Posts
Now that we’ve understood who/what God is (love), what the essence of love is (give), what sin is (the opposite of love which is selfishness), how man was created (in the image of God = love) and how he managed to become what he is today, we can advance in our journey. For those of you who are not clear about the above concepts, you can review the older posts; especially the one entitled: “Stop trying to be happy”.
In the post entitled: “Decoding the Past, Understanding the Present, the Future…?” we were asked this question: What did Jesus do after He was rejected? He kept being what He came to be: love, a revealer of the Father. Even if this cost His life and so, so much suffering. He took over Himself the consequence of my choice to be selfish (sin). He died. The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6,23) and he paid this price in our place. This is love! This is how God is! Doing whatever it takes to give us another chance to a wonderful life even if a lot of the human beings will mock this second chance too. But He rose from the dead because there was no selfishness in Him but only love; the death did not have power over Him. How much are we willing to sacrifice for somebody who did something bad? How much are we willing to sacrifice for somebody who did something wrong to us?
After Jesus was raised, He went back to the Father but before this, he entrusted His followers with continuing His mission on earth: to show the world how God is (love) and to help the human beings to return to their perfect state in which they were created: love. And don't forget that when we speak about love we are not speaking about the feelings but the true definition of love (for clarification see the posts entitled: "Love - the simplest but also the most rejected definition" and "L___? What is it?").
What is the purpose of the followers of Christ? To show the world what love is (God) and to help those who are willing, to become like Him again (love). This is the mission of Christianity. Anything shorter than this is not Christianity. In fact, it’s worse than being against Christianity.
I hope the question you have in your mind at this point is: How can we be like God again? How can we love again? We will answer to this question from this point on!
So come back for our next post!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Essence of Love
What is the essence of love? How does it manifest itself in all the circumstances? In John 3:16 we can find out the answer: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The essence of love is giving! Not some or most of it but everything. God gave His Son and in His Son He gave Himself for us! Don’t ask me to explain to you how this was possible because I don’t know to how to explain it. I don’t know also to explain how that God the Father was in His Son but I can show you what the Bible says: “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5,18-19. He was in Jesus Christ not just with Him.
This is what love is about: giving for the benefit of the others expecting nothing in return, as a personal gain! Living for others! I am not the center but the others. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” This is love, this is what God is! Love is about sharing, making others happy, trying to make others succeed. If my success can help them better then I’ll strive for it but if my suffering can make them better then so be it. God, the Bible and Christianity are about anything else but me. It is about giving all, living for the benefit of others! This is love! This is the essence of love. This is how God is! That’s why the Christianity it’s so wonderful!
This is what love is about: giving for the benefit of the others expecting nothing in return, as a personal gain! Living for others! I am not the center but the others. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” This is love, this is what God is! Love is about sharing, making others happy, trying to make others succeed. If my success can help them better then I’ll strive for it but if my suffering can make them better then so be it. God, the Bible and Christianity are about anything else but me. It is about giving all, living for the benefit of others! This is love! This is the essence of love. This is how God is! That’s why the Christianity it’s so wonderful!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Decoding Our Past, Undestanding the Present, the Future...?
Even after men chose a self-centered life/sin, God did not stop loving him. Just as the effect of love is life and happiness, the effect of choosing a self-centered life is death: “The wages/consequence of sin is death”. How that he was not dead? Because Jesus chose to come and die in his/our place. Somehow He was able to pay the price for our mistakes, to take the fall for us. And in the virtue of God’s unselfish act, Adam was still able to breathe. This is the reason for which even people who rejects God are able to breathe, think, walk, eat even say/write things against Him, do things against Him, and hurt in a way or another other fellow beings. Why is He allowing them to do these things? Because He wants them so badly to enjoy love/Him so that He gives them new opportunities to turn to the original way of living.
God tried to use different people as teachers for the others, people which can tell them how wonderful He is. But most of the people didn’t listen. Then He chose Abraham and through him the ancient Jewish people but even they failed to fulfill this mission. Instead of concentrating upon God they concentrated upon the tools to be used in describing God. They forgot that God is love and they started to represent Him as a deity thirsty for blood, as a cold, unsympathetic judge. And their life became similar to their interpretations. All the other people were pagans, dogs, unworthy of their attention. God tried to bring them back using all kind of means but they were stubborn in their choice: we want a self-centered life and not one based on giving. Happiness comes from getting as much as possible, they said.
