Chapter 6: "When You're In Love"
>> Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Share with us some of the things that popped out at you in this chapter. What was your instinctive response when you read the quote from John Piper's book at the bottom of page 100? (You don't have to answer that in the comments section, but at least read it again and think about it.)
Many people seem to have a misconception or seem "blurred" on the difference between obedience and service that stems from love and obedience and service that is born out of obligation. On page 102 Chan references Paul: " 'The ony thing that counts if faith expressing itself through love', (Galatians 5:6). Is loving God--and, by extention, loving people-what you are about? Is it what being a Christian means to you? Do you live as though faith, demonstrated through love, really is the only thing that counts?" What did you think about this section? If it is clear to you, what would your response be to those who obey and serve strictly out of fear and/or obligation?
What did you think about the section on "Help! I Don't Love You"? What else jumped out at you in this chapter?
2 comments:
I'm not sure why I'm posting this so late because I read the chapter several days ago. I think I was more distracted this week than normal. Not sure why and it wasn't like I was distracted with unimportant stuff just stuff that kept me from really focusing on Jesus. Which is exactly what this book has been talking about...loving Him more, pursuing Him more, not giving Him our leftovers. I'm afraid God got my leftovers this week and I can tell by the fruit of my week.
With that said, I'll move onto this chapter. As always it was a great chapter and Chan has a way of writing that really cuts to my core and convicts my heart. As I read Piper's quote I was thinking yes, I could be satisfied with heaven with no sicknes, all my friends, and everything else he mentioned. However, I stopped cold when he said "if Christ was not there." I think sometimes I get caught up in what all heaven has to offer and what it's going to be like and lose sight of the fact that it's only going to be amazing because Jesus is there. So "no" I wouldn't be satisified with heaven without Christ. In the end it would still just be earth with no eternal joy or hope.
It's great how God pulls things together and uses many different sources to drive home a point. Galatians 5:6 was not only pointed out by Chan but also by Beth Moore in my Believing God study this week. Also our pastor talked about serving or giving out of the right motives. We shouldn't be serving out of pride, obligation, or guilt. We should be serving out of love and obedience. I like how Chan said that when loving Him becomes obligation, one of many things we have to do, we end up focusing even more on ourselves. I totally see this in my life. When I start doing things for God because I feel obligated, I start to focus more on myself instead of Him and others and I fall into a pit of self pity and even depression. I'm clearly not loving others or Him as I should. It isn't until He pulls me out and I once again focus on Him, everything else gets better.
I loved the section "Help! I don't Love You". SO many things jumped out at me but I'll just share a couple.
Our prayersfor more love result in love, which naturally causes us to pray more, which results in more love.
You have to stop loving and pursuing Christ in order to sin.
One last thing from the last page. "I want You. And when I don't, I want to want You. Be all in me. Take all of me. Have your way with me." I want this to be my prayer daily.
This chapter, like all of the chapters so far, really spoke to me. As I read the quote from Piper's book, I thought, "oh, I can't wait....oh, I can't wait to see the natural beauties...." then it got to the part where he mentioned "....if Christ was not there?" I did a little internal recoil. It all sounded so great, listing off all of the things that I have looked forward to, but Christ not being there? I didn't see that one coming. The defenition in my mind of hell is "separation from God". How could you enjoy any of those things if Christ were not present? Then I realized what I look forward the most about heaven is being able to actually, literally sit at His feet, talk to Him and ask him SOOOOOOO many questions. No, I can't even imagine a heaven, nor would I want to, without Christ there.....it just sounds like some scheme that Satan himself might come up with to me.
I think that the concept of serving out of love is so simple, yet so misunderstood if people aren't truly focused on the Father. It is a concept that I "get", but sometimes catch myself just going with the flow. I get caught up in the "gotta get this and that done" mentality and end up rushed and lose sight of what is important. I start with love as the intention and the driving force, but then get caught up or off track sometimes. If I lose my focus on love, what is it worth? Nothing! I need to really make sure that I focus less on the "work or task" and allowing it to cause tension, which can be a roadblock. Even if I start out with love as the driving force, if I allow a roadblock (maybe my desire to control a situation or frustration because something is not happening the way I thought that it should...."I know a better way to do this or that", for example...) the roadblock will keep the love from reaching the recipient. It loses something...if that makes sense. Why do I allow myself to become so distracted, so rushed?
"The only thing that counts if faith expressing itself through love".....I LOVE that!! That just really spoke to my heart.
I really liked how Chan described certian things in the "Help, I don't love you" section. I have many times become frustrated because I want to love Him more, want to go deeper, want to spend more quality, uninterrupted, undistracted time with Him alone, but there seem to be roadblocks that I can't seem to get around. (Roadblocks seem to be a theme for me today...sorry.) I have basically just sat there frustrated and disappointed in my self. Beating myself up because I want it, but can't seem to have it. Where is the progress in beating myself up? That gets me nowhere. I have prayed for those things, but never as clearly and as simply as the way that Chan puts it......just simply being honest and blunt with Him and asking Him to give me those desires, that additional love...Why do I make things so complicated at times?
My 4 year old son always says some of the most simple, yet beautiful things. I LOVE it when God speaks through children. Lately he often says to me, "Mommy, I want God. I want him all of the time, Mommy. Right now, I WANT him!!" It is beautiful! He says this in this broken, sad little voice....longing to be near to Him, often telling me that he wants to hear him....NOW. He is still at an age where as much as I explain to him that God is with him, he has a little bit of a hard time wrapping his mind around it. It has become my prayer many times when I am feeling disconnected or distracted...."I want you, Father...I want you!!"
Another quote that stood out to me
was the one from Livingston on page 108, "People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa....I never made a sacrifice. We ought not to talk of 'sacrifice' when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father's throne on high to give Himself for us."
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