GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
Deep on the inside of every human being is the inherent need to be loved, to know that they have value and worth. No one can escape it nor deny it. Some people try to act all macho and tough as if they don’t need to be loved, or that they don’t need anybody, but it is not true. We all have the need to be loved, to know that we matter.
That inherent desire is hardwired into every single human being by our Creator. The Bible tells us that God is love. It also describes that God created man in His image and likeness. We were created out of love, to love and to be loved.
It’s been proven that babies need human contact. They need to be loved on. They need that one-on-one attention.
As children are growing up, they want to be loved by their parents. They want their parents to notice them. I cannot count how many times, as a parent, I have heard one of my children say, “hey Dad, watch me. Hey, Dad, did you see me do that? Hey, Dad, I can do this.” It’s all an attempt for me to pay attention to them, thus letting them know that they matter to me.
Teens, even though they certainly don’t act like it, want their parents’ approval, attention, and affection. They are testing their boundaries as they begin to spread their wings of independence. But they subconsciously want the safety of their parents’ boundaries. They want to know that if they fail, their parents will be there to catch them. Even the most rebellious teen wants someone to care about them.
That’s one reason why gangs are so attractive to some teens. The gang offers love, family, acceptance and a place to belong. Even though the love is misconstrued, the members feel loved.
As we mature, we look for a spouse to love and to love us. We then want to create children to love. Why do we have kids? We know that they are a lot of work, very costly, and there’s a definite possibility that they will rebel, not listen and could reject us. Yet, we continue to produce children because of the love that we want to give them, and receive from them.
We were born to be loved.
We were born to live in love.
We were born to love.
Love is at the core of our being because we were created in God’s image and He is love. I wish that we could say that we are love, but we cannot. Sin has distorted us, handicapped us, and made us inhumane to the point that we can utterly hate someone to the point of murder. Hate is so ugly.
Hate causes us to devalue someone’s life.
“winter” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by shioshvili, text added, flickr.com
Hate causes us to want to hurt them.
Hate can destroy us.
We were born to love, not to hate. We were born to be loved, not to be hated.
If we could only learn to receive God’s love, we would be changed. If we can wake up every day realizing that we were born to be loved by Him, it would make the biggest difference. I have been practicing that lately. Each morning as I lay in my bed before I get up, and each night before I go to sleep, I repeat to myself, “I was born to be loved.”
Of course, the thoughts of all that I do wrong come through my head, but I quickly silence them by reminding myself that God doesn’t love me on the basis of what I do. He loves me because of who He is.
That’s the beauty of loving others. I don’t have to love people based on what they do or don’t do. I can love them because I choose to. It’s hard sometimes because of people’s rejection and attitudes towards me. However, when I realize, and fully grasp, the fact that I was born to be loved and that I am loved immensely by the Father then I can reflect that love to others.
When I allow myself to be full of God’s love then I can give it away because I have a never ending supply.
As I realize how much He loves me and I look at others and realize that He loves them that much too, then should loving them be an issue for me? It shouldn’t be. It’s only when I let my personal judgments and critical thoughts about that person get in the way that I will stop loving them. When I see them as God sees them, I will love them. When I look at them through my human, imperfect eyes I may or may not love them.
My earthly love tends to be conditional, which really isn’t love at all. See my blog on Unconditional Love is an Oxymoron for a deeper discussion on this.
God’s love is unconditional because it’s based upon who He is rather than our actions. What if we did the same? What if we stopped looking at people’s actions as a basis for our love for them? What if we just looked at them and realized their number one purpose in life is to be loved and our number one purpose in life was to love them?
I think the world would be a better place.
You were born to be loved!
I love quotes, especially ones that stop me in my tracks and make me think. This is one of those quotes. I read it recently and it made me really think. It is a very powerful and true quote.
Most Americans today are not as familiar with the Bible as they were in generations past. In decades past, the Bible was revered, upheld with esteem and followed as a moral compass for society. These days it’s not the same. Many do not believe the Bible to be relevant for today. Most do not know the instructions that it contains, or if they do it’s based on Old Covenant Law and not New Covenant relationship. We live in a very Biblical illiterate society.
Many do not believe the Bible to be relevant for today. Most do not know the instructions that it contains, or if they do it’s based on Old Covenant Law and not New Covenant relationship. We live in a very Biblical illiterate society.
Many would say that it’s not politically correct (and it is not).
Many would deem it offensive (and it certainly can be).
