#preconditions

Have you ever wanted to be frustrated with God?

Have you ever wanted to feel like your prayers are a waste of time?

Of course not. No one does. And yet, just about all of us set ourselves up to be frustrated with God.

It happens when we set preconditions on God. When we tell God how He has to do things. When we do, we’re not changing God one bit.

What we are doing is changing ourselves. Locking ourselves into our wisdom, what we think is best, our ideas. Getting our vanity tied up with how things have to be done.

Meaning that if God does anything other that exactly how we see things happening? We’re not able to receive it. Even if it’s better. Because it’s not how we’ve decided that it has to happen.

And you’re thinking, “That ridiculous, no one does that.”

You’re right. Because just about no one sets out to put preconditions on God.

And yet, this is still a problem. Because just about all of us do put preconditions on God. We just do it in much more subtle ways.

Like what we see in today’s Gospel.

Where the response to Jesus isn’t an outright “no.” But it isn’t exactly a “yes” either.

It’s more of “let me take care of this other thing, then I’ll get to you Jesus.”

Where, maybe without really meaning to, Jesus gets put in second place. Or maybe third or fourth.

Because they’re just so caught up in themselves and what they’re doing. That Jesus has to take a number. And wait His turn.

A point that’s so beautifully captured in the first two words of one man’s response to Jesus – “But first…”

Once we’re at that point, it’s a very short step (really, more of an unavoidable slide). From expecting someone who we (in our own minds) have already made wait on us. To do things our way.

Which is a great way to set ourselves up not only to be disappointed in God. When God doesn’t do things our way.

But also to miss God’s best for our lives. Because we’re so stuck in our own ideas about how things have to be, that we miss it when God gives us better than we could ever imagine.

Putin’s response has created an impediment to the implementation of the ceasefire proposal. 🇺🇦💙💛🇺🇦

#Repost @kyivindependent_official with @use.repost_ . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about a 30-day ceasefire indicate that he is preparing a rejection of the U.S. proposal, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his evening address on March 13.

“Putin is afraid to say directly to (U.S.) President (Donald) Trump that he wants to continue this war, that he wants to kill Ukrainians. That’s why they in Moscow demand such preconditions for a ceasefire that will make it impossible or will (postpone it) as long as possible,” Zelensky said.

Kyiv agreed to a temporary truce proposed by Washington during the talks in Jeddah on March 11, provided that Russia did as well. Days after, on March 13, Putin said he was ready to agree to the proposal but demands guarantees that Kyiv will not mobilize or train troops, nor receive military aid during it.

Zelensky described Putin’s response as “Russian manipulations.”

Read today’s full report at the link in bio.

Photo: Al Drago / Getty Images

Iran ready to swap prisoners with US without preconditions | World News

Iran is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei was quoted as saying by Khabaronline news website on Sunday, adding that Washington has yet to respond to Iran`s call on a prisoner swap.

“We are ready to exchange Iranian and American prisoners and we are prepared to discuss this issue but Americans have not responded yet,” Rabiei said,…

Trump has said TIME AND TIME AND TIME again that he would meet with Iran with “no pre-conditions” and now he says when the media reports it as “fake news.”

Soon he will say that their reporting that he will have Mexico pay for a wall is “fake news” and that he has a daughter named Tiffany Trump as “fake news.”

Kabul declares its readiness to negotiate with the Taliban without any preconditions

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The spokesman for the Supreme Council for Peace in Afghanistan, Ihsan Tahiri, that Kabul is ready to discuss various topics during negotiations with the Taliban, without any preconditions, including constitutional amendments.

"Over the past years and the past administration, we have had a number of conditions, including adherence to the constitution, disarmament,…

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/moscow-russias-putin-suggests-long-awaited-peace-treaty-to-japan/169316/

MOSCOW | Russia's Putin suggests long-awaited peace treaty to Japan

MOSCOW— Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday suggested that Russia and Japan should sign a much-anticipated peace treaty formally ending hostilities from World War II before the end of the year.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pushing for a way forward in the dispute, with the two leaders holding numerous meetings and reportedly getting as close to solving the row as they have ever been.

Speaking at an economic conference in Russia’s Far East, Putin suggested that Russia and Japan sign the treaty this year and solve the territorial dispute later.

“Let’s sign the peace treaty — not now, but before the end of the year, without any preconditions,” Putin said, addressing Abe who was also sitting at the same panel. “And later we will continue to talk about all of our disagreements as friends on the basis of a peace treaty.”

Abe smiled at the suggestion.

For the past several years Putin and Abe have been discussing ways to solve the longstanding dispute, including making the four most southern of the Kuril Islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories, a joint economic zone.

Speaking at the economic conference in Vladivostok earlier on Wednesday Abe said he and Putin share an opinion “that this is not normal” that the two countries still have not signed a peace treaty.

“Japan and Russia — both President Putin and myself — share the same position and determination to solve our territorial disputes,” he said in comments carried by Russian news agencies. “And to that end we need to meet more often and figure out common positions.”