I'm taking a short afternoon break from tax season, and as I stumble around my computer I discover some notes I wrote several months ago when I first began pondering the idea of learning to live loved. These were thoughts on what my life has been like, even as a Christian, living without the deep conviction that my Father in heaven loves me as much as He actually does. Here goes:
I have given money out of fear that He would whack me for not doing so, or not giving enough, and the whack would be the loss of a job or loss of finances, or some other way He would get back at me.
I have had my daily (almost) quiet times out of fear that not doing so would bring all kinds or problems my way that day. As long as I was fulfilling my religious duty, I anticipated God bringing good things my way. But I really feared the days when I would oversleep, or for some other reason miss my quiet time. I just knew He was going to discipline (spank) me for my failure.
I have attended church and been faithful to serve in various ministry capacities out of fear that others would question my commitment level, and not think very highly of me any more.
I have been outwardly obedient, and somewhat inwardly obedient out of fear that He would get mad at me and punish me.
I had no idea all those years that fear was such a powerful influence in my life. But now, His perfect love is casting out all that fear. I am learning to live loved. It means I am being set free from my performance based Christianity and I am learning to enjoy His love and delight in me moment by moment. What is really fun is seeing the fruit of learning to live loved. The fruit is obedience in most of the things I used to do out of fear! But the joy in doing those things is far greater than it was before. More important for me though is the freedom I am experiencing knowing I no longer have to perform for God or anyone else. I am loved totally and eternally and there is nothing that can get in the way of that. How awesome is that??!!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Seeking Andrea
Sometime back in the 1990s, while our family was attending church, I was working at a sign-up table in the hallway while the rest of the family was in Sunday school. Our habit each Sunday was that the two boys, who were older, would leave their classes, meet up somewhere and go get my daughter Andrea, who was too young to make her way back to my Sunday School class on her own. The plan this particular Sunday was that after the three of them came to our class, Pam would bring them all to where I was working the sign-up table.
I saw the two boys coming, giggling and saying, "Andrea is lost!" Then I looked up and saw the expression on Pam's face and immediately went into crisis mode. Pam informed me that while the boys were walking Andrea to class, she got lost in the crowd and they could not locate her anywhere. Pam had informed the deacons, who had a communication system using walkie-talkies, and the whole group of deacons throughout the church were searching for Andrea.
You can imagine all the thoughts going through my head. Someone kidnapped her, or she just got lost and wandered off into the new construction area and is now hurt. All I knew was that I had to find her, and there was nothing and no one who could distract me. I even thought that if the pastor of the church were to stop me to talk I would have responded, "Not now, my daughter is lost and all I can do is search for her". I walked through the halls, ignoring everyone, eyes focused only on finding my daughter, my precious, lost daughter. Nothing else mattered at this point.
After walking the entire circumference of the church, I made it back to the sign-up table and was informed that the deacons had found her. Someone realized she was lost and graciously took her back to her Sunday School class. In just a few moments she and Pam came walking up to the sign-up table. I could tell by the look on her face that she felt a little guilty, thinking she might be in trouble. But all I could do was pick her up and hold her close in my arms, and just love her. I was so grateful that my daughter was found!
As I pondered the events of that morning, I was reminded of God's call on us to seek after Him with all our heart. And it became a picture to me of how we are to cast aside all distractions and set our heart on seeking Him, above all other things.
But then one day, as I was driving to work, again pondering this whole idea of seeking Him, it was as if God said to me, "John, you have missed the most important point here! What you need to realize is, this is the way I have been seeking you! You are just like your lost daughter, and I am constantly seeking after you. Nothing ever distracts Me in this. My love for you drives Me to chase after your heart 24/7. I am never NOT seeking after you. You are that much of a treasure to me. You are the one lost sheep out of the man's flock of 100. You are the woman's lost coin. You are the prodigal son and I sit on the porch every moment of every day, looking for the first sign of your return. You have no idea of the depth of My intense love for you."
I was overcome as I sat in traffic, waiting for the light to turn green. The God of the universe, the creator of all that exists loves me and seeks after me! Wow! All I can do is respond with love and gratitude. I even tend to come back to him like Andrea did me, with feelings of guilt, hoping He won't be mad. And His only response is to wrap His loving arms around me and hold me close to Himself, and just love me.
This is from Ephesians 3:14-19, in The Message:
"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God."
