Loving our neighbor isn't hard, it's impossible.

We must have a sense of meaning, purpose, and value to function as we were designed to. Without this, life is pointless. 

We normally obtain this through our achievements. This isn't bad or wrong, but part of how we are wired. However, it is insufficient if we draw our sense of value primarily and only from what we do. Why?

Our primary source of meaning, purpose, and value is God himself. We were created to love God and be loved by God 1st and then to love our neighbors 2nd. To gain a sense of meaning, purpose, and value exclusively or primarily through being valued-loved-admired by other finite creatures is contrary to who we are and how we are wired. Operating in this way does not address our core need for infinite love. Other finite beings cannot give infinite love. By design and definition, a creature is a finite being.

Including ourselves. We can not meet a need for infinite love using finite resources.

Now consider this; if everyone committed to loving, appreciating, and valuing their neighbor as themselves, we would all be loved by our neighbors? Problem solved, right?

"Hey neighbor, start loving me as yourself! That’s what the commandment says. What are you waiting for?" 

The focus of this commandment however is for us to love them, not demand they love us. 

There is one significant problem, however,

we don't love our neighbor the way we love ourselves!  On occasion, we might but in pockets or bits and pieces. By and large, this doesn’t happen and hasn't happened on a global scale. The world is still a mess. War, starvation, fear, distrust, etc. continue unabated.

We've all heard of calls for unity, peace, and love, especially in times of greatest discord and division. There have even been songs written about it. You may recall John Lennon's song "Give Peace a Chance" with the regular refrain, "all we are saying..." as if it is no big deal to achieve. The Beatles also sang "All You Need is Love." The lyrics even said, "it's easy." Or you may recall the song "We Are the World" by several high-profile artists. 

These are all lovely sentiments and worthy goals. The desire expressed by each is noble and right, in fact, it is what we are created for. This is not only what we need but part of who we are and what we are designed for.

Yet, the world is still a mess. So why don’t we all simply do this? If it were easy, I think we would.

The problem is, if we think we can all merely start loving each other without being connected to the Source of love, we do not understand the human condition. This is like being told to give our neighbor a drink of water when our own water is shut off. 

Dr. Larry Crabb once said that most people go into a relationship like ticks looking for a dog. However, there is only one problem... we are all ticks. We cannot give something we don't have i.e. infinite, selfless (sacrificial) love. The only way we can love our neighbor as we were designed to and in the way our neighbor needs us to, is to be fully engaged in loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

And this will not, and can not, happen unless we experience God’s love first. Loving God first is the greatest commandment for good reason.  We cannot love God in this way until we see that he has loved us in ¹this way. This fills our cup (or turns our water back on to continue the above analogy). In short, absent God's sacrificial love, we are not able to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are too busy tending to our own emptiness and need for love.  

When "push comes to shove," if God's love is not filling our hearts we take care of number one i.e. ourselves. We only love sacrificially when we see we have been loved sacrificially.  And we have been. Love has a name. It's ¹Jesus!

For a further discussion on how God empowers us, click here

For a further discussion on how God's Spirit works within ours, click here. 

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*Has God loved us with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength?  Yes!! When!? Over 2000 years ago in and through Christ. And after Christ rose He sent his love by His Spirit (that issues forth and flows out of the love the Father and Son have for each other).

The "last days" - two world views

The following is part 5 of a 5 part paper at 

https://thotsaboutgod.blogspot.com/2010/02/doom-and-gloom-of-dispensationalism.html 

I am posting this article separately for those who may not be interested in the weakness of the biblical claims behind the "last days" or "end times" teaching. I cover these claims in parts 1-3, particularly part 3 at the above link. If you wish to look at the rest of the paper after reading the below, click here or the link above. I have also put the link to the entire paper at the end.

5. Two World Views - two opposite approaches to our world

In parts 1-3, I addressed the more technical aspects of our understanding of key passages and the history of Dispensationalism in part 4. But are there any practical implications regarding this issue? Do these ¹two systems affect how we as the Church universal address our world today? I have already alluded to this in part 4 but wish to review this more closely in the following part (part 5).

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Let’s look at how each position deals with the moral decay in our society, the courts, and culture. Why do you think the Evangelical church, to a great degree, is resigned to let things continue to deteriorate morally, politically, and economically, virtually unchallenged? Whenever I have sent info or articles to my Dispensationalist friends regarding the current decline, their response is always, "It's a sign of the times and the imminent return of Christ." Then they go about their business as if there is nothing they can or should do. "Why try to fight it?" they reason. "It is all part of God’s plan and has already been predicted and predetermined," they might say. 

