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The Love of God
Audio File:
This week's Shovel Audio contrasts the unfathomable love of God and the superficial love we learned in this world. Unfortunately, many Christians have been taught to view God's love in a similar manner as found in the world. Let's pull the curtain back on that sneaky pretense of love so that we might recognize the difference.
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Last updated on February 27, 2012 - 3:21am.
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Comments
Re: The Love of God
People can really express their love toward someone or some activity in the most passionate and heart-felt way. For example, someone who loves football or basketball and when they attend games they are cheering as loud as they can or screaming/cussing at the referee when things go bad. If its fishing or deer hunting season and you're a passionate hunter then you would be awake at 4:00 AM ready to go hunting or fishing. Wide awake. Then think about when you dated your wife to-be. You where looking forward to the next date, you looked your best, and you would not be late to pick her up. My question is: Were we not created to love God with the same passion? And, this is what really bothers me: I do not have the same love for God to act as passionate as I did or do when I dated my wife, hunting, or when I attend my favorite basketball team's game. How do I get that same passionate Love for God as I do when I dated my wife or any of those activities one may love passionately? I understand about viewing these question according to the flesh through the natural mind and looking for outward results. That's understood. I am talking about not feeling a heart passion to follow Christ as I did those examples above even though I know I have been saved from a lot of sin and I rest in Him as His righteous is my only righteousness. I would appreciate any light on this topic.
Re: The Love of God
Dear Visitor,
Don't ever underestimate the power of the legal mind in causing that sense of distance and lack of passion that you sense within your members.
I once wrote a note to myself that I never got a chance to publish but from memory, it went something like this:
" What if the reason why the feelings of hostility and expectation [and demands] we hold toward God was a DIRECT result of the imposed expectations "He" has of us? In otherwords, what if allot of our percieved malcfunctions in God are coming from a mind that has been told that HE thinks WE are malfunctioning? We have been listening to countless leaders tell us that God expects stuff from us. Isn't about time we eventually respond the very same way toward Him?"
Adam
Re: The Love of God
Great 'note to yourself', Adam. I understand what you are saying but not sure if I clearly understand your last sentence: "We have been listening to countless leaders tell us that God expects stuff from us. Isn't about time we eventually respond the very same way toward Him?" In other words, in the last sentence you are saying: 'We ought to be expecting stuff from God because God surely has no expectations of stuff from us.' Thank you for sharing.
Re: The Love of God
If you had no passion, where are your concerns coming from? The groans of passion in you, that testify to your concord with the eternal, and that are being concerned with the things that cannot die, are impossible to understand by the perceptions of outward things that do die. Your experience of contention is not because of lack of love for the reality where death is not present, but because you recognize the erroneous mind of the perceptions that attempt to bind you to the dead things you once died to and to convince you that you lack the life.
- georgi
Re: The Love of God
Thank you, Georgi. Your comments help me understand, especially the part "... you recognize the erroneous mind of the perceptions that attempt to bind you to the dead things you once died to and to convince you that you lack the life. Yes ... the concern of not having a passion toward God is like the former natural-man passions in my life. For me not recognizing the fleshly passions comes from naturally or inherently listening to the voice of the former dead life that I have listened to for years. Its been a naive attachment to listen and form decisions within the boundaries of the natural mind. (In a way, its like the work-place saying, 'if we keep doing the same thing the same way as we have the past 30 years, then we will get the same results as we always got. We got to change how we do things if we want to be more profitable.') But, the former life is now dead. I have become more aware of how routine, redundant, and fixed one can be to the old natural mind and NOT REALIZE IT. But, Christ has left us the mind of Christ, a comforter and a guide, and we can rest assured that all thoughts are being filtered through the mind of Christ that resides in us. I appreciate you sharing.
