Love changes you. I'm not speaking merely of that superficial crap they call love these days. No, I mean the deep stuff. The stuff that can only come from a God-fearing soul. It has a way of mending the soul, soothing our beasts, and motivating us to act in bold and courageous ways.
I read this book, Redeeming Love, and the man in it named Michael Hosea gives a brilliant and vivid image of God's love for us. This man's love for his seemingly broken-beyond-repair wife is so moving and beautiful that it actually provokes tears to fall from my eyes. The incredible thing is, that's barely even a glimpse into the love that God has for us.
I feel unworthy of God's love, I feel distant from God, I feel too used and broken to even speak His name at times. But love covers all. It redeems. It heals. It forgives. It makes clean. I don't know what some churches are smoking when they only preach about the end of time or just the cross itself without the resurrection... but there's more. There's redemption, there's hope, and above all, there's love. A beautiful love that, like that story I mentioned, will bring tears to your eyes.
To many, this love seems far-fetched and unobtainable. Many will deny such a love exists. Still others may acknowledge it, but then deny they could ever have such a love. Contrary to both, that Love exists and will penetrate to the darkest of places if given the chance. Furthermore, it's available for anyone who seeks it.
I am redeemed. I am forgiven. I am loved.
"Listen to the Lord, O Israel, the one who formed you says, 'Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine... Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you." Isaiah 43:1, 4
18 July 2010
15 July 2010
"You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?" Job 40:2
I have several friends right now going through some tough things and unimaginable pain. A few of them, who do believe in God or something like Him, have come to a conclusion: that God does not intervene in our lives; He doesn't care. I thought about this a while and the more I thought, the more their conclusions seemed unlikely.
I'm a believer in the validity of the Bible so that's where I went to seek some sort of guidance on the matter. Here's what I found.
All throughout the old testament, God intervenes for Israel. He saves them, spares them, rebukes them, calls to them, redeems them. A couple examples of God's intervention in the OT:
In 1 Samuel 8:19-21 the people of Israel cried out for a king. God knew they didn't need a king, but for several reasons, obliged the great nation of Israel.
In Hosea, the entire book, God is actively pursuing the heart of Israel. In 2:14, He states that He will "win her back. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." A god who doesn't care enough to intervene surely wouldn't try to win back the hearts of His people.
After flipping around the OT a bit, it seemed necessary to likewise look into the new testament. I didn't have to go far. Jesus is God's son. He is God in the flesh. If these two statements are true, then Jesus is someone we can look to so as to see a representation of God in all aspects, including how He intercedes in our lives.
In Matthew 8:2-3, a man with a skin disease comes up to Jesus and asks Him to make him clean (or cure him, in our terms). The man asks, adding on "if you're willing" and Jesus replies that He would indeed heal the man. He didn't have to, but the mans simple asking in faith and assurance alone prompted Jesus' healing.
A bit further down in Matthew 8:5-9 & 13, a soldier walks up to Jesus asks Him to heal his dying servant at home. Like the previous man, he came to Jesus with and asked with faith and assurance in Him. In verse 13, we're told the soldier's servant is healed.
There's another example of this in 8:14-18, with Peter's mother-in-law and others. And then again in 8:23-27 where Jesus intervened in a severe storm. The gospels are filled with this sort of stuff, as if Jesus' crucifixion weren't enough proof of God's intervention.
There are a couple things I noticed about almost all of these examples, Old and New Testament alike. First, God/Jesus intervened when asked to by mere humans. He had the power, authority, and right to deny all requests but for reasons known to Him, granted the requests.
Another commonality between those times when asked to intervene is that those who asked, they asked in faith. They didn't question the logistics of such a requests, they didn't hesitate to approach God, instead they asked for what they thought they needed at the time. While God can deny us sometimes, it doesn't mean He always will.
Finally, I notice is that God doesn't always wait for us to ask before He intervenes. Sometimes He knows best, like with Israel in Hosea, and we can't understand it, but He is there in the midst of it all. Israel was perfectly content, most of the time, with doing things their way with no input from God, but out of love, God did what was best.
God owes us nothing, but He gave us everything. He cares. He's here. He can't "not" be.
I'm a believer in the validity of the Bible so that's where I went to seek some sort of guidance on the matter. Here's what I found.
All throughout the old testament, God intervenes for Israel. He saves them, spares them, rebukes them, calls to them, redeems them. A couple examples of God's intervention in the OT:
In 1 Samuel 8:19-21 the people of Israel cried out for a king. God knew they didn't need a king, but for several reasons, obliged the great nation of Israel.
In Hosea, the entire book, God is actively pursuing the heart of Israel. In 2:14, He states that He will "win her back. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." A god who doesn't care enough to intervene surely wouldn't try to win back the hearts of His people.
After flipping around the OT a bit, it seemed necessary to likewise look into the new testament. I didn't have to go far. Jesus is God's son. He is God in the flesh. If these two statements are true, then Jesus is someone we can look to so as to see a representation of God in all aspects, including how He intercedes in our lives.