I saw the two boys coming, giggling and saying, "Andrea is lost!" Then I looked up and saw the expression on Pam's face and immediately went into crisis mode. Pam informed me that while the boys were walking Andrea to class, she got lost in the crowd and they could not locate her anywhere. Pam had informed the deacons, who had a communication system using walkie-talkies, and the whole group of deacons throughout the church were searching for Andrea.
You can imagine all the thoughts going through my head. Someone kidnapped her, or she just got lost and wandered off into the new construction area and is now hurt. All I knew was that I had to find her, and there was nothing and no one who could distract me. I even thought that if the pastor of the church were to stop me to talk I would have responded, "Not now, my daughter is lost and all I can do is search for her". I walked through the halls, ignoring everyone, eyes focused only on finding my daughter, my precious, lost daughter. Nothing else mattered at this point.
After walking the entire circumference of the church, I made it back to the sign-up table and was informed that the deacons had found her. Someone realized she was lost and graciously took her back to her Sunday School class. In just a few moments she and Pam came walking up to the sign-up table. I could tell by the look on her face that she felt a little guilty, thinking she might be in trouble. But all I could do was pick her up and hold her close in my arms, and just love her. I was so grateful that my daughter was found!
As I pondered the events of that morning, I was reminded of God's call on us to seek after Him with all our heart. And it became a picture to me of how we are to cast aside all distractions and set our heart on seeking Him, above all other things.
But then one day, as I was driving to work, again pondering this whole idea of seeking Him, it was as if God said to me, "John, you have missed the most important point here! What you need to realize is, this is the way I have been seeking you! You are just like your lost daughter, and I am constantly seeking after you. Nothing ever distracts Me in this. My love for you drives Me to chase after your heart 24/7. I am never NOT seeking after you. You are that much of a treasure to me. You are the one lost sheep out of the man's flock of 100. You are the woman's lost coin. You are the prodigal son and I sit on the porch every moment of every day, looking for the first sign of your return. You have no idea of the depth of My intense love for you."
I was overcome as I sat in traffic, waiting for the light to turn green. The God of the universe, the creator of all that exists loves me and seeks after me! Wow! All I can do is respond with love and gratitude. I even tend to come back to him like Andrea did me, with feelings of guilt, hoping He won't be mad. And His only response is to wrap His loving arms around me and hold me close to Himself, and just love me.
This is from Ephesians 3:14-19, in The Message:
"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God."
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Who Are You?
One of my favorite songs from the classic rock era is “Who Are You” by The Who. Apart from being a great rock classic, it asks a very important question. And most Christians, especially men, are constantly trying to answer this question themselves without coming to grips with the truth of who they truly are. We are constantly trying to define ourselves by what we do, how successful we are, how our family looks, or even what ministry we are leading or what title/position we hold in our church or ministry. And we miss the joy and freedom that comes from knowing who we really are. As Brennan Manning says, we are Abba's child. We are the beloved of the Creator of the universe. We are loved. This truth needs to sink in and take root in our hearts. When it becomes a core conviction of your life, it has a powerful effect.
Look at Jesus. Just after His baptism, His Father made a public pronouncement of His identity. He said, "This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased". Jesus, after hearing this Himself, and after being affirmed publicly by His Father, went into the wilderness for His 40 day fast where He was tempted by the devil. And, of course, Satan's main line of attack was on Jesus' identity. "If you are the son of God..." was the constant badgering. But because Jesus knew who He was, He could stand up to the temptation and walk in freedom.
In John 13:3-5, we see the importance of knowing your identity again in the life of Jesus.
"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded."
Jesus was free to stoop at the disciples' feet and serve them, in order to teach them the importance of serving others, because He knew His true identity. He knew His place in the Father's heart and He knew His role in the kingdom. He wasn't self-absorbed in creating his own identity, living for the affirmation and praise of other people. He knew the truth and in that truth He was free indeed.
This takes us back to the original premise for this blog. What does it look like to live loved? To live your life knowing you are the beloved and knowing that every moment of every day, you are loved by the Father? As I ponder this in light of my own life, I realize that when hope seems to fade for something I am seeking from the Father, or when my life circumstances go in the wrong direction, I am so often hit with the thought, "God doesn't love me...or God doesn't seem to care...or even, God, who/where are you?" But I am learning to count certain things as true. I'm learning to trust Him when He says He loves me. This can be a very difficult road to travel, but as I am learning, it is well worth it.
