Tuesday
Nov022004
God's love is enough
Tuesday, November 2, 2004 at 8:32AM
Scott Williams on God loving us even when people are disappointed in us:
Is God
Tuesday, November 2, 2004 at 8:32AM
Reader Comments (12)
Just like I've asked Scott, Darryl, what should our response be to God's love? If we are truly saved - and know it - how does that change me? What does my life look like? How will others know that I'm different, not of this world anymore? How will they see God at work in me? Most importantly, how do I show God my gratefulness and my love for Him? What is it that I turn from? How is my life glorifying to God - after all that is why we exist right - to glorify Him. How do I do that as I watch a Hollywood feature film that curses His name and is loaded with sleaze? Yup that's me and that issue again. Just getting more and more convicted about that and the compromise that goes on with respect to that issue in the Christian church and in so many Christian lives. The reason for my conviction is I know where I've been in my entertainment choices when I was dead in my sin. I also know what God's Word says about it.I'll ask you again Darryl, how are we not being party to the offence of taking His name in vain when we allow ourselves to be entertained by an industry that insists on cursing it?
George: You took a bit of a jump there that I missed.
It really is tough to justify though eh? Its interesting how this all started for me, this blog world stuff. I got to you through Michael Coren and asked you if the cursing of God's name effected you at all as you watched some Jack Nicholson movie. You responded about how you hear God's name being cursed at the gas station and local store and can't control it anyways so why should it be any different watching a movie. It was something along those lines as you will recall. I wonder if anything has changed. I've debated this issue now with a number of bloggers always with the same result. I'm some pharasaical legalist when I suggest its compromise and God is deeply offended. I wonder how many now, if any, when they watch a movie and hear his name being cursed, wince a bit and maybe some conviction sets in. I hope and pray so. That the Spirit might convict a few people on this issue and how there is so much compomise going on and maybe just maybe that is effecting God's blessing on individuals and churches. I'm always told I'm so harsh and legalistic and the talk begins about God's love. I love talking about God's love also, but how do I respond to it? How do you respoond to it? How do we show our love to God as we so easily allow the world access to our lives in what we watch and listen to. It is just such a huge issue and an unbelieving world is watching and just what exactly are they seeing that is different in a Christian life? Sorry for the rant, I'm kinda fired up these last few days. God is so great and so awesome and loves us so much and wants to, through us, reveal Himself to the world so they might be drawn to Him. Lets be done with the compromise and really begin to see God at work in our lives and churches. Let the revival begin. Have a great day glorifying God, all glory belongs to Him.
George: Great topic; it's just completely unrelated to this particular post.
Darryl: To be fair, the topic of this post is "God's Love is Enough." George can be quite justified in asking how we as Christians respond to that Love. While I do not believe we can or should go around being all bent out of shape everytime somebody takes the Lord's Name in vain, (we would be candidates for a nervous break-down if we did,) I can see his point. George: We cannot change the entire world. We can and should change ourselves, with The Lord's help, and try to effect others to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Let Jesus and The Holy Spirit change their behaviour. In my experience, for what it is worth, ranting and raving and being over-zealous merely turns people off. All I can do is try to be the person that God wants me to be. Yes, that means that I should be sensitive to sin, both in myself and my surroundings. However, beating the unsaved with the Word and our perception of "Christian" behaviour just does not cut it. People already have the impression that Christianity is just a list of "do's" and "don'ts," - mostly "dont's." One of my favourite prof's in College had the approach of telling people that if they became Christians, they could do anything that God did not convict them of. It always amazed me how many people changed their behaviour in accordance with God's Will as a result.
Arthur: Sure, you can segway a topic into any other one. Someone could talk about war, homosexuality, George Bush, the church, or any other topic as a response to God's love - but it's still changing the topic.
Point taken, but maybe it is just a natural progession of the subject under discussion for some people. Nah, you are right. The subject is the same, the context is just a little off. I am going to go and contemplate God's Love being enough, no strings attached. "Segway?" How does one pronounce that and what does it mean? That's not in my Webster's.
D'oh! That should be segue.
Arthur, appreciate your comments. Remember who I'm dialoguing with here. I'm not talking with people who don't know the Lord but rather with leaders in the church. Leaders who by and large seem so discouraged with the institutional church as they always refer to it as such, and seem to wonder why their churches aren't growing and there is this dissatisfaction with the whole thing. I get the impression that they are not seeing God at work in their churches and they are trying to figure out why. I like what I heard at the Straight Up conference in Chicago about how the leaders should concern themselves with the quality of disciple and not worry about the quantity. How the people will be hungry for what they are being fed. If you feed them entertainment, they will be hungry for that, however if you feed them the Word, they will become hungry for that as God will honour and bless that. I love what Greg Laurie said about striving to be contemporary without compromise. I think he was bang on. There is so much compromise going on but so many leaders don't see it or don't want to see it. Then I read this in my personal devotions this morning: Hebrews 5 7In the days of his flesh, Jesus[1] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. I think of the reverence and obedience that Jesus had for His Father. Where's the reverence for God as we sit and entertain ourselves by an industry that insists on cursing Him and His awesome name? Makes no sense to me.
George: "Remember who I'm dialoguing with here. I'm not talking with people who don't know the Lord but rather with leaders in the church." George, who are you dialoguing with? From what you've said, some leader who's discouraged, ineffective, entertaining, shallow, compromising, and who loves dirty movies. What are you trying to say?
George, With all due respect, and I mean that, I believe that we should guard our hearts and minds as much as we possibly can, but as far as glorifying God is concerned, it is not really up to us. I believe God is glorified when He reveals Himself in us through His power ALONE. Nothing we do without the power of the Holy Spirit will ever glorify God. That would all be of our own human efforts, and as we know, our own human efforts leads us to death...eternal death. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13 It is when God's power is revealed in our weakness that God is glorified. Nothing of our own doing! With that said, I do NOT want to knock, or lessen in any way, what you are saying about the importance of what we feed our minds.
I'm going to shut down comments on this particular post. A few comments, mainly related to George's comments. 1. Please keep comments on topic. 2. Please avoid the straw man argument - i.e. setting up a person who doesn't exist and then tearing down that person's position. 3. Please be respectful. Beyond that, present your ideas as strongly as you'd like. I'm really okay with disagreements, but they have to at least be on topic and somewhat accurate. I've tried hard not to delete comments or ban users, and I'd like to keep it that way.