God So Loved the World But Does He Still Love Me

This word is for those who really question the love of God. It is not that they question whether or not God loves at all, they just question in their heart, does God love me, or do I really love Him? We all do at times I think. As Christians we are tempted to think these thoughts. But why do they just seem to grip us at times? We can't seem to shake it off. We know better and still the thoughts persist. I think all of us would like to put the issue to rest once and for all.

Here is what we need to know. First of all we need to realize that we usually struggle the most with these kinds of thoughts after a moral failure. So let me ask you this. Why does sinning bother you so much? Sin doesn't seem to bother everybody. We want to be perfect, never make mistakes, always doing and saying the right thing. It hurts to think we failed Jesus. If this is you, if this is hitting home, then I know something about you.

I know something about you, that I am convinced of, not even knowing who you are! What do I know? I know that you do love Jesus. Why? Because people who do not love Him, and are not interested in Him, are never concerned with failing Him. The thing that is hurting is the love in your heart for Him. The only one ever truly tempted to question, does God still love me, is someone who has a deep love for God. You cannot hurt a heart that does not care. Therefore we know we are loved. Doesn't the Bible say that we love Him because He first loved us? The love in us was initiated by the love He first has for us. The only reason there is a love for Jesus in my heart, is that there was a love for me in His heart first.

I know you know this. It has just been hard to trust in it. It can get that way at times, but really only for those who really love Him. If you are questioning in your heart, does God still love me, let me say in no uncertain terms. Yes He does, He most certainly does, and you love Him as well. How do I know? Because it hurts you to think that He may not.

The God Concept Is Not Something To Gloss Over, Especially Since We Are That Concept Essentially

Each one of us, I do believe, are a small part of God that makes up the whole God ultimately. Let me explain what I mean. We as conscious beings are each cellular part that makes up the full living God, God is not a being outside of us in any way, but we are all cellular parts of what God is. When we look in the mirror, we are looking at a small part of God. When we look at full existence, we are looking at God. The full God concept is the whole of existence, and God started out as an objective concept before starting out as anything else before the medium of creation. Some may argue that point with me, but from my point of view there is not much to argue, because that is a pretty accurate description in brief. But as you can tell this will be a pretty long and interesting article about this point, because this topic deserves that treatment.

So, to refute certain things outside of my point first of all: If God was dead, existence would not exist if my concept of God is accurate. Here, I am oversimplifying to get a point across, an honest point. There is something to everything, even the foolish, or it would not at least exist as a concept. Sure, I can say many things here, but I will make as broad "brush strokes" as possible to get my point across simply, yet accurately and logically. This will surprise you: But this article is not an attack on world religions or even an attempt at "cracker barrel" philosophy. This article is actually validating the genuine and real point of religion by logically and methodically exposing its logical philosophical core realities.

So, we have established two concepts, God is alive as every living being is a part of God and existence and has existed as a conceptual structure before it existed as existence proper. So, think of a giant oak tree laying inside an acorn. That acorn has the concept of an oak tree within it, but it has to evolve over years into that mighty oak tree. That is part of my point. The essential concept is to show the thread of concept that links it all, a God concept if you will.

Now, sure, I can use fancy language to describe the obvious, but honestly, making things too complex has no point. The best thing to do is bring it down to the lowest common denominator, which I am doing. The highest common denominator is not to question anything and accept things on "pure" irrational faith without going deeply into the questions and answers and realities and making assumptions without going deeper. Yes, the lowest and highest common denominator meanings are learned in math class in school or any basic math book. But I will still explain what I mean by those terms anyway. The lowest common denominator is the simplest solution. The highest common denominator is complex, "Rube Goldberg" cartoon style silliness that is not workable. That is what I mean by highest common denominator, not so much the math term where one million is the highest common denominator for so many numbers. Sure, I can be less balanced and reasoned about religion and philosophy and more emotional, but what good would it do? Nothing, which is why I am going to continue taking the road I am taking on this without "let up" of any sort. "You can put the boy in the jungle and the man is still in the jungle even when he has mastered and outgrown the jungle" so to speak. We all live in existence, no matter what, even when we have mastered it seemingly. God is a master, but God was like us once if I am right. Even the Christian holy book says that we were made in his image, and every holy book essentially echoes this reality right down to the Upanishads a few thousand years before the Christian holy book. My point is not debate, argument or polemic. Reality to be mastered needs to be fully understood and understood deeply. I could go on at least two hundred or three hundred more words, but I want you to think, and think deeply, especially about existence, reality and all related subjects for yourself as I do for myself.

God Is Still Working Miracles!

I just have to share this miracle that happened on my trip to Hawaii last week. My very good friend and I arrived in Honolulu, rented a car, and drove to the hotel. After taking our bags out of the car, my friend started frantically looking through his little wind-breaker jacket. I asked him what was wrong and he said he lost something. I said what did you lose and he said "money." When I asked him how much, too my surprise, it was A LOT of money. Not the amount of money you wouldn't carry around in a windbreaker unless they were traveler's checks. It was the money he was going to use for the trip.

