Trust and Love

Christianity should be taught in the context of trusting and loving, not in doing more. We've been preaching doing more forever, and it's still not bearing any fruit. Most sermons you hear talk about trying harder.

Most sermons should be about loving and trusting.

How can it be that a God who "fills the heavens and the earth" (Isaiah something) cannot hear us? How can it be that a God who is love and who is Infinite, all at the same time, could not be thinking about us and caring for us all the time? How can it possibly be that we have somehow escaped His notice? Most people are aware of Him being aware of them when they do something wrong, so how could it be any different at any time in our life? And how could it possibly be that He doesn't know what we need, and, since He IS love, how could it possibly be that He wouldn't want to give it to us? How can it possibly be that an infinitely powerful Being needs our hard work? The only thing He needs is us... just like we need the ones that we love. Because we couldn't live without them!! THAT'S the way God needs us!

WE NEED TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO BE LOVED--NOT HOW TO TRY HARDER.

Very few of us know how to be loved!! So we substitute our own efforts at reaching out to God, which so often constitutes religion. And that's why it's a never ending treadmill, which never bears any real fruit for the world to see, which is why people are not attracted to church/christianity...because God will not work that way. He will not work by rewarding pride and religion, born out of fear and insecurity. Because if He did then we'd be encouraged that that was the right way to operate! WHEN IT'S NOT!!! Try operating that way in any human relationship and see how stressful and unhealthy and fear based that relationship becomes. So why do we try to operate that way with a God who is love??

THE ONLY WAY TO OPERATE WITH GOD IS TO BE LOVED BY HIM. PERIOD. HE IS LOVE AND HE CANNOT OPERATE ANY OTHER WAY.


WE NEED TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO TRUST--NOT HOW TO TRY HARDER.

The answer to life is love, born out of relationship--healthy relationships--that are based on nothing else but love!! Which can only come as we learn to trust! And what goes with God goes with people as well. That's right, you can only have loving relationships with people when you learn to trust them. Even with all of our brokenness. Yes I run the risk of getting hurt, but I also run the risk of receiving somebody's love!! A risk that MUST be taken if I am ever to experience being loved! This does not mean be foolish. You still must be responsible and not throw your pearls before swine, but at some point, with someone, whom you know know is going to be trustworthy, albeit imperfectly, you are going to have to learn to trust them.But at the bare minimum, we know that God is trustworthy, SO WE NEED TO LEARN TO TRUST HIM, and not our own efforts!

TAKE THE RISK OF TRUSTING IN ORDER TO RECEIVE LOVE. With God first. Risk losing your own fleshly efforts, risk losing your fear, risk losing your insecurity, and risk losing your pride, in order to learn how to be loved.

IT'S WORTH THE RISK

God's Word

Now I'm really gonna rock some people's boats.

I believe that God's word is more than just the Bible. Ephesians 6:17 says "taking up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Interesting to note here that the new testament had not even been written when Paul wrote this. So what could He have been thinking? Well, I guess it's fair to acknowledge that He may have meant the Old Testament. Because as we all know Jesus Himself used the Old Testament when fighting the devil. This is valid, but I still believe there is more to the definition. And it's actually very simple.

Anything God says is His word. Simple as that. Just like anything you say is your word.

God's word is simply whatever He says. It's not only the Bible. The Bible gets billed as His Word, correctly so, because it was and still is God speaking. But God's word is also whatever he says to you. You can fight spiritually with the "sword of the spirit" with the words God speaks to you just like you can with the Bible. Because anything God says is His word, not just the Bible. This is how, I believe, Paul was able to confidently say that the word of God is the sword of the spirit. Because He heard God speak.

The Bible is the word of God. But God's word is also anything he says. And you can fight spiritually, very effectively I might add, with the word(s) he speaks to you. Because He knows you individually and will speak to your specific situation/need. Listen to Him!

God is freedom

It is very tragic to me when I see people leave their faith in order to be free. This tells me that there are serious flaws in their theology. Serious ones.

This is because God Himself IS freedom. Freedom is an expression of God! God Himself is free! Therefore freedom itself, even the very concept, only exists because He exists! And it is very proof of Him and His existence that the concept of freedom is so highly valued throughout creation and the world! Freedom points to Him because it comes from Him! There would be no freedom without God.

