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Thoughts for a Woman's Heart |
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encouragement in things that matter |
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From Duty to Passion
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As a young believer, Christianity became for me a way of life that was carefully detailed but rarely allowed for critical thought or for thought conflicting with the mainstream. God was neatly boxed and labeled and set on a very high shelf – out of reach and unapproachable. That suited His high and holy demeanor, but it left human pursuit empty and unfulfilled, even when the outward performance of duty was commendable. It was that emptiness that gnawed at my spirit until it began to ask questions and look for answers. God is holy and majestic, powerful, sovereign, and awesome beyond description. He is to be worshiped as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, literally holding the world in His hands, and though unseen and often unacknowledged, still etching His will in the hearts and events of men. But, He is also love. Love was something I knew about, or at least I knew that I wanted it. My attempts for satisfaction though went in all the wrong directions, and they left God out. Sometimes the results were disastrous. I wanted God to love me, and I wasn’t sure that He did, but I never thought to pursue love by moving in His direction.
Often our response to God is colored by what dominates our perspective – His holiness or His love. Even Christians fearfully cringe at their every failure, and their spirits are crippled, weighed down with thoughts of God’s disappointment in them and His impending oppressiveness or punishment in their lives. Sometimes the paralyzing event isn’t even one we are responsible for. Guilt has been known to haunt those involved in tragic accidents or those victimized by the sins of others. That guilt then holds God at a distance, and fears His judgment. Others respond to God almost flippantly, giving into the whims of a sensual or pleasure-driven lifestyle. "Smile; God loves you" becomes the permissive bandaid to cover selfishness and self-indulgence. There is an attitude that flaunts the grace and love of God, wrongly assuming that chosen sin is no longer an issue. Forgotten is the fact that God did not set aside His holiness at the cross; rather, His holiness was satisfied by the greatest love-gift imaginable within His infinite wisdom.
The culminating joy of recognizing and accepting both God’s holiness and love is a consuming passion that energizes my spirit, my will, and my emotions. Passion responds to God’s love with a desire for holiness in behavior, attitudes, relationships, and desires. It relates first to God and then to others. Passion replaces duty. It is kindled within my heart with the incredible knowledge that the holiness and love of God met at the cross. Passion flames as I respond to God’s work in my life. It burns truth into my heart, and ignites the fires of compulsion that want to love and to be holy – just as God is. Passion becomes God’s heart poured out through me.
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— Bev |
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