Comments on: Day Four http://ben.lobaugh.net/blog/75/day-four /(bb|[^b]{2})/ Mon, 14 May 2012 11:49:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Mom http://ben.lobaugh.net/blog/75/day-four/comment-page-1#comment-190 Mom Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:56:16 +0000 http://ben.lobaugh.net/blog/?p=75#comment-190 Whoa! Good thing I had a cup of coffee when I sat down to read this. ;) Good stuff, son! Whoa! Good thing I had a cup of coffee when I sat down to read this. ;)

Good stuff, son!

]]> By: Kevin http://ben.lobaugh.net/blog/75/day-four/comment-page-1#comment-180 Kevin Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:09:18 +0000 http://ben.lobaugh.net/blog/?p=75#comment-180 Hey Ben! Great ideas once again. I'm a little freaked out by your statement: "Instead of being restricted all over the place I am now free to love God and worship him however I feel." That's a little bit scary. While you are free, Christ doesn't want you to "worship him however you feel." He wants you to worship him in love. And He clearly explains how to do that. You won't be disinherited for falling short of that, of course, but I think that believing that "anything goes as long as I feel like I'm worshiping God" is a dangerous attitude. I really enjoyed your paragraph in which you used the marriage analogy. I think you are spot-on. The law reveals to us the Heart of God...that means that it is not and cannot be a burden. The only thing that I would add is that the Law is one of God's ways of communicating His Heart to us. If two people got married and the husband never explained what he loved, the wife would never learn to love what her husband loved (and vice versa). Or if the husband did explain what he loved but the wife never did it (knowing that her husband would love her anyway), she would never be able to grow in her relationship with him to the point that she would naturally do what he desired. She must practice it, even when she may not understand. Just as we must practice the law, even when we do not understand, because we are practicing the Heart of Christ. If we practice it even in our lack of understanding, it will eventually help us grow in our relationship to the point that we keep the Law out of our nature. It's not a burden, it is beautiful! It allows us to do what Christ loves, even when we don't "feel it." And I love that, because I know that I am fickle and often do not feel what Christ would like me to feel, but I know that I can trust the Law to be Christ's will for me. It's not something I do because I am afraid of damnation, but because it is what Christ wants! Thank God, until we reach the point where we can actually practice the Heart of Christ as part of our nature, we can "put on Christ (v 27)" and His righteousness and be saved through our faith in Him. Hey Ben! Great ideas once again.

I’m a little freaked out by your statement: “Instead of being restricted all over the place I am now free to love God and worship him however I feel.” That’s a little bit scary. While you are free, Christ doesn’t want you to “worship him however you feel.” He wants you to worship him in love. And He clearly explains how to do that. You won’t be disinherited for falling short of that, of course, but I think that believing that “anything goes as long as I feel like I’m worshiping God” is a dangerous attitude.

I really enjoyed your paragraph in which you used the marriage analogy. I think you are spot-on. The law reveals to us the Heart of God…that means that it is not and cannot be a burden. The only thing that I would add is that the Law is one of God’s ways of communicating His Heart to us. If two people got married and the husband never explained what he loved, the wife would never learn to love what her husband loved (and vice versa). Or if the husband did explain what he loved but the wife never did it (knowing that her husband would love her anyway), she would never be able to grow in her relationship with him to the point that she would naturally do what he desired. She must practice it, even when she may not understand. Just as we must practice the law, even when we do not understand, because we are practicing the Heart of Christ. If we practice it even in our lack of understanding, it will eventually help us grow in our relationship to the point that we keep the Law out of our nature. It’s not a burden, it is beautiful! It allows us to do what Christ loves, even when we don’t “feel it.” And I love that, because I know that I am fickle and often do not feel what Christ would like me to feel, but I know that I can trust the Law to be Christ’s will for me. It’s not something I do because I am afraid of damnation, but because it is what Christ wants!

Thank God, until we reach the point where we can actually practice the Heart of Christ as part of our nature, we can “put on Christ (v 27)” and His righteousness and be saved through our faith in Him.

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