But how does a "Preterist" respond? (Preterist means references to the "last days" are about past events, not future ones. This is covered more in the full paper linked above). When things grow more oppressive, they pray even more earnestly and work even more diligently that God would reverse the trend to aid the advancement of His kingdom on earth. Reversal of moral corruption and the advancement of God’s kingdom is believed to not only be possible but is, in fact, God's desire, design, and will. The "preterist" sees current events as an opportunity to advance the Kingdom of God instead of a reason to "throw up our hands" in defeat and "hunker down" while we hold on and endure the decay until the Lord returns to rescue (aka "rapture") us out of this current mess. The Preterist view is the complete opposite of the all-too-common passive approach by a large number of dispensationalists.

The dispensationalists say it's all planned out, and to fight against the "signs of the times" is futile. These are the "last days." It’s all inevitable. Fighting this is the equivalent of "polishing the brass on a sinking ship" as one author suggested. Why bother?! The ship is sinking.

The "Preterist" however, says the current deterioration we are facing now is contrary to God's will (the advancement of His Kingdom on earth), and we must pray and work all the more earnestly for its reversal. The worse it gets, the greater the opportunities to do so because we are, in fact, called by Christ himself to this end. 

It is also during hard events that people are more open to hearing the good news that God has provided the way to return to Him. If the economy continues to deteriorate, what a significant opportunity to minister to people in need and point them to Christ as their comfort in a time of trouble! A very different mindset than shaking our heads at the downturn while we sit around gazing in the sky, looking and hoping for our Lord’s return to physically remove us from the world - wouldn’t you agree? Not unlike Israel, which expected the Messiah to rescue them from the hard circumstances of Roman occupation instead of their spiritual bankruptcy. 

Now consider how much greater an impact the church could have on our culture if they all held a historical/ preterist view of God's Word compared to a futurist view. Christians would be far more actively engaged in challenging and seeking to infuse God's influence into society today. And when we share Christ, it would not be as a fire insurance policy to "rapture" them out of this doomed world and save their "skin," but because they need Him to change their lives and deliver them from the MORAL decay of this present existence, not remove them physically from the earth. This would help advance His rule and reign on earth. Are you starting to see the difference? These are two VERY different views with two opposite approaches to our current world.

So there is no confusion, I am not suggesting that we change our understanding of scripture to be more effective in the world today. What I am saying is by aligning our worldview with scripture we will be more effective.

There is another very significant area that these two views influence. Would not the church be far more aggressive in seeking to point men and women of Jewish ancestry to Christ than we are today? Whenever Paul addressed the "Jew/Gentile" question regarding the gospel did he not say "to the Jew first, then the Gentile?" Yet this is not the attitude of much of the "Gentile" church today. (Actually, there should be no such distinction within the church. I am speaking only of our priority in advancing God's kingdom here on earth). How many converted Jews attend evangelical churches that you are aware of? How many converted Jews do you know personally? We know converted Hispanics, Asians, even Arabic/Moslems, etc. etc. don't we? Where are our fellow Jewish believers? Why are they not more incorporated into our evangelical churches? Why are there churches made up solely or primarily of "messianic Jews?" According to Paul, there is no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile in Christ. Rom 10:12, Gal 3:28, Col 3:11.  Yet many evangelical churches and "Messianic Jews" today encourage and promote this distinction and have separate churches.

If we held a "Preterist" view, our focus, instead of seeking to support national Israel financially and politically, would be to reach them spiritually first. Yet we "Gentile" believers somehow (actually, it is clearly tied to a futurist view of the nation of Israel) ignore their needs spiritually and seek to advance them materially and politically instead. Was it not the focus of Christ while on earth to reach His fellow countrymen spiritually, and was this also not the same reason they missed the message of the Messiah? Wasn't it because they assumed His message of deliverance was earthly (i.e. political) instead of spiritual? Their desire for "political/earthly salvation" caused them to miss the actual message of Christ - and the Old Testament - altogether. 

Are we as evangelicals making the same mistake in seeking the political, earthly salvation of the state of Israel first, instead of their spiritual salvation? What is the greatest need of all men, the Jew first and then the Gentile? Is it not to find and recognize him as the Christ, the anointed one i.e. the Messiah and Savior first and foremost? Again, these are two unique approaches to this matter regarding the nation of Israel.

