Wedding days bring visions of flowers, romance, joy, and hopes. But weddings have a way of turning into marriages. This is certainly not an attack on the institution of marriage, but when a marriage becomes an institution, the flowers, romance, joy, trust, and hope die. Emotional distance, with decreased trust and decreased communication become the norm. It is a centuries old fashion to blame the institution of marriage itself for the problem, but as is so often the case with man as judge, the judge is the guilty party. It is not the rule of marriage that is the problem, but it is rather ruling the marriage by the individual parties. Self-centeredness and lust for power are the unseen giants which destroy relationship. Self-centeredness and lust for power are the giants which negate the second greatest commandment - "Love thy neighbor as thyself." And lust for power and self-centeredness permeate all of mankind, for man's fallen nature comes from a fallen god - not Creator God, but creature god - Satan. And the goal of creature god and his giants is to destroy relationship, not just with man to man but with God to man and to negate the greatest commandment, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
How can I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind when my mind is set on me and my desires? Jesus defined adultery, not just as a physical act, but a heart meditating on another person for personal, selfish use. It is no different with my relationship with God. When the meditation of my heart is on me, and my love for me, and my lust for me, another god is before me, and I have created for myself an idol.
It has become fashionable to state, "My God is a God of love." Interpreted, this means, "The god I have created does not judge my selfishness and ignores any wrong doing on my part." But mankind does not have the right or ability to state, "Let us make God in our image." A god made by man does not raise man up, but pulls him down - whether the god be stone, wood, or flesh or an imagined friend. The sentiment of a "God of love" is often used in response to a mention of God's Law. The belief has become that Jesus' purpose is not to save me from my sin, but save me from the Law. Yet, this same Jesus, when speaking of love stated in John 15:9-10, "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." Paul stated in Romans 13:10 that love is the fulfillment of the law, because love does no wrong to a neighbor. If my heart is filled with me, my behaviors will be about me, and must result in wrong to my neighbor. When I keep God's commandments, I abide in His love - not when I think He loves me of I "feel" love toward another person. Biblically defined love involves God's Law and commandments - they can not be separated. Man cannot love apart from God because God is love. Man cannot love apart from God's Law, because man is man - and will act accordingly. If man is a law unto himself, tyranny will result - not just political tyranny, but personal tyranny. When "I" am king, all will suffer under my kingship. When I as an individual make the laws that I and others are to live by, those laws will benefit me. The resulting strife is what most of us know simply as life - and is NOT "abundant". "Mine is the kingdom" will be the mind set and behaviors I have when I do not keep God's commandments. My law is not love. But the laws of God are. Meditation is simply applying the law of the king to my heart. It is listening to the commands of the king. It is the action I take to give God the rightful place of King in the Kingdom of God. So when we pray, let us use the words "THINE is the kingdom" and not "MINE is the kingdom."
Be blessed.
How can I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind when my mind is set on me and my desires? Jesus defined adultery, not just as a physical act, but a heart meditating on another person for personal, selfish use. It is no different with my relationship with God. When the meditation of my heart is on me, and my love for me, and my lust for me, another god is before me, and I have created for myself an idol.
It has become fashionable to state, "My God is a God of love." Interpreted, this means, "The god I have created does not judge my selfishness and ignores any wrong doing on my part." But mankind does not have the right or ability to state, "Let us make God in our image." A god made by man does not raise man up, but pulls him down - whether the god be stone, wood, or flesh or an imagined friend. The sentiment of a "God of love" is often used in response to a mention of God's Law. The belief has become that Jesus' purpose is not to save me from my sin, but save me from the Law. Yet, this same Jesus, when speaking of love stated in John 15:9-10, "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." Paul stated in Romans 13:10 that love is the fulfillment of the law, because love does no wrong to a neighbor. If my heart is filled with me, my behaviors will be about me, and must result in wrong to my neighbor. When I keep God's commandments, I abide in His love - not when I think He loves me of I "feel" love toward another person. Biblically defined love involves God's Law and commandments - they can not be separated. Man cannot love apart from God because God is love. Man cannot love apart from God's Law, because man is man - and will act accordingly. If man is a law unto himself, tyranny will result - not just political tyranny, but personal tyranny. When "I" am king, all will suffer under my kingship. When I as an individual make the laws that I and others are to live by, those laws will benefit me. The resulting strife is what most of us know simply as life - and is NOT "abundant". "Mine is the kingdom" will be the mind set and behaviors I have when I do not keep God's commandments. My law is not love. But the laws of God are. Meditation is simply applying the law of the king to my heart. It is listening to the commands of the king. It is the action I take to give God the rightful place of King in the Kingdom of God. So when we pray, let us use the words "THINE is the kingdom" and not "MINE is the kingdom."
Be blessed.
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