What's more, He is love, and one of the primary principles of love is that it always sets you free. If you love someone, truly, you will set them free. It's just part of love. Love always sets you free. Therefore, God HAS to set you free because He IS love!! He cannot do otherwise. It's what He Has done, is doing, and will continue to do throughout eternity, because it's who He is !!!!!!! Setting people free by loving them. This is who He is. Anything and anybody that ever, ever, EVER comes to God, will be loved by Him and therefore set free!!! It's impossible for it to be otherwise!! Because it's who He is!!!

So we can see that when someone chooses to walk away from Him in order to get their freedom, what a tragic mistake that is. Technically speaking, yes, you will be free from God, and religion, and rules, and the like. This is certainly true. But because freedom itself is a product of Him, of God, you will in reality experience less and less freedom the longer you stay away from Him. Because you have seperated yourself from the One who IS freedom, the One from whom all freedom flows. So in your "freedom", you will eventually, as time goes by, become less and less free.

Now, these truths realized, this tells me a tragic tale about what people are experiencing as christianity. To walk away from the very creator of the universe who embodies and emanates freedom tells me that someone must have some very serious misconceptions going on.

Some more about love (what a surprise!)

Was thinking about how the love relationship between a man and a woman illustrates the meaning of life... that union, loving fellowship with God and others. Was thinking also, simultaneously, about how that love relationship between a man and a woman is an analogy of us in our relationship with God, He being represented by the man, and we being represented by the woman. Hence the term, "Bride of Christ".

That's when it hit me. Jesus' love for us, God's love for us, is as intense and powerful as that love that the man, the groom, feels toward his bride, toward the woman. Now, all of us guys will be able to relate. There is just nothing sooooooo powerful and wonderful as that intense desire and longing for the woman. Nothing. You just have to stop and think about this. This pull, this tug, this yearning, longing, got to get to Know her strong feeling inside of us... it's just the most intense, magical, beautiful, best feeling in the world.

Stop now and think about this. This is how Jesus feels about you, about us!! Pretty freaking cool eh? I mean, just stop and think about that for a minute! It's just flippng awesome! Don't ever scoff at someone who tells you that Jesus loves you. They are telling you the meaning of life!! THAT'S what it's all about!

That all encompassing, passionate, burning desire, that intense longing that becomes almost a need, that absolute captivation by her beauty, that, overwhelming attracton-- that's how God feels about you! And to take it even further, the attraction of sex-- that overwhelming pull to be one with someone and join with them, Know them... this is why the Bible uses the term Know when it refers to sex. Because it is the ultimate expression of knowing someone! And the ultimate desire and meaning of life is to know God and to know people. God first, and then other people. This is what our lives will consist of in eternity, Knowing God and knowing people.

Knowing God. Can you imagine this? Knowing, truly, deeply and intimately, an all loving, totally righteous, clean, holy, infinite being--one who is so infinite that we will never ever EVER run out of newness of Him to discover and explore--this is what will will get to do for all of eternity. Freaking rad. I. quite frankly, am seriously looking forward to this. This is what eternity will consist of. The joy that sex is a representation of, a physical representation of a spiritual reality. Flipping wonderful. Thank you Jesus. Praise you Lord for you are beautiful and you rock.Woo hoo!!!!!!!!

The Main Real Reason

It seems to me that lots and lots of Christians and religious people practice their Christianity without really knowing why. I mean really. I think a lot of people just do it because they feel they should, or it's what they've been taught, or even because they've experienced God and know He's real, and that their faith and even their relationship with Him is genuine, but they still maybe have never thought to think or ask WHY, ultimately we are doing it. So why are we? What is the goal of Christianity, or any religion for that matter? And if it really is the one true faith, and the real God is really in it and has even created it and set it up how it is, (which we really believe He has), what was He thinking? Yes we all know that he wants to save people, and that He loves us and cares about us, but isn't there more? Since we truly believe that the supreme, infinite, eternal Being, really, is behind it all, what does that infer? Can the entirety of the Real God be seen and found within Christianity then? And if so, what is that??

Well, in order to answer these questions, I believe we need to look at life. But we need to look at it from God's perspective. Since God created everything, what can we learn by looking at what He has created? Since He created everything, then everything must be a representation of Him. (By everything, I mean the entirety of what is created, not sin and bad stuff). Acts 17:24 states " The God who made the world and all things in it" So the world and everything in it came from the mind of God. So let's take a look at the world and everything in it to see if we can see what was on His mind when He decided to create all of this.