With this understanding, how differently might we handle events in the Middle East? Instead of sending billions in cash over the years to Israel, to aid them in defending themselves militarily, wouldn't they be better served if this money were used to send missionaries (of course, this is the church's role, not governments). 

And what best sustains "freedom and democracy" if not the gospel itself. No culture has ever advanced because "democracy" was the focus. The solution to man’s problems is not political but spiritual. When Christ is the focus i.e. the advancement of his Kingdom on earth through the conversion of individual men and women, it has always resulted in a dramatic change for good in society. In every culture where God's kingdom was advanced through the conversion of people to Christ; liberty, order, truth, and morality followed soon after and often for years to follow. 

There is a definite distinction between conversion to Christ and the “Americanization” of a country. I am not opposed to America. I love America for the freedom it historically has stood for and the creativity and generosity it still promotes. I love all aspects of America that recognize God's promises and grew out of a desire to honor Him. But what made America great was the humble submission of men and women to Christ and his rule/kingdom individually, which led to our submission to His rule collectively. Somehow, many in the church have confused conversion to Christ and “being American” as one and the same thing. That which is still good about America is only that which springs forth from a desire to honor God. 

America historically has been one of the best displays of this but is not the only example. Our loyalty should be to Christ first, and our country only to the extent it seeks and promotes Him and His rule over us. Everything wrong with America is exactly that which is the opposite of this. We should not be saying “America, love it or leave it” or “might makes right” but be considering how America as a whole has strayed from its original commitment to God and His truth. Understanding this is important, so we might pray with our eyes open and seek God to restore her original honor. When we, as a nation, honor Him again, not with lip service but with our resources, loyalties, and actions, He will honor us again as a nation. As long as we flippantly disregard honoring God, He will disregard us and continue to remove His hand of provision and protection.

Pro 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Spiritual awakening… a history.

Knowing the history of our past spiritual awakenings may be a clue to future ones. 

"The First Great Awakening" occurred in the North American Colonies in the early 1730s. Do you think this played any role in the formation of our country in 1776? Look at every spiritual awakening in history. History is full of examples of this very truth. Do you think it was because we were set up as a "Republic" that we prospered as a nation, or was it rather that we recognized God was the ultimate lawgiver to whom we must give an account and sought to design a government that best reflected this? Yet in today’s US of A, we wish to transport "democracy" around the world. Democracy, however, is not the solution to man's needs, Christ is and Him alone!!! "Advancing democracy" is like hanging plastic apples on a bush and saying, "See, it's now an apple tree" and then patting ourselves on the back for how good a job WE did!! 

Yet, the hearts of men must change first before any real and lasting change in culture can occur. And that is only through the work of Christ. We know this to not only true from scripture but from history.

As one pastor of my church pointed out, the difference between the Dispensational and Preterist camps is like the contrast between two armies - one planning to endure a siege, the other planning for an extended campaign of conquest. 

But we are speaking of spiritual conquest, not military conquest. Not only are the attitudes different, but their activities also reflect the needs they anticipate. In the army expecting siege (i.e. Dispensationalism), there would be little need for leadership development or generational transfer. With Dispensationalism they gear everything toward the immediate future, not for the long-term planning of building something that will help advance God’s kingdom for years to come for our kids and theirs.

This same pastor pointed out a quote he once saw on a futurist website: “Actually, it's always darkest...just before it goes completely black!” Not a very optimistic approach to the world. 

However, a historical understanding of scripture gives you a totally different attitude with huge implications for how we approach everything. With this understanding, you seek the advancement of the kingdom and see the importance of sharing this with all who will hear it. As our world becomes increasingly bankrupt, spiritually, morally, and financially, the appeal of Christ and the need for His solutions only become more apparent, and the opportunities only increase, not decrease.

The sad truth is in much of the American evangelical church, we have a pessimistic mindset about the advancement of God’s kingdom, and it shows. The reality, however, is that God is about advancing His kingdom. It’s just not happening to a great extent in America today due to the "doom and gloom" mindset of dispensational teaching.

·      According to the author Jim Rutz’s book Megashift, until 1960, Western evangelicals outnumbered non-Western evangelicals – mostly Latinos, blacks, and Asians – by two to one. As of 2000, non-Western evangelicals outnumbered Westerners by four to one. He says in 2010, that ratio should be seven to one.

