It’s funny, people treat relationships as though our relationship with God mirrors human relationships. “Oh, this is how a relationship works. So that’s why we need this with God.”
No, it should be, “Oh, so this is how it works with God, let’s work this into human relationships.”
God doesn’t Need us, but he loves us. Therefore, we shouldn’t have someone because we need them, but rather because we Love them. Love from a need is only selfishness. That doesn’t last. As soon as that need is gone, that “love” is gone.
To love is to want to show love. Not to need love in return. That is why we must learn to love all, even those that we should hate. If our hearts are in a place of peace, we will feel (Exist, be.) in a place of peace. Which is hard, but I’m sure walking was hard for all of us at one point too.
Love should be an overflow of the heart, which is why you really shouldn’t start getting into relationships until after you’re steadfastly after God and in love with God.
Our love for God, at the beginning, comes from the fact that he satisfies our needs. This is how he is a parent.
Then we start to get bored with that. Cool, we have God, all is good now. He becomes nothing but salvation to us. Sure, we’ll follow him and what he wants because we’re obligated to, but that’s all it is: obligation.
Then there’s the next level. Not too many come to this level; admiration. Our God is beautiful. Not only is he beautiful, but he is the most amazing incredible, awe inspiring thing in the world. He is perfect. Once we catch a glimpse of this, our love becomes a search for it. Not because we need it, but because we Want it. Not because we want to be loved, but because we want to Love. We start doing what he asks because we love, not because he loves.
We are a generation that has lost sight of Love. What is it to us? Nothing more than a feeling, a brief happiness, a strong attachment to something. Anything more than that is over dramatized, romanticized, and poetic.
Love is more. Love is something that captures the heart, eats away at the soul, and burns forever; it is strong as death and demanding as the grave. Love destroys kings and ruins empires.
This thing we now call love is mere infatuation, simply a distraction.
When people think God is Love, they probably think oh cool, God is Love. He loves everything. He’s peaceful and happy. He’ll forgive Anything.
Yeah that’s true but at the same time it is so, so very wrong.
God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with Fire.
God, who created the world and flooded it in an instant.
God, whose judgment will send people to hell.
Ok, so now you look at that and decide God is an angry God.
Dannng you’re quick to judge, eh?
Quick little scenario here. Just go with it, k? There’s this guy, he’s your average guy with the cute hair and the soft brown eyes, and the smile that kind of reminds you of the sun. You know, the kind of guy that would show up in a story as prince charming. (We’ll call him Michael, just to keep things straight.) And this guy Michael, he’s madly in love with this chick (Amy). She’s got pretty blue eyes, and a sweet smile, etc… So he does stuff for her. He gets her things, he is her secret admirer. Sounds cute, right? And they meet, become friends, he keeps chasing after her. Just like any love story.
But she doesn’t like him.
He offers the world to her, but she decides to chase the dude with the motorcycle (Blake), who smokes and drinks and cusses at anything that moves cause he can. The guy who has no future but he’s cool right now. Who looks at her and sees nothing but a hot body willing to let him do anything.
She utterly rejects charming.
Now, do you see these two, Michael and Amy, having a future together? She’s spurning his gifts, ignoring him. She’s running away with motorcycle boy.
Is Michael going to marry Amy?
No, because that would make her unhappy. She doesn’t Want Michael, she wants Blake. So she marries Blake and spends her entire life with him. (Her entire life being, until he drinks a bit too much and they get into a motorcycle accident and die. Don’t drink and drive, kids.)
Terrible love story, right? Right. You’re probably thinking, thank you so very much for telling us this terrible story, please get back to the point.
Well, that was the point. Hell is the place where God isn’t. Heaven is the place where God is. Is God going to make people spend eternity with him after the utterly reject him? No. Of course not. They don’t Want him. They want… Whatever else makes them happy.
So if you really think about it, God’s just giving people what they want by sending them to Hell.
See there, though. I’m saying Want, not need. Everyone needs God. And some of them have him. Some of them replace him with other stuff, cause you can use anything to fill a void. But that void, see, is huge and gigantic and endless. There is no such thing as an endless supply of (Insert something else here). You know why? Cause you’re not getting any when you’re dead.
But that’s back to need God. We need God to fill that void. But in order for Him to fill it, we have to Want him. Meaning, does your life suck right now? (Yes.) Love God. (But life sucks and I need Him to fix him and he won’t.) Do you Want God? (Well, yes, I want him… To fix it.) No, I mean do you Want God?
Well, do you?
~Silver
“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
“1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Ephesians 5:1-2
