Loving God?

According to the bible, man is responsible for the introduction of Satan.  Satan is a result of a communication set up between man and the devil (Genesis 3:1-5).

Christ came face to face with Satan.  In the Temptation the devil is seen in his undisguised character; only once did Christ refer to the devil as “Satan” (Matt. 4:10) “Then Jesus said, Get the hence Satan …”

Jesus said at another time that self-pity was satanic and responded to Peter’s enticement to fight as a satanic act … “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get the behind Me, Satan …” (Matt. 16:23)

The devil is the adversary of God in the rule of man and Satan is his representative.  In Job 1:9-12  Satan is represented as saying to God, “You are infatuated with the idea that man loves you for your own sake; he never has and never will.  Job, which you have placed before us as an example of this love, simply loves you because you bless and prosper him; but touch any one of his blessings and he will curse You to Your face and prove that no man on earth loves You for Your own sake.”

Was what Satan said untrue?  Had Job’s love been tested?  Job’s creed or belief was that God prospered and blessed the upright man who trusted in Him, and that the man who was not upright was not prospered.  This meant that God’s love, faithfulness and provision hinged on man’s obedience and works and not God’s grace … under the law.

Calamity after calamity, everything Job believed about God was contradicted and his beliefs thrown to the winds.

Satan’s sneer is the counterpart of the devil’s sneer in Genesis 3.  There the devil’s objective is to sneer about God to man; in Job, Satan’s objective is to sneer about man to God, he is “the accuser of our brethren.”

Most of us get “testy and touchy” with God when He does not back up our beliefs and then we desert Him and become cheap and easy skeptics.  This comes from a life of little tension and strife, God’s favor and provision provides little testing.

The man or woman who knows that there are problems and difficulties in life is not so easily moved.

There are things in our Heavenly Father’s dealings with us that have no immediate explanation.  There are inexplicable provinces which test us to the limit, and prove that rationalism is a mere mental pose.  The Bible and our common sense agree that the basis of human life is tragic, not rational, and the whole problem is focused for us in this Book of Job.  Job 13:15 is the utterance of a man who has lost his explicit hold on God, but not his implicit hold – “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”  That is the last reach of the faith of a man …. All he believed about God has been disproved by his own experiences, and his friends when they come say, in effect, “You are a hypocrite, Job, we can prove it from your own creed, “But Job sticks to it – “I am not a hypocrite, I do not know what accounts for all that has happened, but I will hold to it that god is just and that I shall yet see Him vindicated in it all.”  (The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers, The Unseen Universe)

Even Job’s wife taunted him to curse God to receive relief, but Job stood firm.  Job did not ask for vindication for himself, but wanted to see God vindicated.  God and Satan had made a battleground of Job’s Soul without Job’s permission.  Without any warning, Job’s life is suddenly turned into desperate havoc and God keeps out of sight never giving any sign or explanation to Job.

How many times in our own lives have we given up our trust, love and faith in the Father because of strife and/or turmoil?  Is God vindicated through our steadfast love and faithfulness or is Satan’s sneer triumphant?

God cannot fully reveal Himself to us.  His glory would destroy us.  Even Moses could only look on His back as He passed by.

All that matters in this world is our relationship with Christ.  He is God personified, Emanuel, “God with us.”  He came to show us the perfect relationship to Himself.  He left His glory (to avoid our destruction) to restore our relationship Himself by total sacrifice of all He had and was.  No part of Himself was left untouched by that sacrifice … and this before we even knew Him and remained filthy in our sin.

                              What are we willing to sacrifice for relationship with Him?

        Luke 18:18-30  18And a certain ruler asked Him, Good Teacher [You who are ^[a]essentially and perfectly ^[b]morally good], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah's kingdom]?

    19Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [^[c]essentially and perfectly ^[d]morally] good? No one is [^[e]essentially and perfectly ^[f]morally] good--except God only.

    20You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not witness falsely, honor your father and your mother.^(A)

    21And he replied, All these I have kept from my youth.

    22And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell everything that you have and ^[g]divide [the money] among the poor, and you will have [rich] treasure in heaven; and come back [and] follow Me [become My disciple, join My party, and accompany Me].

    23But when he heard this, he became distressed and very sorrowful, for he was rich--exceedingly so.

    24Jesus, observing him, said, How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!

    25For it is easier for a camel to enter through a needle's eye than [for] a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

    26And those who heard it said, Then who can be saved?

    27But He said, What is impossible with men is possible with God.^(B)

    28And Peter said, See, we have left our own [things--home, family, and business] and have followed You.

    29And He said to them, I say to you truly, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God

    30Who will not receive in return many times more in this world and, in the coming age, eternal life.

He denied His biological family for His relationship with His Heavenly family …

Mark 3:31-35  31Then His mother and His brothers came and, standing outside, they sent word to Him, calling [for] Him.

    32And a crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, Your mother and Your brothers and Your sisters are outside asking for You.

    33And He replied, Who are My mother and My brothers?

    34And looking around on those who sat in a circle about Him, He said, See! Here are My mother and My brothers;

    35For whoever does the things God wills is My brother and sister and mother!

                              What are we letting hold us back in obligation?

Matt 8:21-23  21Another of the disciples said to Him, Lord, let me first go and bury [^[a]care for till death] my father.

    22But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and leave the dead [^[b]in sin] to bury their own dead.

    23And after He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

We have a tendency to believe that what we have done “in His name” will be proof of our salvation and entrance to the Kingdom …

1 Cor 8:2

2If anyone imagines that he has come to know and understand much [of divine things, without love], he does not yet perceive and recognize and understand as strongly and clearly, nor has he become as intimately acquainted with anything as he ought or as is necessary.

1 Cor 13:1-3

 1IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such ^[a]as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

    2And if I have prophetic powers (^[b]the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).

    3Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or ^[c] in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing.

Matt 7:22-24

22Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name?

    23And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].^(A)

    24So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a ^[a]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.

What is love?  Our love relationship with Christ is the fullest expression of love as I believe it is meant in the scripture.

Eph 3:19

19[That you may really come] to know [practically, ^[a]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses ^[b]mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] ^[c]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and ^[d]become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

Awakening in His love and Spirit,

Tammy