On the flip side of this coin, there are many Christians who use the Bible as a weapon to beat people up, to condemn them and to make their own views seemingly valid. This is just as dangerous as not believing in the Bible, maybe more so.
The issue of this quote, though, is that most people will never read the Bible but they will read our lives. And that’s the way, I believe, that God wants it.
Jesus Himself said, “all men will know that you are My disciples by your love for one another.” I wonder how much love the world is seeing out of Jesus’ followers. I wonder how many of us would truly be considered disciples if there were a “love meter” somehow attached to us that all could read.
Our lives are Good News (gospel=good news). Our lives (our attitudes, ethics, words, actions, etc.) should reflect the goodness, love, and mercy of God. As followers of Christ, our lives should be the gospel that people are reading.
So, the question becomes what kind of news are they getting by reading our lives? Are they getting good news or a judgment order? Are they reading a love story or a condemnation of society?
As Christians, our life is the message of God to the world . . . at least in the eyes of the reader.
I know that at times I have been good news to those reading my life. Other times, well, I’ve been the bearer of bad news . . . for the reader, of course, but not for me. It’s the case of us vs. them. Usually, the “them” never get a happy ending.
I want my life to be the fifth gospel. I want my life to portray good news. I want my life to shout to the world that God is good, God is love and that He really wants to have a relationship with them.
If I can get them to see the Good News, God can take care of all the other stuff that we seem to be more interested in. It seems to me that we are so busy preaching against sin to the world that we have failed to just simply love. That’s not to say that we lower our standards but it is to say that I don’t have to defend God, the Bible or truth. My job is to love.
Jesus isn’t going to rate me on how much I had my doctrine sorted out and straight. Neither will the world, for that matter. What Jesus is looking at is how much love I am expressing. By this will all men know that you are my disciples…..by your love for one another. That’s the benchmark. That’s the litmus test.
As a Christian, I see too many of my fellow Christians passing out judgment like Halloween candy.
Click To Tweet
When, in reality, Christians are not to pass judgment on the world, but the world can pass judgment on Christians. I wrote about this here.
Let’s reread the opening quote: “There are five Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Christian—but most people never read the first four.” ~Rodney ‘Gypsy’ Smith
What about your life? What are the people around you reading from your life? Are they getting an accurate picture of God or an inaccurate one? Would you be labeled a disciple by those reading your life or would they question your faith?
I want to be the fifth gospel.
Why did Jesus really die? Was it to defeat sin? Was it to appease 
the wrath of an angry God? Was it so that God wouldn’t have to punish us because He punished Jesus? Was it to ransom us from the devil? Is God a child abuser? All these questions are answered within various theories as to why Jesus died. In this book, Jeremy looks at the four most popular theories: penal substitutionary theory, the moral influence theory, the ransom theory, and the Christus Victor theory. Utilizing the Christus Victor theory, he shows us how the death of God was a non-violent act from the actions of God, although it was certainly very violent from the actions of men.
Jeremy gives us a good solid understanding of the core teaching of each of them, contrasting the pros and cons of each one. His book clearly lays out a scenario in which the crucifixion of Jesus was not God pouring out His wrath on Jesus, nor God inflicting great punishment upon His beloved Son so that He wouldn’t have to inflict punishment upon humanity. His view is that God is a non-violent Father as expressed through the life of Jesus. It’s upon this non-violent view that Jeremy spends most of his time.
Don’t read this book if you are not willing to at least consider what he is saying. As a pastor, I have found that far too many Christians are close minded when it comes to looking at something that may go against what they have been taught all their lives. Most American Christians have been taught the Penal Substitutionary Theory and may have a hard time pulling away from that. As you read this book, keep an open mind and think about what Jeremy is saying, especially if you hold to any view other than the Christus Victor view.
Jeremy even explains his concept of why there is so much violence in the Old Testament. It is this subject here that I would love to sit down with him and have a conversation as I liked what he said, but I am not sure that I could totally put my views and thoughts in that same basket just yet. The violence of the Old Testament is still a concept that I am grappling with.
Overall, this is a great book. If you are looking to study the atonement and its differing views, then I would highly recommend this book. Jeremy is a great teacher and communicator. He has definitely done his research and is well versed in what he believes and why he believes it. He is definitely someone that I recommend that you follow. Through his books, blogs, and podcasts, I have been deeply challenged in my thinking, which, to me, is always a good thing!
You can find out more about Jeremy at his website: www.redeeminggod.com. You can purchase his book there or on Amazon.
Would you like to get a free 30 day devotional on Going Deeper in Grace? Sign up for our email list and it’s yours!