One day God Himself, in Jesus Christ, came to live on our planet. And not as a king or a ruler or a leader but in such a humble state! And why? For us! For you and me! To show us how wonderful God is, to show us what love is, to show us what we can become if we choose to. But He was rejected. Man didn’t want this kind of life! He didn’t want humbleness but greatness among the rulers of the earth; he didn’t want gentleness but revenge; he didn’t want to live for his neighbor but he wanted his neighbor to live for him. He rejected love and chose again selfishness/sin which brings death. He rejected happiness and chose misery.
What did Jesus do after all this?
God tried to use different people as teachers for the others, people which can tell them how wonderful He is. But most of the people didn’t listen. Then He chose Abraham and through him the ancient Jewish people but even they failed to fulfill this mission. Instead of concentrating upon God they concentrated upon the tools to be used in describing God. They forgot that God is love and they started to represent Him as a deity thirsty for blood, as a cold, unsympathetic judge. And their life became similar to their interpretations. All the other people were pagans, dogs, unworthy of their attention. God tried to bring them back using all kind of means but they were stubborn in their choice: we want a self-centered life and not one based on giving. Happiness comes from getting as much as possible, they said.
One day God Himself, in Jesus Christ, came to live on our planet. And not as a king or a ruler or a leader but in such a humble state! And why? For us! For you and me! To show us how wonderful God is, to show us what love is, to show us what we can become if we choose to. But He was rejected. Man didn’t want this kind of life! He didn’t want humbleness but greatness among the rulers of the earth; he didn’t want gentleness but revenge; he didn’t want to live for his neighbor but he wanted his neighbor to live for him. He rejected love and chose again selfishness/sin which brings death. He rejected happiness and chose misery.
What did Jesus do after all this?
Friday, February 12, 2010
STOP Trying to Be HAPPY
Somehow this choice changed them. Now they were not like God/love but like sin/selfishness. The image of God, the love, disappeared and its place was taken by sin/selfishness. Now man become interested in himself and started to see the others as means which he can use to benefit himself; this choice led to so many crimes. This also led to unhappiness. And he thought that the reason for being unhappy was that he was not receiving enough so he tried to get more: more possessions, more attention, more respect, more everything. But the more he had the unhappier he became. Until, in his searching for happiness in selfishness, he became so degraded (which leads to unhappiness) that God was forced to put an end to his miserable life through flood.
Isn’t it the same today? Are we not trying to get as much as we can and give as little as we can imagining that by getting we will find happiness? Are we not thinking the same today that love is something that has to do with what other people do/give to us and not with what we do/give to them? Don’t we see love as something that has to do more with what we feel and less with how the others are feeling? We almost forgot that the more we try to become happy, the unhappier we will become. We almost forgot the fact that happiness comes when we try to make other people happy and not when we try to make ourselves happy. “For God so much loved the world that He gave…” all. Happiness is an effect of love which manifest itself through living for others!
This is what God is trying to tell us through nature, history, day by day events, and people around us. This is what He is trying to teach us through the Bible: it’s about giving, living for others. This is what the Bible is all about: LOVE. This is what Christianity is all about: LOVE.
I truly understand those people who don’t want to hear about Christianity. I would have exactly the same attitude if I look at the history of Christianity (in general), at Christianity today (in general) and at those who call themselves Christians (in general). If my choice of becoming Christian was dependent on these aspects, I would have never become a Christian. But I was privileged of being able to know about the real God, the God of the Bible and not the God of men’s desires. I chose to study for myself about God and not to allow others to interpret Him for me. And I can tell you, He is wonderful! Being a Christian is the best life that we can live! I am happy, so happy when I love, when I chose to be like God! I encourage you to do the same: stop looking at people and look at God.
Stop trying to be happy! Instead start trying to make others happy!
Isn’t it the same today? Are we not trying to get as much as we can and give as little as we can imagining that by getting we will find happiness? Are we not thinking the same today that love is something that has to do with what other people do/give to us and not with what we do/give to them? Don’t we see love as something that has to do more with what we feel and less with how the others are feeling? We almost forgot that the more we try to become happy, the unhappier we will become. We almost forgot the fact that happiness comes when we try to make other people happy and not when we try to make ourselves happy. “For God so much loved the world that He gave…” all. Happiness is an effect of love which manifest itself through living for others!
This is what God is trying to tell us through nature, history, day by day events, and people around us. This is what He is trying to teach us through the Bible: it’s about giving, living for others. This is what the Bible is all about: LOVE. This is what Christianity is all about: LOVE.
