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• How and why do people differ in their levels of spirituality? What is the determining factor that makes a martyr ready to offer his life for Christ and another person who struggles with the basics of a victorious Christian life?
• Matthew 13:22 (NKJV): "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful." My father wants me to work and not read the Bible more than 30 minutes per day. He also allowed me to study one branch of engineering though he wanted me to study a different branch. Jesus said you cannot serve God and mammon. You are serving mammon when you make it your priority and not to win souls to God’s kingdom. My college friend says if you want more people to become Christian, you have to be successful. I know some people do not like Joel Osteen, but he encourages pursuing dreams and says when you come to the end of life, God is going to ask what you did with your talents. Many celebrities teach nothing is impossible. One said that the word impossible itself means, I'm possible. I want to go to art school so I can get the confidence to draw so I can work in graphic design and maybe make my own cartoon or some independent video games. I want to Learn Arabic and many other skills. But I wonder if all that is for my ego. Is there anything wrong with that? Surely, God doesn't mind us being happy with learning a new skill, but I wonder if all that is a distraction from serving God with the talent I have which is spending time in church to hear the word of God as Mary did and not as Martha. However, Jesus still praised the getting of more talents. Is it wrong to learn new things for your own sake and not seeing how it can be used to serve God? How does one know it is time to stop pursuing dreams and serve God by hearing the word of God and being able to rightly divide the word of truth and grow in knowledge and the fruits of the Spirit?