Friday, March 22, 2024

being righteous, living righteously

Is there a difference between being righteous (before God) and living righteously?

Even though God, in and through Christ, grants us righteousness (perfect standing) before Him legally, he still desires our life to be ²lived righteously. It is only through ²righteous living we are in tune in our daily lives with who God is and most aligned with putting Him on display i.e. honoring and glorifying Him.

He created us to be aligned with his will (design) in our conduct, so we might experience more of Him and best put Him on display (honor or glorify Him) before others. This is the desired outcome of the good standing God has fully secured for us in Christ. 

To say it another way, God grants us a right standing legally, so we might live right. Not to be more right with God legally (this has already been settled by and in Christ), but to partake of Him more in our everyday lives practicallyHe wants us to live righteously so we might more fully partake of his love, life, and joy and pass it on to others more effectively.

In fact, the whole intent of making us right with Him is so we will live righteously for His honor.
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The idea of being made right in order to live right is expressed in several places but most often and clearly in Paul's letter to the Romans.

‭‭Romans 6:4 ESV‬‬
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

‭‭Romans 7:4 ESV‬‬
Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (i.e. we are perfectly right with God in Christ). For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us..." - Rom ‭8:1‭-‬5‬

Each of the above 3 passages shows the desired outcome of God making us right with him is that we will live righteously

In fact, in several of Paul's letters (Ephesians, Colossians, ³Hebrews and Romans) the first part of the letter lays out what God has done for us, and the remaining part deals with how we are to conduct ourselves in light of this.

This is clearest in the book of Romans, where the first 11 chapters elaborate on our alienation from God and what He has done for us in Christ, then from chapter 12 on it shifts to how we conduct ourselves in light of this

I appeal to you therefore (in light of what I have said up to this point regarding what God has done for us), brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

This isn't a coincidence, it is because righteous living must always flow out of a righteous standing with God. This is clearly implied and stated explicitly in several passages. 

For a further discussion on being right vs living right click here

What is the good news? click here
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Footnotes: 

²What exactly is righteous living or living righteously? When our conduct is perfectly aligned with God's design and will. And what is God's design and will for us and all creation? That in everything we do and say we honor and glorify him. In doing so, we also experience our own significance - glory. 

We will not value or love God above all others until we experience his value or love for us. 

Which comes first our valuing and loving Him or Him valuing and loving us?

³There is good reason to believe Paul dictated the book of Hebrews to Luke, who wrote it. The way the letter flows and unfolds and the thorough knowledge of the OT is characteristics of other letters by Paul. But the style and elegance of the Greek used in the book is indicative of Luke. 

There are several other reasons some believe Paul dictated it. Primarily because, as far as we know, all but one of Paul's letters (including Hebrews) was dictated. Also Luke was a highly educated Greek national and medical doctor, fluent in proper Greek. Hebrews was written with grammatical precision, using several words unique to the book of Hebrews. This was uncharacteristic of Paul's other letters but similar to the style used in the gospel of Luke. For these reasons, many think Paul didn't write it. 

It is also believed that Paul deliberately did not identify as the author since he was considered the apostle to the Gentiles and not looked upon favorably by the Judizers within Jewish circles. Some suggest he left his name off to avoid any resistance to the letters' reception and circulation. 

Friday, March 15, 2024

When we are weak we are strong

God's power is perfected in our weakness. If we do not understand this we will interpret his guidance as ¹abandonment.

Do we have any examples to support this in scripture? Not only do we have several examples, but the ultimate example by the most significant person who ever walked the earth.

What did the Spirit do after the public announcement of Christ's ministry? He led him into the wilderness to be tested.

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." - Mat 4:1

It wasn't until after this that Christ went forth in power to share the good news of His coming kingdom.

If this was necessary for Christ how much more so for us?

Paul tells us that God's power is perfected in our struggles and weakness (2 Cor 12:8-9). God even sent a messenger of Satan to harass him, not unlike God allowing Satan to inflict suffering on Job. God was in charge in both cases. If we do not understand this we will interpret God's directing us into periods of testing as ¹abandonment.

