Revealing the concept of love
Love is the most sublime and precious word that can be found in human language. It conveys our relationships to concepts such as things, persons and ideas. “I love” we can talk about paintings and apartments, cats and delicious food, music and cars.
Nowadays, one word “love” conveys a whole bunch of meanings. But this is not accepted in all languages. For example, among the Greeks, one of the variants of this word is “eros” - the transfer of the concept of carnal love.
The word “philia” characterizes manifestations of spiritual attraction, characterized by sincerity, purity and devotion.
The third meaning is “agapi” - as an expression of the highest degree of affection, the spiritual manifestation of this feeling, holy love for the Creator.
As stated in the Word of God, man has a threefold essence - body, soul and spirit. Manifestations of love are carnal, mental and spiritual feelings. Consequently, the ancient Greeks divided the concept optimally between three words.
To reveal the concept of love for God, it is important to know the words from the Bible that belong to John.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself.
This wonderful saying can briefly describe what the power of love for God should be - no less than for oneself. It is these two commandments that are destined to be fundamental.
Special love
Moreover, it is important to remember the peculiarities of relationships with the Lord. It should not turn into idol worship. Love for God allows us to ennoble, guide and warm our soul. Despite the simplicity of the commandment of Love for the Almighty, this feeling must be multifaceted. To comprehend this science, you need to understand a lot in order to achieve perfection.
Then the soul will be filled with this feeling, which will lead to a transformation of the being, illumination of thoughts, warming of the heart, direction of the will. The Almighty must become so familiar that it becomes the meaning of human life.
Examples of love
What it means to love God can be learned from the example of the saying of Abba Dorotheus. He compares this feeling to a large circle, the center of which is the Creator. People will be points along the radius of this circle. Then you can trace the relationship between love for the Creator and your neighbors. As the radius points approach the center, they become closer to each other. Getting closer to God at the same time means getting closer to people. Despite the inaccessibility of God's dwelling place for ordinary people, each of us should feel his presence. It is important for us to have God in our souls.
Another specific example would be the feeling when we miss loved ones if we are forced to be far away from them. Therefore, every time you find an opportunity to talk with the Almighty, you must joyfully use it. For a person who loves God to communicate with his creator, it is not necessary to create special conditions or go to church. This can be done while working or relaxing, at home or on the road. When visiting church, the power of such conversion increases. Since the Bible states that if two or more people gather to pray, the Almighty will be there. With constant turning to God, a person turns into a living temple and receives a special relationship from the Creator.
Night in Gethsemane
However, this does not mean that we do not have the right or cannot turn to the Father and ask Him for other possible options. Our relationship with Heavenly Father is a true RELATIONSHIP. The Lord desires that communication with His child servants should always be available. The events of the night of Gethsemane, when Jesus was handed over to be crucified, are proof of this. Jesus was in the garden with His disciples, waiting for the traitor Judas, who was to come, accompanied by the servants of the Israeli high priests and elders, to arrest Christ and crucify Him. Jesus was in agony. He would rather this cup pass from Him. He asked His Father about this:
Luke 22:41-44: “And He Himself went away from them a stone's throw, and kneeled down and prayed, saying: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however, not My will, but Yours be done. An angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him. And, being in a struggle, he prayed more diligently, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”
There is nothing wrong with asking the Father for a way out of a situation. There is nothing wrong with asking Him, “Can I stay home today and not go to the vineyard?” It would be wrong to stay at home without asking Him about it! This is disobedience. However, there is nothing wrong with asking Him for another option. If there is no other option, then your Father can provide special encouragement and support for you to willingly do His will. Jesus, while in the Garden of Gethsemane, also received encouragement and support: “An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.”
Jesus would have wanted the cup of suffering to pass from Him, BUT only if it was God's will. However, this was not the will of God. Jesus accepted it. When Judas arrived surrounded by soldiers, Jesus turned to Peter, saying:
John 18:11: “Put the sword in its sheath; Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
Jesus always did what pleased the Father, even if He didn't feel like doing it. And by doing this, He pleased the Father, and the Father was always close to Jesus, never leaving Him. Christ said:
John 8:29: “He who sent Me is with Me; The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.”
He is an example for us. In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul tells us:
Philippians 2:5-11: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jesus humbled Himself. He said, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus SUBMITTED! We must follow His example. We must have the mind of Christ in us, the mind of humility and obedience, the mind that says: “Not my will, but Thine be done!” Paul continues and says:
Philippians 2:12-13: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will. and acting according to His good pleasure.”
The Apostle, speaking: “Therefore, my beloved,” says that, having the example of great obedience shown in our Lord Jesus Christ, we also must obey God, “working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, because God works in us also to will.” , and acting according to His good pleasure.” James continues this thought by saying:
James 4:6-10: “Therefore it is said: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” So submit yourself to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you; Cleanse your hands, you sinners; straighten your hearts, you double-minded. Lament, weep and howl; Let your laughter turn into crying, and your joy into sadness. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
Good deeds
Examples of love for God can also be a situation when we do not want to upset the people we love. Therefore, we try to do everything to please them. It’s the same with the Lord – you need to feel fear, reverence and love for him. Sinful actions and thoughts, non-observance of the commandments are those deeds that can offend the Creator.
We can also put the happiness of the people we love above our own benefits. Likewise, for the glory of God, it is important to act and think in such a way as not to upset the Creator. Then people will be able to enjoy the Kingdom of Good.
Features of relationships with neighbors
The sermon on love for God and neighbor contains tips that will help you be closer to the Creator. In order to show love for the Lord, you must:
- Be modest and friendly, quiet and peaceful. This advice was given by St. Seraphim of Sarov.
- In relationships between people there must be trust and a desire to do good for them.
- Demonstration of one's superiority in front of others is not encouraged.
- A compliant attitude towards people makes a person closer to the Creator.
- The shortcomings of your neighbor should not be criticized or emphasized.
- Purity of thoughts regarding other people is important.
- Patiently enduring grievances without showing your true feelings will help show love for the Creator.
- As does praying for other people, and supporting those who are grieving with kind words.
- Openly and calmly expressing complaints to people without the desire to offend them.
