We would like here to respond to a blog post made by Mosheli entitled “Why it is hard to love God”
Mosheli states: “Although I am a Christian/Messianic I find it very difficult to love God because (1) he made everyone unequal, small and great, beautiful and ugly, and made some of us just dumb ugly nobodies...”
“One of the first lessons to be learned in our Christian walk is that we are ALL really nothing, that we are bundles of imperfection, that on the strength of our own merit we could not commend ourselves to God nor have His favor. Furthermore, we are to learn that in proportion as we think of ourselves as somebody, to that same extent we are not pleasing to God, and are in His sight all the more nobodies, If, therefore, anyone should think of himself as a somebody in God's sight, he should begin to realize that he is nothing, a nobody, unworthy of Divine notice, except through the favor of God in Christ.”
It is much better to be a nobody in the eyes of the world, and a somebody in the eyes of the Lord.
As for the idea that God made everyone unequal, some being more intelligent than others, some physically, mentally and or morally so, some small (what you might refer to as nobodies,) while others were made great (highly esteemed in this world), some (physically) beautiful while others were made rather plain, unattractive, or ugly, as you suggest, we would have to disagree with this assumption.
All Gods works are perfect, Adam was originally created a perfect specimen of a natural or earthly being, both physically as well as mentally and morally. His wife taken from his side was the epitome of beauty. It was NOT God which marred these beautiful creatures, and accounted for the great differences in the qualities of each, it was sin. The results of sin once entering the world quickly corrupted the perfect specimens as well as all their offspring who shared in this same degradation. Thus, we have some who are more physically degraded than others, some mentally or morally so, however as stated it was sin which brought this about, not God.
Just because an individual is easy on the eyes, from the outside perspective does not necessarily mean they are beautiful on the inside. Some who are comely looking on the outside are soon found to be very un-wanting as far as their character is concerned. The same applies in the reverse, some for whom the world distains, who may be consider to be “ugly” (whether physically, mentally or morally) according to its standards may have very beautiful characters, known and apricated only by the Lord himself.
As far as considering one’s self to be just a “dumb ugly nobody” this may simply be a lack of personal esteem, a feeling of worthlessness, not necessarily how others may perceive us, but how we feel about ourselves as we tend to judge ourselves according to others. You may be a better person than you imagine. The Lord knows, he is the only one who can truly judge an individual.
Thankfully the Lord is no respecter of persons, He loves us all even though presently incumbered by sin, fallen and degraded in one form or another. This love He has shown to us in that He has provided a remedy for this corruption which has marred us all. He has provided this through Christ Jesus our Lord, and has promised with him a restitution (or restoring) of all things.
Mosheli goes on to say: “… I find it very difficult to love God because … (2) because he has allowed some of us to suffer so much hell wrongs throughout our entire "lives" (including me still being always been single in my 50s and it looking like I will forever miss out on love, intimacy, family, children etc. for all eternity).”
If, and I say if you have chosen to fully follow the Lord, to consecrate your all to him, then you must realize that in doing so you have chosen willingly to surrender all to the Lord. This means you willingly surrender all personal ambitions, earthly loves and plans in order to follow him. If you still harbor these things than you have yet to have fully surrendered yourself. Your focus is in the wrong direction; you need to determine once and for all if the Lord is your first love.
“Some seem to love the Lord, but God is not their first love.”
Set your eyes on those things above not on the things of this world. The things of this world are transitory, and will soon pass away, while the heavenly things are eternal.
“As He was, so are We in this World”
“With a frequency that cannot be passed unnoticed, we find Jesus reminding His followers that the path over which He walked would be the only pathway for their feet also, if they would be His disciples. It therefore becomes one of the best witnesses of the Spirit to us, if we find our experiences in the Christian way becoming more and more like those of our Lord and Savior. If we have realized with the passing of time that the individual who follows most closely in His footsteps has chosen for himself an increasingly lonely way, we have made a very important, and a very blessed discovery. There are, in the Christian life, certain experiences and emotions that are peculiar to comparatively few. As every earnest seeker after the Spirit-filled life can testify, the number of really congenial, heart to heart companions, grows steadily less as he enters into the higher realms of communion and fellowship with God.”
“If anyone who believes Christ with all his heart gives himself up to the longing for likeness to Christ, which is holiness; for oneness with Christ, which is power; for the vision of Christ, which is knowledge, he must expect to be often in loneliness as far as human companionship goes. This loneliness he will sometimes realize most keenly when all around him are the gay and laughing faces of his friends; when human voices are sounding in his ears like the sound of many waters; when people are jostling and thronging him in the crowded path (the way of the world)…The life of spiritual desire is not the life of the world [and so often not the life of many of those closer to us in the light of truth]; to prefer it is to prefer what few count desirable; to live that life is to think as the majority do not think (to go against the flow). The price of living it is loneliness; it is to know that many think you different, that some think you foolish (a nobody); it is to realize that your sentiments are the sentiments of the minority; and that if you are lonely, you cannot expect much sympathy from your friends.”
Just remember the words of our Lord when you feel you are alone without companionship, for they apply equally to us.
"Behold, the hour cometh (in your personal trials and testing’s), yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone; and yet l am not alone, because the Father is with Me." -- John 16:32
As for the idea that you will forever miss out on love, intimacy, family, children etc. for all eternity.
God would have us love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This may only be superficial now in the present time, but in time it will be real for all of God’s creation. You may miss out on present earthly loves family and such, but soon when the kingdom is established you will have the greatest family you could ever desire, all mankind will be your family and you will share a love which transcends anything you could ever have imagined. As many have experienced the love which resides in this world is often found to be fickle and diminishes with time, but the love which God intends is eternal.
Mosheli asks: How can anyone love God when he seems so mean to some of us? How does God love us when he allows such mean wrongs to be done to some of us?
God is not being mean to you or to anyone, He cannot do wrong. What you perceive as being mean is simply the workings of justice. Sin is in the world and its baneful results are evident all around us. God would have us learn this lesson so thoroughly that when given the opportunity we might chose righteousness (right living, holiness) instead. I would suggest you consider looking at the article entitled “The Permission of evil” which will help you to understand why this was necessary for man’s benefit.
Don’t give up my friend the kingdom is neared than you think, true love is nearer than you think.
Mosheli states: “Although I am a Christian/Messianic I find it very difficult to love God because (1) he made everyone unequal, small and great, beautiful and ugly, and made some of us just dumb ugly nobodies...”
“One of the first lessons to be learned in our Christian walk is that we are ALL really nothing, that we are bundles of imperfection, that on the strength of our own merit we could not commend ourselves to God nor have His favor. Furthermore, we are to learn that in proportion as we think of ourselves as somebody, to that same extent we are not pleasing to God, and are in His sight all the more nobodies, If, therefore, anyone should think of himself as a somebody in God's sight, he should begin to realize that he is nothing, a nobody, unworthy of Divine notice, except through the favor of God in Christ.”
It is much better to be a nobody in the eyes of the world, and a somebody in the eyes of the Lord.
As for the idea that God made everyone unequal, some being more intelligent than others, some physically, mentally and or morally so, some small (what you might refer to as nobodies,) while others were made great (highly esteemed in this world), some (physically) beautiful while others were made rather plain, unattractive, or ugly, as you suggest, we would have to disagree with this assumption.
All Gods works are perfect, Adam was originally created a perfect specimen of a natural or earthly being, both physically as well as mentally and morally. His wife taken from his side was the epitome of beauty. It was NOT God which marred these beautiful creatures, and accounted for the great differences in the qualities of each, it was sin. The results of sin once entering the world quickly corrupted the perfect specimens as well as all their offspring who shared in this same degradation. Thus, we have some who are more physically degraded than others, some mentally or morally so, however as stated it was sin which brought this about, not God.
Just because an individual is easy on the eyes, from the outside perspective does not necessarily mean they are beautiful on the inside. Some who are comely looking on the outside are soon found to be very un-wanting as far as their character is concerned. The same applies in the reverse, some for whom the world distains, who may be consider to be “ugly” (whether physically, mentally or morally) according to its standards may have very beautiful characters, known and apricated only by the Lord himself.
