How do you view God? Everyone has some concept of what God is like but they can be wildly different from person to person. Over the course of the next few posts I will be exploring some of the ways we view God. These are based on the work of Curt Cloninger and his film "God Views".
The first view of God is the "Cosmic Sheriff". This is where you view God as riding on His horse "Guilt" looking for anyone who has broken one of His many rules. When He finds a violator, He gleefully delivers the required punishment. This God does forgive, but only grudgingly because it is required by the law. This is the common view of God held by children. It is also held by those who have grown up in the church but drifted away as they grew up. They never learn the true nature of God.
God isn't some hard to please task master looking to rebuke us at the least little infraction. I think Christians can be guilty of fostering this view of God. We tend to focus on the image of God on His judgment throne instead of on the cross. It is true that God calls us to lead a righteous life, but He isn't waiting for us to fail so He can mete out punishment. No, God is our biggest fan. He wants us to succeed. His plans are for our success. Jeremiah 29:11 says that He has plans for us, "plans to prosper us and not to harm us...". We need to focus more on this aspect of God not the "Cosmic Sheriff".
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
What is Love?
Sorry for the long time between posts, I have been a little busy the last few weeks. I hope to be a little more regular in my updates over the next few weeks.
Love. We hear a lot of talk about love these days. People love their new shoes, love their favorite tv show, love a certain song or singer, they love a certain type of food. the word love gets thrown around a lot between people too. Often it really means little more than a warm, fuzzy feeling for someone. I think it is time to ask, "What does it really mean to love?"
The Bible says that God is love, so that seems the logical place to start looking. How did God love? God exhibited His love by sending His only begotten Son to die for us when we were yet sinners. We can take our example from that. To love is to desire someone else's long-term well being and to be willing to engage in acts of self-sacrifice to bring that about. John's Gospel puts it this way, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)
The next time you say you love someone, take a moment to consider. Are you willing to make sacrifices to ensure their well being? If not, you should probably find another word. Now, we are called to love one another. That takes on a whole new meaning in today's me first society. If we are to truly love one another, we are to put the well being of others ahead of our own wants. Steve Chalke put it this way, "The Christian life is all about winning by living in ways that look like you are losing."
This is based on a passage from "Christians and the Common Good" by Charles Gutenson. I am currently reading this and will probably be sharing thoughts from it over the next few days. Please indulge me while I play theologian for a few days. If you are interested in theology and the Christian's role in society, this is a good book to start with. I don't agree with all of the author's conclusions, but it is good food for thought.
Love. We hear a lot of talk about love these days. People love their new shoes, love their favorite tv show, love a certain song or singer, they love a certain type of food. the word love gets thrown around a lot between people too. Often it really means little more than a warm, fuzzy feeling for someone. I think it is time to ask, "What does it really mean to love?"
The Bible says that God is love, so that seems the logical place to start looking. How did God love? God exhibited His love by sending His only begotten Son to die for us when we were yet sinners. We can take our example from that. To love is to desire someone else's long-term well being and to be willing to engage in acts of self-sacrifice to bring that about. John's Gospel puts it this way, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13)
The next time you say you love someone, take a moment to consider. Are you willing to make sacrifices to ensure their well being? If not, you should probably find another word. Now, we are called to love one another. That takes on a whole new meaning in today's me first society. If we are to truly love one another, we are to put the well being of others ahead of our own wants. Steve Chalke put it this way, "The Christian life is all about winning by living in ways that look like you are losing."
This is based on a passage from "Christians and the Common Good" by Charles Gutenson. I am currently reading this and will probably be sharing thoughts from it over the next few days. Please indulge me while I play theologian for a few days. If you are interested in theology and the Christian's role in society, this is a good book to start with. I don't agree with all of the author's conclusions, but it is good food for thought.
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