Continuing yesterday’s thought, listen to Jesus’ words in John 14:
15"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
19"After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.
20"In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
21"He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."
22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?"
23Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
24"He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.
There’s a recurring thought throughout these verses: love for Jesus leads to and is expressed by obedience. Some might think that one’s love for God is measured merely by emotions and expressions…affections and affiliations; but contrary to our culture’s carnal connotations of the word, the Lord repeatedly described love toward Him as obedience.
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2 comments:
You may not want to post this and it okay with me. I'm taking your distress at face value and hope to give a different viewpoint that "could" ease your distress.
Maybe the issue lies with the doctrinal belief of "once saved always saved" and Jesus' explanation regarding the parables.
How does love grow? I'm assuming just as any relationship -- from acquaintenace to friend and from friend to advocate, but your heart has to want to go to the next level.
I hear "the more used the more given." Furthermore, I've found the coincidences of the more given enot necessarily in monetary gain. Thus, the desire to receive more is a catalyst to the growth.
It appears to be a fact of life -- at least with me. The more I eat, the more I want, etc. However, the heart has to first want the growth.
What about those virgins with the oil lamps? I use to think of them as selfish, but I realize that they just "can't" give their oil away. It comes from within.
Remember: God draws us and supplies our faith. You're just an example to the flock (& a really great one at that).
PS -- I'll admit that I'm not a good example in regards to attendence, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to become active.
With due respect, Barbara, I think you've misunderstood my point. What disturbs me is not that Christians exist at every juncture on the spiritual maturity scale. That's a given.
My concern is what a friend of mine recently summed up as "Welfare Christians"...they don't want to work for God's kingdom but they want to draw all the benefits. The Bible knows nothing of a faith that refuses to surrender to Christ but still produces eternal life.
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