In HOPE

 

  In HOPE 10.25

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David Timms  

 

 

 

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New Book Released

On October 1, Bethany House released my latest book The Power of Blessing: How a Carefully Chosen Word Changes Everything.

The book explores the power of our words to create a new reality for someone else and examines the remarkable blessings ("beatitudes") with which Jesus opened His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).


Prayer for Today

Father, help me to love You more fully, more purely, more selflessly, and more consistently. May everything within me love You more today. And help me to love others the same way -- even those who give nothing in return. Amen.  

 

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"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind."
~ Matthew 22:37

Love or Desire

Love and desire are not the same.

We often confuse the two. Dallas Willard, in a recent conference, made the distinction fairly sharply. When we say "I love chocolate cake!" we deceive ourselves. We don't love it. We want to eat it! If we loved it, we'd care for it.

Love saves and serves and sacrifices. Desire uses and consumes.

This begs an important question for each of us. Do we love Christ or desire Him? It's not just a matter of semantics -- arguing over the fine definition of words. Our answer to this basic question will indicate whether we live to serve Him or use Him.

How often do we follow Him because of what we can get from Him rather than give to Him? How often do we couch the gospel in terms of reward rather than repentance -- what we will gain?

To love Christ is to make Him the center of our attention, with no selfish ambition. Do we "come to Christ" to honor Him or be honored by Him?

Love and desire are not the same, and to the extent that we confuse the two we diminish our discipleship and ourselves.

When we worship the Lord for our benefit, it inevitably becomes a source of dissatisfaction and conflict. When we serve others to meet our need for affirmation, it eventually feels hollow. When we pray with only our needs in focus, the words shrivel in our mouths.

Loves looks outward. Desire looks inward. Love gives. Desire takes. Love submits. Desire controls. Love releases. Desire holds tight.

We might equally ask ourselves whether our marriages are marked by love or desire; whether we treat our children with authentic love or thinly disguised desire. But as followers of Jesus, the issue is just as critical.

Love is a gift, without strings, without expectations.

May we love Him (and those around us) more purely today.

In HOPE –

David

 

 

Want to chat more on a topic? Hit "Reply" and share your thoughts.
I'm always happy to explore these issues further.

You can find back issues of "In HOPE" (2005-2010) at http://www.hiu.edu/inhope/ .

David Timms serves in the Graduate Ministry Department at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. "In HOPE", however, is not an official publication of the University and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the Administrators or Board. "In HOPE" has been a regular e-publication since January, 2001.