·        "There are now more missionaries sent from non-Western nations than Western nations," according to the author.

·       Church growth outside of America is now breathtaking. Every morning, there are 175,000 more Christians in the world. And if current growth rates (8% a year) continue, there will be more Christians than the present world population by the autumn of 2032... about 8.2 billion.

Does the bible say anything about this?

Yes, through King Nebuchadnezzar'a dream.

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone cut out by no human hand, struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But …the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 

Further down, Daniel interprets the meaning.

Who is the stone? Christ! What is the mountain that filled the whole earth? The church universal. This is believed by both Preterists and Dispensationalists alike. 

The decline in the numbers above is no surprise because America is the strongest promoter of Dispensational theology.

When Christ said "the gates of hell will not prevail" against the church, our English translations don't do justice to the full meaning of the original Greek language. The verb tense in the original is the gates of hell will not withstand or stand up to the advancement of the church. (That was originally pointed out to me by a Dispensationalist interestingly, Dr. Ed Hindson who used to teach at Jerry Farwell's Liberty University). 

Talk about an optimistic mindset!!!! We are on the winning team, not just in eternity but here and now, and we need to act like it if we will have any chance of significantly impacting our world for Christ! How desperately the church needs to get a hold of this (myself included). How sad and unfortunate it is that because of the futurist pessimism (“It’s a sign of the times. The end is near. Hold on! Jesus is coming soon!” etc., etc.) permeating much of the church. We - the church - have disengaged to a large extent in speaking into our world. As a result, we look to the government to turn things around instead of Christ. 

Where in the bible does it tell us to look to government as our Savior? Nowhere!!! If we understood God has called us, - you and me - to be salt and light wherever there is darkness, and that the decay of our culture and society falls on us to address - by the power of His Spirit driving us and not our government - we would be on our knees day and night until His Spirit got a hold of us first. And then through us, He would get a hold of our fellow man and ultimately our culture and government. 

Government plays a role but as an instrument of God for change, not the cause of it. Desperate times call for desperate measures and desperate dependence on God and Spirit-driven action for God. Instead of enduring all the garbage and deception in the world as we look to the sky, hoping and waiting for Christ to come and rescue us from it all, we should speak out on the bankruptcy of this world and unapologetically offer the hope and power of Christ in this life and the one to come. How exciting, positive, and refreshing is that!?! May God give us the grace and understanding to see His heart regarding these things!

For a look at what the bible says about the promise to Abram (later named Abraham) regarding the nation of Israel, click here. 

For a discussion on how "last days" teaching aids the advancement of one-world government, click here. 

If you wish to read the rest of the paper this article is taken from click here.

If you wish to discuss any of the points addressed in this article or have questions, please message me at  

thoughtsaboutGod@pm.me Ask for Jim. God Speed

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*When referring to two systems I have Dispensationalism specifically in mind and not the broader category of Futurists. I do so because that was the camp I was in for years and am most familiar with. I have also been told by non-dispensational futurists that their view of the world is more optimistic than how I characterize Dispensationalists in this section. If so that is good. I never had an extended conversation with any while still in the Dispensational camp.

Conspiracy Theory, good or bad?

Most don't know, but "conspiracy theory" was a label created by the CIA to discredit facts exposing an "official" story. It was 1st used back in the 60s to debunk questions around the Kennedy assassination. Now that some of those documents are public, some of those theories have turned out to be facts.

Conspiracies are real, theories are just conjectures yet to be proven or disproven. A conspiracy theory is not necessarily bad or wrong, it is just unproven. A theory is a supposition (best guess) made based on the facts at hand. A good theorist doesn't stop there, however, but uses a hunch to see if it can be backed up with solid proof. If it can't, it is set aside. Once it can be proven, it is no longer a theory but a confirmed conspiracy.  Regardless, it is a necessary part of determining the truth. And this is important. Labeling something (or someone) as a conspiracy theory (or theorist) is an attempt to shut down investigation so the truth cannot be discovered.

Investigation, however, is the normal and required procedure for any investigator, whether a detective or a journalist. It is so common, several popular shows were based on it. You'll likely remember popular detective shows offered over the years, such as "Law and Order", "NCIS" or "CSI." There's even a game based on investigation called "Clue." 

Most of us like mysteries and solving puzzles. They are always engaging.  Yet we never hear of these being labeled "conspiracy theory" shows or games, do we?