- Providing assistance delicately so that it does not look like a favor.
If you analyze the listed points, you can come to the conclusion that there are no difficulties in their implementation. It is enough to stock up on a good mood and desire.
It is also important to remember that doing small acts of virtue is much more beneficial than large acts that can only make things worse. This advice is also found in the Bible.
So what is the right way to love God?
Believers are often reproached that in the Church there is no sign of love at all - only strictness, rules and restrictions. And this despite the fact that the believers themselves constantly talk about love - starting with priests in Orthodox churches and ending with the guys singing psalms and songs about the love of God with a guitar. Something similar was described by the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah (mid-7th - early 6th centuries BC): From the prophet to the priest, everyone acts deceitfully... saying: “peace, peace!”, but there is no peace (Jer 8 :10-11) . It’s the same with us: everyone around us talks about love in every possible way - and at the same time there is a complete feeling that the bitter prophecy of Christ has already been fulfilled: due to the increase of lawlessness, love will grow cold in many (Matthew 24:12 ).
Yes, alas, love is too often replaced by talk about love. Just like, for example, prayer, that is, talking with God, talking about God. But the flame of love for God still glimmers in the Church - we have given only a few examples, but there are, of course, many more. Another thing is that this love is not as striking as sin and passions. Firstly, due to the fact that our “visual optics” are incorrectly configured: we more easily notice what is in us (sin) than what is not in us or very little. And secondly, also because, indeed, all people are sinners (and in the Church too) and not everyone sets themselves such a high goal - to love God. And many self-confidently believe that since they are church people, it means that their relationship with God is already “established.” And this self-deception is perhaps the worst of all. There is no way to acquire love with the help of “spells” and endless conversations about love. This requires long, dedicated work. Where to start?
The Holy Fathers say: act as if you already have love for God, and He will truly give it to you. In other words, start living according to the commandments. The rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki (where the holy righteous Alexy Mechev served for many years), priest Nikolai Vazhnov, speaks about it this way: “Yes, we need to strive to... love everyone with all our hearts, be ready to hug everyone and say a kind word. But it seems to me that this is a gift from God. The main thing is for us to start, to extend our hand, although it can be very difficult, but to extend our hand to the person who needs us, who happens to be next to us in life, to want to accept him with all our hearts, and then the Lord will act in us.”
But the commandments can again be fulfilled in different ways. You can obey them as slaves (out of fear that God will punish them otherwise) or as hired workers (expecting a reward - bliss in the Kingdom of God). But you can know with your mind and feel with your heart, as they say, “feel in your gut,” that living according to the commandments is simply the only way to be one hundred percent human; that this alone contains the fullness of happiness. As priest John Zakharov, rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Russian Children's Clinical Hospital wonderfully said: “When a person shows love, he becomes a person, not an animal... This very moment when you give your love is the spirit of the Kingdom of God . This is what makes life worth living. And everything else is existence, half-human or half-animal.”
To love God means to trust Him, to entrust your life to Him. This presupposes that for the sake of our own salvation we renounce self-will. And this presupposes our readiness to love our neighbors: to accept them into our hearts unconditionally and endure them if we have to (well, of course we have to, there’s no other way). The hardest thing is to start here. And the joy and peace that the Lord will send will certainly make it clear that you are on the right path.
Relationship between God and man
God's love descends from heaven to earth. Human love rushes from earth to heaven.
This is stated in the Holy Scriptures. God is called love, Christ embodies this love, the mission of the Holy Spirit is to demonstrate the power of love, the Church’s purpose is to be the cradle, temple, treasury and guardian of love.
The Gospel speaks about God's Love. A person must firmly believe that God is love. And that the Creator loves each of us. He created Man as an exact copy of himself, while showing love for his creation. Therefore, God expected him to have someone to communicate with. He did just that, communicating with Adam in the Garden of Eden. This was the case until the moment of the Fall, when Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Since then, God no longer communicates directly with people.
“Love God with all your heart”
10/28/07 Ilchenko Yu.N.
Plan: I. Introduction. We are the temple of God. Our spirit is the Holy of Holies, our soul is the sanctuary, and our body is the outer court. Various works and services were carried out in the outer courtyard of the tabernacle; The Ark of the Testimony was in the Holy of Holies. The closer we get to the Holy of Holies, the less fuss there is. In the Holy of Holies, God pours out His love, speaks into your life, there you can receive the word “rhema”, which brings strength and inspiration, from “rhema” comes faith. The Holy of Holies is a place of peace where God reveals himself to you. If you love God, then you enjoy spending time with Him, Matthew 6:25 “don’t be anxious” – don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t be afraid, don’t get stressed. Enter into the peace of faith. II. Hebrews 3:7-13; Hebrews 4:1-3,11,12 . 8 tbsp. – “harden” – to be stubborn (has the same root as the word “callus”). Bitterness comes step by step as we move away from God. More discontent, grumbling, self-pity, self-righteousness comes. The nature of God is Healer. When we come to Him, He restores us completely. Exodus 33:7-11; Hebrews 11:6. Everyone can come to the Holy of Holies to be with the Lord, to seek Him and spend time with Him. God has not determined for us to live and serve in our own strength. Hebrews 3:9,10 “they did not know” – they were not united to the Lord. When we love God and unite with Him, we prosper. In. 15:4-6 – “vine and branches” – the unity of God and believers; strength comes through the vine into the branches and fruit appears. When God does something through you, then there are fruits and you like it. Religion is about action, but God is about communication. We fade away if we are not connected to Him. Hebrews 3:12 from a “wicked and unfaithful heart” there is no source of life. In order not to depart from God, you need to be “hot,” and without prayer you cannot “burn.” Through prayer, God pours oil into your lamp (parable of the ten virgins). Hebrews 3:13 When sin deceives, the heart is hardened. Hebrews 3:14-19 Israel did not enter the promised land because of unbelief. Unbelief is associated with anxiety and constant fear. By faith we enter into God's rest. Hebrews 4:1-3,11,12 3 v. “believers” - “absolute trust in the person of God and confidence in His strength, authority, wisdom and goodness.” “since He said: “I swore in My wrath that they should not enter My rest”” - for those who were not in unity of faith with Joshua and Caleb. 11th century “let us try to enter” - zealously, with zeal. 12 tbsp. - the word will show what you need to deal with in your heart and repent. In the Holy of Holies, God gives you “rhema” - a specific word that follows from the “logos” that is common to all.
