“How do you measure your success at Love?” might be a more accurate phrasing of the question.
Living a Christian life is “Loving God”. Christianity at its core, its most fundamental premise, is an “Unconditional Love Relationship” between a man and his Creator. Trusting God to be in your life without fear or doubt, an integral part of your life, to be your life, every moment of every day. Knowing life goes on new and fresh, moment by moment, ever changing. Never being concerned with what will happen next nor how it will affect you because He is always there and He is bigger than all of it.
To measure is to quantify.
To measure success is to quantify performance.
All of which is to evaluate for the purpose of control.
That is why man measures everything. He measures for the most benevolent of reasons, or at least he convinces himself of that fact. He measures and evaluates and assesses and compares against some synthetically established “norm”. How does my performance compare? How does it measure up? Am I successful? Am I better or worse than everyone else, and to what degree? If I can decide where I stand in comparison to the norm I can make adjustments. I can increase or decrease my efforts. I can compensate. If I can determine the answers to these questions I can gain control… or some modicum of control… at least the perception of control. Then, and only then, will I feel better about myself.
What then? What if man determines he only loves 50%, or 75%, or 90%? Is that possible? Moreover, would that be unconditional love? Isn't unconditional love "all or nothing"?
Even more frightening, would it then be possible for God to love us the same way. Is He able to love us 50%, or even 99%? What kind of trouble would we be in if that were true?
Would He have come?
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
5 comments:
For a long time, God placed no expectations on me. for a monent, (this one), hHe seems to be drawing me onward, perhaps into something. i wonder if these feelings of .... axiousnes, or rawness will subside when/if the revelation is more complete. I wonder if this awarness compelling me forward is measurment because I desire to re-enter the rest he can give.
Measurement...?
I think “experiencing relationship” more likely.
Relationship is very fluid. It ebbs and flows. It grows and develops, and in doing so changes. That is the enticing and exciting part of relationship. That's what makes it ever new. It is what you are experiencing.
But the unconditional love that is the essence of our relationship with God is enduring, stable, steadfast, unwavering. We need never fear the loss of it, nor the wavering of its intensity or direction.
My head hurts
Blog Master,
How do you pronounce that Latin phrase translated, "love and do what you will?"
EXACTLY!!!
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