The Passionate and Persistent Love of God: Day 3

In the last blog I mentioned that many times I fail to accept responsibility for my actions, because of a discomfort I feel in my thoughts.  I used the term "cognitive dissonance" to describe the discomfort and it's origin.  But as I continued to think about the concept of cognitive dissonance, I realized that the bible uses the word "conscience" to describe a similar event.  Romans 2:14-15 states that our consciences bears witness to our deeds and our thoughts will either accuse or defend us.  

When we consider that everyone has a conscience and experiences moments of cognitive dissonance in their life, then I believe it's logical to assume that everyone knows they have missed the mark.  They have fallen short of perfection, failed to live up to the highest standard, and carry the guilt and shame of bad choices.  Whether or not a person has read the bible, I think this self-awareness creates a sense of insecurity and fear in all of us.  Fear that we will be found out, and insecure that we will be rejected once our mistakes are brought to life.

To be honest, which one of us hasn't experienced a moment of shame and fear of rejection?  Those moments when we worry that someone will discover our bad habit and mock us?  Or the times when we are afraid to look stupid or dorky because no one will want to be seen in public with us?  What about the times when our guilt is still on our hands?  That happens occasionally, so what do we do?

I think the worse thing we can do is stuff all our dirty little secrets deep down and let them eat us alive (which they will.)  I think the second worse thing we can do is to expose them to everyone in an attempt to declare them acceptable (which society does at times).  I think there is only one good option: share those secrets and failures to a trustworthy person who will accept you unconditionally.  

I know, I get it: "But Josh, who is a completely faithful friend will accept us unconditionally???"  I'm glad you asked...

God promise to be that friend.  Granted, He has standards, but that doesn't mean He won't accept us.  God will always accept us; dirty secrets and all.  The cool thing about God though, is that He is going to help us spend less time in the guilt and shame of life by actually changing our behaviors and desires.  God created the world from scratch, don't you think it's possible He can fix a broken one?

I think the bible clearly reveals that truth...

Read Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 (NLT):

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Answer the following questions:

1. Why does Paul fall to his knees in prayer (re-read Ephesians 3:1-13 if necessary)?
2. What does Paul pray for in this section?
3. What is the difference between “understanding” God's love versus “experiencing” it?
4. Are you currently “experiencing” God's love? Why or why not? Share your deepest secret with God right now, and ask Him to reveal His love. (He already knows about your struggles).

Conclusion:

I slowly began to realize that the Christian life is a trajectory in the direction of holiness, but it's not always a straight line. Old habits are hard to break, so we need encouragement and support in order to succeed. We will never succeed without understanding God's love, and His love is best discovered through the family of believers. Next week we will begin to discuss how God's people are created to support each other.