expulsive love
"If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 1 John 2:15.
From time to t
ime I find it difficult to not love the world ... actually, that's a gross understatement. The allure of things, relationships, and the countless means of gaining some sort of approval are all pretty hard to resist ... impossible, really ... that's how it is with idols.
When I let them in they're impossible to extract - no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about them ... wanting more ... never satisfying ... it's like watering my front lawn.
Seriously, the drought and hard Adelaide clay provide a great combo for massive earthquake-like cracks in our front yard ... notsomuch watering our lawn, but the local geological fault-line ... and no matter how much water I spray on the dusty terrain, it just doesn't seem to make a difference. I keep trying, longing for some green sprouts ... but the water just seems to head for the earth's core, rather than moisten the root system ... nothing seems to satisfy it.
Imagine if there was a massive surge of groundwater and the dry, dusty landscape of my front yard was overcome with lush green grass as a result ... the never-ending nature of my appeasment of the drought is expelled by a much greater source of irrigation.
I know, it sounds completely implausable, but it helps me think about the expulsive love of God ... I heard this week that a determination to marvel at, and discover more of, the love of God is the only thing that can expel the idols I so easily attach myself to.
And it's true.
From time to t
ime I find it difficult to not love the world ... actually, that's a gross understatement. The allure of things, relationships, and the countless means of gaining some sort of approval are all pretty hard to resist ... impossible, really ... that's how it is with idols.When I let them in they're impossible to extract - no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about them ... wanting more ... never satisfying ... it's like watering my front lawn.
Seriously, the drought and hard Adelaide clay provide a great combo for massive earthquake-like cracks in our front yard ... notsomuch watering our lawn, but the local geological fault-line ... and no matter how much water I spray on the dusty terrain, it just doesn't seem to make a difference. I keep trying, longing for some green sprouts ... but the water just seems to head for the earth's core, rather than moisten the root system ... nothing seems to satisfy it.
Imagine if there was a massive surge of groundwater and the dry, dusty landscape of my front yard was overcome with lush green grass as a result ... the never-ending nature of my appeasment of the drought is expelled by a much greater source of irrigation.
I know, it sounds completely implausable, but it helps me think about the expulsive love of God ... I heard this week that a determination to marvel at, and discover more of, the love of God is the only thing that can expel the idols I so easily attach myself to.
And it's true.
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