As far as considering one’s self to be just a “dumb ugly nobody” this may simply be a lack of personal esteem, a feeling of worthlessness, not necessarily how others may perceive us, but how we feel about ourselves as we tend to judge ourselves according to others. You may be a better person than you imagine. The Lord knows, he is the only one who can truly judge an individual.
Thankfully the Lord is no respecter of persons, He loves us all even though presently incumbered by sin, fallen and degraded in one form or another. This love He has shown to us in that He has provided a remedy for this corruption which has marred us all. He has provided this through Christ Jesus our Lord, and has promised with him a restitution (or restoring) of all things.
Mosheli goes on to say: “… I find it very difficult to love God because … (2) because he has allowed some of us to suffer so much hell wrongs throughout our entire "lives" (including me still being always been single in my 50s and it looking like I will forever miss out on love, intimacy, family, children etc. for all eternity).”
If, and I say if you have chosen to fully follow the Lord, to consecrate your all to him, then you must realize that in doing so you have chosen willingly to surrender all to the Lord. This means you willingly surrender all personal ambitions, earthly loves and plans in order to follow him. If you still harbor these things than you have yet to have fully surrendered yourself. Your focus is in the wrong direction; you need to determine once and for all if the Lord is your first love.
“Some seem to love the Lord, but God is not their first love.”
Set your eyes on those things above not on the things of this world. The things of this world are transitory, and will soon pass away, while the heavenly things are eternal.
“As He was, so are We in this World”
“With a frequency that cannot be passed unnoticed, we find Jesus reminding His followers that the path over which He walked would be the only pathway for their feet also, if they would be His disciples. It therefore becomes one of the best witnesses of the Spirit to us, if we find our experiences in the Christian way becoming more and more like those of our Lord and Savior. If we have realized with the passing of time that the individual who follows most closely in His footsteps has chosen for himself an increasingly lonely way, we have made a very important, and a very blessed discovery. There are, in the Christian life, certain experiences and emotions that are peculiar to comparatively few. As every earnest seeker after the Spirit-filled life can testify, the number of really congenial, heart to heart companions, grows steadily less as he enters into the higher realms of communion and fellowship with God.”
“If anyone who believes Christ with all his heart gives himself up to the longing for likeness to Christ, which is holiness; for oneness with Christ, which is power; for the vision of Christ, which is knowledge, he must expect to be often in loneliness as far as human companionship goes. This loneliness he will sometimes realize most keenly when all around him are the gay and laughing faces of his friends; when human voices are sounding in his ears like the sound of many waters; when people are jostling and thronging him in the crowded path (the way of the world)…The life of spiritual desire is not the life of the world [and so often not the life of many of those closer to us in the light of truth]; to prefer it is to prefer what few count desirable; to live that life is to think as the majority do not think (to go against the flow). The price of living it is loneliness; it is to know that many think you different, that some think you foolish (a nobody); it is to realize that your sentiments are the sentiments of the minority; and that if you are lonely, you cannot expect much sympathy from your friends.”
Just remember the words of our Lord when you feel you are alone without companionship, for they apply equally to us.
"Behold, the hour cometh (in your personal trials and testing’s), yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone; and yet l am not alone, because the Father is with Me." -- John 16:32
As for the idea that you will forever miss out on love, intimacy, family, children etc. for all eternity.
God would have us love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This may only be superficial now in the present time, but in time it will be real for all of God’s creation. You may miss out on present earthly loves family and such, but soon when the kingdom is established you will have the greatest family you could ever desire, all mankind will be your family and you will share a love which transcends anything you could ever have imagined. As many have experienced the love which resides in this world is often found to be fickle and diminishes with time, but the love which God intends is eternal.
Mosheli asks: How can anyone love God when he seems so mean to some of us? How does God love us when he allows such mean wrongs to be done to some of us?
God is not being mean to you or to anyone, He cannot do wrong. What you perceive as being mean is simply the workings of justice. Sin is in the world and its baneful results are evident all around us. God would have us learn this lesson so thoroughly that when given the opportunity we might chose righteousness (right living, holiness) instead. I would suggest you consider looking at the article entitled “The Permission of evil” which will help you to understand why this was necessary for man’s benefit.
Don’t give up my friend the kingdom is neared than you think, true love is nearer than you think.
