“There can only be two basic loves,” wrote Augustine, “the love of God unto the forgetfulness of self, or the love of self unto the forgetfulness and denial of God.”
There is very little to add to this statement by
So, don’t let your hearts and minds be discouraged by the fact you are human - God already know this and He is okay with it!
Many believers live their lives with the mind set of: “What can I do for God?” or “What does God want me to do for Him?” Basically, many Christians live as though they were saved to serve and that if they are to fulfill their purpose of salvation they must serve. The truth will bring a hit to our human pride and it is that God does not need us to serve Him and in fact, God wants us to be in relationship with Him and that is why He sent Jesus.
Jesus said in John 17:3
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Jesus is telling us that we were saved so that we may know Him and His Father intimately.
When we are dead set on serving God, then our relationship with the Father is based on performance and therefore it becomes lifeless; mechanical; and obligatory. The Apostle Paul wrote in Acts 17:24 & 25 24
"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25- "Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
When our focus is on God through Christ Jesus we will form an intimate relationship with Him; some have even said we could even become obsessed with Him. In building an intimate relationship with the Father there will be an out-flow of service that pours out of that love relationship.
Only God can do something for Himself. In His wisdom He allows us to participate in work with Him; because and due to our relationship with Him.
If you think of your relationship with God in terms of performance and service then you will run the risk of relating to Him as your “Heavenly Employer” risking that you are doing things He requires, which may or may not be accurate. Remember an employer’s role is to scrutinize our performance and make sure we are following the rules and at the very least doing the status quo. Is this the relationship you want?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who am I not to be? You are a child of God. If you are playing small, that doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are born to manifest the glory of God within us. It is in everyone. And as we let our lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. When we are liberated from our fear, our very presence automatically liberates others. – Nelson Mandella
In my last entry I used a quote from C.S. Lewis to help exemplify how fear will keep us from actually living and loving in life. Nelson Mandella seems to know what Lewis knew and that is that fear is the biggest form of bondage. We live in a society where are all we are suppose to feel is only one thing and that is “happy” and as children many of us learned to be quiet about our being happy. However, we also live in a culture that is fear driven.
Turn on any radio, television, pick-up a newspaper or turn on your computer and connect to a search engine and you will soon have more than enough to be afraid of; from multiple types of crimes to the newest measure of what it is to be a “success”. There is no shortage of things to be afraid of and yet we still continue to move forward facing some of these fears; even if this is not in our consciousness. The majority of people have not identified cultural fears; let alone what fear or fears attempt to paralyze them in their own life. Also, many people live in bondage and do not even know they are the bound up by fear.
I encourage you to be very intentional about living your life. Take some time to identify what if any fears have you may have that could be keeping from being connected and present in your own life. It is highly important to identify and then challenge those things that attempt to keep you from living life.
Finally, I do realize and want to state that to get connected and active in your life risk is involved, but don’t be afraid of risk, just learn to approach each risk wisely. Be sure to know how much risk you are willing to take and know what your limits are. Like anything new, take small, manageable steps/risks until you feel more practiced at taking risk and dealing with success or disappointment.
