Thank you sir your articles are a breath of fresh air,I am a disciple of Jesus Christ husband,father,medical doctor and lay pastor as I write this comment I am on a much needed break it’s 05h00 “I get to” spend time with my King.When God’s Spirit “quickens” a man(Rom8)nobody needs to fire him up or discipline him,I think our problem is one of false regeneration,(don’t have an answer as to why that happens though)when my wife and I got saved 21 years ago we lost alot of family,friends and patients(small town)but He is worth it over and over again,”to whom shall we go Lord You have the words of eternal life”(Jn6)
And yet... Do we "have to" love one another, or do we "want to?" Or do we "have to want to...?" There are a lot of Imperatives through the New Testament. 1 Jn 5:1,2 - The way you show that you love God is by keeping (doing) His commandments. Again, imperative...
The imparatives are either/or statements. You either "do," or "do not." And there are days where the wanting to do is a big struggle.
I HAVE to pray for those in authority. And right now, I would prefer not to. The choice I make will reflect on my role as imitator of God...
Good thoughts. Growing into a maturity that says “want to” is a goal that takes our effort and an almost immeasurable amount of patience and love from our faithful creator (Isaiah 6:8). That whole “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” sort of battle.
I grew up as a PK with many rules about what we could or could not do. I like your article because it brings our perspective to the things we get to do...not living a life full of chores...I have to do XYZ. I've often said being a Christian should be not something we do, rather it should be who we are. And, because of our new identity in Christ, we get to do what the Holy Spirit moves us to do.
Thank you for the reminder.
Thank you sir your articles are a breath of fresh air,I am a disciple of Jesus Christ husband,father,medical doctor and lay pastor as I write this comment I am on a much needed break it’s 05h00 “I get to” spend time with my King.When God’s Spirit “quickens” a man(Rom8)nobody needs to fire him up or discipline him,I think our problem is one of false regeneration,(don’t have an answer as to why that happens though)when my wife and I got saved 21 years ago we lost alot of family,friends and patients(small town)but He is worth it over and over again,”to whom shall we go Lord You have the words of eternal life”(Jn6)
And yet... Do we "have to" love one another, or do we "want to?" Or do we "have to want to...?" There are a lot of Imperatives through the New Testament. 1 Jn 5:1,2 - The way you show that you love God is by keeping (doing) His commandments. Again, imperative...
The imparatives are either/or statements. You either "do," or "do not." And there are days where the wanting to do is a big struggle.
I HAVE to pray for those in authority. And right now, I would prefer not to. The choice I make will reflect on my role as imitator of God...
Good thoughts. Growing into a maturity that says “want to” is a goal that takes our effort and an almost immeasurable amount of patience and love from our faithful creator (Isaiah 6:8). That whole “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” sort of battle.
Absolutely. One of the most encouraging parts of His plan is the promise to change our desires.
I grew up as a PK with many rules about what we could or could not do. I like your article because it brings our perspective to the things we get to do...not living a life full of chores...I have to do XYZ. I've often said being a Christian should be not something we do, rather it should be who we are. And, because of our new identity in Christ, we get to do what the Holy Spirit moves us to do.