>John Smithson wrote:
>>Do you not remember just how pro-David
>>Miller I once was? I Defended you and took
>>a great deal of abuse for that defense.
>
>Of course I remember how the Lord used you to defend me in a very similar
>misunderstanding involving other people. However, if you were doing this
>because you were "pro-David Miller," that would have been an inappropriate
>motive. Perhaps this is why we are where we are today. God does not want
>you or anyone else being "pro-David Miller." Our eyes need to be on the
>Lord only. We are but clay vessels that are used from time to time for
the
>Master's purpose. You know these things already.
Hey All.
I think this concept needs to be addressed. This thinking, if taken too
far leaves people cold.
There are many scriptures that come to my mind about loving your neighbor
that I know you are all familiar with.
If you say, I do it for the love of God and not the love of the person, then
your position become cold and inpersonable.
The gospel is a doctrine that talks about loving God, who says we must love
one another.
This means one another and not just embrasing a concept of love.
Jesus spoke of love as something we do
towards other people and not just Him. If someone defends me because of me
and not because of the Lord, than that can be considered an act of love.
The love we receive from above
extends towards people. If I defend David or G or anyone else on this
forum, it is done because of my genuine concern for the person and not just
an act of mercy done through the letter of some teaching. Are born again
believer's born from above? Do we now possess the Spirit of God within us
to love another not out of duty, but out of our recreated spirits? This is
where we draw our love from.
The attitude of "do it for the Lord" only is a bad philosophy that leaves
people
cold. If you are defended by someone because they care about you, that
shows love. It is an act out of our newly recreated spirit. It is a
response from what God has done in our lives.
Paul states:
1Th 2:20 For ye are our glory and joy.
YE, being the Thessalonians.
I doubt if Paul would have said this if he truly didn't feel this way
towards the people and not just "the teaching" about love. Sometimes our
thinking becomes clouded in spiritual concepts and we lose touch with the
practice of doing things fearing our motives are wrong. I am not saying
that we should not judge ourselves in this respect, but we should not be
cold to one another and say, "I love you in the Lord" without having some
actual genuine concern for the person. This is hypocritical.
Pete
Hello Pete. Your post above is a much better response to David's comments than whatever it was that I came up with. Thanks for puting things in perspective. I am reminded of a woman in one of our churches who spent hours writing and, then, sharing love songs with the congregation. They were beaurtiful. Over a period of time, she and her husband divorced. The songs were of and to Jesus. I have often wondered if there would have been any difference in her marriage had she spent equal time demonstrating her love for her husband.
John
Thanks again.
