"These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
Jude 1:19-21
I like the idea that we separate ourselves from God, rather than him leaving us... we sometimes feel that, or want to blame God for the distance, but it is always us doing the leaving. We get to choose whether to be close to him in our lives, but it isn't just a mental choice. It is also something we have to *do* something about. It's like any other relationship really. We can't just say that we love someone and never express it or act on it. We have to show others that we love them in the way that we treat them and respect them and listen to them.
God's love is unconditional: he loves us all the time, no matter what... but his parenting is not unconditionally permissive. Just as we can still love someone and not choose to put up with their rude, abusive, or violent behavior, God loves us always, but he's never going to approve of that sort of thing, and we lose our connection with him when we choose to sin, and it is a loss that is palpable. God is always there, wanting us to return... but we won't be able to repair that connection unless we clear up the things in our lives that are interfering.
Today, let's keep ourselves in the love of God. Let's make sure nothing else gets in the way, and let's always stay in the places where we can feel it, and not wander off trying to fill that void with something less than God... because that never, ever works. Instead, let's repent and choose to return to that love that blows everything else in the universe away.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
Jude 1:19-21
I like the idea that we separate ourselves from God, rather than him leaving us... we sometimes feel that, or want to blame God for the distance, but it is always us doing the leaving. We get to choose whether to be close to him in our lives, but it isn't just a mental choice. It is also something we have to *do* something about. It's like any other relationship really. We can't just say that we love someone and never express it or act on it. We have to show others that we love them in the way that we treat them and respect them and listen to them.
God's love is unconditional: he loves us all the time, no matter what... but his parenting is not unconditionally permissive. Just as we can still love someone and not choose to put up with their rude, abusive, or violent behavior, God loves us always, but he's never going to approve of that sort of thing, and we lose our connection with him when we choose to sin, and it is a loss that is palpable. God is always there, wanting us to return... but we won't be able to repair that connection unless we clear up the things in our lives that are interfering.
Today, let's keep ourselves in the love of God. Let's make sure nothing else gets in the way, and let's always stay in the places where we can feel it, and not wander off trying to fill that void with something less than God... because that never, ever works. Instead, let's repent and choose to return to that love that blows everything else in the universe away.
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