobby took the place of prominence in my heart where only God should be it became and idol of worship and that's why it has to go. God will not share His throne with anyone and I'm not going to ask Him to any longer.

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Timnterra said:

A relationship is not just something between two individuals who choose communicate and interact with each other. A relationship exists when one person develops a connection with someone or something. The relationship is the inclination of the heart. To use the word inclination litterally would mean leaning toward something. I develop a relationship with someone or something when my heart leans towards that person or thing. This relationship is not just with my heart but my mind and body. I spend my mental energy and time thinking about the thing or person I use my physical body and energy to interact with this person or thing. The stronger a relationship I develop with this person or thing the more of my physical mental and emotional energy is tied up in this relationship necessarily reducing the time and energy I spend with other relationships. Here's how the problem developed for me. A collection of guns has nothing to do with God. But building and owning a collection of guns does become a relationship. We all have a relationship to our guns unless they were given to us and we are quite indifferent to their existence. (Like my wife who I have given guns to and she was not even a little interested in receiving or shooting them.) Searching for and buying guns and gun parts became for me an all consuming hobby. I spent hours each day searching the forums for someone selling the barrel or stock o was looking for. I spent hours each day thinking about the guns and how cool they would be when o finally finished the build. I woke up with hope of pm's in my inbox about gun parts, scopes, reloading components etc… For the last 10 years I've spent more time thinking about guns than probably anything else. And this is how a hobby, or a collection of material things affected my relationship with God. It took His place in my mind and schedule and heart. One of the attributes of God is that He is Holy, this means that He will not be grouped together with anyone or anything else. He is in a category all His own high above all the other categories. When my hobby took the place of prominence in my heart where only God should be it became and idol of worship and that's why it has to go. God will not share His throne with anyone and I'm not going to ask Him to any longer.

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Bullmark said:

God bless u brotha. Your faith is yours and yours alone.
I haven't read the entire thread, but if you're selling, I may be buying……what's the barrel length on that .25 Creed?

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Victor3Ranger1 said:

I don't know how many other people who are followers of God have the feeling that something huge is coming soon.
But for the past 5 years for me it's like something truly biblical is coming soon. Each year it feels like it's getting closer and closer. I look around and see so many just doing what they have always done with no regard to anything in life

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stazmania said:

Should we all become minimalist? How deeply to interpret the word? How to avoid any human urge to infringe into any of the deadly sins? Is the only answer to become as Jesus himself? If God has brought abundance to your life, shouldn't you embrace and enjoy it? If there is so great of an abundance shouldn't you share it? These questions can only be answered us individually. At the end of the day/life you will get the answers. There is no gaming the system because there is no system, only gods law.

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