Conspiracies are very real and have been around for a long time. Judas Iscariot - who betrayed Christ - would be a conspirator you might be familiar with.

Whenever someone is quick to use the conspiracy theory label, it should raise a red flag. It is often used to shut down discourse and exploration of the facts.  Instead of shutting down investigation, it should make us ask what exactly are *they hiding and why? 

We have seen a ton of this of late with social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google, and the like by censoring information and even shutting down entire accounts in an attempt to stymie investigation and questions regarding "official" narratives. Not a good thing. All sides of a debate need to be considered so folks can think for themselves and make their own choice. If you stymie one voice, you can stymie another, and that other could be yours. Without the free exchange of different views, we have "group think" aka "1984."

The strategy of deceivers is to discredit their opposition (truth-seekers) by labeling them as something other than what they really are. This is the classic ad hominem attack, i.e. an attempt at character assassination. It is only necessary to use when facts and truth are not on ¹their side.  If you can draw attention away from the facts by assassinating someone's character, the facts no longer matter, regardless of how significant they may be.

We should never be afraid of discussing facts. This is how we collectively come to the truth. Rarely does one person have all the facts. Others will often have a piece of the puzzle we don't. Without discussion, you may never discover the full picture. 

But isn't that the point? Those who try to defame someone by labeling them as conspiracy theorists don't want you to know the truth. How do those hiding the truth address this? Never discuss the facts. That is dangerous and could result in the discovery of truth. Facts must be avoided at all costs...even if it means lying about someone or something. Their only concern is to discredit the truth by smearing the character of those who share the truth i.e. ad hominin attack

If someone ever tries to label you a conspiracy theorist, thank them. This likely means you are a truth-seeker and "over the target." Nothing bad ever comes from discovering the truth... unless you are the one lying.

For those worn out by the back and forth between truth-seekers and deceivers, this is part of the strategy. If garbage (aka lies) is thrown out often, and long enough, some start believing the lies or worse - many grow weary, shut down, and quit seeking the truth. This is the goal, and it has significant consequences. When this happens, deceivers win by default. 

Truth matters and lies matter. We often make life-changing decisions based on what we are told, good or bad.  As an example, the Patriot Act was the fruit of the 9/11 event. If what occurred is something other than the "official" narrative, it was unnecessary to give up the freedoms - significant, life-altering actions - imposed on us by the Patriot Act, most of which is still in force 25 years later. 

For further discussion, I recommend the following thought-provoking article on the nature of a "conspiracy theory" http://stateofthenation2012.com/?p=14945

Be prepared for a deep dive. 

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Footnotes:

¹To make the truth seeker look silly and discredit them (and make themselves look wise and superior), someone will sometimes self-righteously ask who exactly are "they" or "them" i.e. the conspirers? The simple answer is anyone who seeks to deceive and keep you from discovering who "they" are or what "they" are trying to hide.  

Why are relationships important?

Why do we seek out relationships? The short answer...we are designed for relationship. We like to give and receive love, praise, applause, appreciation, etc. We all wish to be wanted, valued and cherished; in a word, loved. 

However, other people can only give us part of what we long for.

Why only part? Because we are designed for infinite love i.e. love that is ¹uninterrupted and everlasting with no strings attached. Anything less will not and does not give us what we long for most. Finite beings - i.e. fellow humans/image-bearers - can not offer this infinite love in and of themselves. Only the infinite Source/Creator can. 

Why? Love carries the greatness weight and is most significant if the one who loves us is significant, important, beautiful, powerful, etc. The more significant and important the one who loves, the more weight and impact their love has, and the more it touches what we most need (and were created for), and the greater we desire it. We were designed for ²this love first and foremost. This love only comes from an infinite Source i.e. God. 

Humans are far more significant and valuable than ³things or ⁴animals because we are ⁵like God in a way these other things are not. 

⁵God is most significant-valuable of all. To have his love is the greatest and best because He is the greatest and best. His importance, love, beauty, and power are without end or limit, beyond what any others could ever offer us or we them. 

Yet we opt for love that has limits; love that will eventually cease and not continue forever. Why?

God is the least controlled. In fact, we can't control him at all. He alone is the Creator. Only He is the Sustainer of life, love, and all things. 

So we opt for a lesser source of love hoping to control it-them so we might extract from them the love we need. In short, we do this because we don't trust God who alone can give us this love. Having someone or something we can control is better - we think - than having someone we can't -  even though He loves us perfectly unlike the other things we pursue or latch on to. 

