I've spoken with quite a few posters whose only motivation for following Jesus is to avoid the post-mortem deep-fat-fryer.
So true.
Years ago on a forum far away... I saw a topic that asked the question:
"If there was no afterlife, would you still follow Jesus?"
I was shocked at the response. The OVERWHELMING majority of Christian respondents said,
"No!"
To them (even after I pleaded for clarification), there was no value to following Christ in the here and now.
Others couldn't even wrap their head around the question.
"How can there be a Jesus with no afterlife?"
Seriously? (sigh)
Makes me wonder what kind of earthly fathers they had.
I heard once, and I think it is true all too often, that if you ask someone to describe their father,
they probably just realed their view of God the Father to you. Distant? Abusive? Angry? Gone?
One of my best childhood friends had a father who (he perceived) was constantly disappointed in him. He felt like nothing was ever good enough for his father. His mother, on the other hand, was the neighborhood mom, one of the kindest, most loving women you'd ever hope to meet. My wife, ever the judge of character, asked, "How in the hell did those two ever get married?"
Opposites attract, I hear. (and observe)
Than God for the good parent that balances the bad parent.
I remember as a teen-ager when my perspective changed, and my motivation changed from wanting to avoid punishment to wanting to do things that made my parents happy. Because making them happy made me happy, which is pretty close to the definition of love. Twenty years ago, I had a similar change of perspective (or should I say, change of mind; Gr. μετανοέω) and I saw God... differently.
Maturity means growing out of childhood. It takes us that long to finally wake up.
I'm not sure what God did there, but it made a world of difference. I couldn't have gone on with the "disappointed father" mindset.
Yes! The proper perspective of God makes all the difference. A literal change in the spiritual atmosphere.
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