We usually don't feel like God is with us when we are in the wilderness, do we? It is usually lonely and often confusing. We are tempted to ask God, "where are you?! Why have you ¹left me?!


Christ learned obedience through the things He suffered. If this was necessary for Christ, the perfect Son of God and man, why would - or should - it be different for us who are far from perfect? 

Our need to learn to trust the Father is greater than Christ's - though His trust in the Father was tested far more than ours will likely ever be. 

"Therefore...let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:1-2

If we do not understand that God is in the test - working by and through it for our spiritual advancement - we will not be able to "count it all joy" as James exhorts, when we go through hard times. We will be unstable and tossed about in and by our distrust.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith (trust) produces steadfastness. 

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man (who trusts God one moment and doubts Hin the next), unstable in all his ways." - James 1:2-8

For a discussion on why faith is a fight click here
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¹Matthew 27:46 ESV‬‬
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

legitimate vs illegitimate business

What distinguishes a legitimate enterprise or business from an illegitimate one? 

Being ¹service driven vs. solely profit-driven.

There is nothing wrong with profit in itself, but when profit becomes the ²sole motive, serving others becomes irrelevant or secondary at best and leads to the ⁴harm of others. This is a disservice and the opposite of serving others.

When an enterprise is focused on ²serving others and helping them flourish, the result is the customers' ²benefit. If we persevere, it often results in our benefit as well, i.e. profit. We "win" by helping others "win." But serving others should always be our focus, regardless. As believers, this is carrying out the commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves i.e. treating others the way we would like to be treated. If we gain (profit) in the process of helping others, this is a good thing, not bad i.e. it is not exploiting our fellow man or the planet, as ⁵some assert, but the possible (not guaranteed) fruit of serving them.   

The most successful enterprises are those that find a ¹legitimate ³need of others and meet it better than anyone else. The greater the need, the greater the service we can provide. The greater the service, the greater the opportunity for profit if we are diligent. 

For a discussion on sowing and reaping click here

For a discussion about socialism vs capitalism click here

For a discussion on doing things with excellence click here
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¹The nature of the need is also vital in determining the legitimacy of the enterprise or service e.g. providing healthy food vs junk food is a legitimate endeavor. Providing a want such as junk food (or pornography, or abortions etc) simply because there is a demand for it is not. There may be large profits in these kinds of offers but if an offer is contrary to God's design it is ultimately destructive and a disservice to others and humanity at large regardless of demand or the amount of profit.

²Even when profit becomes the primary motive, serving others becomes secondary, which also ultimately leads to people's ⁴harm and the opposite of serving others.

For both the provider and the consumer. This is a "win-win" scenario. 

³We must distinguish between needs and wants. Needs are vital to our existence and flourishing. Wants, no matter how great, are merely what we desire but will not perish if we do not obtain them i.e. they are not essential to our existence but are designed to merely give us greater comfort versus greater fruitfulness i.e. productivity. 

We are called to be productive (fruitful) and anything that enables us to do so is legitimate.

This is our initial mandate in the Old Testament:

‭‭Genesis 1:28-30 

[28] And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” [29] And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. [30] And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 

And repeated in the New Testament: 

‭‭John 15:5 

[5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing... 

[8] By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples...
 
[16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, - regarding advancing God's rule (kingdom) of love - he may give it to you. 

⁴Such as using corn syrup in foods as a sweetener because it is cheaper and adds more to the bottom line even though it's harmful to us.

⁵Ayn Rand asserted capitalism and altruism are opposites and do not mix i.e. that in a true free market system we can not benefit (win) by helping others benefit (win). 

Click here for a 2-minute video explaining this worldview. 

However, as an atheist, she didn't understand the dynamic of being empowered to love others when we know we are fully loved. 

She interpreted altruism as a giving away of - or others taking from us - our dignity and not an expression of the dignity we derive from God, the eternal overflowing fountain of love. She saw altruism only as others taking from us by force vs our freely and willingly giving to others out of our fullness of receiving all things from our Creator. A subtle but vital distinction. 

This distinguishes God's Kingdom from communism. This also reveals how the progressive side of the church is unwittingly sympathetic to communism, which is vastly different from advancing God's kingdom. 