Now, the previous statement contains volumes. Volumes and volumes could be written on what God was thinking when he created all this. In fact, it could be almost endless. There is no way we could discuss all of that here. But the point is great. The point that we CAN look at creation to see what God had, and has, in mind. For this short essay though, I am going to focus on one area of creation, the one that I feel sheds the most light on the mind of God. The reason I am going to focus in on this area is because it is the most potent part of creation. It is the strongest part, the part that we want the most, enjoy the most, DO the most, and the part that moves us the most. I mean love.

Love is the strongest desire inside of human beings. If we are honest with ourselves about ourselves, and about the world, we will see that the cingular most driving force inside of human beings is the desire for love, specifically the desire for a mate. This desire is the most intense, the most satisfying, the most urgent, strongest pull we have inside of ourselves. Some people would call it nature's way of ensuring the survival of the species. We call it what is at the heart of God's mind. From this we can see that love must be exceedingly important to God. It must be what is exceedingly important to Him, else He would not have made it so that it is so exceedingly important to us.

Maybe God did this on purpose, so that we would not miss the point of what life is all about. I think that He very purposefully made this desire, this urge in us as strong as He did in order to illustrate for us what the purpose and meaning of life is. Since creation itself is a picture of God--us, the world, and everything--it all came from the mind of God--humanity itself came from the mind of God--and since this desire for love is the strongest expression of our humanity, then God must really be into love. It's very logical. Think of that. Humanity, in its pure form, I mean without all the gunky junk that we as a race have muddied ourselves up with, is such a tremendous and beautiful expression of life, of all that life can be, all the beauty, all the wonder, the mystery, the deepness, the undefinable inexpressable stuff that we all long for and yearn to touch, and to experience, and to be, all those things, all that indefinable something, is all an expression of the life of God. Everything! The late afternoon sun filtering through the redwoods on the Pcific coast, the feelings you get on Christmas eve, the way you feel when you step into the warm sunshine on the first warm spring day and you feel the grip of winter breaking, all of these things--the list is infinite--are expressions of The Life, God Himself. Since all of creation comes from the mind of God, is actually more of an expression of Him, who He is, we can know God just by looking at all of these things. Or at the very least we can know what He is like.

And what experience, what joy, what part of all of this creation is the best? What's the one, out of all the myriad expressions of His life that we live, causes us the most excitement, the most joy, the most everything?? What one area of creation is the best out of all of it? It's love!! I mean that thrill, that overpowering feeling that washes through your soul when you see that someone with whom you are falling in love. There is just no feeling like it in the world. The first kiss... there's just no comparison. There is something so magical, so strong, sooo the fullest expression of being alive... something stronger and more powerful than all the mists in twilight, all the snowy nights in the mountains, and all of the battlecries you can ever muster... is this rush of attraction to another being, the desire to come together, the desire to Know them, that nothing else in our existence can compare to. And here, more than any other place in our experiences as human beings, God's creation, is where we can see the heart of God the most, what is REALLY on His mind. It must be love!!

So we are created in the image of God. The thing that excites us the most is love. Logically speaking, what do you suppose excites God the most? Obedience? No. Work? No. Church attendance? Giving to the poor? Bible study, Prayer? I would have to say no. I would have to say, judging from the evidence that we have examined so far that what God likes most is love. Attention. Attraction. Appreciating Him just for who He is. Spending time with Him just to spend time with Him, in order to just get to know Him. Knowing Him.

Love is so important to God. We have our priorities so mixed up. Most christians I hear seem to think that the greatest expression of our Christianity, our faith, is obedience. You hear it everywhere. If obedience was a higher priority than love to God, then why would He create us differently? I mean, we, as human beings place higher value on just knowing each other and being friends than we do on obedience. Think about it. When we are with the people we love, friends, etc., just hanging out with our friends, which is our pasttime of choice, as in, when we are done working, and we have free time, what is everybody's choice? What is it that we want to do, and choose to do, over and above everything else? Be with our friends and family. The world over. This does not change. And when we are doing that, what we as a race choose to do as our highest goal, being with the ones we love, obedience is not an issue. I don't mean that we stop doing it, I mean that we don't think about it during those times, during the times of love. There is never any talk about obdience, because in that area of life, the highest expression of our lives, living in love, there is no need for it. Obedience has already taken place long ago and in THE RIGHT PLACES AND TIMES WHEN AND WHERE IT NEEDED TO, and so WE ARE NOW REAPING THE BENEFITS OF THAT OBEDIENCE-- WHICH IS LOVE. We are now experiencing WHAT OBEDIENCE IS FOR. OBEDIENCE IS NOT AN END, IT IS ONLY A MEANS TO AN END--LOVE.

