Mark 10:21
AND JESUS, LOOKING UPON HIM, LOVED HIM,
AND SAID TO HIM, "YOU ARE LACKING ONE THING,
GO, SELL WHATEEVER YOU HAVE, AND GIVE IT TO THE POOR...
AND COME, FOLLOW ME."
BUT THE MAN....WENT AWAY SAD.
Mark 10:17
In some versions it says "Jesus looked upon him with love"
This is a total mistery to me. How can one see that love look and resist it? It has been that look that has taken me to the strangest situations. HIS LOVE has melted me and continues to melt me. HIS LOVE takes me to obedience.
Now, here it has to do with money. But obedience does not necessarily always imply money.
Yes, it is true that some have had to leave everything and set of to ministry.
But right now I smile as I know of a large group of people who out of obedience ARE NOT in the ministry...and their hearts are acking to be there.
Some of these guys have to be in collegue, in a classroom, in a safe place- but their hearts are out with the homeless children.
Some are back home, living with mom and dad, learning to honor them despite the fact that they are not christians, and have wounded them deeply in the past.
Some are resting, out of obedience, just resting.
And last year I had to leave ministry and church attendance in order to pay full attention to God.
None of us expected such a command. But we are obeying out of love for God.
So as I read this it brought light into my life. I had always limited this passage to the money thing. But it is much more. It is a great example of one of the wonders of God and humanity. God reaching out to mankind, mankind turning its back on God.
Look at the way the man meets Jesus. He runs up to Him and kneels down before Him, and declares "Good Master"
wow
Isn't it like that? How many people have you seen that run to church and are really happy in church...until they are called into obedience. Until God commands.
Then they turn away.
That year, reading my Bible brought a lot of light into my life and a lot of deliverance. I had a huge burden that was really taking a lot of my strenght away. I think it took a lot of joy from ministry. It was a lie. That lie was simple, it stated that:
IF you love people enought they will turn to God.
It is nowhere in the Bible. The story above repeats itself from Genesis to Revelations. God loving people, people turning their back on God.
I think I picked up this lie from the testimonies that are published on magazines and on tv. We always chose the "happily ever after" type of testimonies. So I got to see it as the cause and effect law. You love, people will love you and God.
Not true.
A lie.
In this story a man hits Jesus' eyes full of love for him,
but there is also a command.
And he turns his back on such love, because he does not want to obey the command.
It has happened since Genesis. It continues to happen.
It is a relief to see the light.
I had felt so guilty for not loving enough, so people could turn to God.
Let me state it again.
I was dieing under the thought that some people were not drawing close to God,
because I was not loving them enough.
"Maybe, another phone call. Maybe, another visit. Maybe not prayed enough. Maybe not fasted enough. Maybe not gave enough..."
This includes my ex-husband. So many women from church kept coming up and telling me of how they had loved their husbands to the point of repentance. One lady told me how her husband would make her sleep in the street, but that through love and prayer he had changed. i am truly amazed at the whole story. And I thank God for the change in that man.
But it was not my case, so for years I walked with guilt. IF...
and this left a deep deep wound in my heart. A wound that got worse as I tried to reach out to people and to love them as Jesus loved me and then I saw how people did not love in return, how even if they chose to love me, they chose to turn their back on God...and it almost killed me.
What was I doing wrong?
Why was it not enough?
What key was I missing?
What "new and deeper" revelation did I need?
I had given so much, I had even stolen precious time from my kids...what more could I give?
It is a painful truth. Specially since I now see my own son walking in disobedience to God.
But it is one that has brought forth deliverance.
I do my part, God does his- people are free to chose.
And do you understand that THIS is a true demostration of love?
To respect people's choice is to love them.
it is to say: you are a person, not an animal, you deserve respect.
I will respect your decision, even if it will bring pain- to God, to me and to you.
I love you, I will respect your decision.
There is no greater love.
Jesus loved the man...but allowed him to walk away.