In Matthew 8:2-3, a man with a skin disease comes up to Jesus and asks Him to make him clean (or cure him, in our terms). The man asks, adding on "if you're willing" and Jesus replies that He would indeed heal the man. He didn't have to, but the mans simple asking in faith and assurance alone prompted Jesus' healing.
A bit further down in Matthew 8:5-9 & 13, a soldier walks up to Jesus asks Him to heal his dying servant at home. Like the previous man, he came to Jesus with and asked with faith and assurance in Him. In verse 13, we're told the soldier's servant is healed.
There's another example of this in 8:14-18, with Peter's mother-in-law and others. And then again in 8:23-27 where Jesus intervened in a severe storm. The gospels are filled with this sort of stuff, as if Jesus' crucifixion weren't enough proof of God's intervention.
There are a couple things I noticed about almost all of these examples, Old and New Testament alike. First, God/Jesus intervened when asked to by mere humans. He had the power, authority, and right to deny all requests but for reasons known to Him, granted the requests.
Another commonality between those times when asked to intervene is that those who asked, they asked in faith. They didn't question the logistics of such a requests, they didn't hesitate to approach God, instead they asked for what they thought they needed at the time. While God can deny us sometimes, it doesn't mean He always will.
Finally, I notice is that God doesn't always wait for us to ask before He intervenes. Sometimes He knows best, like with Israel in Hosea, and we can't understand it, but He is there in the midst of it all. Israel was perfectly content, most of the time, with doing things their way with no input from God, but out of love, God did what was best.
God owes us nothing, but He gave us everything. He cares. He's here. He can't "not" be.
06 July 2010
Freedom or Not
I've been asked "What is freedom?" and to that I have come up an answer. I've been asked "Does responsibility come with freedom?" and again, I came up with some answer off the top of my head. I've asked myself recently "Are we ever really free?" and I'm going to try to find an answer now.
Contrary to many people, I am not so sure we ever really have freedom (but I am thinking this through as I type so perhaps my thought will change). The way I see it is: we're all a slave, or bound, by something. For Christians, it is Christ. For other religions, it is the moral code or deity. For non-believers, or anyone else riding the fence, aren't they still bound by things? I'd think so. Maybe it's pride, vengeance, anger, sex, love, other material things... etc.
So is there freedom? The definition of the word is: the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. However, by my thought above, are we not all the very opposite of that? Looks that way to me. You can say you're free to do whatever you want, but it seems like you're, we're, still bound by something.
Hmm, all right, maybe we have to be bound by something. Maybe that's just the way humans are? Perhaps. Or maybe, by being bound by something we can find some sort of freedom? That freedom that we all seem to desperately seek. That seems a more probable thought.
Let me take my faith for a test ride here: I believe in God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and in the truth of the Bible. The Bible, God's Word, is truth; truth is said to set one free. By choosing to bind myself to the law of Love found within the Bible, accepting the Holy Spirit, and following Christ's example, I may be bound to those things but because it is truth, I am free.
Okay then. So can I say that we can be free but only as Christians? Do other things bring freedom when bound to them? -shrugs- I dunno, does anything else say, and prove, that it can provide freedom in such a way as the truth and love of Christ? Beats me.
I am quite aware that this thought process begets many more questions that must be answered for a full understanding of any answer to my primary question and perhaps in time I will have a more thorough understanding of the concept at hand in some sort of entirety.
Contrary to many people, I am not so sure we ever really have freedom (but I am thinking this through as I type so perhaps my thought will change). The way I see it is: we're all a slave, or bound, by something. For Christians, it is Christ. For other religions, it is the moral code or deity. For non-believers, or anyone else riding the fence, aren't they still bound by things? I'd think so. Maybe it's pride, vengeance, anger, sex, love, other material things... etc.
So is there freedom? The definition of the word is: the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. However, by my thought above, are we not all the very opposite of that? Looks that way to me. You can say you're free to do whatever you want, but it seems like you're, we're, still bound by something.
Hmm, all right, maybe we have to be bound by something. Maybe that's just the way humans are? Perhaps. Or maybe, by being bound by something we can find some sort of freedom? That freedom that we all seem to desperately seek. That seems a more probable thought.
Let me take my faith for a test ride here: I believe in God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and in the truth of the Bible. The Bible, God's Word, is truth; truth is said to set one free. By choosing to bind myself to the law of Love found within the Bible, accepting the Holy Spirit, and following Christ's example, I may be bound to those things but because it is truth, I am free.
Okay then. So can I say that we can be free but only as Christians? Do other things bring freedom when bound to them? -shrugs- I dunno, does anything else say, and prove, that it can provide freedom in such a way as the truth and love of Christ? Beats me.
I am quite aware that this thought process begets many more questions that must be answered for a full understanding of any answer to my primary question and perhaps in time I will have a more thorough understanding of the concept at hand in some sort of entirety.
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