I truly understand those people who don’t want to hear about Christianity. I would have exactly the same attitude if I look at the history of Christianity (in general), at Christianity today (in general) and at those who call themselves Christians (in general). If my choice of becoming Christian was dependent on these aspects, I would have never become a Christian. But I was privileged of being able to know about the real God, the God of the Bible and not the God of men’s desires. I chose to study for myself about God and not to allow others to interpret Him for me. And I can tell you, He is wonderful! Being a Christian is the best life that we can live! I am happy, so happy when I love, when I chose to be like God! I encourage you to do the same: stop looking at people and look at God.
Stop trying to be happy! Instead start trying to make others happy!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Love at ... home!
The purpose of our blog is to help all of us understand (better) what is Christianity. Using simple words. Clear ideas. I have one word that will describe, at least for me, the meaning of love: ANA, my dear wife! Blessed is the man who has such a gift!
Thank you so much Ana for allowing God to live through you! By this I was able to comprehend more what is God about which is Love! Thank you and ... happy anniversary!
Thank you so much Ana for allowing God to live through you! By this I was able to comprehend more what is God about which is Love! Thank you and ... happy anniversary!
Friday, February 5, 2010
How Honey Became Vinegar
If knowing about love is not enough if we want to live it, what can we do then? In order to be able to answer this question, let’s make a short journey through time.
Let’s start from the beginning: Genesis 1:26-27 says: 26 „Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” What a wonderful description of man! What a great past is revealed here! Not according to chimps or other creatures but according to “Our likeness”! God made man in His image; God used Himself as a model. Although we cannot say that we were God, we can say that we were like God. And we have seen that God is love. So we were love too! This means we were living for others and not for ourselves.
What happened then? How that we are here, in this self-centered society? If man was created like God which is love which it manifest itself by living for the benefit of others, then how that we are living in a way that is exactly the opposite of what the Bible describes as the beginning? The true story goes like this: one day the man, the one created like God, decided to stop living for others and start to live for himself. He decided to stop listening to God and start listen to his/her desires, feelings, appetites. One day he decided that he will try a self-centered life. And … here we are. This is what the Bible calls sin. How do I know that this is sin?
As we have seen, Jesus summarized the whole Bible, including the law of God, in just one word, one command: LOVE. We have seen also that love manifests itself by living for the benefit of others. In 1 John 3:4 we are told that “sin is the transgression of the law” or “sin is breaking of the law”. And as the law (as the whole Bible) it’s a description of love/God so sin is the opposite of love, breaking of love which is self-centeredness or selfishness. This is sin: living for me and not for the others.
Have you ever seen the law as the description of love? Have you ever seen the law of God as love described by words? How that today our understanding of the law of God is so different from the way it is in reality? What do you think/know about this?
Let’s start from the beginning: Genesis 1:26-27 says: 26 „Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” What a wonderful description of man! What a great past is revealed here! Not according to chimps or other creatures but according to “Our likeness”! God made man in His image; God used Himself as a model. Although we cannot say that we were God, we can say that we were like God. And we have seen that God is love. So we were love too! This means we were living for others and not for ourselves.
What happened then? How that we are here, in this self-centered society? If man was created like God which is love which it manifest itself by living for the benefit of others, then how that we are living in a way that is exactly the opposite of what the Bible describes as the beginning? The true story goes like this: one day the man, the one created like God, decided to stop living for others and start to live for himself. He decided to stop listening to God and start listen to his/her desires, feelings, appetites. One day he decided that he will try a self-centered life. And … here we are. This is what the Bible calls sin. How do I know that this is sin?
As we have seen, Jesus summarized the whole Bible, including the law of God, in just one word, one command: LOVE. We have seen also that love manifests itself by living for the benefit of others. In 1 John 3:4 we are told that “sin is the transgression of the law” or “sin is breaking of the law”. And as the law (as the whole Bible) it’s a description of love/God so sin is the opposite of love, breaking of love which is self-centeredness or selfishness. This is sin: living for me and not for the others.
Have you ever seen the law as the description of love? Have you ever seen the law of God as love described by words? How that today our understanding of the law of God is so different from the way it is in reality? What do you think/know about this?
Friday, January 29, 2010
Can Anything Be Sweeter than Honey?
So it is possible to find out how love is, how it looks like. By studying God we can know about love. Where can we find God then? First, in the Bible. As we have seen, the Bible is about God. This is the main purpose of the Bible: to teach us about God, to describe God, to show us how wonderful He is, to show us then how Love is. What does it mean to love? Whatever we see God doing in the Bible. How is love? However God is.
Is there any other source of the knowledge of God? The Bible is telling us that nature is also speaking to us about God (see Psalms 12; Romans 1,2) although not as clear as the Bible does. The history and especially the history of those people that had a close connection with God, is another source of knowledge. The things that are happening daily are another tool which God is using to tell us about Him. These are some of them, not all of them. But, as we have said from the beginning, the Bible is the judge, the final authority over all these means. The Bible has the final word.