Well to say the least, this was upsetting news. Then he told me while he was at baggage claim, (I was in the bathroom) that a man came up to him and asked him if he lost anything. Not realizing he had lost the money he said "No." Now putting two and two together, this man probably found the money and was looking for the owner. My friend, needless to say was very upset.

On the way up to our hotel rooms I told him that we were not going to let this ruin our trip. That God knew this was going to happen and that even if we have to do everything free, we are going to have a fabulous time. In fact, I said that I believed that our trip would be just as wonderful as if we had spent every penny that he lost. When we got to the room we actually prayed about the money and we were determined to let it go. I told my friend about a testimony I heard by Joel Osteen about a lady who had lost her expensive wedding ring at the beach only to step on it several days later in the sand. We declared that the devil intended this for evil but God would turn it around for our highest good.

Well, I have to admit that my friend did a very good job of letting it go. I also encouraged him to check the lost and found at the airport because it sounded like the man who found the money might have turned it in since he was actually asking people about it. My friend called everyday, but only got a recording and no one even called him back.

On our day of the departure, my friend said he was going to try one last time. He asked someone how to get to Lost and Found and they told him it was about 49 gates away. I waited at our gate while he walked down there. He returned about 20 minutes later saying that no one was there and that everyone kept giving him the run around. They even gave him the same phone number that he had been calling all week with no avail.

We had about 20 minutes to board the plane and my friend said he wanted to get something from Starbucks but thought he didn't have time. I said, sure you do, so we walked down to Starbucks and waited in the line. We got our drinks and were walking out of the coffee shop when my friend spotted the man who had asked him if he had lost anything the day we arrived at the airport. He was standing in the same Starbucks line!!! My friend told him that he had lost the money and the man said that he turned the money in. In fact, he gave us the name of the airline's general manager. Then he went with us to the airline desks and told what had happened and the airline took all my friend's information and told him they would mail him a check for the amount of the money he lost.

The general manager was so elated that the man was honest and turned the money in that she had given him a free flight and upgraded it as well. The man said that he had no intention of keeping that money because he didn't want that kind of karma coming back to haunt him.

So what can I say, we had the best trip ever and God still gave my friend the money back. In fact, I don't think the trip could have been any better if we had had it. We learned two lessons, 1) Please don't put large sums of money in wind-breakers! 2) Have faith in God and He will see you through. My friend was so excited, and so was I, that we just couldn't stop talking about it. All I have to say is, "Look at God!"

Be Still and Know That I Am God - Communicating With God Through Stillness

One of the greatest challenges in communicating with God is stilling your mind.

You may ask "What does stilling your mind have to do with communication with God"?

Here's the thing.  We all have ideas about God.  We have expectations about God.  We expect ways in which God shows up, speaks, works, moves, etc.

These expectations are the result of religious training, societal training, and parental training.  Then along the way we pick up our own unique ideas relating to God.

All this baggage colors our experience with communicating with God.

You could compare it to communicating with a friend.  If you have a strong expectation of what they're going to say and they say something different, many times you hear what you expected.

Your response gives you away and you discover that there has been a breakdown in communication and if you desire to keep the friendship, some amends must be made.

It's no different with God.

If you go into a relationship with God with all your expectations about how God will speak, what God will say, etc... What do you think you will hear?

Exactly what you expected to hear.  Then you may go on your way feeling proud of your understanding of God because He told you exactly what you knew He would!

There's a marvelous scripture that helps us to understand God a little better.

Isaiah 55:8-9

8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (KJV)

Whenever you get to expecting God to do or say this or that you may want to reconsider.

There is always the possibility that your expectations are as far from reality as the heavens are above the earth.

Once you still your mind, picture yourself sitting in the presence of God.  Don't pretend to know what God will look like.  Just allow whatever comes up to be as it is.  You may notice the urge to tweak the picture based on your expectations and notions.  Try leaving it as it is.

Then you may want to ask a question - try communicating with God.  The answer will most likely come in the form of spontaneous, free flowing thoughts - you will notice that they're not your own. 

We speak of hearing God's voice when really very few people actually hear an audible voice.  Most often it's simply this flow of thoughts - thoughts that haven't been generated by your own mind's efforts of analyzing and deduction.

It's quite possible that you've heard God's voice before but your expectations prevented you from recognizing it.  Remember, according to the Christ, it is children that enter the kingdom.  If you are struggling with how to hear from God - you're likely trying to hard.  If a child can do it, so can you.

Children just have the advantage of not having so many expectations.

Scripture advises: Be still and know that I am God - still those expectations.  Expect to hear God's voice.

Yes you can!

If deeper communication with God is your goal, you will enjoy a resource I have prepared "7 Mistakes That Prevent Effective Communication With God".