Sermon:
Today I want to share with you what God put into me during a recent trip to Korea, at the Church Growth Conference, as well as at the prayer mountain, where we held a seminar with Sergei Shidlovsky, the founder of the God Seekers Movement. I believe this word will bless us all.
God is the source we all need, and the word He sends is a lamp, a guide. When we have seen the goal, we see where God is directing us, then we move towards that goal. And if we stay on course, then we live healthy, fulfilling, blessed lives. I cannot say that this life is easy and there are no difficulties in it. But the Lord made sure that during any difficulty we have a place where we can find peace, encouragement, inspiration and strength.
The Bible says that God gave Moses a revelation and a specific pattern of how the tabernacle should be constructed. We are the temple of God, the tabernacle, the temple of the Holy Spirit. God lives in us now. Man, like the tabernacle, consists of three main parts. Just as the tabernacle had an outer court, a sanctuary, and a holy of holies, so we also have a spirit, a soul, and a body. Our spirit is the Holy of Holies - the Lord lives here. Our soul is the sanctuary, and the outer court is our body.
There was always work going on in the outer courtyard, priests served there, they prepared sacrifices to offer to God. Many people came to the outer courtyard.
Sometimes our life is like the outer court: we serve God, do something for Him, take care of something. And this is great, because God anointed every thing in the tabernacle, He said to Moses: “Go and anoint everything that is in the tabernacle.” Therefore, everything we do for the Lord is anointed, there is an anointing on it.
However, there is one “But”. We need to understand that when we just do something, serve, we are in the outer court, and we do not go into the Holy of Holies, we do not spend time with God. It was in the Holy of Holies that God spoke to the priest, where the Ark of the Testimony was located. God's revelations are necessary in our lives, we need the word - "rema" of God. We have a lot of knowledge, “logos”. Logos is the written word, “rema” is what God speaks into our lives, this is a revelation that brings us victory. Rema inspires our spirit, it is a speaking, inspiring, transforming word.
God wants to send you His Word, wants to send you “rema”, it brings strength to your spirit. With this power you can go and fulfill the word. When you only have knowledge, but no power, you will not succeed.
Therefore, God ordained that we should spend time in the Holy of Holies. In the Old Testament, God spoke to the priests in the Holy of Holies. The Bible says that now, in the New Testament, we all have the ministry of priests.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
The closer the priest got to the Holy of Holies, the less fuss there was. There was nothing in the Holy of Holies: external light, external sounds. For this purpose, the Holy of Holies was separated by a veil. The priest went there to receive the Word from the Lord, God led the entire tabernacle precisely from the holy of holies, this is our spirit, where the Lord lives.
That is why God so strongly wants us to set aside this time and come to the Holy of Holies. Where the Ark of the Revelation is, the revelation or "rema" of God will come, and from the "rema" comes faith.
We say that faith comes from hearing the word of God, but people say that for some reason faith is not born in them. We sometimes hear the word as information, but God wants this information to turn into power. How Jesus once turned water into wine.
We all have the same Bibles, but someone sees something amazing in this word, someone receives strength from it, and someone, on the contrary, opens the Scripture and falls asleep. Why is the same Book an inspiration for one, and a sleeping pill for another? Because God has appointed to speak to us in the Holy of Holies, and we must be there.
We say that God is love and we expect His love more and more. God wants to love us, but how can He when we do not come to the Holy of Holies. For example, I love my wife and my children, I want to spend time with them. When we love someone, we have no problem spending time with the object of our love. God loves us most of all and is always waiting. He asks us: “When will you come to Me? Come to me, all you tired and burdened. I'm waiting for you, I'll unload you." He will not unload you in the outer court, where you serve, work, toil. God wants to give his love to you in the Holy of Holies, alone. God calls us to a place of peace where no one and nothing distracts you. Here it is only you and God, here God will speak to you, love you, give you revelation.
Many people pray, “God, what should I do? What is Your perfect will? And the Lord answers: “Come to Me, and I will open the Ark of the Revelation for you.” God will reveal himself to you there, He will show Himself to you from different sides. He wants to show us Himself.
When Jesus says, “Love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength, with all your soul,” He is telling us this for a reason. He says: “Love Me,” but no one loves Him, He waits in the Holy of Holies, and no one comes there. “Lord, we have no time to come to You, Lord, You see what I’m doing.”
Remember Martha, she did everything, worked and even accused Jesus: “Don’t you see that my sister is not helping?” To which Jesus answered her: “You care about many things, Martha, but there is something most important, valuable.”
What are values in our life? Values are the framework of our life. Values define what is important and what is not important, they define who we are. Our life tells us whether God is important to us or not, whether we love Him? Our life testifies to God about how we relate to Him.
How can the Lord comfort, calm and inspire you if you are running past Him? Sometimes, perhaps, you run to Him: “Oh Lord, it’s time for me, it’s time to run again, you see, there’s no time, I ran on.” But He just opened His mouth, He just wanted to tell you something... Therefore, we cannot receive “rema” into our spirit, we cannot receive this living word, inspiration, peace. Jesus addresses everyone:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
In this world, people have so many problems, stress, fears, worries, which cause various diseases. You know that there is a Formula 1 racing competition. So, the engine of the car at these races is designed to run 150 kilometers. That is, the car has driven 150 kilometers and the engine is thrown away. Why? Because there are huge overloads and the motor operates at a high limit. But there are diesel cars, they are designed, on average, for 600 thousand kilometers. Such a huge difference between 150 kilometers and 600 thousand kilometers?
We can burn out in this life if we do not learn to find peace in the Lord. God wants your heart to function normally. And when you experience fears, stress, anxiety, your heart begins to beat faster, you don’t even breathe correctly. When you are calm, you breathe calmly, when excitement and stress appear, the breath comes from the chest and the heart begins to beat faster.
