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Why can't the power of love come from within ourselves. I don't understand why some people feel that it has to come from some mythical being that puts it in their heart. Don't humans have the capacity to love and share love with others without being made to do it?
There is a power of love that comes from within us, but this love has conditions. If we are told by One who says "love your enemies, be good to those who hate you, forgive those who do wrongly towards you, etc. etc." Think on that a moment. The things thought with a Mind that Christ says to think with are totally FOREIGN to our 'fleshly minds'. If one does good unto you, you do good unto them. If one does bad unto you, then there is a thought of 'getting out of their way' or 'getting them back' for what they have done, or 'wanting them to get their dues' for what they have done.
Christ's answers to these things are totally foreign to our answers. Our 'fleshly' inner love is conditional, Christ's are not. A child does not enjoy their punishment from their earthly father while going THROUGH the punishmen. The father knows it is for the best for the child in the FUTURE, whether it be for an hour, a day, a year, etc. Our Father in heaven is the same way. Think of any enemy you can think of. It is hard to Love them with our minds, but with Christ's it is easier. Fleshly minds think on what punishment would do for a bad man, but Christ mind thinks on what Love will do for a bad man.
I heard a story once (can't recall where). But a 'good' man was with an Angel walking the streets. He sees a 'homeless' man harshly and roughly brushing a kitten away from him with his foot, not letting it near him. The 'good' man said "how rude of him to do this to this cute gentle kitten", but the Angel said "it is with the level of love that I gave unto him TODAY that caused him to do this, for YESTERDAY he would have surely crushed it's head".
People have different levels of love within them, but Christ's love is the peak of all love. This acts of This Love is, at most time, contrary to the love within man. What one would call "mythical love", I call "foreign love". Think about 'dying' for a murderer, rapist, prostitute, etc., so he would not have to go through his punishment, for it would be FORIEGN for Our Inner Man to do such a thing.
But this is my opinion. I hope I have explained my position in a manner that you can understand what I feel. Take care Profiler
I have here or elsewhere said to love those that love me. I would not feel love for a murderer if I were to die for their crime, it would be pointless I would only have love for the ones I would be leaving behind. I would be comforted by the fact that one day we would be together again as cosmic dust drifting in this place we call the universe or maybe combined together in a star. A life is less than an instant on the cosmic time clock compared to eternity. Enjoy life if you can while your here, thats my op. Thank you for yours.
I have here or elsewhere said to love those that love me. I would not feel love for a murderer if I were to die for their crime, it would be pointless I would only have love for the ones I would be leaving behind. I would be comforted by the fact that one day we would be together again as cosmic dust drifting in this place we call the universe or maybe combined together in a star. A life is less than an instant on the cosmic time clock compared to eternity. Enjoy life if you can while your here, thats my op. Thank you for yours.
This is the conditional part that I speak of. A totally logical thought came up with...
"I have here or elsewhere said to love those that love me."
So why is it that the murderer cannot say...
"I have ...said to love those that love me."
It is obvious that you love someone beCAUSE of something they do, say "love you". If one doing this to you can make you feel such a way, who's to say that the same act of love towards the murderer wont make him feel in such a way.
Believe me, I understand what you are talking about. It is, as I say, 'foreign' to a carnal mind to do such a thing. This 'foreign' love is what was done for all humanity.
Just a question though, no disrespect or offence meant, but have you ever done anything wrong to someone? The important question is, have you been 'forgiven' for the wrong that you have done? How did that make you feel towards that person? How would you act if they did NOT forgive you? Scripture speaks of these things....
Luk 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. (This is basically the "golden rule" that are spoken to many children.)
Luk 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. Luk 6:33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. Luk 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. Luk 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
The bolded words are almost impossible for a carnal mind to 'see' and 'do'. Our carnal nature works much like rewarding "love for love" and "hate for hate", but "love for hate" is a foreign concept to our self preserving minds. For we "hope for something again" in wanting the wrong doer to get whats coming to him/her. What the carnal mind DOES NOT TRUST IN is the "great reward" that follows. The carnal mind does not see this 'reward', therefore the act that would bring it about is "pointless" to the carnal.
I summit an experiment for you. So the results can be seen.
First) The next time someone does you wrong, no matter how it makes YOU feel NOW, forgive (and truly forget) what they have done to you and treat them as such.
Second) Take the data on how they treat you NOW, after you have forgiven them (i.e. sorry, embarrased, angry, etc.)
Third) Take the data on how YOU feel now, based on how they feel and act. This may also take more 'forgiveness' on your part.
Fourth) Compare the NOW to an analysis of how you both would feel if you had NOT forgiven them in the first place.
This would be a very 'eye opening' experiment for anybody who goes AGAINST their carnal nature. First, notice of what an INNER struggle it would be to do such a thing. So if you actually DID do this thing, you can safely say that it was against YOUR NATURE to do it, thereby it being ANOTHER NATURE that accomplishes it.
