I'm not so sure how to deal with this...
Recently, I got into a pretty cool discussion with a girl I work with. (This post is kinda serious, so I won't take on the name Mr. Publix.) We were talking about God and things related, when my clumsy mouth stumbled on the law vs. grace thing, and how even though we do wrong, God is still okay with us if the blood of Jesus has covered us, and shown us the way to love Him and one another. Well, I didn't quite word it that way, but she took it the wrong way, and thinks I'm into the idea of total carnage and what not, and expecting God to let me into heaven covered in sin. As I was telling her of grace, she mentioned to me "God is a wrathful God, and He gave very strict guidelines."
Now, he did give strict guidelines, all of which were totally summed up in His two commandments, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind... the second is like unto it, love your neighbor as yourself."
Now, I was shocked, here is what surprised me, that she says God is such a wrathful God, yet he loves and commands us to love. She talked as if she had never seen the loving side of Him, or the full reason He died on the cross. I don't want to show it directly to her, because only God can open her eyes, but I'm going to tell her about it, in hopes that God uses me to open her eyes to His love. I just don't know how to tell her without her thinking I'm some kinda hippie liberal. *sigh*. I don't know... help, anyone?
Now, he did give strict guidelines, all of which were totally summed up in His two commandments, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and with all your mind... the second is like unto it, love your neighbor as yourself."
Now, I was shocked, here is what surprised me, that she says God is such a wrathful God, yet he loves and commands us to love. She talked as if she had never seen the loving side of Him, or the full reason He died on the cross. I don't want to show it directly to her, because only God can open her eyes, but I'm going to tell her about it, in hopes that God uses me to open her eyes to His love. I just don't know how to tell her without her thinking I'm some kinda hippie liberal. *sigh*. I don't know... help, anyone?
posted by Jonathan at
Thursday, December 20, 2007
1 Comments:
Cool blog. I can tell you are passionate for God's glory and love Him with all of your heart.
I know how your friend feels. I too had struggled with the concept of God's "love" toward me, and toward the human race in general. It wasn't necessarily unbelief b/c of all the "evil in the world", but rather accepting the idea that God indeed loved and cared about me was somewhat foreign. It seems demented at first, and of course is as a result of my fallen nature, but I had a hard time grasping God's love, and found His wrath so much more acceptable. Maybe it was a familiar place to think of God that way, and felt a bit uncomfortable knowing He loved me. It's almost like, there's a bondage that we subject ourselves to when we don't walk freely in grace... the exact thing the enemy wants because it hinders us and leaves us powerless and joyless: two things God has promised for us in Christ. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus says the LORD:
“ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
24 But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD."
So, a well rounded, accurate view of God is that: He is righteous, love (merciful), and exercises judgment. That judgment for His people was Christ's sacrifice. I know I had a hard time being sensitive and being comfortable with my feelings, mostly because it was my mode of protection, and so it was easier to see God that way. It's safe.
God came to show His glory to us, and as John Piper would say, "the most loving thing God has done and will do is give more of Himself to us, because, He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". Love in the essence of sacrifice, but also in the essence of heart-felt joy and pleasure in all that He is for us in Christ.
Anyways I don't know if this will help you, but I would encourage you to really look up some scripture to share with your friend and just talk about it... and maybe use this as an opportunity to really show God's love through your actions.
You have a totally sweet blog and it is a joy to read.
peace
joanna (joey) martens
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