God has prepared another way for us: “Come to Me, I am waiting for you to give you strength, to calm you down, to give you inspiration, My visions, My revelations.” Unfortunately, many people rush around like racing cars, and then you see: “the engine started smoking and burned out.”
God has prepared a place of rest for us, Jesus said, “Don’t worry, don’t worry.” The Amplified Bible says, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t be afraid, don’t get stressed.” We need to enter into God's rest of faith.
When God led the people of Israel out of Egypt, God's plan was to bring them into the promised land, but they did not enter it. Because there was disbelief in them. And disbelief is often associated with anxiety, stress and fear. When the spies whom Moses sent to spy out the land returned, what did they say? “We will die there, we will perish, this is a consuming land.” They became worried, afraid, began to imagine bad pictures in front of them instead of good ones, and they did not agree to go there.
Hebrews 3:7 “Why, as the Holy Spirit saith, now, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the murmuring, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.”
The word “do not harden” also means: “do not be stubborn.” Your hearts should not be hard. The word “harden” comes from a medical term, derived from the word “callus.” A callus is formed as a result of a bone fracture, and as a result, the callus becomes tougher than the bone itself. Therefore God tells them: “Do not harden your hearts.” Rigidity and stubbornness come from unbelief, murmuring, from fears, from everything that God does not like.
They did not immediately become like this: when they first came out of Egypt, they sang songs and glorified God. But when they walked for a long time in the desert, bitterness took hold of their hearts, and it became harder and harder and harder. Bitterness comes gradually, not overnight - step by step. The Apostle Paul draws a parallel here between that people and the condition of the people in the church.
We say that the devil has no power over us: he cannot force you to sin - you choose it voluntarily. And since he cannot force you to commit sin directly, he provokes you, brings you to such a place that you begin to gradually move away from God. And when you move away from God, the further He becomes from you, the more murmuring, unbelief, self-pity, self-righteousness comes. All these things make you the kind of person who cannot receive God's promises. Why? Because we block ourselves from them, we do not abide in God.
Moses brought about five million people out of slavery! Where did you get your patience and faith? Only because he communicated with God did he come to the Holy of Holies! We will never have faith or patience if we do not communicate with God. We cannot lead people if we do not spend time with God.
In Exodus 33:7 it is written that Moses not only went to the mountain: “Moses took and pitched a tent for himself outside the camp, at a distance from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting; and everyone who sought the Lord came to the tabernacle of meeting, which was outside the camp.”
Moses made himself this tabernacle “outside the camp” where he could go and spend time with the Lord, it was his holy of holies. But not only that: anyone seeking the Lord could come there. Anyone seeking the Lord could come to the Holy of Holies.
I am reminded of the parallel passage in Hebrews 11:6 : “But without faith it is impossible to please God; for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
Here I see a direct connection between faith and the search for God: if you don’t believe in God, if you don’t need Him, you won’t look for Him, you won’t come to Him, and He won’t reward you.
Therefore, many people are offended and complain to God: “God did not reward me, God did not answer me.” And they begin to judge God. But it is written that “everyone who believes seeks God, comes to Him, and He rewards those who seek Him.” It is clearly written here who God rewards, answers, helps - those who spend time with Him. “He rewards those who seek Him.”
It also says that those who seek God can come and spend time with Him. Hebrews. 11:9, 11 . We all want God to speak into our lives, we all want to hear the Lord, we want to be led by Him. But if we spend all our time “in the camp, in the outer court,” then how will this happen?
God spoke to Moses on the mountain and in the tabernacle. If we truly want God to pour out His love into us, we must love Him. And if you love Him not in words, but in deeds, you will resort to Him. You will seek every free moment to spend time with God. And when you spend time with Him, God will change you, heal you, transform you.
God by nature is a Healer. Therefore, when you come to Him, He heals you, restores you, fills you, transforms you. And maybe you crawl into the holy of holies, barely alive, but you come out completely different.
Proverbs tells us that from the heart of man flows the springs of life. What is your heart filled with? What sources come from it? Bitter or sweet? Without spending time and connecting with God, we will never be filled with Him, we will not be filled with the Holy Spirit. What then will come from our heart? Where will we get faith, compassion, sacrifice?
Spending time with God is a core value. Jesus said that rivers of living water should flow out of us. But who will fill your heart with rivers of living water? Where will these rivers come from if you do not come to the Holy of Holies, where God wants to fill your reservoir, your heart.
If it is a problem for us to go looking for God, then our heart is not filled with love for Him. This means that we live a religious life, come to meetings religiously, and also serve God. You then hold on to the ministry and not to God. But in your ministry there is no power of God, no anointing, no development, because you are treading water “in the outer court.” But only preparation for miracles takes place there, and the miracles themselves take place in the Holy of Holies, revelations come from there.
Dr. Yonggi Cho writes in his book that “the Korean nation is imbued with prayer.” When we were in Korea, we saw for ourselves that this was the case. No one forces believers to pray - they go on their own.
God has not determined for us to live and serve in our own strength. If you do everything with your own strength, then very quickly you will have no strength or desires left. If you don't spend time with God, you will begin to murmur against Him, you will begin to complain, you will become dissatisfied.
Hebrews 3:7-10 “Why, as the Holy Spirit saith, now, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as in the time of murmuring, in the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted Me, tried Me, and saw My works Fourty years. Therefore I was indignant at this generation and said: They continually err in heart, they have not known My ways.”
I have been pondering this verse. These people saw the works of God for 40 years. They went to church for 40 years and saw signs and wonders. In verse 10 God says, “Therefore I was indignant with them...they did not know My ways.” “To know” in the Bible means to unite. If we only walk in the outer court, we are not united with God, and we will never know Him. And God wants a close relationship with Him. Jesus said, “Abide in Me and I will abide in you.” The example of the “vine and the branch” is an example of the great unity between God and believers. When there is this unity, then the strength, juice, life of the vine is transferred to the branch. But if the branch does not remain on the vine, it dries up.
Our prosperity depends on whether we are with God or not. Jesus said clearly and clearly: “If you abide in Me, I will abide in you.” We must not just come to visit Jesus, but live in Him. If we are in Him, this is our life, our prosperity.
