How do you know if you really Love God?

[Stan]

Well??

[archierieus]

Interesting question. Is 'love' an emotion, a 'principle' (whatever that is) does it involve behaviors, thought patterns, is it quantifiable, or is it subjective?

Dave

[Ted Oplinger]

But Dave, the standard SDA answer should come right out of John 15: "If you love Me, keep My commandments"

HOWEVER....I think we're looking for more than a pat SS answer here!

[archierieus]

Yeah, I know, Ted, I thought of that one too, but then again I know some people who are long on keeping the commandments, but have tempers like bear traps. I also thought of what Jesus taught about His followers being known by their love for one another. And, then again, His prayer, 'that they may be one . . .'

If you apply those principles to how people interact on this forum, whaddya come up with? Love? One accord? Keeping God's commandments? Then again, I can't help wondering, just what does ol' Stan have in mind?

Dave

[Parade Orange]

Stan!

That is a worthy question!

I dont love God with all my heart.

I dont love God with all my soul.

I dont love God with all my strength.

I dont love God with all my mind.

I have broken the first 4 commandments! repeatedly

[Clio]

When you can weep for His pain and long to assuage it. And plead with Him to strike you down lest you cause Him more pain.

[Nicodema]

Interesting response, Clio. I find I'm too often consumed by my own pain to so much as notice that of others, let alone God's. On the other hand, if memory serves me correctly, I have had times where I've prayed that very thing in your second statement, or something similar.

[Clio]

[Nicodema]

?

[Pockey]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />

Clio said:

And plead with Him to strike you down lest you cause Him more pain.

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

Why would you want Him to strike you down?

[Nicodema]

There was a prayer I used to pray when I was possessed by demons: "Come Thou, Most High, and slay me by the brightness of Thy coming!"

I guess it would only make sense to someone who's been there. It was the noblest thing I could think of given the circumstances.

And sometimes ... still is.

[Pockey]

Ok, I understand if you were possessed. But, how is this noble?

[Norman Byers, N.D.]

Hi Stan,

To love God is to know Him, we've read and heard that and it is true. But, the way we "know" that we love Him is two fold. One is to keep the Sabbath, it identifies Him as the only true God and says that we will have Him as our loving God and two; our desire to help others will spring to life when a need comes up. 1 John 4:20 "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" KJV

1John 4:20 "If we say we love God, but hate others, we are liars. For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen." GNB

Norman

[Norman Byers, N.D.]

Hi Sid,

think of it this way.

Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Norman

[Nicodema]

Quote:

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Sid said:

Ok, I understand if you were possessed. But, how is this noble?

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"Greater love hath no man than this, than to lay down His life for His friends."

And, i would daresay, His enemies too.

To prefer one's own demise above the possibility of harming another soul, friend (accidentally) or foe (deliberately) to me seems noble.

[Pockey]

Hi Nico, I love that verse, but the context seems different from what you and Clio are saying. Hi Clio, you said: "When you can weep for His pain and long to assuage it. And plead with Him to strike you down lest you cause Him more pain."

Is it love to say to someone, "slay me lest I cause you more pain?" I'm not so sure. It sounds romantic in a tragic way, but it's sort of twisted in my opinion.

How so? Because God obviously loves you A LOT and no way wants to slay you. When you tell Him, "I love you so much, I want you to slay me lest I hurt you anymore" it puts Him in a bind. He doesn't want to slay you, but then if you do hurt him (by sin), it takes the blame/guilt off of you because you're saying you want Him to slay you before you sin or hurt Him. So in a sense you're making Him responsible for you.

[Nicodema]

Sid, I have never used that as an way to "take the blame or guilt off of" me. It is not the sort of expression that is offered up when one has it in the heart to escape responsibility. It is rather the kind of imprecation wrung from the heart when one sees one's vileness (sinfulness) and feels "undone". Job said, "Behold I am vile, I will say no more". Isaiah cried, "Woe is me, I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips!" Both expressed essentially the same feeling of the heart, even if not in the same words.

Listen, when I share these things, I'm not doing so as representative of any sort of theological position or postulate. These are heart things. I'm not trying to convince you of anything here, OK? Does that help?

[Pockey]

You're up late <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Well, I wasn't sure what your statement meant (and I'm still trying to figure it out). My opinion was more so directed towards Clio's statement. Regardless, I understand the expressive nature of what you guys are saying. But words are words, and it bothers me, so I'm trying to figure out what you guys are saying and offer my own thoughts. Just trying to help.

[gina i]

Hmm.. That's an interesting question. It can be answered in so many ways.

If I didn't believe in God, I wouldn't love him. I believe in Him & all that he does, so I love him. I might not do everything according to his will, but I know in my heart & God knows in my heart that I love him.

[Nicodema]

Sid, I usually am ... (up late that is)

I understand -- I just felt concerned that maybe you were making more of it than it is, was all.

The fact that you seek to understand people for who they really are and what they really mean, is something I very much value in you.

happy sabbath!

n

[Pockey]

Thank-you Nico. That was a very sweet thing to say.

Happy Sabbath too!!!

[archierieus]

Quote:

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gina i said:

If I didn't believe in God, I wouldn't love him. I believe in Him & all that he does, so I love him. I might not do everything according to his will, but I know in my heart & God knows in my heart that I love him.

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That raises an interesting question, for me. If I truly love God, then won't I choose to do things according to His will?

Dave

[gina i]

Quote:

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archierieus said:

Quote:

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gina i said:

If I didn't believe in God, I wouldn't love him. I believe in Him & all that he does, so I love him. I might not do everything according to his will, but I know in my heart & God knows in my heart that I love him.

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That raises an interesting question, for me. If I truly love God, then won't I choose to do things according to His will?

Dave

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Maybe I should have worded it differently? None of us are perfect, we are all sinners. God loves us, we love Him. It seems pretty simple to me..

[Stan]

Here is the SELF TEST, not to be applied to others but to ourselves.

1 John 2:3 — And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

[archierieus]

Quote:

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Stan Jensen said:

Here is the SELF TEST, not to be applied to others but to ourselves.

1 John 2:3 — And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

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Exactly. If we truly love Jesus, we will want to, and be willing to obey Him. Most, if not all of us perhaps have divided hearts. We DO love God, but we also love our own way. We are being drawn, inexorably, to a decision, as to which direction we finally will go--"no man can serve two masters." Those who go the direction of Jesus and heaven, who finally decide to serve him with the whole heart, will be sealed as wholly belonging to God.

Dave