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Post by guest on Mar 22, 2010 0:33:47 GMT -5
hi. i dont really know where to start, but what happens when we love God but just end there. i want to know him more but just dont seem to spend time with him. i want to but just push it away. i llove god and all but just seem to let my sin get the most of me. your message today was awesome and so convicting at the same time. i am just stuck because i want to know him and desire to do it more and more but just give up at a certain point. i don't want to do that anymore. what can i do?
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Post by Mike Miller on Mar 22, 2010 10:57:31 GMT -5
Well, first what do you mean by saying that you love God? Jesus said that if we love Him we will obey Him (John 14:23-24). That doesn't mean that love and obedience are the same thing. Obedience is the result of our love. For example, while my wife likes for me to tell her that I love her, she won't believe me if I don't show her. If I never spend time with her, she will question my love. I spend time with her, however, because I do love her and want to be with her.
Now, that might look like I'm questioning your love for God. I'm not. I just want to make sure we start with a biblical understanding. The very fact that you desire to spend time with God--and that you are convicted about not spending enough time with Him--is a clear indication that He is working in your life.
I don't know if you read the thread on this discussion board titled "stuck in a rut" from a couple of days ago, but I would recommend checking it out. You see, the thing is that we have a tendency to rely on ourselves too much. It's not that we aren't repsonsible for our spiritual lives, but we have to realize that our spiritual progression and vitality are the results of our relationship with God--not the means to that relationship. If we try and try to love God more by doing more good works, we are actually moving further away from God because we are trusting ourselves and our effort instead of God and His grace.
My advice is to begin right where you are. Start by crying out to God to give you holy desires. Cnfess to Him the reality of your situation. Ask Him to give you a hatred for sin and the will to turn from it. Ask Him to give you a desire for His word that is stronger than any other desire you have. When He does that, you will not just want to spend time with Him; you will spend time with Him. And at the same time, read the Bible. Pray. Keep doing the things you should be doing. Not because the works in themselves will fix your relationship with God, but because they are the right things to do. Sometimes it just takes self-discipline. But your relationship with God is a heart issue--not a works issue. When the heart gets right, the good works (for the right reasons) follow.
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Post by Mike Miller on Mar 22, 2010 11:06:12 GMT -5
I just ran across these awesome words from the 18th century hymn, "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy" by Joseph Hart (originally titled, "Come, All Ye Chosen Saints of God"). I think the words speak not only to the lost, but to the saved as well.
Lo! th'incarnate God, ascended, Pleads the merit of his blood; Venture on him, venture wholly, Let no other trust intrude: None but Jesus, None but Jesus, None but Jesus Can do helpless sinners good.
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