Also, the relationship between a man and a woman. This relationship is a blatant, obvious, accurate picture of the way in which we are to be in love with God, and Him with us, but during the exchange in this relationship ( I mean all exchange, not just sexual ), there is never any talk of or allusion to or concern with obedience. If there is, it indicates something wrong in the relationship.It tells us that the ultimate expression of loving is something beyond obedience.

Obedience is not the greatest goal we can achieve for God.. Obedience is only to lead us to love. Again, I use us, humans, as the example. We require obedience from our kids all through the years they are growing up, and for good, healthy reasons. But when obedience is accomplished, and they are healthy, whole, responsible adults, with kids of their own, do we call them up and invite them over to dinner to see if they still know how to obey us? Do we call them over to make them do things for us? We can ask them, when they are at our house, but if they say no, we have to respect their wishes as responsible adults and let them be free. Because we have passed from the stage of obedience into the stage of love. Obedience worked! So there's no more need for it! Or rather, there is no more need to focus on it, because we're living lives of love formed from obedience. The things we needed to obey have become part of us, so there's no need to emphasize them.

Now this is us, human beings. Fallen, flawed human beings at that. Yet we recognize, choose, and live these principles with our kids and with our friends. So are we better than Him? Is it really true that we know how to love better than God? OF COURSE NOT!! DON'T BE SILLY!! It's just that there is SO much emphasis on obedience these days, that we are missing the point of WHY we even obey!!! Is obedience necessary? Yes! Is it the end, the consummation of our relationship with Jesus, with God, with the Holy Spirit? Is it what we will be doing for eternity? Is that why we exist and why He created us? NO. LOVE IS WHY HE CREATED US!!!! And if obedience has already finished its work in us, and gotten us to the place where we are responsible and living in love with Him, and with our brother, THEN OBEDIENCE IS NO LONGER AN ISSUE. We've come to an understanding, as mature people do, of the reasons for obedience. It's no longer an issue for us. In fact, we've even taken to doing the right thing ourselves, WITHOUT HAVING TO BE TOLD!!!!!!!!!! In fact, we've even come to understand what the Bible talks about when it says that we are new creations in Christ, ones who are dead to sin and alive to God, ( See 2 Cor. 5:17 and Romans 6) and consider it true! So it's not even an issue whether or not we obey. We ARE new creations, ones who are dead to sin and alive to God. 1st John even says that we cannot sin , being born of God.

So what's my point in all of this? Well, the same point as in all the rest of my posts. Which is that the purpose of life is love.We are created for love. It is apparent from creation, when we look around us, and it is apparent when we read the Bible. God is into love more than He is into obedience. It is evident from just looking at what He himself created, us and everything else around us, and it is evident by logically asking ourselves the reason for obedience. It's all for love. Love God. Obey Him? Sure, but just be sure that you understand that obedience is only a small, beginning tool that's necessary right now in this short, brief space of time that we have here on earth, (and not even all the time here, hopefully, if we grow like we're supposed to) to get us to the place where we live permanently in love. This is what God is after. Do not make obedience your primary goal. Make LOVE your primary goal! It's what you're going to be doing forever anyways, so you might as well start practicing now!

I believe that God is a sucker for love, just like you and me are. Here again, all you have to do is look at us to see Him. Since we ourselves are suckers for love, and we are created by Him in His own image, then it only logically makes sense. I think it's what He's after more than anything else. Just like it's what you and me are after, more than anything else. Try loving Him, and see what happens.

God is not looking for perfection, He is looking for affection

Why Jesus is So Great.

Ok, so everybody always hears about why Jesus is so great. But why is He great, really? What is it about Him, and trusting in Him, that makes Him so great?

Because living outside of him is where you have to deal with being good or being bad. And if you've ever had to deal with either one, seriously, you know that they both are extremely hard, and taxing on the soul. This is why the Bible calls the original sin "eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". Because that's the problem It doesn't matter which side of the coin you are on, the good or the bad, it's stiil the same coin.

So what's the solution? What the Bible calls "eating from the tree of life". Which is, quite simply, God. Who IS the Tree of Life. Which is why I always say, that the answer to life is relationship. With God. And then with others.A relationship with the one who is life is returning to eating from the tree of life.

Don't try to be good. TRY TO LOVE.

the "flesh"

Ok, time to tear down some more myths. This time I'm going to attempt to clear up this notion of the "flesh", as put forth in the Bible.

