Are you a Lover?
Let’s talk about love. More specifically let’s talk about your love relationship with God. In some senses love is a mysterious and nebulous thing to pin down. We all know it involves actions like Paul talked about in 1 Cor 13. One cannot possibly claim to love without healthy portions of patience, kindness, goodness and more. At the same time it is feasible to extend patience, kindness and goodness to someone that you have little affection for. Consequently we also understand love to include a strong fondness for another. Since God’s love is both an affection and action, we seek to express the same in return. Yet how difficult that can be for people. On one hand there is the tendency of some to evaluate their walk with God based upon the degree that they are actively serving him. Some of these types even pooh-pooh the more affectionate types as shallow or possessing mere emotionally-charged faith. On the other hand, the affectionate sort don’t always value active service to the degree they should, content to enjoy God but not necessarily advancing His kingdom rule- which brings me back to God’s way of loving. If God is the epitome of love, being both active and affectionate in his love for us, should not the integration of both into our lives be a crucial ambition? Seems so to me.
Regardless of your natural bent—toward affection or action—our goal is a harmonious balance of both. If you have no pitter-patter in your heart for God, something is wrong. If your sole concern is enjoying his company but never engaging in Christian mission, there’s an equally dangerous problem to admit. So how have you gone about balancing these two factors in your love life with God? Any thoughts?
posted by Rev. Dr. Aaron Rock at
5/30/2007 02:47:00 p.m.
3 Comments:
Here are my thoughts: I am trying to understand what you are saying about action and affection. To me, action is a result of loving God (affection). The more I love God, then the more I will want to do what He asks of me - advancing His kingdom. John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will obey what I command." Verse 21 - "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." Verse 24 - "He who does not love me will not obey my teaching." Also in John 15, Jesus talks about "a man remaining in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit." In a loose but valid connection, Galations 5:22-23 speaks of the fruit of the Spirit which is very similar to 1 Corinthians 13. It is necessary for me to "be affectionate" to be able to advance God's kingdom or bear fruit.
I think the motivation behind ministry is also very important. If one is visibly active in ministries to outwardly show how much he loves God, then they are in them for the wrong reason. Jesus spent a lot of time confronting the Pharisees who had great public showings but all with wrong end purposes.I also think that the more affectionate people can have ministries that are not outwardly visible which are equally important to advancing God's kingdom. Jesus speaks about the things done in secret being rewarded.
I do disagree with you on the fact that our goal should be a harmonious balance of action and affection regardless of our natural bent in this light. God has created and grown each person uniquely to use in advancing His kingdom. Some He has created and grown to do a lot of outward ministries. Others He has created and grown to be affectionate. I don't think it is God's intent for us to minimize the blessing of being affectionate so that we can be visible in ministries.
I also ask you about the negative words you use to describe the affectionate people - "pooh-pooh," "shallow," "pitter patter." You have not written negatively about being an action person. For me, being a naturally affectionate person, it cheapens the bent that He has created in me and that I believe is very precious in His sight.
12:30 a.m.
Thanks for your post!
You state that "action is the result of loving God". I would add that "action should be the result of loving God". But my post flows from my contention that it is not always so for Christian people. I think the verses you share affirm this reality – affection and action go hand in hand!
I agree very much that “it is necessary for me to "be affectionate" to be able to advance God's kingdom or bear fruit”. On one hand a person can do effective ministry or even bear outward fruit and neither love God nor be a Christian for that matter. But true spiritual fruit, the kind that God recognizes and appreciates MUST be rooted in our affection for God. Said another way, the statement that, "Some He has created and grown to do a lot of outward ministries. Others He has created and grown to be affectionate" is based more on observation than the biblical ideal.
I don’t really buy the idea that some are intended to be more active and some more loving to God, even though this phenomenon can observed in the Body of Christ Even Paul, well known for his active ministry, expressed a sweet love for God in his prayer for the Ephesians in 3:14-19. It seems to me that pretty much anybody can be taught to do the outward part of ministry. But Paul's prayer for this early church was that they would be strengthened in their “inner being”, become “rooted and established in love” (foundational words), and possess love that surpassed knowledge. This roughly squares with Jesus' teaching that the greatest command of them all is to love God and others (which of course entails action, but begins with affection for God). While I agree that motivation is vital, I would add that our motivation is none other than affection for God/others.
Please re-read your last paragraph in light of my post. I am not writing negatively in my description of affectionate people at all, but pointing out that “some of these types” (in reference to action-oriented people) think this way of affectionate people. That’s not my view however.
Those are my thoughts and I thank you for yours.
11:53 a.m.
Thanks for your response. I continue to reflect, pray and meditate on this concept that you have brought to light. I am understanding that perhaps you are saying that people who are affectionate can use the excuse to not be involved in outward ministry. I can agree with that.
I'd like to ask for your definition of ministry. Is it church sanctioned/church mandated or is it things that can take place outside of the church context? At the end of the initial blog you speak of "engaging in Christian mission" - is this the same as ministry?
There are many affectionate people who have great ministries that are not "an official church run ministry." For example, I know a woman who spends hours every day praying for everybody she has contact with. She studies the Bible deeply and intensely. She speaks to people at church, takes great interest in them and through her interactions has become a mother of many. Only those touched by her compassion know that she has a unique ministry. She has no title, nor belongs to an organized ministry of the church. Being affectionate, God's love flows naturally from her.
You said, "I don’t really buy the idea that some are intended to be more active and some more loving to God, even though this phenomenon can observed in the Body of Christ." If someone has a "natural bent" (your words) towards ministry or affection, does this not come from God?
I was wondering about Mary and Martha. Martha was ministering to Jesus and His followers in providing for their physical needs - a very valid ministry. Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus listning to Him - ?affection?
Luke 10:41-42 - "... only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her."
12:31 p.m.
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