We prefer being our own god to partaking in what we truly need most. This reveals how stubborn (rebellious) and ⁶untrusting of God we truly are. 

Instead of trusting the only source of infinite love, we trust ourselves and those we think we can gain (extract) the most from. The irony is we can never obtain by and for ourselves what we truly need even if we had complete control over them (which we never do). Why? We, and everyone else, are finite, yet our need is infinite; because we were created for infinite. This is only is from the Infinite God.

We participate in this "dance" with others in hopes of winning their love, acceptance, and approval. But this is conditional love. This is love we must earn and love that continues ⁷only if we can make it continues by our efforts. This is about love we gain for ourselves by managing (i.e. manipulating) others to give it to us. This is exhausting and never works long-term; not in this life, and especially not in eternity where we are isolated from all relationships if we refuse God's offer to restore us.

It also goes contrary to who God intends us to be. Any time we engage in a relationship to gain (take) love and get stroked  emotionally, we are not operating out of love i.e. We are not operating from or out of God's love, or loving God in return, and thereby empowered to love our neighbor.

Relationships are important, but without our being connected to the Source of relationship, love and all things, we can never be whole-complete as God intended and created us to be.

For a discussion on the fountain and foundation of relationship, click here. 

For a further discussion on why we long for relationship click here. 

For a further discussion on the love, life, Spirit and essence of God click here

For a discussion on unhealthy relationships, click here. 

For a discussion on the consequences of disconnecting from God click here
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Footnotes:

¹And we won't fully experience even this love until eternity when we are face to face with the very Source of love Himself. 

²That is not to say that God's infinite love cannot come to us through another. The more others are plugged in to God's infinite love the more they (and we) can love others with this love. In fact God's love is expressed most effectively through those who are united to and in harmony with him and us. We are not called the body of Christ without reason. We are his hands, his feet, his mouth, his eyes, and ears to convey God's love to each other.  

The significance of tangible love being conveyed by another human is so important that he himself took on physical form in and through Christ to reveal his love to us.

³Physical (material) things are valuable to the extent they become the means of gaining the admiration and attention of others i.e. They are the means of obtaining a sense of value for someone - God - more valuable than the things i.e. from others who might otherwise admire us because of those things. 

Things are also valuable to us if they bring us personal comfort, pleasure, etc. This too is an attempt at self-loving i.e. it's still about gaining for ourselves a sense of love, meaning, etc independent of God, the Creator of those things. 

⁴As our society becomes more damaged and less trusting of fellow humans because of betrayed trust, we seek increased companionship with pets. Why? We can control them better and ensure they give us something of what we want and desperately need. Love.

When our dog or other pet is excited to see us, it brings us joy, but what if a highly significant person we admired was more excited to see us? Would that be more impacting? Image a well-respected influential person or celeb of some sort dancing around like a puppy, excited to see you and loving all over you when you came into the house. It would be so significant we might find it embarrassing. 

⁵Because God is most significant and valuable and we are like Him most, next to a relationship with God Himself, a relationship with another God-like being (us) is the most significant relation we can have.

⁶We are afraid to let love in, in fear it will be taken away. This is evidence of the underlying pain of being disconnected from the Source we were originally designed for. A disconnection that was the result of our rebellious distrust of God. 

⁷We can experience some limited degree of unconditional love through others but only if they are plugged into and receiving God's unconditional love themselves. None of us can love with the unlimited sacrificial love of God unless we are receiving that love from Him ourselves. But this is limited simply because humanity is limited-finite, even if they are most plugged into the Infinite. They are simply a conduit for the Source - i.e. the infinitely loving God - through whom He shows His love. 

All types of relationships, be that with a parent, spouse, siblings, friends etc., are the same in that they gave us a sense of value and significance. The difference in relationships is the manner in which they offer this i.e. the form or kind of love they offer whether that be friendship, companionship, emotional support, partnership, physical love, camaraderie, etc. We can derive a sense of value through all forms of love. Only the form is different. The end result we gain is the same - to feel important, significant, valued... in a word loved.

How big (sovereign) is God?

God being sovereign - in control - doesn't mean he runs things in a wooden, mechanical, or "interfering" way; setting aside, bypassing, or overriding the will of people, but by organically incorporating - not causing - the ¹evil choices we make to bring about His ultimate good ends.