The branch itself does not produce sap, it is not self-sufficient, therefore believers are grafted to Jesus as to a vine. The job of the vine is to produce sap, put down roots, seek water, and then, when it receives water, convert it into sap. Then the sap enters the branches and then the branches receive strength. And when a branch receives this power, fruits appear on it.
If we do not abide in God, His power will never reach us. That's why Moses made the tabernacle of meeting, that's why he came there, and anyone who sought the Lord could also come, there God spoke to the people.
The Lord wants us to be His friends. Religion will never make you God's friend, it will always tell you to do something. And God called us, first of all, to communication. If you do something without the power of God, you will constantly cry, murmur, constantly complain. But when you do something together with God, then God does it through you. Then the power of God flows through you, there is fruit and you like it. The branch likes to be on the vine, because without the vine it dries up. Without God we dry up.
This is why believers in Korea run to God. At 4 in the morning they are already going to pray, they come to church with their families, taking their children with them. The children are already praying before school. People in Korea have tasted “how good the Lord is,” they have tasted what prayer is.
If we do not taste what prayer is, then there will be no awakening in our lives. Of course, we can find excuses for ourselves: “I don’t have time,” “I can’t,” and so on, but then we won’t stay on the vine, where the vital sap comes from. And therefore, just form comes, religion, and along with religion, murmur. Then comes rebellion, death, because these people never entered the promised land. They saw her, she was somewhere nearby, but they did not go in there because unbelief blocked the blessings.
Hebrews 3:12 “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil and unfaithful heart, lest ye depart from the living God.”
The heart is “evil and unfaithful”; the sources of life certainly do not flow out of it. What is guile? When we lie before God and want to deceive Him and ourselves. When we were not faithful to God, we promised him that we would do something, but time passes and no one does anything. God says: “See to it that you do not have an evil and unfaithful heart, so that you fall away from the living God.” It turns out that you can retreat from the living God, go aside.
It seems to me that it will be a great grief when someone who was in the church and served God ends up in hell. The book of Revelation tells us to be hot, not lukewarm, because God says, “If you are lukewarm, I will spit you out.” This is written about believers! And I want to say that the cooling temperature is very fast. Everything cools down very quickly: I poured tea, walked around a bit - it was cold; It seemed like there was just boiling water, it was impossible to drink. Also, people “cool down” very quickly.
That's why Jesus says: "Oh, if you were hot, if you were burning...". You can't burn without prayer. Because prayer is the oil that God pours into you.
Remember the parable of the ten virgins? Five of them were wise virgins, and five were not so wise. They were waiting for the groom, and he came. God will definitely come for both the wise and the foolish. Then the stupid maidens were alarmed: “There is no oil!” They did not pray, they did not be with God, they did not spend time with Him - they did not stock up on oil. And these virgins say to the wise: “Give us oil.” And they answer: “We can’t give it to you.” Also, I cannot give you my salvation. You yourself try to be ardent, so as not to “deviate from the living God.”
God tells us: “Look what will happen to you, what will happen to your country, if the people humble themselves, pray, if you are ardent?” We ourselves feel good when we are hot! Proverbs say that “you will sleep a little, you will lie down a little,” you will not pray, you will not communicate with God, and a thief will come. And you will wonder why the robber came for you. You grew cold, so he came and the Lord spat you out.
Hebrews chapter 3 verse 13 “Train one another every day...”
When sin begins to deceive a person, it becomes harsher and harsher. Life, the salvation that God has given us, must still be preserved to the end. We need to keep the fire going! This fire is the Lord, this is a relationship with God. If you keep them, you will live, you will enjoy life. We are heirs of God, God wants to give us His inheritance in Christ.
Verse 18:19 “Against whom did he swear that they would not enter His rest, but against those who were disobedient? So we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.”
Either we will enter God's rest, as it is written in Hebrews 11:6 , that if we believe, we will seek God, abide with him, or we will be late. “Let us therefore be afraid, lest any of you be found to be late, while the promise of entering into His rest remains.”
To “enter into rest” means to have absolute trust in the person of God, to be confident in His strength, authority, wisdom and goodness. We must unite ourselves in faith with Joshua and Caleb, who heard the word and believed.
Hebrews 4, verse 12 talks about rhema, the living and active word of God. It’s great when the word of God cuts off something in your life, shows you what needs to be removed, where you need to repent. If we don’t see our problems, then we won’t know what we need to leave behind, what we need to give up, because our repentance helps the Holy Spirit to come and cut off the evil that bothers you. This evil lives in your dilapidated, old nature, which says: “Well, have pity on me, don’t destroy me, don’t force me to pray, seek God, give me peace.” But this is the peace we don’t need. God has this peace, He has shalom - the peace of God. Therefore, Jesus calls us: “Come to Me, abide in Me and I will give you rest.” God wants to fill us with faith, His anointing, fire, God's passion. It is better for us to be with the Lord, to enter into His rest. And we enter into this peace, as it is written, by believing! Let us pray and thank God for His love and patience with us.
Prayer:
“Father, I thank You for Your love, for loving and waiting for us. You have prepared a place in the Holy of Holies where You want to talk to us. If You, Lord, even spoke to Moses face to face as with a friend, then how much more do You want to speak to us in Christ. Because we have the best Covenant - the New Covenant, made with us through the blood of your Son. Lord, forgive us that we do not value You, that we do not choose You as we should choose. Forgive us for all warmth, indifference and unbelief. Oh, Lord, help us to run to You like a deer runs to water! We live by You, we move and exist by You. We pray that we will be real Christians, not worldly ones, but those who show by their lives that they love You. They show that, Lord, You are the first and main value in my life! You are the first and main love of my life! Lord, we thank You for the Holy Spirit, who always helps us, gives us strength and support to draw closer to You. Because we cannot do this in our own strength, but in the strength of Your spirit, the strength of Him who loved us. We thank You, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!”
Favorites
But in each generation there were chosen people who could see and hear the Creator. They are called righteous. Through them, other believers can learn the truths of God.
