GOD’S FIERY EMOTIONS

God’s capacity for burning affection is one of the most unique aspects of His character. To be deeply loved and to deeply love in return is one of the unique qualities of the human spirit. This capacity for affection brings us to unimaginable heights of glory, but it can also be our downfall, bringing us to agonizing depths of perversion. An individual’s capacity for burning desire, if re- fused, releases a terrifying capacity for destruction. Emotions can bring us to heights far beyond the angels if we say yes to God’s grace, but to the lowest places of darkness if we say no to it.

Exodus 20:5 says, “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” God has jealous, fiery emotions for us and has created us to have the same emotions in response to Him. One example of this is seen in the jealous zeal that Phinehas had for God in the generation of Moses.

Israel…began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel. One of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman…when Phinehas…saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through…so the plague was stopped among the children of Israel…Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Phinehas…has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.” (Numbers 25:1-11)

HOLY ROMANCE

As noted, the Gospel’s message of holiness is not centered around gritting our teeth and trying harder. Instead it brings people into what I call the “Holy Romance of the Gospel.” This is not a term found in Scripture, but one I’ve used for years to describe what happens in the human heart. The words Trinity and Rapture are not biblical terms either, but they are perfect to describe important biblical truths. When I speak of “holy romance,” I am referring to what happens when a person’s heart is exhilarated by receiving holy love from Jesus and feeling holy love toward Him. This is a love that causes human beings to sacrifice greatly in any number of areas in their lives, even in the face of death.

When Paul reflected on his sacrifices for God, he testi- fied that what he gave up was rubbish compared to the glory of knowing Jesus. He gave up a brilliant career with incredible financial advantages, but he counted it as the heap of ashes he knew it ultimately was. This is the epitome of what I mean by holy romance. Some fall into serious error by mistakenly assum- ing sexual overtones are appropriate in their spiritual relation- ship with Jesus, in the name of a supposed holy romance. This is Satan’s deception to undermine the development and proper placement of the First Commandment in a person’s life. What this romance is speaking of is a heart burning like John the Baptist’s heart and like Paul’s heart. It speaks of what Revelation 12:11 describes: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).

When Jesus is our magnificent obsession, material and pe- ripheral rewards become secondary. We become powerful and fearless in the grace of God when our primary purpose of loving God is fulfilled. I call this the anointing of the First Command- ment. It is our greatest reward in this life. We carry this with us wherever we go, even during dry seasons. From this perspective, life looks totally different, because no matter what happens, a song fills our hearts, stirs us, and our inner man is tender toward

God. When Jesus is our primary reward, we can lose everything for the Gospel—go to prison, suffer physically, be tortured— and still be successful.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)

Paul’s life as a follower of Jesus was filled with hardship (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), but in the midst of it, he greatly loved Jesus and considered his sufferings as not worthy of being com- pared to what God gave him in his relationship with Jesus. Paul counted his difficulties as momentary light afflictions. He wrote,

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eter- nal weight of glory…” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glo- ry which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)

Holy romance speaks of finding our glory in the ability to walk in holy love and hundred-fold obedience to Jesus. There will be no sacrifice too great when our hearts are set on fire. We are all fascinated by stories of wholeheartedness. Whether it’s a story of an athlete, the stories of scaling mountains or reaching the unreachable stars, we love stories of people who give every- thing, because they are stories that resonate with how we were made to live! There is nothing more compelling or attractive than desire combined with commitment that goes above and beyond the norm.

Hollywood has made billions of dollars from movies trum- peting courageous, fiery love. Every love story through the ages has done the same, but people still flock to the theater to see the

same story line over and over. Why? Because something in us longs for love that knows no boundaries, a love that embraces any sacrifice in pursuing the one it loves. From Romeo and Juliet to Casablanca, the classic tales through the ages have been those that espouse a radical love at any cost. All too often they are tragic in conclusion, because that is all we know in striving after earthly shadows of true love. But they communicate the truth that life itself is only worthwhile if the heart burns with love. And we devour it. We rejoice to see passion in others and we celebrate those who love with their whole hearts, because we love to love in this way. The reason we love to love in this way is that God designed us to love in this way. This is the glory of the Gospel.

No pleasure is more intense than the pleasure that comes when God communicates His love, His passion, His heart to the human spirit. It is life at its best. Such tender moments with God cause life, love and spiritual vitality to resonate deep within us. Of course, we do not experience an unbroken sense of God’s love in this life. Such dramatic touches of God’s presence will wax and wane. Only in Heaven will we enjoy the continual ec- stasy of His presence. During my tender moments with God, I say to myself and to God, “Oh, yes, I like life. Life is good!” As God pours His love into me, that same love flows from me back to Him. As I love Him back, greater revelation of His affec- tion and beauty comes to me, and the cycle just gets richer and richer. Even so, there is a greater, deeper love that is coming to the hearts of people in the age to come.

As the events that will ultimately lead to the Great Tribu- lation increase pressure everywhere, the Church will only be made ready as she is empowered through holy romance with God. The Church will interpret the difficulties of the last days, even martyrdom, through a lens of love. As God’s temporal judg- ments disrupt the world and its inhabitants, the end-time Bride of Christ will see God’s hand of mercy and goodness manifested. The Church must have vision for this holy romance to allow her to make sense of Jesus the Judge as He brings judgment to the

nations of the world in the Great Tribulation. We will not un- derstand God’s judgments if we don’t have a revelation that they come as a result of the Bridegroom’s love for His Bride.

Не нашли, что искали? Воспользуйтесь поиском: