Sometimes we define love as acceptance. But it depends on what we mean.
God accepts us into His family as we are, no matter what we've done. Our salvation is a gift that can't be earned.
But God doesn't "accept" our sinful thoughts and actions. That's why Jesus said "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent" (Revelation 3:19).
Because God loves us, He wants the best for us.
Because we love the Lord:
💙 We treat our faith seriously (Philippians 3:7-14).
💙 We find strength in God's power (Philippians 4:13).
💙 We let God's Word teach, rebuke, correct, and train us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
💙 We listen when godly friends speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
💙 We obey God's commands.
"In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome." 1 John 5:3
God accepts us as we are, but He expects us to become the best we can be, conformed to His purposes and content in His love (Ephesians 2:10).
I cringed a little when I saw the title this morning in my inbox, but this devotional really has me thinking! The world teaches us, and I've fallen into that thinking myself, that love equals acceptance. God, however, takes us as we are but loves us enough to push us to grow and become better. (I subscribed to your email list just a few weeks ago, and the devotions have been a huge blessing to me everyday! Thank you!)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Bonnie. I'm trying to separate the truth from many of the things I've been taught (even things I've been taught in the church). I don't think most of us follow wrong teaching out of rebellion but more out of ignorance. I'm so glad that God makes His Word available to us so we can better understand His purposes and love. Sorry to have made you cringe : )
DeleteThanks for joining me on this journey to know God better.
Gail
Gail,
ReplyDeleteYour site is a true pleasure. I can;t tell you how happy I am that you stopped by to visit me so that I could have the honor of getting to know you!
I subscribed and am foll on FB as well.
Love it here and look fwd to more.
Be well and God bless
~Chris (Campfires and Cleats)
Gail,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on this. Our world has confused acceptance with love, and love means wanting the best for someone even if we have to tell them that they are wrong.
God bless you,
Misty@TheBarnPrincess
The definition of friendship that I've given my daughter is that a friend wants what is best for you, even when it is not what is best for them. Love means we do not use others to prop up our false self. Thanks for the post. http://choosetotrust.com/2013/08/the-alarm/
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading your posts and am constantly amazed how you can pack so much within just a few words. I have so much to learn from you!!
ReplyDeleteMy married son and his family has chosen not to acknowledge Christmas and other man-made holidays. I love him but how do I accept this?
ReplyDeleteI encourage you to "hang in there." I know that sounds like lame advice, but I have a good friend whose son also went through a stage where he didn't celebrate Christmas and had all sorts of other rules for his family, but recently he has started seeing he was too strict. My friend never criticized him, but she did respond if he said something to her. For example, if he said a woman shouldn't wear slacks, she would just say she didn't believe that way and explain why.
DeleteAnd, of course, I also recommend you pray.
If you feel he is getting involved in some cultic beliefs about the law, perhaps you could find some good resources and ask him to read them. But I would only do that if he is open.
God bless you! I pray God will give you wisdom in handling this.
Please remove my name from your profile. I prefer to be unknown!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry....I don't know who you are??
Delete