Givers vs takers

For a discussion on how we are designed to be givers and not takers click here.

Exchanging energy via currency?

Currency is a recognized media of value (i.e. everyone agrees on it's value) that we exchange our energy for (just think electrical current i.e. Current-cy). 

We expend energy through labor to create things (or to provide direct services to others) that people want or need.

We in turn are given currency (portable, transferable, stored labor/energy) in exchange for that labor, which we can then use to acquire goods and services others labor to produce that we need or want but do not have the time, skills or interest to directly labor for. 

Through a universally accepted ¹medium of exchange - of portable and transferable energy (i.e.currency) - we can more easily benefit mutually from the skills, talent and labor of an unlimited number of others without having to barter.

For example, if I am a dentist and you do landscaping, I can provide you dental work in exchange for land scaping. This works fine but only if I need landscaping and you need dental work i.e. barter is limited to the specific things we EACH offer or need.

A currency however is a universally accepted media of transferring your and my labor/energy. This means everybody will accept it as payment for their labor/energy and also offer it to others for the goods or services their labor/energy produces and provides. So use of currency is not limited to any one particular service - such as dental work - or product but unlimited in how it can be used. 

When we give currency to another we are in effect giving transportable/transferable energy/labor to them through a media of exchange or currency and they in turn agree to accept it from us. 

Our energy is expended and exchanged for transportable/ transferable currency which they in turn can exchange for goods and services that have been created by the labor/energy of others, which they themselves can also convert to currency.

Currency is simply a universally accepted, portable, and easily transferable media of exchanging our energy/labor (and the fruits of it) to each other.

Who is in control?

Here's the part most don't understand. If a central authority, such as a bank, issues and therefore controls the currency (money), in effect it controls the people who labor for it. 

If no Central authority is necessary to verify the value of a currency but it's verification is distributed evenly through a decentralized network that no one controls (or you could say the laborers together "control") then a central authority is no longer needed. But most importantly central control is no longer possible. The verification of the value is now in the hands of "we the people" and not any one central institution or person.

What about profit? Is it good or bad?

Profit is merely surplus energy created through efficiency, and/or hard work. 

But also through innovation. This occurs when the laborer finds an area of demand/need/want through their ingenuity/ innovation/creativity and supplys that want or need more efficiently than others (or exclusively before anyone else does).  

The basic engine that drives commerce is supply and demand. The laborer/innovator supplies what others need, want, or demand. 

Commerce is nothing more than the exchange of goods and services - by the means of currency - that are needed and desired by others.

To provide goods and services that are needed or wanted is not taking advantage of people but actually serving them. It is treating them with value/care. In short, productivity does not necessarily require greed. It can be driven by a desire to serve others; to treat them as we wish to be treated i.e. to love our neighbors as ourselves. In so doing, we are carrying out the 2nd greatest commandment. 

When profit is generated through deception or abuse of resources, this is not a natural or inherent part of profit-making but the abuse of it. There is nothing inherently wrong with profit-making (i.e. efficiently, diligently, creativity meeting wants/needs) but only the abuse of it. 

Often, profit-making and abuse of it are mixed together as if they are one and the same. They are not. To shut down profit-making because it is abused is not the solution to the actual abuse. It would be equivalent to docking a sailboat, which is more efficient than using a row boat because the sailboat captain is always drunk and constantly wrecking his ship and causing harm or damage to others. The sailboat is not the problem, the captain steering the boat is.

Any economic system or endeavor can be (and often is) corrupted and abused simply because humanity is broken, not necessarily the means of doing commerce. We must separate and distinguish the system from the abuse of a system. 

All systems are subject to abuse, not necessarily because this is inherent within the system, but because of human nature's inclination to take advantage of others solely for their own benefit i.e. selfishness.

Some systems are more conducive to abuse than others. Systems that have centralized power (such as ²socialism and communism) tend to be abused most due to the selfish inclination of humanity. As the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If you put the control of commerce in the hands of a centralized authority, abuse inevitably occurs due to our inherent inclination to be selfish. 