The highest degree of manifestation of God's love for man was sacrifice, when the Lord gave his son for us. By the example of the death of Jesus, he showed that all Christians have a chance for Sunday. How can a person show his love for the Creator? There are ancient prayers to understand this feeling.
O my loving heavenly Father! Teach me to love You with all my heart, so that love for You and for nothing temporary fills my heart.
Teach me, God, to love You with all my will. Kill all self-will in me. Help me to always do only what You please and what You desire.
Teach me to love You with all my soul, to fight and mortify unkind feelings, my own appetites, bad habits and attachments.
Teach me to love You with all my mind, rejecting any other mind, other judgments and understandings that have nothing in common with Your Divine mind and revelation.
Teach me to love You with all my strength, help me to strain and concentrate all my energy only in order to love the way You would want me to love You.
O God of Love! Kindle within me Your unquenchable, ever-loving love of Christ, so that I may be what You would have me to be and do what You would have me do.
O eternal, inexhaustible Source of Love! If only people would know You and understand Your love! If only they could understand how worthy You are of our absolute love! How wonderful You are to everyone who already loves You, how strong You are to everyone who trusts in You, how inexpressibly sweet You are to all those who enjoy continuous communication with You; for You are the abyss of all treasures and the ocean of all blessings!
Believe in the great power of Love! Believe sacredly in Her conquering cross, In Her radiantly shining light. A world mired in dirt and blood! - Believe in the great Power of Love!
To love God means to deny oneself, that is, to sacrifice self-will.
It is very difficult to define love, just like a number of other fundamental concepts on which a person relies. Try, for example, to explain what life is without using the word itself. What about friendship? And what about good?.. In this sense, love is similar to truth, about which the famous theologian of the 20th century, priest Pavel Florensky, said that it “is not proven, but shown.”
And yet, Christ gives a wonderful definition of love! He says: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13 ). There are other words consonant with these words: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matthew 16:24 ).
To love means to deny oneself, to sacrifice oneself, one’s interests and benefits, even to the point of laying down one’s soul for one’s friends. God Himself is love because He sacrifices Himself for us (whom He calls friends; see John 15:14 ). This means that for us, loving God also means sacrificing something for Him. What can we sacrifice? First of all, by our self-will.
If we experience that very “agape” in relation to God - love-trust, love-devotion, then, of course, we will try to take into account His will first and foremost and act in accordance with it. Moreover, the will of God is not at all some kind of secret behind seven seals, it is revealed in His commandments.
Christ says: If you have My commandments and keep them, this is you who love Me (John 14:21 ); in the Synodal translation, with a somewhat smoothed semantic emphasis: He who has My commandments and keeps them, loves. By the way, and in this case the Lord again uses the verb formed from the word agape. Me. Why is keeping the commandments a testament to love for God? It is precisely because by living according to His will for us, we express our trust and loyalty to Him.
And this is not just some formal act of “expressing trust.” In fact, without trusting God, you simply cannot fulfill the commandments.
Most of us tend to associate the purpose for which we do something with the concept of “quality of life”, in simple terms - with comfort, physical and mental. Useful and effective is usually considered to be something that improves the “quality of life”, makes it more comfortable and enjoyable, and brings joyful experiences. And vice versa: everything that complicates life, makes it more difficult, is considered harmful.
And the commandments absolutely do not fit into such a picture of the world. Their implementation almost never leads to an increase in the “quality of life.” Thanks to the fulfillment of the commandments, life does not become more “comfortable” or “pleasant” in the generally accepted sense, but rather the opposite. The commandments are not about convenience at all, but about blessedness, which, according to the word of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724–1783), is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, or, more precisely, our unity with Him.
The Gospel beatitudes are the quintessence of what Christ taught. And what follows from them? That among the blessed there are those who weep, those who are persecuted, those who are unjustly slandered, those who are slandered. This, it turns out, is whose Kingdom of Heaven is, this is who is the salt of the earth (cf. Matthew 5:3-13). People who live in the logic of increasing the “quality of life” will never agree to be guided by such commandments. Obviously, only those who sincerely loved God and trusted Him, and agree to put their desires in the background, can be guided by such commandments: Thy will be done! (Mt. 6:10).
There is another, theological, dimension to the conversation about sacrificing one’s will. The fact is that almost everything that we are accustomed to include in the concept of human personality: advantages and disadvantages, emotions and desires, talents and knowledge, habits, memories, etc. - from the point of view of Christianity, a person does not have his own. Something was invested in him by God (abilities, talents), something was formed under the influence of people and events (knowledge, habits, memories), something was inherited from previous generations (appearance traits, character, predisposition to various ailments) . Will is perhaps the only thing that cannot be attributed to “external factors”: it belongs only to the person himself. After the Fall, man’s own will, infected with sin, became the main value for man: having ceased to trust his Creator, man became a slave to his own desires and desires, often sinful. And renunciation of self-will ultimately turns out to be the only sacrifice that a person can really make to God.
When I say that from now on I live according to God’s commandments, and not as I please, I really deny myself, because I deny my will. This does not mean that I become a weak-willed creature. This means that I freely subordinate my will to the will of God, putting the commandments given to me by God in their rightful place - priority. And this is a powerful testimony of man’s love for God.
This is exactly the kind of love the Lord Jesus Christ showed for God the Father. “I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me,” He said to the Jews (John 5:30 ). And he confirmed the truth of these words in the Garden of Gethsemane, when, despite natural fear and reluctance to die, he chose to fulfill the will of the Father, leading Him to Golgotha. Not as I want, but as You want (Matthew 26:39 )…
Thesis 3.
Ways to show love for God
There are many of them. The Bible says, “Love God with all your heart.” How can you show your feelings to the Creator? To manifest and prove his relationship to the Creator, a person would like to see an object of love. It is quite difficult to convey your feelings to someone who is hidden from our eyes. It is also difficult to determine how real our feelings for God are.
It is believed that in order to convey love for the Creator, observing the Commandments is enough. This is enough, but how difficult it is to follow such requirements. The Bible indicates that it is knowledge of the commandments that influences the manifestation of one’s attitude towards the Lord. Accordingly, if one of the people does not try to keep the commandments, he is far from being able to love the Creator. Jesus says this too.