What is it really? I guess in order to answer this question, it might be helpful to look at what most people's perceptions of it are. And I say "most" people's perceptions because I hear more people talking about it incorrectly than correctly. So here goes.

Most people I hear talking about it think that it means your human appetites, particularly our desires for sex and food, but also things like money, or material posessions, or to enjoy life, or to feel good about yourself or the things you do, etc. etc., fill in the blank. I hear this belief from mostly christians, but I suspect that many non-christians subscribe to it as well. So, logically then, since christians think that these things are their "flesh", they feel bad, guilty, for having all these desires. And then they try, by power of their will, to supress, deny, do away with, ignore, basically get rid of, these good and very natural human desires. Which is not good at all, because, as we will see, these things are not what the Bible refers to as the "flesh" at all. What the Bible refers to as the flesh can actually be those efforts, by our own will power, to do away with things that we mistakenly think are bad. So, irony of ironies, people are, by means of what is really the "flesh", attempting to do away with, deny and supress real, good human attributes that God designed and put in us for good, important reasons.

It's funny, but a lot of the efforts of the "flesh" that I see, are done by well meaning chrisians or other religious, sincere people. This is sad, because these are the very people who are trying their best to live how God wants us to live.

Here is a real definition of "the flesh", from God's perspective, as spoken of in the Bible. It is basically living life, any of it, not by God's spirit. We were designed to run on God's spirit from the beginning. And the entire world is screwed up as it is because most of the world lives not by His spirit. It is very simple and logical. When you live from and by God's spirit, you operate like God wants us to, in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, etc. etc. When you live apart from His spirit, you don't operate how He created us to operate; hence, sin. It's really this simple.

So we see that the issue is not your desires as a human being. Everybody is human. We all have the desires for love, for a mate, for good food, for enough money to have our needs met and be financially free, to enjoy life, etc. We all share these things in common, chrisians and non-christians alike. We are all human. These are not your "flesh". These are your humanity, and should not be squelched, supressed, or wished away. The real issue is from what impetus you are living your life, whether it is God's spirit or not. And if it is His spirit, then you will be walking by the spirit, like the Bible says. And if yoour impetus is not His spirirt, then you will be living by the flesh.

When we look at it this simply and logically, we see that your desires as a human being are not the issue. It is how those desires will be lived by you, dependent upon which source youare living from. If you are living from the source of His spirit, then those desires for love, to enjoy food, to have enough money, etc., will be expressed in loving, kind, good ways. When you are living from the source of just your flesh, (being human apart from God's spirit), your human desires for love, for good food, for enough money, etc., will be expressed in unloving, unkind ways.

Don't deny your humanity. Deny the flesh. For real. And learn to enjoy life as a loving, gentle, patient, kind, child of God.

faith

I really feel that I need to clear up this notion of faith as well. Everywhere you read, and most people you talk to, you get a definition of faith as "believing in what you cannot see", which has also come to mean, "believing in something you don't know exists." As in, faith is just a total shot in the dark, an absolute risk... "blind faith", if you will.

Well, let me just say that "faith", as described above, is not faith. What is described above is called "risk", possibly supported by "hope", at times. And the term "blind faith" is an oxymoron. There is no such thing as "blind faith". There is such a thing as "blind risk".

All of this comes from a misunderstanding of the definition of faith. Probably because there is such a lack of genuine faith, this wrong definition has been fostered. My experiences with God have gone something like this. You see something, or hear something, or experience it in some way, so that you know that it is real, and then later on, at some point when you cannot see it, or hear it, or feel it... but BECAUSE YOU REMEMBER THE REAL EXPERIENCES YOU HAD WITH IT BEFORE, you continue to believe in it. I think that might be faith.

From reading in the Bible though, we see from Jesus' words that real faith is even something more than that. He said if you any just even a tiny itty bitty amount of it, you could move a mountain. From this perspective, the traditional idea of faith is DEFINITELY not it! Wishing and hoping for something you hope is there, or that might be real? How silly is that? No wonder people get disillusioned with religion, when that false idea of it is propagated as the real thing.

So, we see that real faith is actually knowing, just the opposite of the generally accepted definition. And it just drives me up the wall to hear people keep calling that generally accepted definition faith. THAT'S NOT FAITH!

I have "faith" in God because I've seen him, heard him, felt him, seen him do stuff, etc. etc. etc. I am not following anyone blindly.

