It may take us years to get out of the Daisy Petal Christian mentality. Indeed, when thinking about God, have we not all at times been thinking as would think a teenage girl or boy in love for the first time? He (or she) loves me. He (or she) loves me not. He (or she) loves me. He (or she) loves me not. He (or she) loves me. He (or she) loves me not. He (or she) loves me. He (or she) loves me not.
This idea is borrowed from Wayne Jacobsen’s book He loves me! (pdf), at LifeStream.org. The book might change the way you understand what the Christian Faith is all about. The author makes a free pdf version available through his Web Site LifeStream.org. Here is the bibliography of the printed version I am currently reading through: Wayne Jacobsen, 2007, He loves Me! Learning to Live in the Father's Affection, Newbury Park (California, USA): windblown media. This is the version I will be quoting from in this discussion.
Can you answer «yes» without hesitation to the question : «Does Go love you?» If not, I invite you to read the book and to share how it helps you take hold of the truth revealed about God in Scriptures that He dearly loves every human being, yourself included.
Please do feel free to answer this opening post by providing your own insights as you read through the book. Thank you for getting involved on this forum. This is truly helpful in building it up, especially in its currently early stages of existence. God bless you!
Here is an interesting quote I would like to highlight as I am pondering through the book. In chapter 1, under "Perception versus Reality," Wayne Jacobsen says: "When we're playing the he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not game, the evidence against God can appear overshelming" (2007, p. 8). There is indeed a difference between our perception of God loving us and the reality of the situation that He in fact does love us, no matter what we might think that the circumstances of our lives seem to indicate. This will be illustrated later in the book through the story of the prodigal son, where the father, representing God, is shown to be acting lovingly at all stages of the story. The "prodigal" son needed to understand for himself God's love, but so did the "good" son that stayed home.
Here is a set of questions asked by Wayne Jacobsen at the end of chapter One of his book (2007, p. 16): "Spend a few moments thinking about your relationship with God. Do you see it growing in closeness and sensitivity, or does it feel abstract? Is he more real than your closest friend, or a distant presence that rarely seems to engage in the real issues of your life? If your relationship with him isn't what you want it to be, ask him to help you grow to know him better and to recognize his presence throughout each day."
As you ponder over these questions, please share aspects of your response that you might wish to be known to our readers.
Chapter 3 of He loves me!, Threatened with Hell, starts with a quote from an unpublished manuscript by David Boan and John Yates : "The Satanic assumption is that men and women cannot love God for his own sake" (2007, p. 17).
Under a section at the end of chapter 3, Wayne Jacobsen, asks us, for the benefit of our personal journeys: "Did you come to God only because you were afraid of the alternative, or were you entreated by his love? Do you view him as a stern judge or a loving Father? If the former, ask God to reveal himself to you as he really is. Over the few weeks, look for ways God will help you let go of your fears. Let his love capture your heart as your sole motivation for walking after Him" (2007, p. 24).
How are you responding to this invitation as you are reading it now? Why not share your discoveries?
Chaper 4, A Father Like No Other, of He Loves me opens with a quote from Brennan Manning's The Signature of Jesus: "If we take all the goodness, wisdom and compassion of the best mothers and fathers who have ever lived, they would only be a faint shadow of the love and mercy in the heart of the redeeming God" (in Wayne Jacobsen, He loves me!, 2007, p. 25).
As the chapter unfolds, we are presented with this thought: "God [...] [is] not interested in your service or sacrifice. He only wants you to know how much you are loved, hoping that you will choose to love him in return. Understand that, and everything else about your life will fall into place; miss that, and nothing else will make any difference" (Jacobsen, 2007, p. 30).
What is your response to these two quotes, the first from Manning, the second from Jacobsen?
In chapter 4, A Father Like No Other, of He Loves me! Wayne Jacobsen shows the distinction between the love the Father has for us and our perception of him loving us or not loving us. How does reading this chapter helps you understand that God truly loves you?
"What reservations do you have about entrusting yourself completely to God" (Wayne Jacobson, He loves Me!, p. 40)?
Question quoted from chapter 5, «Welcome Home», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember from opening post (OP) that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
"Self-righteousness can be a far greater deterrent to the relationship God wants with us than our failures and mistakes" (p. 48). Why?
Quote is from chapter 6, «The Tyranny of the Favor Line», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember from opening post (OP) that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
"Do you begin every day aware of your performance or the lack thereof, or is your awareness focused on God's mercy and his affection for you" (Jacobsen, He Loves Me, 2007, p. 66)? Please share with us what thinking through this question is helping you discover.
Question quoted from chapter 8, «The Businessman and the Beggar», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
"The motives of conformity do not produce intimacy" (Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me!, p. 80). Why?
Quote is from chapter 10, «The Most Powerful Force in the Universe», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
"Are most of your actions motivated by your security in God's love for you, or your fear that if you don't do enough God might not be pleased with you" (Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me!, p. 83)? Please share how this question is helping you living your Christian life.
Question from chapter 10, «The Most Powerful Force in the Universe», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
Why not "ask [God] to show you ways your fears motivate you in day-to-day decisions" (Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me!, p. 83)?
Quote is from chapter 10, «The Most Powerful Force in the Universe», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
Why not "read through 1 John 4:-7-21 (ESV) every morning for a few days and meditate on John's Word there"? and "ask him to help you discover how much he loves you and, in doing so, to drive out fears in your life" (Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me!, p. 83)?
Quote is from chapter 10, «The Most Powerful Force in the Universe», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
As you keep on reading and meditating 1 John 4:-7-21 (ESV) over a number of days, why not "ask [God] to help you discover how much he loves you and, in doing so, to drive out the fears in your life" (Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me!, p. 83)? Please share what you learn.
Quote is from chapter 10, «The Most Powerful Force in the Universe», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
"At its root, sin is simply grabbing for ourselves what God has not given to us. In this realm, our best intentions can draw us into as much bondage as our most indulgent desires" (Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me!, p. 89). What does this statement implies for our lives?
Quoted from chapter 11, «He Loved You Enough to Let You Go», of Wayne Jacobsen's, He Loves me!, Second edition, 2007. Remember that the first edition, 2000, of He loves me! (pdf), is offered free of charge by its author at, LifeStream.org.