This is why our system of government was set up with a separation of powers and various checks and balances. You could say power within our system is decentralized. The founders understood the corruption of centralized power firsthand through tyrannical British rule.  

Large profit may simply be the fruit of greater energy expended and utilizing greater efficiency and innovation (creativity) than others, not necessarily or automatically the fruit of greater abuse. To say it simply, the greater and better the job you do the more you are rewarded. Great profit can simply be that you have made a larger number of people happier by providing what they want or need better than anyone else.

When you can devalue the currency by creating additional currency out of thin air you are in effect unknowingly (to them) taking (stealing) people's energy by diluting the value of the currency they labored for e.g. to double the money supply is the equivalent of doubling the number of hours of labor required to generate the same earnings. Without an honest currency/money system, you have legalized theft. 

And as long as there are those allowed to steal from you unchecked, they will continue to do so by whatever means possible (through deception) to maintain power and control over others, i.e. our labor/energy/time etc. This is why the Federal Reserve system must be eliminated. It is taking the fruits of one's labor/energy through deception and using it to advance there agenda - which is not necessarily or usually the peoples agenda. This is not only taking advantage of the producer/worker but increasing their control over others i.e. You and I. 

The media of exchange that best fits the need of an honest media of exchange is cryptocurrency. For a discussion on why click here.
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¹One of the oldest and most common media's of exchange was gold and silver. Originally in America we used gold and silver coins (A dollar was an ounce of silver. A quarter was a quarter ounce and a dime was 1/10 an ounce). The paper dollar was backed by gold or silver and could be turned in for the amount of gold or silver the "bill" designated i.e.  5 "dollar bill" or 10 dollars or a 100 etc. Eventually, we went to paper certificates of deposit that were backed by silver. Now it is merely currency by fiat (law) and backed by nothing. 

A currency can be any universally recognized media. Because of the devaluation of the paper dollar through excess spending and printing more to cover the nation's increasing debt, more are turning to privately created digital currency known as cryptocurrency. True cryptocurrency has a limited number of coins created resulting in them increasing in value against fiat currency, as their use becomes more widely accepted.

²those who promote such systems pretend benevolence (and maybe even naively believe it's more fair) when in fact they seek power and control (whether consciously or not… they argues someone has to run the show).

The appeal to the consumer is I'm promised I'll be cared for regardless of whether I work for it or not, by those who promote (and control) distribution. 

For a further discussion on the difference between socialism and capitalism, click here.

For further discussion on the difference between a legitimate and illegitimate endeavor or business click here.

If interested in acquiring precious medals at 12 to 17% below standard dealers cost click here.

Friday, February 9, 2024

Whoever is not with me is against me

Every decision we make is a choice between doing something ¹God's way or my way - doing things to advance God's agenda (kingdom) or mine.  

Christ said it this way, "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." 

There appears to be no in-between. This sounds pretty harsh until we dig in a little more.

Ultimately, the key underlying difference between God's way and ours is who do we depend on or trust ²more in our choices and the actions we take - God or ourselves?
 

Choosing our way feels natural and normal, i.e. it's our default setting. It's not necessarily conscious because it's all we know. It seems harmless and doesn't feel like a choice against God. 

But if we are designed to know and love God with all we are and have and in turn put Him on display in all we say and do and thereby make Him known, yet in our present state we do not as a matter of course, are we not rebels and enemies of God? Do all things for the glory of God, loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and being holy because God is holy is not hyperbole or casual statements. 

If God is the source of life, love, and all things, to take and use what God has created to advance our own designs and purposes without consideration of God's ³designs and purposes in giving us all things is an act of rebellion against God. By our actions, we are saying to God - and anyone who knows who observes us - that God is irrelevant. When in fact He is just the opposite i.e. He is the most relevant and important being of all. To not act accordingly not only dishonors God for who He is, but it is living a lie that harms us and those we interact with. 

However, the reality is He is the most important being of all. Without Him, there would be nothing else i.e. all we are and have is from His hand.

Paul said it this way, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.‭‭Rom‬ ‭11:36‬

If we bristle at this, it only confirms how subtle and deep our rebellion runs.

