Christmas Meditations Day 4: "God is love" or "God loves"?
Fenelon and Madame Guyon have introduced the idea of loving God more than we love ourselves in their book titled Spiritual Progress (available as a free Kindle download).
Let's take a closer look at what it would mean to live in this way.
God is love, which means nothing happens apart from the loving care of God.
How often have we misunderstood the idea of "God loves you" as meaning God will do what we want, give us whatever we ask for, and act within a timeframe we select? We think this way because our understanding of love comes from our human experiences with those who have said "I love you."
"God is love" means something very different .
It is impossible for God to act in a way that does not express love.
How can we reconcile this truth with the angst anger, despair, and the harm of innocent persons?
God does many things in the face of injustice and suffering . He delivers his followers from the places of pain (through the aid of others, through death, through a spiritual transformation that frees their hearts fron the scars of injury, etc). I believe much of what God does on behalf of those in pain is not visible to or immediately measurable by the outside observer.
Keep in mind God calls His people to care for those in need, who are suffering, who are alone.
If the injustice of a broken world offends you, are you answering God's call to be a peacemaker and a comforter?
Any given moment in a life is a chapter, not a finished work.
When you or I observe a life in crisis (real or imagined), we cannot judge the eternal and sometimes invisible workings of love in operation. This is why we walk by faith and not by sight.
God is love, which is another reason why it is safe to love God more than we love ourselves.
Let's take a closer look at what it would mean to live in this way.
God is love, which means nothing happens apart from the loving care of God.
How often have we misunderstood the idea of "God loves you" as meaning God will do what we want, give us whatever we ask for, and act within a timeframe we select? We think this way because our understanding of love comes from our human experiences with those who have said "I love you."
"God is love" means something very different .
It is impossible for God to act in a way that does not express love.
How can we reconcile this truth with the angst anger, despair, and the harm of innocent persons?
God does many things in the face of injustice and suffering . He delivers his followers from the places of pain (through the aid of others, through death, through a spiritual transformation that frees their hearts fron the scars of injury, etc). I believe much of what God does on behalf of those in pain is not visible to or immediately measurable by the outside observer.
Keep in mind God calls His people to care for those in need, who are suffering, who are alone.
If the injustice of a broken world offends you, are you answering God's call to be a peacemaker and a comforter?
Any given moment in a life is a chapter, not a finished work.
When you or I observe a life in crisis (real or imagined), we cannot judge the eternal and sometimes invisible workings of love in operation. This is why we walk by faith and not by sight.
God is love, which is another reason why it is safe to love God more than we love ourselves.
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