Someone once told me he knew why so many Christians look so miserable. "They are all suffering from the hardening of the ‘oughteries’. They never feel they’ve done as much as they ought to have done."
I was going to be the guest speaker at a church in central Texas one Sunday. I arrived early and waited in the foyer for someone to open the doors to the main auditorium. A lady came in and waited with me. Making conversation, I asked, "Do you regularly attend church here?" "Not as much as I ought to," she replied sheepishly. Realizing she felt examined, I tried to relieve the tension by saying, "Well isn't it wonderful to go to church because you want to rather than because you ought to?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to as much as I ought to."
What a trap the oughteries are! You can never do enough. If you pray for two hours, you ought to have prayed more, or you ought to have been more intentional. If you’ve fasted for one week, you ought to have tried two. Just think how much more would have been accomplished if you hadn't quit so soon.
Jesus didn't live with the oughteries. He wanted to do the will of His Father. He was so conscious of the Father's love, He could think of nothing better than to trust Him. When Jesus was only twelve, he gave His parents a good scare because when they started for home after a temple visit, He stayed behind, discussing his Father's business with the religious leaders. (Luke 2:41-49) He was so caught up with being there that He completely forgot about going with his family. I don't think He stayed because He felt He “ought to.”
On another occasion (John 4:1-34), He stopped to rest by a well in Samaria while His disciples went to town for food. His rest was disturbed by a woman coming to the well to draw water. Jesus could see that her thirst was for more than physical water. He gave Himself to her so fully that when the disciples came back He was no longer hungry. "I have food to eat that you do not know about." He told them His intimate partnership with the Father was better than eating. Even though he was "off duty," He was energized by loving the way He was loved by His Father. He was focused on opportunities rather than oughteries.
Believers have been given His very life. We have the same privilege of being loved and sharing it when the opportunity arises. There are no interruptions to a life lived with God. He is constantly flowing His love through us and by it empowering us with a joy that is unspeakable. Gradually our desires change as we look forward to such exchanges. We get to do what we really want to do. The "oughts" are replaced by the delight of sharing the moment with God himself.
We are highly privileged to share in such heavenly dynamics. God is not measuring our performance, nor scrutinizing our motives. He is granting us the privilege of being his instruments of love. We will forget our sense of ought when we are captivated by his grace. Jesus has performed for us and has been declared RIGHTEOUS. We can do no better. Since we are righteous in him we can begin to practice what brings us the greatest satisfaction, loving as he loves.
Excerpted from Dudley's book Grace Works. Kerygma Ventures Press, Kerygmaventures.com. Used by permission.
Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. My family Christmas tree is full of gifts in different colored wrapping paper, bows and ribbon. Some are big and some are small. Each of my children hopes that the biggest one goes to them. For some reason, we often get excited thinking that the bigger the gift the better it will be.
Do you remember the greatest gift you ever received at Christmas time?
Christmas is celebrated by Christians as the birthdate of Jesus. We consider Him to be the greatest gift of all. We believe that He is the Son of God that miraculously became a human, born of a virgin. We believe that He died on a cross for the sins of mankind that we could be restored to a rightful relationship with our Father in Heaven.
Truly, He is a great gift.
You would think such greatness would come in a great package. When we want to give someone we love and cherish a special gift we will go to great lengths to pick out the right wrapping paper and the perfect bow. We might even set up the surroundings to make everything perfect for when they open that gift.
But, He didn’t come wrapped up in a great package.
He was born around smelly animals. Truly not a place for a king, let alone the God of the Universe.
He didn’t look like royalty. He was born to commoner parents. No regal robes, no silver or gold plated rattles. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
His birth was made known by angels to shepherds and not to anyone else. He was born in a little, out of way town that didn’t have much significance.
His birth was low-key and was not something that you expect of a great King.
In other words, a gift came wrapped up in an unassuming package.
Throughout Jesus’ life, He was not received by many of His own. He didn’t come wrapped in the package they were expecting. They were expecting a mighty warrior King that would free them from Roman oppression. He came as the Suffering Servant. He did not look or act like they thought he should look or act.
They missed the gift because of the packaging.
Have you ever missed the gift of God because it didn’t come the way you thought it should? I have. I looked at the package (the person) and didn’t like what I saw so I was unable to receive the gift.
God wraps His gifts in the packaging of humanity.
He wants us to be able to see beyond the packaging. He wants us to see the gift inside.
