― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Last night I heard a father quote Proverbs 13:24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. I was thinking about how strong the word "hate" is in the verse and it may seem stronger because the verse is speaking of children. A counselor I went to years ago, said, "You can't control your feelings only your reaction to them." This was a powerful bondage breaker for me, though since then I realize as I grow and learn to take every thought captive, I do have more control over my feelings..
Today I believe that love is an action word that brings an emotional feeling of love in time. This would then apply to hate. We have a choice. Am I going to act out of love or hate. I can act out of hate, even if my emotional state is love. Motive is the key here.
If I say, "Come see how humble I can be" am I really being humble? I don't think so. Our motive needs to be checked. If the Lord calls us to minister to someone, shouldn't our only motive be to love through obedience? I believe a lot of times when we struggle with being humble He calls us to pray for someone and to not share that we are being called. We can even say to a friend, "God has asked me to pray for someone" with the wrong motive. Are we truly concerned for this person and want others to join us in prayer or are we wanting recognition for being called to serve? "Do you see how important and powerful I am that God has called me to save this person through prayer?"
God has been talking to me about motive a lot lately, not only to check my own, but to recognize in others that I am learning from. I have heard from others that we are not to assume we know an other's motives and we can never be 100% sure of an other's motives, but at the same time, God may enlighten us for our own growth. Worship is a good example. Is that person dancing around lost in love for the Lord? Or is that person making a production for attention from others? Or is that person trying to convince themselves and the Lord that they are lost in love for Him? If the same person rushes up front after service for prayer every weekend is it because they are unwilling to see what God is showing them and they are stuck in a problem? Are they seeking attention? Or are they truly lost?
As we grow in our own ministry we are sometimes asked to call out others on their behavior. This is the part of ministry I enjoy the least. In fact, I don't like it at all. But if the Lord is bringing to our attention the motives of another and they are not good, we may have responsibility to call them out, if He asks us to. This is where "love" and "hate" really become action.
Recently a dear friend of mine was not seeing the attack she was under. Often times it is easier for those around us to see our battles clearer than we can see them. In her book "Girls with Swords", Lisa Bevere says, "At times when you are in the midst of a fire, you need someone who is not in the fire to find your way out of the smoke." The Lord was asking me to point things out to her and it was difficult for me. I would say what I felt the Lord wanted me to say and then walk away relieved that my "Job here is done". Ha. But then He called me to confront through love and not back down. Because He is a gentlemanly teacher, earlier in the day He asked me, "What is more important to you, her friendship or her freedom?" Her freedom. Then He said, "If true freedom comes, your friendship will be secure." I had to really look at this and trust Him. I was willing to give up her friendship for her freedom. Her freedom may not come for days or months and I could lose her friendship during that time.
Later in the day the Lord gave me an example and I watched a mentor call out a person on their behavior. She put freedom before friendship and the results were beautiful. This gave me more strength to follow Christ's instructions. I chose to love. If I wouldn't have obeyed, I would have been acting out of hate, even though my emotional feelings were love. Boy, did that make sense? One thing that made it easier was that I could see her heart wants Jesus. She loves the Lord and wants to grow in Him.
Following Christ is not always easy. It's not all warm and fuzzy all the time. It can be painful. He doesn't just ask us to follow Him through a spring day in the park. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
As I read through the instructions on disciplining a child, I see how God disciplines or disciples me. He disciplines out of love. If He did not discipline us, it would be hate. The greatest act of love, the greatest proof that love is action and motives need to line up, was that day on the cross. Jesus did not call on thousands of angels to rescue Him. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life. Acting out love is not always easy, even God had to look away. But it is through the act of love that we were given life. And give life and freedom to others. When you can't feel love, you can still show love. When you don't feel hate, you can still show it. Love the Lord first, before anything or anyone else and it makes loving others easier, it fills in the gaps, between emotion and behavior. Jesus loves you.
No comments:
Post a Comment