Evil, however, is no less evil because of this. We should still despise and resist evil, not rejoice in it, or be stoically resigned to it. It harms others and us and dishonors God. Outside of Christ, people will still be held accountable for it. It is evil. 

But we can rest and rejoice in knowing that God is bigger than evil, i.e. sovereign over it. God is big enough that evil doesn't prevent Him from accomplishing His perfect and good purposes, but evil becomes a means by which He brings them about. The ultimate example is in the following passage. 

Acts 2:23 "... this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of ²lawless men."

Did good come out of the death of Christ? Yes, the ultimate and greatest good of all. His death is the doorway through which we can (and must) go through to be restored and reunited with God. 

Did this occur by the means of wicked men's actions? Absolutely. 

Are those who carried out these evil deeds accountable for those actions? Totally. If they go into eternity outside of Christ, they will be held fully responsible and accountable. 

Was God in control over those events? Perfectly. He planned them, yet no one's will was ³violated or overridden. The irony, wonder, and mystery are those evil actions became the very means by which God brought about the deliverance of even those directly responsible for His death - if or when they turned to Christ.

Evil ⁴does not and can not stop God from accomplishing his good purpose. In fact, it actually becomes the means by which it is brought about. In this way, God is in perfect control. However, it is "organic" not mechanical. It (God's sovereignty) does not override and cause the choices of others, it incorporates them. This is why those of us who love Him can be thankful for all things - some of which are in themselves evil - while still hating that which is evil. This is why man is still responsible for his wrong choices and actions while God is still working in all things for the good of those who love him. God is so big He can let evil continue to exist and still be in total and perfect control in advancing His good purposes. Nothing can thwart God from bringing about good in all things, even evil things. God is that big! 

When Paul understood how God used the very rebellion (evil) of Israel to bring salvation to all mankind (good) he exclaimed...

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36 

For a further discussion on how God uses evil for good click here. 

For a further discussion on how greater evil can result in greater good click here. 

For a discussion on how God allowing evil to remain is still for our good click here.

For a discussion on the necessity of choice click here 

For a discussion on how we are accountable for something, we can not do unaided click here. 

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¹Of course, He incorporates the good choices as well and they are always better than bad ones, but this is much easier to understand so it's not a talking point for this post but worth mentioning. For a discussion on the value of good choices over bad click here. 

²Acts 2:23. 

"This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross." New International Version (NIV)

"this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death." New American Standard Bible (NASB)

³This is also why God will not automatically include everyone to enter His eternal bliss. Our coming to Christ and being with him in eternity must be our choice. He will not override our will of refusing to trust God no more than he will cause us to do evil. 

⁴A common question is, if God is good why does He allow evil and suffering to continue? I heard it said that if God could not bring good out of evil, evil would not exist. The fact that evil remains, for now, may not be fully understood, but at least we know that it is not the final word. By Christ coming and taking the pain and suffering of our rebellion into his own body and soul and allowing the full weight of evil to condemn and kill him, he forever overcame death - our separation from God, the ultimate outcome of evil. Death is not the final word, life is, by Christ's resurrection first, and ours in and through him. If we accept his offer of taking our death upon himself - so we would not have to be eternally separated from God - we too will forever overcome it just as He did. God used the greatest evil - the murder of the very Son of God by the hands of wicked men - to bring about the greatest good; our restoration to Him.

How do we discover God's love in our pain? click here

For a further discussion of how God uses evil for our good click here.

For a discussion on the key lesson from the book of Job, click here.

For a discussion on the value of paradox, click here.

For a discussion of how big is our God click here

For a discussion on the necessity of humility click here.

#Calvinist. 

increasing our desire for God

When our passion for God is greater than our desire for other things, the appeal of other things, fades. This enables us to turn away and not seek them as our chief thing - i.e. as our God.

But how do we increase our desire for God? We must start with faith. 

Other things are usually more alluring and give greater immediate gratification than pursuing God. However, when we ¹believe God is superior - even if He doesn't feel like it in the moment - this strengthens our desire for Him i.e. our desires and actions fall in line when we pursue God by faith. Stepping out in faith on the ²promise of partaking in more of His love, beauty, wisdom, integrity, power, etc increases our passion for God, reducing the need to experience these before we step out. We are told on five different occasions "the just shall live by faith" for good reason.

But to do so takes ³incredible faith. To take up our cross and deny ourselves is difficult because it is contrary to our natural feelings and desires. We are asked to walk away from anything we normally derive a sense of pleasure, meaning, purpose and love from in the belief that God is greater. A Cross is painful. It feels more like death than life. 