And he does not expect you to either. Because the whole purpose of "faith", if you will, faith in a God, anyway, is so that you can have a loving relationship with Him. And how could anyone possibly have a realationship with someone that you couldn't see, hear, feel, experience, etc.? That's ridiculous. The purpose of life is love through relationships, especially with Him!

Let's all get back to reality, back to logic, and get out of all the grey areas of mysticism, religion, and doctrinal arguing. Let's hear it for reality and truth!

love (again)

Any other goal in life will screw you up. Your main goal in life needs to be love, relationships with god and with people. There is a reason why Jesus said that the most important things we can do are to love god and to love others. It's because if you have any other goal, as your primary goal in life, you will get outa whack, as a human being.

Love is the answer.

The world is so screwed up because people are pursuing all sorts of things besides love. And if anything else comes before it, then you will most likely cease to love when you are presented with the choice between the two.

Love must be your primary goal in life. A relationship with God, and relationships with other people.

Spirituality, personal growth, money, sex, pleasure, music, knowledge, security, you name it... all good things, but none of it is as important as loving relationships.

I know I harp on love a lot, but it's that important. It really is! One only need to take a very short look at the world to see the effects of not loving!

the world?

Let's talk about this notion of "the world", as used in Christian conversation. Why? Because the notion has been religiousized into a misunderstanding.

When I mention "the world" in that context, I sometimes get responses like this. "Why would you want to leave the world? There's so much beauty and good here." This shows me that they misunderstand the concept.

When we speak of "the world", we are speaking of a system, set up and run by people who do not love. We are speaking about a "world" that uses people and sees them as objects to use to achieve their ends. We are talking about a "world" that sees people as objects, or ways, to make money, instead of seeing people to love. A world that looks at you as a person, and instead of thinking how I can love you and bless you, thinks how I can use you for my advantage. How can I use you to benefit me?

This, by the way, is called lust. Here is another term that has been so religiousized that people don't know whaat it really means. Most people think it is talking about sex. Lust has nothing to do with sex. Lust is simply this--the desire to benefit myself at your expense. Whether it be financially, spiritually, by making you the butt of my jokes in public, whatever... lust is all about me using you to benefit myself. Which is the exact opposite of love, which will always benefit you at my expense. Love says that I will do what is best for you no matter how it affects me. So, lust can be applied to sex, but it is not a sexual term. And when we talk about the "world", we are talking about a world that runs primarily on lust, and not love. In any and every arena.

We are talking about a world that fosters irresponsibility and enslaves you while it's at it. A world that says, "you need to be taken care of, and we will do that for you. Because you are unable to think for yourself, to take responsibility for yourself, to help yourself, to show initiative, to love your neighbor as yourself, to stand up for yourself, to fight for yourself, to risk, to fail and take responsibility for those failures, to meet your own needs and the needs of your community... therefore we must do it all for you. Oh, and by the way, you are now our slave, and must abide by our extensive list of rules. Because you are not fit to be free."

A "world" that advocates subduing peoples and their cultures in the name of "conversion". A world that preaches about the "love of God" while conquering, enslaving, and controlling you, taking away your homeland by force. A world that takes the most beautiful thing in all of creation, the Father's (God's) love, and uses it in word to justify conquering you, justify enslaving you, justify taking you away from your home and land, justify taking your land and home away from you, pushing you aside so that it can take everything that it wants for it's own selfish gain. All in the name of "God". A world that preaches God but denies him in their every action. For if they really knew him, they would be loving people. Benefitting them at their own expense. Maybe our country won't get any richer, and maybe our borders will not expand, but HEY! We'll be loving people! AND THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT! LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EXPANDING OUR BORDERS. LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN US GETTING RICHER. LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING. GOD WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU PERIOD. HE CANNOT DO OTHERWISE. And those who preach him will do the same, or will at least be trying.