If I can walk into every encounter with another human being, knowing I am loved, knowing I am my Father's beloved child, I will be free to love and serve them without any personal agenda of my own. I won't need affirmation or praise, I won't need to be thanked, and I won't even need to see success from my efforts. Now that's freedom!
Friday, November 7, 2008
John, the disciple whom Jesus loves
The Apostle John intrigues me. I was reading his gospel one day and kept noticing he referred to himself several times in the third person, and he used a phrase that at first bothered me. He referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. At first I thought how arrogant. You know, “well there are these eleven disciples…those guys over there…and then there is me, the one He loves”. But I started doing some research on John in my Bible software and discovered some things I had never seen before.
Throughout the other gospels, there is mention of the inner three disciples, those closest to Jesus. It usually went like this: Peter, James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. Peter always gets first billing. He was the star! James always comes next (except for two times), and is also identified as the son of Zebedee. Oh, and then there is John. I see an identity crisis in the making here!
Of every reference to the disciple John in the four gospels, only once is he mentioned without reference to Peter and James, and only twice was he not mentioned last in the list. In every other reference, he was mentioned last, and not even as the son of his father, but simply as James’ brother. It may be well to also note that these three were partners in a fishing business, and even there John seems to be the last guy on the list.
So I’m thinking this guy probably struggles with his own significance. He may be one of these people who have such strong needs for affirmation that they are constantly seeking the approval of others. And yet, you really don’t see this in his writings. What you see is a level of humility that is demonstrated in his lack of ever referring to himself directly. He always refers to himself in the third person, and it often describes himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. That is quite an identity to latch onto! He somehow got past all the identity issues thrust upon him from his life circumstances and found himself to be one who is loved by Jesus. He wasn’t one of the inner three, or the son of Zebedee, or even the brother of James. He was simply a disciple whom Jesus loved. That’s all he needed to be. That identity provided him all the security and significance he needed.
I would love to know what happened to John that brought him to grips with this identity.
Throughout the other gospels, there is mention of the inner three disciples, those closest to Jesus. It usually went like this: Peter, James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother. Peter always gets first billing. He was the star! James always comes next (except for two times), and is also identified as the son of Zebedee. Oh, and then there is John. I see an identity crisis in the making here!
Of every reference to the disciple John in the four gospels, only once is he mentioned without reference to Peter and James, and only twice was he not mentioned last in the list. In every other reference, he was mentioned last, and not even as the son of his father, but simply as James’ brother. It may be well to also note that these three were partners in a fishing business, and even there John seems to be the last guy on the list.
So I’m thinking this guy probably struggles with his own significance. He may be one of these people who have such strong needs for affirmation that they are constantly seeking the approval of others. And yet, you really don’t see this in his writings. What you see is a level of humility that is demonstrated in his lack of ever referring to himself directly. He always refers to himself in the third person, and it often describes himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. That is quite an identity to latch onto! He somehow got past all the identity issues thrust upon him from his life circumstances and found himself to be one who is loved by Jesus. He wasn’t one of the inner three, or the son of Zebedee, or even the brother of James. He was simply a disciple whom Jesus loved. That’s all he needed to be. That identity provided him all the security and significance he needed.
I would love to know what happened to John that brought him to grips with this identity.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Learning to live loved involves learning to trust the good heart of your Father. He stated very clearly through Jeremiah, "For I know the plans that I have for you, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope". When Paul was encouraging Timothy to join him in suffering for the sake of the gospel, he said, "for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day". Paul not only knew the love of his Father, but also His power. He was able to trust His good heart in doing what was best.
Last night I was watching a documentary on the life of Keith Green. Now for all you youngsters out there, Keith Green was one of the forerunners of contemporary Christian music. He came to Christ in the early '70s as part of a marvelous move of God's Spirit commonly referred to as "the Jesus movement". He was one of the most powerful voices of the gospel in those days and his legacy still lives on today.
In the documentary, much time is given to his pre-Christ days. He ran away from home at age 15, was caught up in the free sex and drugs of the day, and by most accounts was living about as far away from Jesus as he could. As I watched the documentary, I couldn't help thinking how painful those days must have been for his parents and those who loved him. But I also kept catching myself thinking, "This is amazing how eventually he came to Christ and had a powerful impact in advancing the kingdom all over the world". It didn't bother me much to see the videos of his early days because "I knew the end of the story".
