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The trouble is, I have to change how my heart thinks.
If my foundation is fear- then that is all I see.
But what am I to do if all I have ever known is fear. there is no amount of words that are going to magically change that.
I don't know if it is possible to put love on top and expect it to stick.
Like oil and water- they don't mix.

so love has to go deeper. Deeper than the fear.
Love- most assuredly in action first- going in to destroy the very foundation that you have built your life upon.

It changes everything you know.
Throws it all out the window. You thought you knew how to interact with people. You thought you understood what God, loving you, meant.
You didn't.
I don't. Let's bring this home....

I have only ever known one Jesus- one God- one Lord.
Taught from the beginning that He loves me no matter what.
That should be enough right?!
Right??!!!

Sure, He loves me.
But I am pretty good. I don't really do bad things. Except, I do.
Because thinking the above thought was bad, as in arrogant.
Sin is sin right?

My heart wants it all to be equal.
murder/vanity
adultery/gluttony
larceny/ judgement
all equal. all bad.
The message is..don't go through life thinking you are better than someone else.
The reality is that you are all in need of a Savior.

Of course you get a scripture...
John 3:16
For God so loved the world.
world....to be translated...scum-sucking sinners.

Either you accept that you were once one of them and now you are a new creation...
or you are still one of them-perpetually- in need of the only worthy one to save you from your current, constant,
pit of life.

I do not see love- or freedom- in those statements.

what if...(two words that have the power to start revolution)
what if our perspective changes- just a bit-
one tiny shift to begin with...

Lets change our perspective on "world".
put down any thoughts of  "worldly or of the world."
disengage the mind set that all references to world ultimately mean references to sin and sinner.

Ready-
close your eyes and breathe for a moment in the emptiness created by removing sin-
from world.

I am not suggesting that you are now the Savior.

I am asking you to consider "world" as...
earth- creation- people

Created by God and He saw that it was good.
World.
God loved it. God SO loved it.

now open your eyes.
Do you see this world?
God loves it.
He loves it so much that he sent His Son.

I have always held the impression that we- the world- dwelt in the molten sludge-pits of muck and degradation and God in His Mercy sent His Son with a Heavenly fire hose to power wash us so we could be clean and worthy.
CALL ON JESUS! then get ready to get blasted. I mean really...you do deserve it. And in love He is gonna blast you clean.

this line of thinking made me fearful.
and it also made me hateful.
and judgmental.

cuz I already did it. got hosed. whew. I'm good.
but you.
you could really use some hosing.

He will you know. Make you all clean and bran' spankin' sparkly new. CALL ON JESUS!

Does this make me more loving than Jesus?
Because my heart tells me that going around calling (or considering) people as losers...heathens...unwashed...wordly...
is not very loving.

Did Jesus do that?
Do His followers do that?

I know that you would never approach a person in pain and say "you are really in bad shape. You have screwed up your life because you are so ignorant. Let me tell you how to make your suckiness go away."

I know you wouldn't do that.

Would you ever say (in your heart or to your friends or to your bible study group)
I have this co-worker that is just so lost. Really worldly. Messed up bad. They really need Jesus.

What did you mean when you said worldly?
Do you see a scenario in which you pray and Jesus comes in and makes your co-worker clean and nice and ok to be around?
maybe you can honestly say that you love that person in your office with a pure love that sees their worth and wants them to be whole.
brownie points to you.

do you view the the slutty girl that is targeting your teenage boy with the same generosity?
how much love did you feel for the possibly high certainly stinky man that cussed out the clerk in convenience store while you were waiting in a hurry to pay for your power bar?

just think about it.

God so loved the world.