E: Divine drip 10

There are so many wise individuals out there with so many good thoughts to offer. Purposedrivenlife.com have many, and I share some of the glimpses making me think the most when reading them. Today I will give some thoughts on and quotes from two devotionals which did not wind up in the archives.

”I thirst”
Love is tough. But thinking tough love excludes being vulnerable is wrong. You have to give up something to love. Jesus died to love us, not to make good theology, the message states. Here are some pharagrahps from the devotional.

Jesus Christ didn’t die for us because it made for good theology, He died for us because He loved us, lost us to sin, and gave Himself up to buy us back. By doing this He had to become vulnerable to the very system He created, that we might see how true love behaves. There is a death in love, and that death is the death of self. Jesus died to love us; we die as well in order to love and serve others. And part of that is in being vulnerable.

Sometimes the best thing we can do for someone is ask for help. Jesus asked the woman for a drink and three years later, he was asking for the same thing from the cross—symbolic of the vulnerability He placed Himself into for the whole human race. Being vulnerable to those you love is a big part of love itself.

”The Big, Bad Dinosaur”
The title is from a longer story from the life of the writer, John Fischer, used to enter the topic of authority. Anger and bulling people around does not gain authority, rather weakens respect. Respect cannot be forced. Such a method will backfire.

A core verse is Proverbs 15:1: ”A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”.

I hereby quote the most essential pharagraph:

Is that what authority is -- a raging bull (or in this case… dinosaur)? Well I am beginning to realize it isn't. Authority has a lot more to do with being responsible than it does with being angry or demanding respect. Authority is not something you bull your way into; it's something you earn. And when you have it, you don't have to demand it. Jesus had it -- had the ultimate authority of God Himself -- and He never lorded over anyone. In fact, He used His authority to serve. He needed nothing, so He could give everything He had.