Beloved

I read something recently that said that the only thing God asks of us is to believe that we are his beloved. To have faith and trust that we are loved and are beautiful to him.

Is this not what our hearts yearn for - to be accepted , known and loved deeply for who we are ? Is this not what brings about humility , compassion and healing from sin?

To receive or not to receive ?

"Faith is the courage to accept acceptance" Tillich

(BTW- At least it's not free will again)

Originally posted by knightmeister
I read something recently that said that the only thing God asks of us is to believe that we are his beloved. To have faith and trust that we are loved and are beautiful to him.

Is this not what our hearts yearn for - to be accepted , known and loved deeply for who we are ? Is this not what brings about humility , compassion and healing from sin? ...[text shortened]... aith is the courage to accept acceptance" Tillich

(BTW- At least it's not free will again)

Maybe I’m just too spent tonight, but I can’t argue with someone who quotes Paul Tillich. 🙂

The interesting thing is that, to have acceptance, one must offer acceptance. I’m thinking in fairly radical terms here—along the lines of your arguments with regard to gays. (Of course, that does not mean that one can accept anything/everything—also along the lines of your arguments on bigotry and the gay issue.)

Loving the beloved does not entail requiring that s/he loves you back. If my wife decides that she no longer loves me, that does not mean that I will not tend to her, or take her to the hospital, if she becomes ill. Nor would I insist that she keep loving me. I lay no such requirement on her, and if she were to leave—though that would grieve me greatly—I would wish her well; and still would not refuse to care for her if she were ill. Is God’s love less “radical” than mine? It would seem so, according to some anyway.

As I say, I’m spent, and so rambling a bit. Nevertheless...

Originally posted by vistesd
Maybe I’m just too spent tonight, but I can’t argue with someone who quotes Paul Tillich. 🙂

The interesting thing is that, to have acceptance, one must offer acceptance. I’m thinking in fairly radical terms here—along the lines of your arguments with regard to gays. (Of course, that does not mean that one can accept anything/everything—also along the ...[text shortened]... em so, according to some anyway.

As I say, I’m spent, and so rambling a bit. Nevertheless...

The importnat thing is to realise that God does not require that we love him in order to receive his love , he gives it anyway. But once we receive it how can we not be overcome by it? This is the transforming power that the Bible talks of , to be loved deeply and intmately by the one who knows all our darkness. God only requires us to love in return because he knows it is the only thing that will heal us.

Originally posted by vistesd
Maybe I’m just too spent tonight, but I can’t argue with someone who quotes Paul Tillich. 🙂

The interesting thing is that, to have acceptance, one must offer acceptance. I’m thinking in fairly radical terms here—along the lines of your arguments with regard to gays. (Of course, that does not mean that one can accept anything/everything—also along the ...[text shortened]... em so, according to some anyway.

As I say, I’m spent, and so rambling a bit. Nevertheless...

This guy spoke right into the depths of my heart when I saw him years ago. He puts the whole beloved thing into much better words than me.


YouTube

Originally posted by vistesd
Maybe I’m just too spent tonight, but I can’t argue with someone who quotes Paul Tillich. 🙂

The interesting thing is that, to have acceptance, one must offer acceptance. I’m thinking in fairly radical terms here—along the lines of your arguments with regard to gays. (Of course, that does not mean that one can accept anything/everything—also along the ...[text shortened]... em so, according to some anyway.

As I say, I’m spent, and so rambling a bit. Nevertheless...

Is God’s love less “radical” than mine?


....absolutely more radical I'm afraid. I get the feeling that you know Jesus pretty well and know his love but maybe you don't know that you know him.

This is a bit slushy but I quite like it anyway.....

YouTube