AND SAID TO HIM, "YOU ARE LACKING ONE THING,
GO, SELL WHATEEVER YOU HAVE, AND GIVE IT TO THE POOR...
AND COME, FOLLOW ME."
BUT THE MAN....WENT AWAY SAD.
Mark 10:17
In some versions it says "Jesus looked upon him with love"
This is a total mistery to me. How can one see that love look and resist it? It has been that look that has taken me to the strangest situations. HIS LOVE has melted me and continues to melt me. HIS LOVE takes me to obedience.
Now, here it has to do with money. But obedience does not necessarily always imply money.
Yes, it is true that some have had to leave everything and set of to ministry.
But right now I smile as I know of a large group of people who out of obedience ARE NOT in the ministry...and their hearts are acking to be there.
Some of these guys have to be in collegue, in a classroom, in a safe place- but their hearts are out with the homeless children.
Some are back home, living with mom and dad, learning to honor them despite the fact that they are not christians, and have wounded them deeply in the past.
Some are resting, out of obedience, just resting.
And last year I had to leave ministry and church attendance in order to pay full attention to God.
None of us expected such a command. But we are obeying out of love for God.
So as I read this it brought light into my life. I had always limited this passage to the money thing. But it is much more. It is a great example of one of the wonders of God and humanity. God reaching out to mankind, mankind turning its back on God.
Look at the way the man meets Jesus. He runs up to Him and kneels down before Him, and declares "Good Master"
wow
Isn't it like that? How many people have you seen that run to church and are really happy in church...until they are called into obedience. Until God commands.
Then they turn away.
That year, reading my Bible brought a lot of light into my life and a lot of deliverance. I had a huge burden that was really taking a lot of my strenght away. I think it took a lot of joy from ministry. It was a lie. That lie was simple, it stated that:
IF you love people enought they will turn to God.
It is nowhere in the Bible. The story above repeats itself from Genesis to Revelations. God loving people, people turning their back on God.
I think I picked up this lie from the testimonies that are published on magazines and on tv. We always chose the "happily ever after" type of testimonies. So I got to see it as the cause and effect law. You love, people will love you and God.
Not true.
A lie.
In this story a man hits Jesus' eyes full of love for him,
but there is also a command.
And he turns his back on such love, because he does not want to obey the command.
It has happened since Genesis. It continues to happen.
It is a relief to see the light.
I had felt so guilty for not loving enough, so people could turn to God.
Let me state it again.
I was dieing under the thought that some people were not drawing close to God,
because I was not loving them enough.
"Maybe, another phone call. Maybe, another visit. Maybe not prayed enough. Maybe not fasted enough. Maybe not gave enough..."
This includes my ex-husband. So many women from church kept coming up and telling me of how they had loved their husbands to the point of repentance. One lady told me how her husband would make her sleep in the street, but that through love and prayer he had changed. i am truly amazed at the whole story. And I thank God for the change in that man.
But it was not my case, so for years I walked with guilt. IF...
and this left a deep deep wound in my heart. A wound that got worse as I tried to reach out to people and to love them as Jesus loved me and then I saw how people did not love in return, how even if they chose to love me, they chose to turn their back on God...and it almost killed me.
What was I doing wrong?
Why was it not enough?
What key was I missing?
What "new and deeper" revelation did I need?
I had given so much, I had even stolen precious time from my kids...what more could I give?
It is a painful truth. Specially since I now see my own son walking in disobedience to God.
But it is one that has brought forth deliverance.
I do my part, God does his- people are free to chose.
And do you understand that THIS is a true demostration of love?
To respect people's choice is to love them.
it is to say: you are a person, not an animal, you deserve respect.
I will respect your decision, even if it will bring pain- to God, to me and to you.
I love you, I will respect your decision.
There is no greater love.
Jesus loved the man...but allowed him to walk away.
posted by thisfool @ 2:57 AM
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