But when we stop and consider our life, most give little to no thought as to why God gives us all that we have - i.e. we rarely consider what part God plays in doing so. Instead we should be asking why He gives us life, breath, air to breathe, health, our abilities (physical, mental, athletic, artistic etc.), food, sunlight, rain, sight, taste, smell, hearing, natural resources, etc. and how we can use what he provides to give Him rightful honor and thanks. 

Do you thank Him for all you are and have. If not, is this not an indication of rebellion towards Him who gives us all things?

This would be like our child misusing the things that we as parents have labored to acquire and provide, with little or no regard for our wishes as the parent. This can result in the child's harm and/or harm to others and often does (like when a child uses and wrecks their parent's car injuring themselves or others).

It's not that a loving parent doesn't want their child to enjoy and use what they provide. A loving parent loves their child and wants them to feel their love. They want what's best for them.   

But a loving parent also does not want their child to be ⁴harmed. And as a parent with much more life experience (i.e. a better understanding of good and evil if you will), they know us better than we do and how to use and benefit from what they provide. With our heavenly parent, he knows better than we do what is best for us. 

No matter how little we consider God as we go about our lives, the reality is all that we are and have not only comes from God but is maintained by him. Without God, nothing would be, including ourselves, with all the unique abilities we were born with. In reality we hate to acknowledge this. It grates against every fiber of our being because we do not want to be accountable to an all Supreme Being for our choices and actions. 

Considering what God wants is not only the right thing to do but is best for us and others. Who would know what is best for us and how to use what God provides better than God himself? Unless, of course, you don't trust Him. And isn't that precisely the issue, our distrust?

We should always seek to use what he provides as He desires and directs. Not because he needs to be in charge (He already is) but because he knows what is best and wants that best for us.

For a discussion on why God allows evil click here and here.

For a discussion on why God loves rebels click here
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¹This was the essence of the choice presented to Adam (primarily) and Eve on whether to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

²And what exactly is it that we should trust? That God not only knows what is best but desires what is best for us. And what He desires He can fully accomplish, i.e. He's all-powerful. In short, we trust that God loves us and knows what is best better than we do.

³And what exactly are those designs? For us - His image bearers - to be the caretakers of His creation, and be fruitful and multiply. 

Why? So that we can enter into and partake of the good gifts of God and extend them to others. Our extending them to others enables us to more fully partake of who God is and designed us to be. 

Why? Because God loves us and his creation and wants us to experience the joy of being in a relationship of love with Him like He has experienced from all eternity past between the Father and Son, in, through, and by the Spirit. i.e. He desires we partake of the joy and delight of receiving and giving love in the same way He does. 

For a fuller discussion on the above, click here

All that we are and have is designed and intended to aid us in participating in and experiencing the eternal joy and bliss between the Father and His Son in, through, and by the Spirit. We, however, use God's creation to do just the opposite, i.e. to attempt to be independent of God. If we persist He honors our choice.

⁴This does not mean God will not allow us to experience short-term pain. He often does so we might have long-term gain. 

Friday, February 2, 2024

Broken yet fully loved

We are far more ¹broken than we are willing to admit but also far more loved than we can ever imagine or hope for - or are usually willing to believe.

Why do we struggle to believe that we are both broken and fully loved at the same time?

We fear if someone knew all our faults they would reject us and no longer love us. Why? Because admitting to or being seen with all our flaws usually results in rejection. 

We so greatly long to be fully and deeply loved, we fear ²losing it if we ever find it. We believe it's better to never be loved than to powerfully experience love and lose it.

The more we know we are loved - regardless of our flaws - the more we can admit ("own") them - not only to the one who loves us but to ourselves as well. 

Why does love free us? We are no longer concerned that admitting our brokenness will result in rejection. We know we are loved regardless of how broken we are. 

Love is the fuel of growth and change. Why?

Admitting our faults to ourselves and others is vital to our maturing. 

We can't and won't fix something if we don't think it's broken. And we can't admit our brokenness until we know we will not be rejected for it. Once we feel safe to admit our brokenness, we can be more honest with ourselves (and others) about our shortcomings.

We can admit our faults only to the extent we know we are loved despite them.