Re: The Love of God
Yes, it is the hidden dynamics of the life of the reality of the comforter living in us that recognizes and is disgusted by the mind coming to our attention that seeks to accuse and find deficiencies in us, to convince us that we are but flesh. His, or rather our, contention is comforting, because it cannot be overlooked for what it reveals about us. If we were at home with the mind of death, we ourselves would have been dead.
Re: The Love of God
Wow Georgi! Just WOW!
I find it simply amazing how most people can be "at home" with the mind of the flesh. They have no knowledge whatsoever of their hypocrisy and emptiness.
Do you know what this all implies, Visitor? That WE FULFILL THE LAW! While others struggle "to love", WE ACTUALLY DO LOVE. While others struggle with sin, WE ACTUALLY DON'T SIN. While others seek to justify themselves by material possessions and status, GOD has justified US!!! While others chase after vain dreams, our deepest wishes are chasing after US. See yourself as not only FREE, but as completely 100% RIGHTEOUS. You, visitor, are the REAL DEAL, the one others can only hope to be. All this because CHRIST has taken you from death to the realm of LIFE.
Re: The Love of God
I see in part, I look forward to see more; there was a time when I was completely blind. Thank you for the encouraging word, Justin.
Re: The Love of God
Well, I've got to double-WOW the both of you! The life flows so freely in you guys. :)
Jim
Re: The Love of God
..and I will raise you a WOW Jim! TRIPLE WOW!
Love,
Adam
Re: The Love of God
Hello friend! :)
I remember those kinds of admonitions and struggles to love God as much or more than I loved other things or other people in my life. I felt quite ashamed when I realized that I couldn't work up a love toward God that could compare. But that's what you're going to conclude when you compare how you think you ought to be loving God by how you assume you're loving whatever else you feel passion for. It's a fleshly trap, my friend, and it's based upon perception. After all, if the heartfelt passion you had is something you can remember as once having ... then it's not much of a reliable standard, is it? I suspect, just as it was in my own life, that your attempts to achieve such a love for God is the very reason you're overlooking his work in you in that respect.
Jim
Re: The Love of God
Hey ... makes "sense" what you say. But, in the natural mind I realize I will not be able to see. (My goodness!) May that which is 'overlooked', as you say, come to pass as it did for our brother Paul as he shares in Galatians 1. I hope that revelation will be birthed in me. Perhaps I am dull of seeing/hearing and I cannot see what is before me NOW. He will supply in His time.
Thank you for sharing with me.
Re: The Love of God
Perhaps, but then again the world has made this veil[wisdom of the flesh] SO prominant that it can be a bit tough in explaining this stuff to believers! lol
But yes, God is indeed revealing this to you for even the pull toward the things that are written here most definatly have to do with your inward being reaching out to the Truth of Christ in you.
Love,
Adam
Re: The Love of God
"...the world has made this veil[wisdom of the flesh] SO prominant that it can be a bit tough in explaining this stuff to believers." - Adam
Yes, the above is definitely a perspective that gets little attention, and if discussed among common church goers one would get puzzling stares. But its truth and freedom for those that hear through the noise of the flesh.
Re: The Love of God
I like your example about advertising and how some IC do the same. I "thought" of one for the Shovel Audio :) ...
"I don't always visit here but when I do I prefer to hear the audio de pala (shovel) por el duo Senor Jim Minker and Adam Harte. Come thirsty my amigos! :)
Nergo
Re: The Love of God
Ha! Nergo I never saw this halarious response my freind! Yes, Yes..come thirsty my freind!
ADAM
Re: The Love of God
LOL!! You are so funny, mi amigo! Gracious Senor.
Re: The Love of God
This was so rich in insight. Gee, I don't know what to say, because you both shared so wonderfully. Adam, your closing was so heartfelt, and with such care and love in it - such warmth to the heart, yes, the Father's heart.
All shared is such a confirmation to my own heart. Thank you both, so much!:)
Mary
"Christ in You, the Hope"
Re: The Love of God
Beginning the audio...Adam, the intro on love....awesome!
Mary
"Christ in You, the Hope"
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