This "world" is the exact opposite of the "kingdom of God", in which He loves you, sets you free, and encourages responsibility. Here we encounter yet another term that has been religiousized to almost death. The kingdom of God. People think of "the kingdom of God" as an archaic term for some religious people's destination when they die and go to sing and play harps on some cloud somewhere. No. The "kingdom of God" is simply THE OPPOSITE SYSTEM of what is happening so much right now in the world. It is not a place, it is a different reality. Whether there is really a place called heaven, that's another discussion. I think there is, but I don't think we're going to live there when we die. I think we are going to live here, on planet earth, but with a different "kingdom", a different reality in place. One in which love is the primary, motivating factor of everybody and everything. There will still be risk, and danger, and flowers, and trees, and birds, and all the things that make life worth living, there just won't be any more lust, and me using you for my gain, and slavery, and irresponsibility, etc. etc. All the things that make life crappy. Risk, and danger, and even pain, are not the things that are wrong with the world. These are natural elements of living. It's me using you, and pimps using women for their own selfish gain, and people using other people to make money, and people seeing other people as merely objects to use for their advantage, and people enslaving other people because they do not love them, but wish only to use them to enrich themselves, and systems that lull you to sleep by promising to take care of you all the while encouraging and fostering irresponsibility in you so that they can enslave you and control you... But there is most certainly a different reality, a different way of running things, a different way of living, that has been termed, in the past, "the kingdom of God," that may be better termed, to take it out of religiousization, God's reality. And in this reality, love is the only "rule", if you can even call it that. And what is at the heart of love? Love says that I will always benefit you at my expense. Love sees you as an invaluable being. One who is so invaluable, that I will subject all of my circumstances to your value. If I cannot have something, because you stand in my way, then I will not have it! Love always does what is right for the other person. Love wants to see you grow, and flourish, and be all that you can be. Because love always sets you free. Love never ever ever quits on you. Ever.

Therefore, there would be no slavery, no manipulation, no deception, no using people, no people controlling other people. Everyone is free. Everyone is free and living in love. Everyone is responsible for themselves, therefore there is no need for laws to follow. There are not a bunch of rules and regulations to follow because when you are loving, they are unnecessary, since love fulfills the law. Every single rule, or law, has at it's heart, the primary purpose of bringing about love, causing people to return to love. (Note-obviously not all laws do this--I mean what is the base intent that laws were meant for in the first place.) The concept of laws is only for the purpose of love. And laws only EVER came about because people ceased to love, and therefore had to be reminded.

And people say there's no such thing as sin. Or a "kingdom of God." People are retarded.

IT'S NOT A RELIGION. IT'S A REALITY THAT NEEDS TO BE EMBRACED BEFORE WE ALL SUFFOCATE FROM EVIL. AND IT'S ABOUT LOVE, SO STOP BEING AFRAID OF IT, OR HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOD IS LOVE! Contrary to and regardless of EVERYTHING you have ever heard to the contrary. He is love. I know because I know him. I didn't learn it out of a book, I didn't go to seminary where they taught it to me. I know because I've met him, and everything he's ever done to me, for me, with me, told me, has WITHOUT FAIL BEEN LOVING, AND GOOD, AND KIND, FOR MY BENEFIT, AND TO SET ME FREE. I CAN CHRONICLE THE ENTIRE THING FOR YOU, IF YOU WISH.

I digress. The "world" sucks. I don't like it. I do want to escape from it. Don't you??

it's all about love

Life is about love. I know we've all heard that before, and it's a little trite to say it, but it's true. It really is all about love. The meaning of life and the purpose of being alive is love.

God himself is a sucker for love. Just like we are. Everyone is a sucker for love. Everyone likes to be loved and responds well to being loved. This includes Him. He has made us in his image, and we were born to be loved. So was he. This is why he created us, so that he would have someone to love and someone to be loved by. It's not about a religion. It is about love. It is about having a relationship with Him so that there can be love. So that he can love you and you can love Him. And when you are loved by his perfect, never failing love, you will want to love others the same way. This is the way it is supposed to be.

The entire purpose of christianity, at it's core, boils down to love. He loves you, you in return love him, and all that love transfers outward to other people. This is what all of the teaching and ministry and everything boils down to. Relationships so that we can love.

Everything that God does is out of his love. He cannot do otherwise, because He IS love. So everything that he does is out of his love. And if anything is not done in love, then it is not of God.

God Knowing you and you Knowing God. This is what life is about.

freedom

Freedom. Who wants it? Most people will tell you that they do. But most people do not pursue it by their lifestyle. Most people pursue security. And the two are like oil and water. They don't mix.

If you will be free, this means that you will be responsible for yourself, and therefore not under the control of anyone else. This opens you up to all kinds of risk, and danger.

If you will be secure, you will be, of necessity, under the control of the one, or the entity, who provides you with that security. This is the only way they can guarantee your security. If you will not subject yourself to them and their rules, then they will not provide you with security, you will become free, and then you will face risk and danger.

This is why a lot of people do not really want freedom. Because it is too scary. There are no guarantees, there is no security, and it could all be lost at any time. But you will be free!

And now, for all those who know of my belief in God, and are thinking what a hypocrite I am, I present the following.