I wonder how much peace and joy we miss when we focus on the negative circumstances in our life instead of trusting the good heart of our Father to intervene in our situations. He knows the end of the story, and He is not frightened by the things He sees going on today. In fact, I think He takes delight in watching our current events because He knows what victories are coming our way. It's kind of like watching a rerun of your favorite football team when the opposing team scores a touchdown to go ahead with less than a minute in the game. Since it's a rerun, you know the outcome of the game, so even though you see the opposing fans falling all over themselves with delight, you are inwardly excited because you know what is coming next.
Now, we may not know the specifics of what is coming next in our lives, but we do know the heart of our Father, and we also know He is in control, and will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes. So looking at whatever is causing distress in your heart today, you can lift your eyes above it and wrap yourself in the eternal, unquenchable, and penetrating love of your Father and press on.
Live loved!
Last night I was watching a documentary on the life of Keith Green. Now for all you youngsters out there, Keith Green was one of the forerunners of contemporary Christian music. He came to Christ in the early '70s as part of a marvelous move of God's Spirit commonly referred to as "the Jesus movement". He was one of the most powerful voices of the gospel in those days and his legacy still lives on today.
In the documentary, much time is given to his pre-Christ days. He ran away from home at age 15, was caught up in the free sex and drugs of the day, and by most accounts was living about as far away from Jesus as he could. As I watched the documentary, I couldn't help thinking how painful those days must have been for his parents and those who loved him. But I also kept catching myself thinking, "This is amazing how eventually he came to Christ and had a powerful impact in advancing the kingdom all over the world". It didn't bother me much to see the videos of his early days because "I knew the end of the story".
I wonder how much peace and joy we miss when we focus on the negative circumstances in our life instead of trusting the good heart of our Father to intervene in our situations. He knows the end of the story, and He is not frightened by the things He sees going on today. In fact, I think He takes delight in watching our current events because He knows what victories are coming our way. It's kind of like watching a rerun of your favorite football team when the opposing team scores a touchdown to go ahead with less than a minute in the game. Since it's a rerun, you know the outcome of the game, so even though you see the opposing fans falling all over themselves with delight, you are inwardly excited because you know what is coming next.
Now, we may not know the specifics of what is coming next in our lives, but we do know the heart of our Father, and we also know He is in control, and will cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes. So looking at whatever is causing distress in your heart today, you can lift your eyes above it and wrap yourself in the eternal, unquenchable, and penetrating love of your Father and press on.
Live loved!
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Pain of Life
In November of 2006, the Father said to me, "I am going to completely re-frame your relationship with Me...the way you see your life." In the few weeks following that announcement, He called me away from every ministry activity I was involved in to join Him in a wilderness experience for a season. It was to be just Him and me.
Soon after that I wrote this in my journal: "Out here in the desert it's hot, dry, no water, not much plant life, scorpions and rattlesnakes. No place to hide...I'm fully exposed. I don't like it here. There is nothing to hide behind or depend on. Only God..."
But then He began to reveal more of Himself to me. I imagined a picture of Jesus (from John 1:18) sitting in his daddy's lap prior to coming to earth. It was this kind of fellowship He was inviting us into...to sit in the lap of the Father, resting your head on His breast, feeling His heartbeat and the warmth of His breath coming down on you. Yes! I want that!
But just a few weeks later, I experienced something that was devastating to my heart. It wrecked me in the deepest of ways. As I took this to the Father, He began to hint that this was fitting very nicely into His plan to re-frame life for me. I then noticed several things in scripture that surprised me. In wondering what the heartbeat of God felt like, I began to realize a big part of His heartbeat is experienced through pain and grief. For example, the very first reference to the Father's heart in all of scripture is Genesis 6. When God saw wickedness running rampant throughout the earth, He was grieved in His heart. Then I noticed that Jesus used the word Abba ( the most tender expression that can be used for a father) only once. It was in the garden of Gethsemane just after it says he was grieved in His soul to the point of death.
Now I know this is starting to sound morbid, but hang with me just a little longer. I was beginning to see that I had entered into the room of abandonment, where in order to enter you must abandon all that is dear and precious to you. It is the room where you go to search for God...the room where you go to find God. He is in there...all alone. And to find Him, you must go in...all alone.