And it is. It is death to self-gratification and self-salvation. But this is where God best meets us, and we experience His power most. As Paul stated, when he is weak - in his natural strength - he is strong in His dependence on God and his actions for Him. We can deny ourselves something we desire more at the moment, if and when we believe God is ultimately a superior pursuit - even though the allure of something else feels greater and God may not feel superior at that moment.

In short, if our faith is ³great enough, it will carry us forward in obedience, stirring in us a desire for more of God. If we are having difficulty in obeying God, we don't redouble our efforts, we must feed and strengthen our faith. 

Recap and summary

We can deny ourselves something we desire more than God when we believe He is a superior pursuit - even though the allure of something else feels greater and God may not feel superior. When we believe God is superior - even if He doesn't feel like it at the moment - it increases our desire for Him - i.e. our desires fall in line with our actions of pursuing God by faith. Stepping out in faith on the integrity of His character, love, power, wisdom, beauty for us, etc. versus our feelings often results in a greater passion/feelings for God. 

However, taking up our cross and denying ourselves is not an enjoyable feeling. A cross is painful. It feels more like death than life. But it is also where God meets us and we experience His power. As Paul stated when he is weak - in self-reliance - he is strong in his dependence on God.

A recap.

So the question becomes, how do we increase our faith? We are told faith comes by hearing. Hearing what? The word(s) - ²promises - of God. Promises of what? About ⁴who God is; that God is for us, not against us and loves us with infinite boundless love. The greatest evidence of this is what Christ did to restore us back to His Father. If God gave us that which we needed most - removal of our condemnation and shame so we would be restored back into good standing and relationship with the infinitely loving and beautiful God - how much more is He willing to give us everything else necessary to know Him more? We must remind ourselves of all that God has done for us to strengthen our trust in the promises of what He has yet to do for us. 

For a discussion on how God addresses our two greatest needs through Christ, click here.

For a further discussion on self-denial, click here. 
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¹There are various kinds or levels of belief. I am not talking about belief-faith on a casual level but at the level we would stake our very lives on. That is the belief God calls us to. 

A story to illustrate. 

Jason was laid off from work unexpectedly. After a few weeks, as hard as he tried, he couldn't find anything. So he ran an idea by Chad while working out one day - they were formally on the same high school gymnast team and regularly worked out together.  

Jason said, "since I have always been athletic with a great sense of balance, and also want to launch out with a business of my own, I was thinking I could walk across the small canyon on a tight rope pushing a wheelbarrow. You know the one just outside of town. I'll use the publicity to launch myself as a personal trainer and build a clientele. What do you think? Do you think I can pull it off?" 

Chad said, "You were the state champion, so if anyone can do it, you can Jason. I think you should go for it. " 

So Jason began training. Chad had some media experience and contacts, so he offered to reach out to his contacts to promote the event. Chad believed in Jason that much, and Jason trusted Chad would do an outstanding job. 

As things progressed, Jason would periodically ask Chad, "do you really think I can pull this off?" Chad always replied, "Absolutely. If anyone could do it, it's you." Being encouraged by Chad's support, he continued.

Finally, several weeks later, the day of the big event had come. As they set everything up, the crowd and the local media started showing up to capture it all. They estimated there were at least 1000 people there. 

Jason and Chad were excited but nervous. As Jason positioned himself on the rope with the wheelbarrow, he looked over at Chad one last time and asked, "do you really think I can do this?" Without hesitation, Chad said,"absolutely," to which Jason replied, "Great, get in the wheelbarrow." 

There is a difference between saying we believe God and getting in the wheelbarrow. When God asks us to trust Him, He's saying get in the wheelbarrow. 

²And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Heb 11:6 

What is the nature of our reward? It is experiencing more of God who is the source of life, love, and all things. For more on this click here.

³And incredible faith occurs when we see more and more of how huge, loving, wise, etc. God is. If you have small faith, it is only because your understanding of God is small. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you more so your faith becomes greater. 

⁴This is why it's vital we go to God and his promises regularly. Call it quiet time, or a time of worship or devotion. What it's called doesn't matter; what occurs during that time does. 

This is also why meeting together with fellow believers is vital. It stirs our faith and helps us see God in action in the lives of others. All these things remind us of God's faithfulness and stir us to greater faith.