Slave, mercenary, son
There are three degrees of submission to God: a slave, submitting to Him out of fear of punishment; a mercenary who works for pay; and a son who is guided by love for the Father. The state of a slave is a state of fear of punishment, fulfilling the commandments only out of fear of eternal torment. The Apostle John the Theologian writes: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment. He who fears is not perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). If a slave has imperfect love, then a mercenary is one who certainly wants to receive a reward for every good deed. The mercenary has a greater degree of freedom, but he is guided by pure calculation, which displaces love. Son is undoubtedly the perfect and most beneficial degree for a person, since in this degree there is freedom of love. Saint Gregory the Theologian writes: “I know three degrees in those who are saved: slavery, mercenary and sonship. If you are a slave, then be afraid of beatings. If you are a mercenary, keep one thing in mind - get it. If you are higher than a slave and a hireling, even a son, be ashamed of God as a father, do good, because it is good to obey your father. Even if you didn’t expect to receive anything, pleasing your father is a reward in itself. May we not find ourselves neglecting this!”
Each person, looking into the depths of his soul, can accurately determine the degree to which he arrives. Having done this, he will understand what to do to fulfill the covenant of Christ: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, let you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). And through fulfilling this commandment he will love God.
Not a word, but a deed
As you know, love can only be judged by actions, but not by words. If this feeling is not supported by actions, then it will not be appreciated and accepted. Love without actions is like this: a hungry person is not offered food, but its image on paper. Or a person without clothes is given not vestments, but the promises of these vestments.
The need to prove your love for the Almighty through your actions is also hidden in the words of John the Theologian. He calls Christians to love their neighbors not with words and tongue, but with deeds and truth. To prove this love one must sacrifice. A truly loving person can even lose his life if the need arises. An example of such a sacrifice is the behavior of the holy martyrs. They were able not to spare their own lives, just to show loyalty to the Lord. The righteous expressed such feelings through exploits and deeds, showing that they trusted only in the Creator and believed only in him.
To daily confirm your feelings for the Creator, it is enough to try not to commit sins, follow the commandments of the Lord, strive to pacify the flesh and protect it from passions and lust. This will be the best proof of devotion to the Almighty. If a person does not want to follow the commandments, he proves with every act displeasing to God that he is ready to crucify Christ, as non-believing people did.
So, through donation and obedience, keeping the commandments, one can confirm that a person loves God and the Son of God. This is what is said in the saying of Basil the Great.
Some people may find it difficult to keep the Lord's commandments. But it is important to remember that if a person does a godly deed, it becomes simple for him. In the words of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, it is said that keeping the commandments is a successful way to show the Creator your feelings. Moreover, these laws are simple, and it is not difficult to follow them if a person truly believes and loves.
To love means to accept without setting conditions. That's why love often manifests itself as patience
We have already said that loving another means sacrificing yourself for him. But you can donate in different ways. How often, when we give in to something else, we get irritated, get into quarrels, begin to present reproaches and claims to each other: “Yes, I gave up so much for you, everything is for you, and you, so and so!..” Or even if we are silent, these words are written on our faces. And it’s clear that these are not words of love. Because we know something completely different about love: it is long-suffering, it is merciful, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not proud, does not act outrageously, does not think its own way, is not irritated... (1 Cor. 13:4,5).
How often, when we sacrifice something for another, we secretly hope that he will somehow appreciate our efforts. But “those who have true love do not care whether their love is appreciated or not,” said the Athonite elder Paisiy Svyatogorets (1924–1994, canonized as a saint in 2015). “He doesn’t even remember the sacrifice he makes for his neighbor out of pure love.” And the Monk Isaac the Syrian wrote: “Where there is love, there is no retribution (payment, reward. - Ed.); and where there is retribution, there is no love.”
We find an ideal example of love that does not seek its own in the Gospel parable of the prodigal son. The son demands from his father the “due to him” part of his father’s estate (the one that would have gone to him after his father’s death), receives it - and leaves who knows where, “to a distant country,” where he lives dissolutely and wastefully. Finally, having spent everything and come to his senses, he decides to return to his father and prepares a repentant speech in his mind in advance: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son; accept me as one of your hired servants. But in reality, he barely has time to utter even half of these words: the father, seeing his son, runs out to meet him, hugs him, gives him the best clothes, puts a ring on his hand (a sign of the master’s power in the house) and arranges a feast. And he does not reproach him with a word (see: Luke 15 :11-32). It is clear that this parable is about our relationship with God. And it shows how God loves us - with unconditional, accepting love.
Examples of such love are found in our earthly life, although, unfortunately, most often in the most desperate situations. This is what Larisa Pyzhyanova, a psychologist at the House with a Lighthouse children's hospice, where terminally ill children spend their last months and days, said in a conversation on Vera radio:
“For me, hospice is about that very unconditional love to which the Lord calls us all. When they say that it’s scary there, that children are dying there, I answer: children see there a kind of love that, unfortunately, their healthy peers do not know. Parents expect socialization, fulfillment, and success from healthy children: “come on, go ahead!” But here it is clear that the child will not grow up, will not be an excellent student, or an athlete, or a hero, will not glorify his parents, and will not even serve them a glass of water in old age. And he is loved with the most non-judgmental, most unconditional love. And the children love you in return. This is an example of the brightest, most holy love.”
But such examples are still very rare in our lives. Much more often our love for God and neighbor “looks” like patience. This may be patience with the shortcomings of the person we love, or with the sorrows of life that the Lord allows us. And when we endure, this is also a sacrifice, this is also love.
“Going to death for your loved one is not our measure. Our measure is at least not to get irritated with him over trifles,” Archpriest Valerian Krechetov, one of the most experienced confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church, once said. “Love is patient—the Apostle Paul begins with this... Love consists in enduring.”
In one of the psalms of King David there are the lines: Be patient with the Lord, be of good courage, and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord (Ps 26:14 ). And indeed, there are situations when love for God has to be proven by the patience of the sorrows He allows - and by hope. When translated from Church Slavonic, patience is usually replaced with the word hope in Him.