Now, is it enough to know about love? Is it enough to know how love is? Is this knowledge going to make us experience love? Of course not! Knowing how to prepare a tasty food is not going to make the hunger disappear; will make it even stronger! So the next question is how can I enjoy love? Watch this: if we would replace the word love with God (because God is love) then the question will be: How can I enjoy/experience/taste God?
Sadly, for so many people, God is anything else but something to enjoy. At most He is somebody fair but distant, somebody so different from us, some kind of (just) judge who is deciding things for us; somebody that we cannot “touch”; somebody that we cannot call my best friend, my dearest father, my wonderful … anything. Somehow God today is seen so different from what He really is: LOVE; wonderful, somebody so pleasant that you would wish to be around Him forever.
How do you see God? What is God for you? Why don’t you share with us?
Is there any other source of the knowledge of God? The Bible is telling us that nature is also speaking to us about God (see Psalms 12; Romans 1,2) although not as clear as the Bible does. The history and especially the history of those people that had a close connection with God, is another source of knowledge. The things that are happening daily are another tool which God is using to tell us about Him. These are some of them, not all of them. But, as we have said from the beginning, the Bible is the judge, the final authority over all these means. The Bible has the final word.
Now, is it enough to know about love? Is it enough to know how love is? Is this knowledge going to make us experience love? Of course not! Knowing how to prepare a tasty food is not going to make the hunger disappear; will make it even stronger! So the next question is how can I enjoy love? Watch this: if we would replace the word love with God (because God is love) then the question will be: How can I enjoy/experience/taste God?
Sadly, for so many people, God is anything else but something to enjoy. At most He is somebody fair but distant, somebody so different from us, some kind of (just) judge who is deciding things for us; somebody that we cannot “touch”; somebody that we cannot call my best friend, my dearest father, my wonderful … anything. Somehow God today is seen so different from what He really is: LOVE; wonderful, somebody so pleasant that you would wish to be around Him forever.
How do you see God? What is God for you? Why don’t you share with us?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Love - the simplest but also the most rejected definition
So what is love? It is so different from what most of us think!
There are different definitions for love and I will not go into discussing all of them. I will just take the most predominant one. Love is feeling. It has to do with our senses and emotions. It’s something that feels good, so good! What is happening when those feelings disappear? The answer which is given: love disappeared. I need to look for it again. Instability, chance, fate, karma… So many of us have experienced those strong feelings which we called love and, after some time, they have grown dim and after more time, they may even have disappeared. Love, it is believed, is something that comes and goes, something that is beyond our control. What we can do is to enjoy it as long as we have it because sooner or later will vanish away. Is this love? No wonder so many are afraid to look for it although they cannot stop looking and hoping that one day, maybe… Maybe … what?
The answer is so, so simple. According to the Bible, “God is love”; if God is love then whatever God is then that is what love is! Does it sound like running in circle? It could if you believe that we cannot know God. But the great news is that we can know God. And if we can know God then we can know what love is. Knowing God is the only way of knowing about love. This is the beauty of Christianity and the Bible: they help us to see how wonderful God/love is. How can we enjoy it, how can we help others do it …
So the next step is: where can I look for God? Is there any place where I can find God? Is there any way of getting in contact with Him? Is there any way of becoming familiar with Him?
There are different definitions for love and I will not go into discussing all of them. I will just take the most predominant one. Love is feeling. It has to do with our senses and emotions. It’s something that feels good, so good! What is happening when those feelings disappear? The answer which is given: love disappeared. I need to look for it again. Instability, chance, fate, karma… So many of us have experienced those strong feelings which we called love and, after some time, they have grown dim and after more time, they may even have disappeared. Love, it is believed, is something that comes and goes, something that is beyond our control. What we can do is to enjoy it as long as we have it because sooner or later will vanish away. Is this love? No wonder so many are afraid to look for it although they cannot stop looking and hoping that one day, maybe… Maybe … what?
The answer is so, so simple. According to the Bible, “God is love”; if God is love then whatever God is then that is what love is! Does it sound like running in circle? It could if you believe that we cannot know God. But the great news is that we can know God. And if we can know God then we can know what love is. Knowing God is the only way of knowing about love. This is the beauty of Christianity and the Bible: they help us to see how wonderful God/love is. How can we enjoy it, how can we help others do it …
So the next step is: where can I look for God? Is there any place where I can find God? Is there any way of getting in contact with Him? Is there any way of becoming familiar with Him?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
L___? What is it?
