In its simplest definition, sin is hatred of God.
--- Dr. Dan B. Allender, Bold LoveQuite a shocking definition... considering we are all sinners... even after salvation... we continue to sin...
Sin, or hatred of God, is a defiant movement, sometimes unwitting and other times quite conscious, which refuses to depend on God for His direction and strength. In that sense, we become enemies of God whenever we seek to find satisfaction for our deepest longings apart from relationship with Him.How often... how many times a day... do we seek solace apart from Him... intentionally... or unintentionally exclude Him from our life...?
strong, mighty, powerful, i.e., pertaining to a force potent to accomplish its purposes
--- Dictionary of Biblical LanguagesTo do what He says... to obey is Word... empowers...
When people ask me what it looks like to follow Jesus, I usually say that following Him looks like dealing with all of the issues everyone else does --- disappointments, tremendous joy, uncertainty, the whole bit --- and having your mind change all the time as you learn how Jesus would've dealt with things. Following Jesus is about having your paradigms shift as you navigate a wide range of emotions while living the big life Jesus invites us into. Because I know Jesus, where I once thought of things in one way, now I think of them in another way. It happens all the time, every day.
--- Bob Goff, Love DoesWe still deal with all the same issues as everyone else... but something is different... we begin to think about things differently... respond... even react differently... than we would have... we become unbound... loosed... from the ways of the world...
As Joshua was about to enter the land God promised him, he met an angel with his sword drawn in front of him. Joshua must have had some lawyer in him because he asked the angelic warrior something I would ask: "Whose side are you on?" No doubt, Joshua was hoping that the angelic warrior was for them. That's what I'd hope for. I love the warrior's answer to Joshua's question. It was simple: "Neither. Take off your shoes." The angel wasn't interested in picking sides; he wanted them to pick God. The angel told them to take off their shoes because they were on holy ground, just as we are today. Perhaps God doesn't want us spending our time picking sides or teams and trying on jerseys either. He wants us to pick a fight, and He also wants us to pick Him.
--- Bob Goff, Love DoesPicking God... the One who romances us... means choosing to fight for the things He cares about... it means joining Him... in truth... righteousness... mercy... compassion...
Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart. God's version of flowers and chocolates and candlelight dinners comes in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies; warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens, and fierce devotion.
---John & Stasi Eldredge, CaptivatingGod is a the Great Romantic... and He is pursuing you... and me... with a passionate love...
What is it that God wants from you?
He wants the same thing that you want. He wants to be loved. He wants to be known as only lovers can know each other. He wants intimacy with you. Yes, Yes, he wants your obedience, but only when it flows out of a heart filled with love for him. ...
You. You are meant to fill a place in the heart of God no one and nothing else can fill. Whoa. He longs for you.
---John & Stasi Eldredge, CaptivatingThis thought it challenges... How can God have a place in His heart for me...? He doesn't need me to be fulfilled...?!
In the spacious love of God, our souls can lie down and rest. This love from him is not something we must struggle for, earn, or fear to lose. It is bestowed. He has bestowed it upon us. He has chosen us. And nothing can separate us from his love. Not even we, ourselves.
--- John & Stasi Eldredge, CaptivatingA refrain... rising in my heart...