One of my friends recently lost her son. A very young man died under tragic circumstances, quite suddenly. Nine out of ten people in her place would come to despair and would not want to hear more about God, who “did not save” or “punished so cruelly, it is unclear why.” But the mother of this young man (who went to church and was interested in spiritual life) has no complaints against God. There is grief, there is melancholy, there is pain, but in some incomprehensible way they are united in her heart with trust in the One, without Whom everything would be completely hopeless, because it is meaningless. In such situations, the most extreme, catastrophic ones, a person’s love for God is manifested.
Thesis 5.
The highest expression of love
How, besides keeping the commandments, can one say: “I love you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God?” There is a more difficult path, but not everyone can do it. Martyrdom is the highest degree of love for God. There are known people who sacrificed themselves in the name of this love. They are canonized and considered the chosen ones.
If a person is able to truly love the Lord, he is able to know the joys of Heaven on Earth.
True love
One of the holy martyrs was the Monk Macrona. This girl believed in the Creator with all her soul. When the king wanted to take possession of her by force, she was not afraid to refuse him, entrusting herself to the Lord. She said: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, I’d rather go to the bottom of the sea, but not break your commandments!” The ruler who heard this cut off the girl’s head and drowned her in the sea. But Macron’s sacrifice did not go unnoticed. The girl was canonized as a holy martyr. Now her feat is an example of true faith in the Lord.
Let's sum it up
"God is love". That's what the Bible says. This great feeling is capable of performing real miracles. If a person strives to show his love, he is ready to sacrifice everything he has.
How should people love their Creator? The answer to this question will also be the text of the Bible. It says that people should love the Creator as much as they love themselves. Just as it is easy for a lover to perform actions in the name of the object of adoration, so it will be easy for people to follow the observance of the commandments indicated in the Bible. Those who will violate the laws of Holy Scripture are like the people who crucified Jesus. In order not to crucify the Son of God within oneself, one must try to be faithful to his commandments. Then the bliss of the Earthly Paradise will be revealed to man.
The highest degree of manifestation of love for the creator is the ability to sacrifice life for him. Such people are counted among the Saints, calling them martyrs.
All the truths about the relationship between man and the Creator are contained in the Book of Books - the Bible. Studying its secrets is an activity that will bring valuable fruits of reason and wisdom. People must communicate with the Creator, since he created them like himself. The Lord is open to conversation with man. Having shown an example of the highest love when he gave his son for people, the Creator expects us to observe simple biblical commandments, which not everyone manages to fulfill. In this way, believers demonstrate their love for God by daily confirming it with good deeds.
“But I don’t feel the will of God”: an example of two brothers
When talking about doing God's will, people can also be mistaken. Some Christians believe that we can only do God's will if we perceive it. If we don't feel it, then we are free, because God doesn't want people to do anything if they don't feel it. But tell me, do you always go to work, guided only by your sensations and feelings? Do you try to understand how you feel about your work when you wake up in the morning, and then, based on your feelings, do you make a decision: finally get out of bed or bury yourself even more under warm blankets? Are you doing this? Don't think. You DO your job no matter how you feel! But whenever it comes to doing the will of God, we give too much space to our feelings. God, of course, wants us to do His will AND feel it. However, even if we do not feel this, it is still better to do His will than not to obey it at all! Let's look at the example given by the Lord, where He said: “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you...” (Matthew 18:9). He did not say: “If your eye offends you, and you somehow feel in a special way that it is necessary to pluck it out, then do it. But if you don’t have such a feeling, then you are free from it. You can leave it untouched so that it can continue to seduce you.” The damaged eye must be removed whether we feel the need or not! The same thing happens with the will of God. The best option is to perform and feel it. If you don’t feel it, do it anyway, instead of showing your disobedience to God!
Let's look at another example from the Gospel of Matthew. Chapter 21 tells how the high priests and elders of the people again tried to catch Christ with their questions. The following parable was an answer to one of their questions.
Matthew 21:28-31: “What do you think? One man had two sons; and he, approaching the first one, said: “Son! Go and work in my vineyard today.” But he answered: “I don’t want to”; and then, repenting, he left. And going up to the other, he said the same thing. This one said in response: “I’m going, sir,” and did not go. Which of the two fulfilled the will of the father? They say to Him: “First.”
Their answer was correct. The first son did not want to fulfill the will of his father. Therefore, he simply told him: “I will not go to work in the vineyard today.” But then, after thinking about it, he changed his mind. Who knows what influenced his decision. Perhaps it was concern for his father. He heard his father's call to work in the vineyard, but he did not have much emotional uplift for this work. He might have wanted to sleep longer, or to slowly drink his coffee, or to go for a walk with his friends. Therefore, he, perhaps still lying in bed, responded to his father’s request with his protest: “I won’t go.” But, finally waking up from sleep, the son thought about his father, about how he loved him, and, changing his mind, forced himself to get out of bed and go and do what his father asked!
The second son, perhaps also still lying in bed, said to his father: “Yes, dad, I’ll go.” But he didn’t do what he promised! He probably fell asleep again and then called his friend and disappeared, doing whatever he wanted. He may have momentarily “felt” the need to fulfill his father’s will, but those feelings came and went. This “feeling” of having to do God’s will was replaced by another “feeling” of doing something else. Therefore, the son did not go into the vineyard.
Which of these two sons fulfilled his father's will? The one who at first didn’t want to go to work, but he went anyway, or the one who felt the need to go, but changed his mind and didn’t go? The answer is obvious. We read that love for the Father is expressed by doing His will. Therefore, the question can be asked differently: “Which of the two sons loved the Father?” or “Which of his sons was the Father pleased with? The one who promised Him to do His will, but in the end did not fulfill it, or the one who still fulfilled it? The answer is the same: “To the one who fulfilled His will!” Conclusion: Do God's will regardless of your feelings! Let your first reaction be: “I won’t do that!” or “I don’t feel it!” Change your mind and do what God expects of you. Yes, of course, it is much easier to do the will of God if you have a great desire for it. However, when choosing between not doing the will of the Father and doing it without much desire, we must say: “I will do the will of my Father because I love my Father and want to please Him.”