LOL...Considering this inner struggle: At my old job I and my friend used to drive by a college everyday at work. He was married and talking about how beautiful these young ladies were that were walking down the street everyday. He would go into sexual talkings the more he stared and gocked. He knew I was a christian and I told him about carnal man and this struggle with in him. He said "What struggle?" I said "Do you know all those girls you look at and make sexual comments on everyday?" He said "Yes". Then I said "Next time, try your best NOT to look at them at ALL, and then notice your INNER struggle of your OWN NATURE". Needless to say, he figured out this 'struggle' all to well, and knew what I was talking about.
``God so loved the world the gave his only begotton Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall have everylasting life ``....... The only begotton Son Jesus said in the Gospels of Luke 13:3... ``I tell you Nay , but except ye repent Ye shall all likewise perish``..... Jesus came to save the whole world but there are limits to the Love of God and limited to the extreme view of love that many people may chose to believe ,, here is Jesus putting limits of the love that he is willing to save which is to Repent and turn from sin or Perish and be lost forever.......These are not Man doctrines, but the God who saves us ideas.... Here again in the Gospel of Matthew 9:13 ``But go ye and learn what that meaneth , I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous. but sinners to Repentance``...... and again in Matthew 4:17...`` Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand``......Why is the only begotton Son calling Sinner to Repent? .... because God condemns them after they pass away and Jesus is called to save the whole world and will save them when they Repent and turn from sin............A limit for extreme view of God Love......
``God so loved the world the gave his only begotton Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall have everylasting life ``....... The only begotton Son Jesus said in the Gospels of Luke 13:3... ``I tell you Nay , but except ye repent Ye shall all likewise perish``..... Jesus came to save the whole world but there are limits to the Love of God and limited to the extreme view of love that many people may chose to believe ,, here is Jesus putting limits of the love that he is willing to save which is to Repent and turn from sin or Perish and be lost forever.......These are not Man doctrines, but the God who saves us ideas.... Here again in the Gospel of Matthew 9:13 ``But go ye and learn what that meaneth , I will have mercy and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous. but sinners to Repentance``...... and again in Matthew 4:17...`` Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand``......Why is the only begotton Son calling Sinner to Repent? .... because God condemns them after they pass away and Jesus is called to save the whole world and will save them when they Repent and turn from sin............A limit for extreme view of God Love......
These "If thou do this" or "If thou believe" (and the like) declarations are nothing different from what is stated throughout the whole bible to Man. But question....What did they choose though??? I have yet to find one example in the scriptures, ONE mind you, of a person, LEFT TO HIMSELF (without God touching him FIRST), that "chose" the righteous decision of one of these declarations. You would be hard pressed to find an example of this in the scriptures.
Just because God said "Adam where art thou?", does NOT mean God did not where Adam was. Therefore, the declaration was for Adam's benifit, NOT for an All Knowing God's. These very statements of "If thou believe" or "If thou do this" are for the benifit of Man, not God. I can say that I am a sinner, and I assume you know that you are one also, so it is as the scriptures says "With men this is IMPOSSIBLE". These declarations are for man's benifit to know WHAT he is, which is a sinner. Left to yourself (without the touch of God), you CANNOT follow Christ by your own will. For the "carnal mind is ENMITY against God" (Rom 8:7).
God is not limited in His love, rather He draws, calls, chooses, hardens, blinds, makes deaf, etc. It is ALL Him NOT US. We do NOT save ourselves by choosing God, rather He chooses us (Jn 15:16). The Old Man must die so the New Creature can be born. You cannot serve YOUR will AND His will. You must deny YOUR will as Christ denied his own will and followed the Father's. I know it seems like we have freewill but we dont. Without God's doing, you will do what you are 'accustomed' to doing which is sin.
It is the "goodness of God" NOT our goodness, that leads to repentance. God makes honorable and DIDhonorable vessels. For God to raise the Pharoah to do what he did and then torture him for eternity for doing it would make no sense at all. Everyman has a purpose in God's plan and ALL are said to be sinners. So think of how easy it is for God to TOUCH one and let the others just do as they do to accomplish his purpose. "In due time" He will touch everyone.
God does love His WHOLE creation, and He will reconcile All of it to Himself. He will bring ALL to believe, but first he will show us WHAT we are, so we can see our vileness, mortify the deeds of the flesh, and come to Him. He will 'brake' us of our carnal nature. If a man does not believe NOW, then it a plan of God for him not to NOW, but it doesnt mean he wont be brought to believe LATER.
I have here or elsewhere said to love those that love me. I would not feel love for a murderer if I were to die for their crime, it would be pointless I would only have love for the ones I would be leaving behind. I would be comforted by the fact that one day we would be together again as cosmic dust drifting in this place we call the universe or maybe combined together in a star. A life is less than an instant on the cosmic time clock compared to eternity. Enjoy life if you can while your here, thats my op. Thank you for yours.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (Murderers, violent offenders, selfish and angry people).
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
I know I'm preaching to the choir and won't convince you of anything as you me so I'll leave it at that because I am just as convinced as you.
Thats Ok Profiler. But do have a great day and take care.
Joe
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Do I Believe in the Power of Love?