Some have referred to this as the dark night of the soul...a time or experience of much pain and agony, of feeling spiritually dry and abandoned by God. However, that really isn't the case. That phrase comes from a poem written in the 16th century by St John of the Cross. Here it is for you to read for yourself:
Copyright 1991 ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included.
Wow! This guy was not captured by life's negative circumstance. He was engrossed in being loved. But to get there he had to enter the room of abandonment. Maybe that's why Jesus said those who are spiritually destitute, who mourn, and who hunger are the ones who are blessed. Maybe that's why He dwells with the broken and contrite.
When we spend our time trying to manage our lives, making this life work for us, always seeking escape from pain or trouble, we are in reality running from a prime opportunity for the greatest gift...intimacy with Father. Maybe we should learn to embrace the pain that comes our way. Let it have its perfect work and result in our lives. James says to endure trials, as opposed to escaping them. And to let that endurance of trials have its perfect result, that we would be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. What can complete us any more than intimacy with our Father, enjoying His love for us and learning to live in that love?
Soon after that I wrote this in my journal: "Out here in the desert it's hot, dry, no water, not much plant life, scorpions and rattlesnakes. No place to hide...I'm fully exposed. I don't like it here. There is nothing to hide behind or depend on. Only God..."
But then He began to reveal more of Himself to me. I imagined a picture of Jesus (from John 1:18) sitting in his daddy's lap prior to coming to earth. It was this kind of fellowship He was inviting us into...to sit in the lap of the Father, resting your head on His breast, feeling His heartbeat and the warmth of His breath coming down on you. Yes! I want that!
But just a few weeks later, I experienced something that was devastating to my heart. It wrecked me in the deepest of ways. As I took this to the Father, He began to hint that this was fitting very nicely into His plan to re-frame life for me. I then noticed several things in scripture that surprised me. In wondering what the heartbeat of God felt like, I began to realize a big part of His heartbeat is experienced through pain and grief. For example, the very first reference to the Father's heart in all of scripture is Genesis 6. When God saw wickedness running rampant throughout the earth, He was grieved in His heart. Then I noticed that Jesus used the word Abba ( the most tender expression that can be used for a father) only once. It was in the garden of Gethsemane just after it says he was grieved in His soul to the point of death.
Now I know this is starting to sound morbid, but hang with me just a little longer. I was beginning to see that I had entered into the room of abandonment, where in order to enter you must abandon all that is dear and precious to you. It is the room where you go to search for God...the room where you go to find God. He is in there...all alone. And to find Him, you must go in...all alone.
Some have referred to this as the dark night of the soul...a time or experience of much pain and agony, of feeling spiritually dry and abandoned by God. However, that really isn't the case. That phrase comes from a poem written in the 16th century by St John of the Cross. Here it is for you to read for yourself:
One dark night,
fired with love's urgent longings
- ah, the sheer grace! -
I went out unseen,
my house being now all stilled.
fired with love's urgent longings
- ah, the sheer grace! -
I went out unseen,
my house being now all stilled.
In darkness, and secure,
by the secret ladder, disguised,
- ah, the sheer grace! -
in darkness and concealment,
my house being now all stilled.
On that glad night,
in secret, for no one saw me,
nor did I look at anything,
with no other light or guide
than the one that burned in my heart.
This guided me
more surely than the light of noon
to where he was awaiting me
- him I knew so well -
there in a place where no one appeared.
O guiding night!
O night more lovely than the dawn!
O night that has united
the Lover with his beloved,
transforming the beloved in her Lover.
Upon my flowering breast
which I kept wholly for him alone,
there he lay sleeping,
and I caressing him
there in a breeze from the fanning cedars.
When the breeze blew from the turret,
as I parted his hair,
it wounded my neck
with its gentle hand,
suspending all my senses.
I abandoned and forgot myself,
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased; I went out from myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased; I went out from myself,
leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.
Copyright 1991 ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included.
Wow! This guy was not captured by life's negative circumstance. He was engrossed in being loved. But to get there he had to enter the room of abandonment. Maybe that's why Jesus said those who are spiritually destitute, who mourn, and who hunger are the ones who are blessed. Maybe that's why He dwells with the broken and contrite.
