In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-2, 14)
But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. (Matthew 15:18)
It’s December, and truth told, I’m tired of dealing with wisdom for the moment. Wisdom isn’t depressing, it’s uplifting, but so much of wisdom deals with how unwise we are and the folly of the world. So, since it’s December, and the Christmas carols have been dusted off, I want to spend at least a few days looking at verses that are more in tune with the Christmas carols. Maybe I’ll even look at a few of the songs.
Jesus said that the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart. John describes Jesus as “The Word of God.” That means that Jesus comes from God’s heart and gives us the best picture thereof. I know some people will immediately say that Jesus taught love, which means God’s heart is love. That’s true. It’s wonderfully true. But what does it mean? It means God loves you. What does that mean? Everyone has their own ideas.
He wrote of another kind of love, in which adults direct children how to behave. Out of love, children are first prevented, and later instructed not to stick foreign objects into electrical sockets or noses, what may or may not be eaten, how and when to cross streets, etc. To fail to do this to and for children is considered neglect. Children are taught where it is permitted to relieve themselves, how to dress themselves and the importance of doing so, how to feed themselves. They are taught to not steal or murder. They are taught to believe in ways that the adults believe to be best. This is known as love.
But when it comes to God’s love for us, somehow, we think it will be different. After all, we’re adults. At the very least, God should discuss His decisions with us. How we decide to live – however we decide t live, should be up to us. We know best. know best. know best. know best. And if we don’t get our way, well, we throw ourselves on the floor of the grocery store and scream. We tell God He doesn’t know what He’s doing, He doesn’t love us, we don’t love him, and we are going to run away from Him and never speak to Him again because that’s the adult thing to do. We tell others that “I would never worship a God who _______________” as though our worship is something He has to earn.
And, I suspect, God acts something like the parent of the child who acts just like we do. We don’t get our way. We don’t get to define love or dictate His behavior, because He’s God and because He loves us. He acts just like Jesus did when the Pharisees pitched their fits becuase He didn't do what they wanted.
But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. (Matthew 15:18)
It’s December, and truth told, I’m tired of dealing with wisdom for the moment. Wisdom isn’t depressing, it’s uplifting, but so much of wisdom deals with how unwise we are and the folly of the world. So, since it’s December, and the Christmas carols have been dusted off, I want to spend at least a few days looking at verses that are more in tune with the Christmas carols. Maybe I’ll even look at a few of the songs.
Jesus said that the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart. John describes Jesus as “The Word of God.” That means that Jesus comes from God’s heart and gives us the best picture thereof. I know some people will immediately say that Jesus taught love, which means God’s heart is love. That’s true. It’s wonderfully true. But what does it mean? It means God loves you. What does that mean? Everyone has their own ideas.
He wrote of another kind of love, in which adults direct children how to behave. Out of love, children are first prevented, and later instructed not to stick foreign objects into electrical sockets or noses, what may or may not be eaten, how and when to cross streets, etc. To fail to do this to and for children is considered neglect. Children are taught where it is permitted to relieve themselves, how to dress themselves and the importance of doing so, how to feed themselves. They are taught to not steal or murder. They are taught to believe in ways that the adults believe to be best. This is known as love.
But when it comes to God’s love for us, somehow, we think it will be different. After all, we’re adults. At the very least, God should discuss His decisions with us. How we decide to live – however we decide t live, should be up to us. We know best. know best. know best. know best. And if we don’t get our way, well, we throw ourselves on the floor of the grocery store and scream. We tell God He doesn’t know what He’s doing, He doesn’t love us, we don’t love him, and we are going to run away from Him and never speak to Him again because that’s the adult thing to do. We tell others that “I would never worship a God who _______________” as though our worship is something He has to earn.
And, I suspect, God acts something like the parent of the child who acts just like we do. We don’t get our way. We don’t get to define love or dictate His behavior, because He’s God and because He loves us. He acts just like Jesus did when the Pharisees pitched their fits becuase He didn't do what they wanted.
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