We all have a desire to be known, not just recognized by our name or our looks, but to be truly known for who we are as a person. So where does this desire come from? I believe it comes from God, as we are created in His image, and He, like us desires to be known.
I guess we could say the Bible is God's autobiography. It tells us everything God wants us to know about Himself, and more. He tells of His relationships with His children and how much He loves them. He tells us about His enemies and why they hate Him so much. He tells us of His character, His likes and dislikes, He talks about His past, and His plans for the future. From Genesis to Revelation it's all about Him and His view of relationships and life, and how He designed them to be.
Many times I have found myself believing one thing about God, only to find out, what I thought wasn't really true. I came to realize, I kept trying to make Him into the god I wanted Him to be and placing Him in a box of my making, and not the God He is, who can not be contained in a box.
The more I learn about God, the more I see His Holiness, but along with that comes a deeper understanding of my own sinfulness before Him, which in turn makes me appreciate the sacrifice He made for me all the more.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Unconditional Love, Does it exist?
Yes, it does it exist.
Like parents love their children and children love their parents, God loves us.
We don't stop loving our children when they make mistakes or hurt us, and they will do both at some point.
We tend to believe we only love them like that because they are our children, or because they are our parents, but truth be told, even if they weren't you could still love them.
We may not like the actions or choices of other people all the time, but we must ask ourselves do we always like the actions and choices of our parents and children? You may argue that other people are different, but I would ask in what way are they different? They don't share your blood line?
How does that make them different? They, like your parents and children or even your brothers and sisters are still created by and in the image of God, are they not? So, how are they different?
Maybe the answer lies in what we believe love is about. So what does it mean to love someone? Isn't love really just caring for and about another person and wanting the best for them, even if what is best for them might hurt them a bit?
Consider, someone who is addicted to drugs, it doesn't matter what kind of drug, we know that drug addiction is bad for them, and we want them to stop.
Sometimes it takes setting boundaries and removing yourself from their life for them to realize they need help. Removing yourself from their life doesn't mean you no longer love them, they might feel you are abandoning and as if you don't love them, and you might feel you are abandoning them, but really your not. Your setting in place something that protects you from being hurt by their actions and allowing them to suffer the consequences of their own choices.
You are in essence telling them, I love you, but I also love and respect myself. If you want to do drugs, you are free to do them all you want. However, if you want to spend time with me, then please respect my choice also, that you must be sober when we are with me. The love is NOT conditional, the being in relationship with the other person however, IS based on certain conditions being met.
Believing we must spend time with people we love when they are hurting us or even themselves is a lie. I mean, if we can continue to love and care about our parents, children and siblings when they hurt us, after we move away from home, we can certainly be the same with others, can we not?
God is the same way. He sets conditions on having a relationship with Him, does it mean He doesn't love us? By no means. He continues to love us, but like us, He doesn't always like our actions, so He will not fellowship with us, when we are making the choice to live in sin.
We don't have to believe God is like that, anymore than we have to believe others choose not to spend time with us because of our choices, but what we believe is not always true. But that is most certainly what the bible teaches us to be true about God and the example He sets in Matthew 18:15-17 and John 3:18-21, as well as many other passages in the Bible.
We must come to the point of understanding and accepting, people no matter who they are, will hurt us at some point in our lives, just as we will also at some point hurt other people. Not, necessarily because we or they want to hurt each other, but because we are all sinners who fall short of God's perfection.
Like parents love their children and children love their parents, God loves us.
We don't stop loving our children when they make mistakes or hurt us, and they will do both at some point.
We tend to believe we only love them like that because they are our children, or because they are our parents, but truth be told, even if they weren't you could still love them.
We may not like the actions or choices of other people all the time, but we must ask ourselves do we always like the actions and choices of our parents and children? You may argue that other people are different, but I would ask in what way are they different? They don't share your blood line?
How does that make them different? They, like your parents and children or even your brothers and sisters are still created by and in the image of God, are they not? So, how are they different?
Maybe the answer lies in what we believe love is about. So what does it mean to love someone? Isn't love really just caring for and about another person and wanting the best for them, even if what is best for them might hurt them a bit?
Consider, someone who is addicted to drugs, it doesn't matter what kind of drug, we know that drug addiction is bad for them, and we want them to stop.
Sometimes it takes setting boundaries and removing yourself from their life for them to realize they need help. Removing yourself from their life doesn't mean you no longer love them, they might feel you are abandoning and as if you don't love them, and you might feel you are abandoning them, but really your not. Your setting in place something that protects you from being hurt by their actions and allowing them to suffer the consequences of their own choices.
You are in essence telling them, I love you, but I also love and respect myself. If you want to do drugs, you are free to do them all you want. However, if you want to spend time with me, then please respect my choice also, that you must be sober when we are with me. The love is NOT conditional, the being in relationship with the other person however, IS based on certain conditions being met.
Believing we must spend time with people we love when they are hurting us or even themselves is a lie. I mean, if we can continue to love and care about our parents, children and siblings when they hurt us, after we move away from home, we can certainly be the same with others, can we not?
God is the same way. He sets conditions on having a relationship with Him, does it mean He doesn't love us? By no means. He continues to love us, but like us, He doesn't always like our actions, so He will not fellowship with us, when we are making the choice to live in sin.
We don't have to believe God is like that, anymore than we have to believe others choose not to spend time with us because of our choices, but what we believe is not always true. But that is most certainly what the bible teaches us to be true about God and the example He sets in Matthew 18:15-17 and John 3:18-21, as well as many other passages in the Bible.
We must come to the point of understanding and accepting, people no matter who they are, will hurt us at some point in our lives, just as we will also at some point hurt other people. Not, necessarily because we or they want to hurt each other, but because we are all sinners who fall short of God's perfection.
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