When we spend our time trying to manage our lives, making this life work for us, always seeking escape from pain or trouble, we are in reality running from a prime opportunity for the greatest gift...intimacy with Father. Maybe we should learn to embrace the pain that comes our way. Let it have its perfect work and result in our lives. James says to endure trials, as opposed to escaping them. And to let that endurance of trials have its perfect result, that we would be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. What can complete us any more than intimacy with our Father, enjoying His love for us and learning to live in that love?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Father's love for the Son
Any discussion of the Father's love for us would have to include reference to when Jesus was baptized and the Father spoke, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." This public affirmation came at a crucial time for Jesus, for he was about to go into the wilderness for 40 days and would be subject to intense attack from Satan. Knowing his identity, and knowing the Father's love for him was absolutely necessary. There is a picture here of what it means to live loved.
When tempted with food, and asked to prove himself as the Son of God, Jesus simply dismissed Satan's suggestion, knowing his Father would provide for him out of the treasure of His love. He could choose obedience to "Man shall not live by bread alone" because he lived in the confidence that his Father's love for him alone was promise enough that his needs would always be provided.
When promised the kingdoms of the world, he could reply, "You shall serve the Lord only", not just because it was a command to be obeyed, but also because he knew the goodness and worth of the One we are commanded to worship. Why settle for anything less?
Finally, when Satan quotes scripture Jesus responds, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test". I'm sure he was thinking, "What a stupid suggestion! Why would I want to put Him to the test anyway? For all eternity past He has loved me fully and perfectly, and I love him. Love doesn't require proof."
So, applying this to our lives, you can see the confidence and security that come from knowing the Father's love as a core conviction of our heart, and then living out that conviction moment by moment. Or said another way, abiding in Him with His love abiding in me. If I am truly living loved like this, why would I choose to sin, or why would I choose anything that is not of faith. I would know I can trust Him and therefore I would live in His confidence and security.
Too often we look at things like the example of Jesus in the wilderness and conclude this is what it looks like to be like Jesus, and so we attempt to live out that way. Sort of like looking at the fruit of the Spirit and determining to be more loving, more joyful and more peaceful, failing to realize these things are the outward fruit of something deep within. The characteristics of someone learning to live loved come as the result of holding a deep conviction that you are loved, to which you respond in love resulting in obedience. To turn it around and do the obedience part first in order to experience His love is to miss the whole point. The true pattern is something like this:
God initiates His love for us.
We respond to His love with love.
Out of our love for Him, we are obedient.
In our obedience we are abiding in and continue to experience His love.
As we experience His love we respond with love...
You get the picture.
When tempted with food, and asked to prove himself as the Son of God, Jesus simply dismissed Satan's suggestion, knowing his Father would provide for him out of the treasure of His love. He could choose obedience to "Man shall not live by bread alone" because he lived in the confidence that his Father's love for him alone was promise enough that his needs would always be provided.
When promised the kingdoms of the world, he could reply, "You shall serve the Lord only", not just because it was a command to be obeyed, but also because he knew the goodness and worth of the One we are commanded to worship. Why settle for anything less?
Finally, when Satan quotes scripture Jesus responds, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test". I'm sure he was thinking, "What a stupid suggestion! Why would I want to put Him to the test anyway? For all eternity past He has loved me fully and perfectly, and I love him. Love doesn't require proof."
So, applying this to our lives, you can see the confidence and security that come from knowing the Father's love as a core conviction of our heart, and then living out that conviction moment by moment. Or said another way, abiding in Him with His love abiding in me. If I am truly living loved like this, why would I choose to sin, or why would I choose anything that is not of faith. I would know I can trust Him and therefore I would live in His confidence and security.
Too often we look at things like the example of Jesus in the wilderness and conclude this is what it looks like to be like Jesus, and so we attempt to live out that way. Sort of like looking at the fruit of the Spirit and determining to be more loving, more joyful and more peaceful, failing to realize these things are the outward fruit of something deep within. The characteristics of someone learning to live loved come as the result of holding a deep conviction that you are loved, to which you respond in love resulting in obedience. To turn it around and do the obedience part first in order to experience His love is to miss the whole point. The true pattern is something like this:
God initiates His love for us.
We respond to His love with love.
Out of our love for Him, we are obedient.
In our obedience we are abiding in and continue to experience His love.
As we experience His love we respond with love...
You get the picture.
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