> 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 ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