When we are loved in ³this way we desire to bring joy and honor to the only One who loves us this way. We delight in doing all we can to honor them. When this is for God, He in turn feels honored to be in a relationship with us.

For a discussion on loving yourself click here and here.

For a discussion on what it means to be broken click here
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¹We are not broken in the sense that we no longer have natural abilities, talents, or resources but in how we use these, i.e. do we use them to self-comfort instead of bringing comfort to others as we were *designed to?

Self-comforting is so common it is considered normal, not broken. We not only embrace it but applaud others who do this as well. "Loving ourselves" has become a cultural mantra in the West when it is actually the primary evidence and expression of brokenness. 

Our need to love ourselves is only because we have rejected God, the very source of love. How? Whenever we look to or go to something other than God for love, we are telling God we can do better at finding and experiencing love on our own than we can from Him, when in fact only God is the source of love, life, and all things. 

*We are in God's image, designed to be like God, which is to be other-focused - i.e. to give, not take. The more we give, the more we are like God, and the more we partake of and experience Him, i.e. experience love flowing to and through us to others.

We justify getting or taking because we think it will make us happy - more complete and whole. Short-term it may, but the ultimate solution to our need for love is not taking it but receiving it. 

God is primarily what we need, but we refuse to receive what he offers, i.e. His infinite affections offered to us in and through His Son Jesus.

We reach the highest level of our design - God's likeness - when we give. But not to get but simply for the joy of seeing others receive life through us. And we can only give as God does when we are receiving love from the One who is the ultimate source of love, God himself. 

²This approach believes you can't lose what you never had to begin with.

There is a saying that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

But what if you never love again? All you have is the painful memory of not having something (love) you still need and long for. Is this not the essence of hell itself? I'm not suggesting we avoid love for fear of never experiencing it again. I am saying no human can love us in the way we are designed for i.e. perfectly and continuously, without interruption. Only God is perfect, perpetual, and endless love. 

³God alone consistently loves us in this way. He alone is perfect and infinite love.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

God wants us to want Him, not force us to

God wants us to pursue Him only if we want to. God never forces us to but helps us see the importance and necessity of our pursuit through our mistakes, failures, struggles, and pain as well as our successes. 

Whenever we pursue things other than (or outside of) God, we find they leave us empty and create other problems. They also cause us to feel distant from God, resulting in us missing his presence. This drives us to return and pursue Him more faithfully so we might experience him and his infinite love again more fully. 

As we partake of his presence, we long for it more and when it's absent, this increases our desire to avoid whatever alienates us from Him and creates a sense of His absence.

We may not always know why we suffer or the specific benefit we will gain from it at that time - if we will ever see any immediate or long term circumstantial benefit, or gain anything at all in this life - but we know the general reason is so we might draw closer to and partake in more of God and who He is as the source of life, love, and all things. 

We are told that "eye has not yet seen or ear yet heard..." what God has for us in eternity and what exactly being fully glorified and like Christ will look like. But this alone may be the only reason we are given to encourage us ¹in our struggles i.e. to make us more Christlike. If and when we trust God, knowing this is sufficient.

The rub is what we gain is often not obvious and has no immediate benefit at the time but a gain we have to accept by faith. As Tim Keller liked to say it's not a video explanation of the value we receive from our struggles but an audio one. It is one we are given by words (promises) not by sight - yet. Words we must believe but have not actually seen firsthand with their own eyes. It is this very faith God is seeking to stretch and increase. So we do have some idea -- audio -- why we should remain faithful in our pursue God but not completely - video i.e. we are not yet face-to-face with Jesus.

Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." - John 20:29

It is our believing while not seeing that God is looking to increase. 

¹Actually there is another very significant reason for our suffering. It is so we will understand Christ's suffering on our behalf more fully.  The more we understand his suffering -- which usually doesn't occur until we go through our own -- the more we see His love and in turn grow in our love for him and what he did for us. For a further discussion on this click here

Another reason may simply be that we become more compassionate for the suffering of others which enables us to better love our neighbor as ourselves. This too is a present benefit.

But note, none of these benefits necessarily improve our circumstances but give us hope and enable us to persevere in them with joy.