Let’s start with God. For those of you familiar with the Bible, this passage is well known: God is love! It is found in 1 John 4:8. As you can see, it doesn’t say that God loves or He is loving, but He is LOVE. This is what He is, His nature! LOVE! The God which the Bible portrays is LOVE!
How can we summarize the Bible in one word? One day Jesus was asked: “Which commandment is the greatest”? The answer: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second like it is: Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is it! LOVE! Love God and love those around you! But Jesus didn’t stop here. He continued saying: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”. Matthew 22:35-40. This expression, the law and the prophets, was for that time a way of saying the whole Bible. So everything that is in the Bible is based on and comes from this commandment: LOVE.
Another way of putting this: Jesus came on earth to show us how God is (check Heb. 1,1-3) and we have seen that God is love. In John 5:39 we are told that the Scriptures testify/speak about Jesus. So the Bible is showing us how Jesus is which Jesus came to show us how the Father which is love. What is the word that summarizes the Bible? LOVE!
And because Christianity is about God and has the Bible as its book/manual, point of reference, or supreme authority, then Christianity could be summarized using the same word: LOVE! What a wonderful day was that one in which I understood these things!
But wait you might say! What is love then?
We have seen that God is love, the Bible is about God which is love and Christianity is about love but what is love? What a good question! Love is maybe the most misunderstood concept/reality today. So many people are speaking and writing about love, there are countless movies about love, the modern music (most of it) is about love. And everybody is looking for love, everybody wants to experience love. Many have been disappointed and more will be: what they thought was love, after some time, vanished away: from their own souls or from the souls of those who told them: “I love you”. For some love is something which they think can be found only in books or in movies but not so much in real life. Others have reduced it at the level of chemicals: some hormones are the ones responsible with it. What is love for you?
Perhaps this is the most important question of our age: What is love?
How can we summarize the Bible in one word? One day Jesus was asked: “Which commandment is the greatest”? The answer: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second like it is: Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is it! LOVE! Love God and love those around you! But Jesus didn’t stop here. He continued saying: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”. Matthew 22:35-40. This expression, the law and the prophets, was for that time a way of saying the whole Bible. So everything that is in the Bible is based on and comes from this commandment: LOVE.
Another way of putting this: Jesus came on earth to show us how God is (check Heb. 1,1-3) and we have seen that God is love. In John 5:39 we are told that the Scriptures testify/speak about Jesus. So the Bible is showing us how Jesus is which Jesus came to show us how the Father which is love. What is the word that summarizes the Bible? LOVE!
And because Christianity is about God and has the Bible as its book/manual, point of reference, or supreme authority, then Christianity could be summarized using the same word: LOVE! What a wonderful day was that one in which I understood these things!
But wait you might say! What is love then?
We have seen that God is love, the Bible is about God which is love and Christianity is about love but what is love? What a good question! Love is maybe the most misunderstood concept/reality today. So many people are speaking and writing about love, there are countless movies about love, the modern music (most of it) is about love. And everybody is looking for love, everybody wants to experience love. Many have been disappointed and more will be: what they thought was love, after some time, vanished away: from their own souls or from the souls of those who told them: “I love you”. For some love is something which they think can be found only in books or in movies but not so much in real life. Others have reduced it at the level of chemicals: some hormones are the ones responsible with it. What is love for you?
Perhaps this is the most important question of our age: What is love?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Just ONE word for ... everything!
If you would be asked to summarize Christianity in just one word (as it should be and not as it is/was lived by many who call themselves Christians), which one would you choose? Of course, it depends on your background, your experiences with Christianity, your knowledge about Christianity, your … you. What about if you would be asked to summarize the Bible in just one word, which one would you choose? What about God? If you would be told that you are allowed to use just one word to describe God, which one would you prefer? Please, before reading further, take just 60 seconds and answer yourself these questions. Resist the inclination of reading the next paragraph and stop for one minute. It will help you!
When you ask this question, you get a lot of answers depending on the person you ask. If you would have asked me these questions some time ago, I would have said that Christianity is something necessary (if you want to go to heaven, if you want to avoid bad things etc). That would have been the key word for me. The Bible? The manual that would teach me how. God? Maybe the judge… The One who will decide if I can go in or not. Now, these are not the only words which I would have used but I think the describe pretty well my way of thinking at that time.
It would be great if you would also share with us what is your opinion! And will help me too!
The way we see these things is … our way of seeing them. Many of our description are based on the history, facts, people we know, our own experience. But how would God summarize Himself in just one word or how He would summarize the Bible or how He would describe Christianity in just one word? We will see this in our next post.
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