The gifts under the tree are not really about the wrapping paper. It’s not even about the box that the gift comes packaged in. It’s the gift itself. It’s what is wrapped up in the paper and the box.
It’s the same with people. It’s not about what’s on the outside. It’s about the inside. Learn to look beyond the exterior to see the heart. This Christmas season, and throughout the coming year, learn to see beyond the exterior of every human being and see the gift that is on the inside.
Prison life has always fascinated me. It’s another world inside those walls behind the fence. I’ve watched numerous prison movies and documentaries. The whole concept of survival in a place like that is interesting to me. I once had a friend who spent eighteen years of his life behind bars. His stories intrigued me as I listened to the things that went on behind the barbed wire.
Prison Bound/Thomas Hawk /BY-NC
As much as I am interested in prison life, I definitely would not want to go to prison!
Just the thought of it brings on a sickening feeling.
I was watching a movie recently about the life of Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls or the Notorious B.I.G. In the movie, Christopher was running from the police and he was carrying a weapon. As he was running he ditched the gun in a trash can. He was eventually caught and the police found the gun. They just didn’t know if the gun belonged to him or his friend who was with him at the time. Christopher had already done time and his music career was in the beginning stages of taking off. His friend told him he would take the gun charge for him so that he could get his music career going. It would have been a three year sentence. Christopher reluctantly agreed. Being this was a movie, I don’t really know how true the story line is but I do know that there are men and women who are doing time for someone else. That is true friendship and love for a friend.
I wonder if I would ever do time for someone else. I think about my kids or wife and I think I would do it for them. I don’t believe I will ever be put in that position but the point of doing someone else’s prison time is a very curious concept.
In my thought process, I see Jesus as doing time for me. How could the Almighty Son of God become a human, deal with temptations and human issues and then die? How is that even possible? I know that we read about that happening in myths and legends. I also know that many people believe that Jesus wasn’t the son of God. I know that many people don’t believe that Jesus was fully God and fully man.
But I believe it! I don’t know and understand all the intricacies involved in it but I believe it.
Jesus “did time” as a human being. He willingly became “imprisoned” in a human body with human limitations. The most miraculous part of it all was that he chose to do it. He chose to lay aside all his abilities as God and experience life as a normal human being.
The Bible tells us that he was tempted in every way that we are. I don’t think that most of us have ever thought deeply about that. We read about his temptations in Matthew 4, but we don’t see any temptations beyond that listed in the Bible. I believe that he was tempted to lust after women, to steal, to lie, to cheat, to do things that would make life easier for him. I am tempted with those things and so is the rest of humanity.
Temptation is a part of our daily lives. The good news is that God understands our weaknesses as humans because Jesus did time as a human. I don’t understand prison life because I have never been there but someone who has been will understand the harsh realities of prison life . . . because they have been there.
Jesus has been there as a human being! He understands our weaknesses and frailties.
Because Jesus understands he is able to give mercy and compassion. He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He is able to come alongside us and help us carry the burden. He is able to pray for us because of his vast knowledge of the human experience.
The things I have experienced in my life bring me an understanding so that I can comfort, help and guide others who are facing similar experiences. However, I have found myself out of my league when dealing with someone who has gone through something I have never experienced. I have no point of reference. I have no understanding.
Jesus isn’t like that though. Somehow, during his time on earth, he managed to experience all that comes against humanity. I don’t think that he experienced every single little temptation that we do, like the temptation to smoke a cigarette. But I think that the basic temptations of life were experienced by Jesus. I believe that Jesus dealt with things that are related to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).
I believe that our entire temptations boil down to a few basic temptations, such as the need to feel loved, the need for acceptance, the need to feel validated, etc. I believe we all do things for a reason. Every time we do something wrong, there is usually a deeper reason for it. I believe that Jesus’ temptations were in the areas of trying to fill needs within his life that would replace his dependency upon God. That’s simply my opinion and it would make a great discussion but that’s for another time.
Jesus did time for me as a fellow human being. I wonder when Jesus realized that He was the Son of God. I wonder if he felt the limitations of humanity. I wonder if he was ever tempted to use his abilities as God to get himself out of situation. I know that in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of his betrayal and arrest he appealed to God for deliverance. He admitted that he could call down angels to fight his battle but he didn’t. He accepted the mission of death.
I don’t believe that Jesus looked at his time as earth as “doing time.” When you love someone you will go to whatever lengths necessary to help them. That’s what Jesus did for humanity.
The Creator became the created. God became man. The Son became a son. Life experienced death. Jesus did time for me and you. He is the man that “did time” for all of us.