You have the wrong idea about him. Gotten from other sources who have the wrong ideas about him.

When you get to know Him, you find out that He is love. His main purpose and goal is to love you. And love always sets you free. Therefore when you are loved by God you will be set absolutely free.

See, God's primary purpose in your life is to love you. To be your friend. This is why he created human beings. For love. And love will always set you free. This is what love does.

The purpose of life is relationship. The purpose of life is love. Pursue to Know the one who is love, and pursue to love people. Security is the wrong goal!

more notes on love

I am now going to address the concept of having God use you.

This is something you hear people say in churches a lot, "I wish God would use me."

It is ok to want to work with God to bring about his veiw of things and his reality to your world. This is a good and fine desire.

However, God is ultimately more concerned with you, and loving you, than he is with using you. I believe this is why he does not answer many people's prayers to "Use me."

If he were to use you, this would indicate that he was more concerned with getting his purposes accomplished than he was with you. And this is simply not true. God is more concerned with you, and loving you, than he is with getting his purposes accomplished. I believe that there are millions of people who are not yet secure enough in his love to be used by him.

And beside that, the concept of using another person to accomplish your own goals is a sinful concept, something God will not do.

Think about it in human relationships. We know that when we use somebody else to accomplish our purpose, it is evil. When other people become tools for me to get what I want done, it is wrong. When I use, manipulate, or coerce others to get what I want, it is sin.

Love always, inerrantly, sets free. This is a characteristic, a part, of love. God is love. God will always, inerrantly, set you free. This is who he is.

God does not want slaves. God is highly against slavery. It is evil to him, and He will not ever enslave anyone.

Here is the point. God is more concerned with you than he is with getting his circumstances the way he wants them. Because he is love, and he cannot be otherwise. He is willing to risk not having his circumstances how he would prefer them to be in order to love you, because he values you more than having his circumstances how he wants them. This is God's primary goal, love. Because that's who he is. He can't do otherwise.

God will not use you. God will love you, and when you are set absolutely 100% free by his astonishing, pure love, you will set the world on fire, for God. And THAT is what people mistakenly refer to as "being used by God"!

PURSUE LOVE. WITH GOD. DO NOT PURSUE TO BECOME SPIRITUAL. DO NOT TRY TO BECOME GOOD. PURSUE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

Relationship is the meaning of life! Love is the meaning of life.

A little reality can't hurt

The main purpose of life is love. Relationships with people. This includes our Father, the creator. People should be using their circumstances to better know God and to know people. The opposite, what much of the world does, is use people (including God) to better their circumstances.

This is backwards. You must subject your circumstances to your relationships, and not the other way around. People, loving people, God included, is more important than having what we want. We must be willing to suffer, to do without, to live in what is less than our ideal for the sake of relationships. Relationships come first.

wanting good circumstances is fine. Wanting what you want is fine. Pursuing what you want is fine. Until you have to use somebody else to get it. AT THAT POINT, it becomes sin. Up to that point, it is simply being human. Which is fine.

Love will always benefit you at my expense. I will do without what I want if I have to use you, manipulate you, or hurt you to get it. Because YOU are more important than me getting what I want.

The goal of life is RELATIONSHIPS. This is why we were created. This is what we will be doing for eternity. Subject your circumstances to your relationships, that you might not miss out on the main purpose of being alive!

the purpose of life

The purpose of life is relationship. Love is the purpose of life.

Do not seek to be righteous, don't try to be spiritual, don't try to become anything. Try to love!

some more notes on freedom

People go on and on about freedom, and how it is their right to do whatever they want, and if you don't agree then you are infringing on their freedom.

These people are correct! The problem is, that freedom must be tempered by love, which says that "I will benefit you at my own expense."

When freedom is not tempered by love, it will hurt someone.

word #2

Some notes on freedom.

People have life confused. They think that the highest goal of life is security. This is not true. The highest goal of life is love. And love always sets you free. God is love, and God always sets you free. Because that's who he is. He cannot do otherwise.

With freedom, though, comes risk. And danger. Set someone free and you introduce them to risk, danger, and possible failure. This is the risk God is willing to take, because He loves you so much.

Therefore, security is the wrong goal to pursue in life. If you want guaranteed security, there is always a price to pay. And that price is your freedom.

PURSUE LOVE!

word #1

God does not want you afraid of him. You cannot be friends with anyone that you are afraid of. And since God is love, which means that he wants to be friends with you, how can you possibly remain afraid of him? You cannot!