Unconditional Love vs Emotional blackmail

Luk 15:29  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.

I know that I have written on the prodigal son before but in this blog I really want to have a brief look at the older brother in the story.

The father in the story represents our Father in Heaven who allows everyone to make their own choices in life.  God does not force people into submission but rather loves them into health and wholeness.

I have been asking God for healing for certain things (like a tooth that is dying) and I got to a point of exasperation and it was in my heart and mouth to say, “but God I do this and I do that, so You should do this”.  I realised afresh I was acting like the older brother, coming to God with conditions and expecting His blessing.  The older son said to his father, “all this time, I have done everything you ask but you did not....”  The older brother did not recognise the blessing he had from his father nor the fact that it was all available for him to use. This kind of conditional thinking hardens our heart toward our Father.  It has brought out feelings in me, that are lies, but nevertheless, in some way have taken root in my heart, that God favours others above me (even though I do this and that for Him).

The bible encourages us to not grow weary in doing well. (2 Tim 3:13)  We never see Jesus using this kind of “emotional blackmail” on those He came into contact with.  He never said to His disciples, after all I’ve done for you, after all I’ve given up for you..”  His focus was never on Himself but purely on those He came to touch regardless of their feelings towards Him.

Joh 2:24  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,

Joh 2:25  and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

His Love is totally unconditional towards us. Even though He was scorned, mocked and treated with disdain on earth, “He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” (Act 10:38)

As hard as it is, we His children are called to do the same.  God is a God of Love, yet He is also Holy.  This doesn’t mean that we are to blindly close our eyes to sin or that we have liberty to sin more.  Jesus was quite clear that we are to be perfect like His Father in Heaven is perfect.  Jesus warned of the consequences of living a sinful life and encouraged those “to go and sin no more”.

So going back to my emotional blackmail -  God does desire to prosper, heal and bless us.  Can I promise that you will seen His blessing and favour in your life?  I would say, “Yes”, but in God’s timing although I wonder how many times we just don’t recognise His Hand in our lives, or worse forget what He has done.

Hebrews tells us that many of the Old Testament saints did not live to see the promises of God, yet they are rewarded in heaven now and are the “cloud of witnesses” urging us onward and upward.  Great rewards are awaiting us in the Heavenly realms both now in this time and in eternity.

From the Written to the Spoken Word

Mat 4:4  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.' "

The word has great power to change and this is attested to by many who have heard the Word and been saved and changed.  Jesus said to His disciples, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” (Joh 15:3)   He prayed to His Father, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (Joh 17:17)  Jesus also said that the word must abide in our hearts and if it abides in us we can ask anything and it will be done for us. (Jn 15:7)

I was thinking about the written and the spoken Word of God.  We are completely blessed to have the written Word (the logos) in our hands today but it is the spoken (rhema) word to our hearts that only has the ability to produce the sanctification process in us as Jesus said.  God sent prophets in the Old Testament to tell the people what was on His heart, and often to employ them to return to Him. 
 
Deu 18:18  I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
 
Heb 1:1  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
 
So In the New Testament Gospels, we see Jesus speaking and often He would use “Verily, verily I say unto you” when He addressed crowds to teach spiritual principles.  And so it is that He speaks to us today.
 
God spoke and worlds were brought into being.  Such is the power of His spoken Word.  His spoken Word (that which proceeds from His mouth) is the rhema (enlightened) word to us.  It’s this word that has inherent truth and power to set us free.  The word that God speaks to us enlightens us with His truth that remains unshakeable in our lives no matter whom or what opposes it.

Joh 8:31  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

Joh 8:32  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
 
When contemplating about the Word of God, I thought about the temptation episode and how Jesus, when tempted by satan in the wilderness said, “It is written” rather than “Truly, truly I say unto you” as He is the Word of God. satan is a legalist (much like the Pharisees and Sadducees were), hanging on every dot and tittle.  satan knows the word and can twist it and use it to condemn or confuse (much like many of the cults today) but satan does not have the rhema, the spoken Word in his heart. 
 
This was true of the religious leaders of the day who as Jesus said:-
 
Mat 23:2  ... "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
Mat 23:3  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
 
They learnt the scriptures and discussed them thoroughly but the Word did not bring them eternal life as they were hung up on every law yet the revelation of the Messiah was hidden from them.  The truth was reasoned but the truth did not become “flesh” in their hearts.
 
Joh 5:39  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
 
The written Word has to become the spoken Word to our hearts.  It can only do this as we mediate and ponder the Word so that it becomes animate through the life-giving Spirit to our hearts instead of inanimate and remaining in our reasoning.  It becomes God-breathed and living, powerful and sharp, “piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)
 
Joh 6:63  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
 
The Word becomes living to those who are willing to hear.  Spoken by God to touch our hearts and bring forth change.  We need to attune our ears to hear what the Spirit would say when we come to the Word.  Just like a mother who is so attuned to the smallest moan or cry of her new born that she would awaken out of a deep sleep.  We need to be awakened in our spirits too, to respond to every word that God brings to us. 
 
Let us come humbly to the Word of God and ask Him to speak to our hearts so that understanding comes and by it our hearts will be softened and pliable.  We need those “light bulb” moments with Him so that we can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Glorious God.  The Word He speaks to us is personal and relevant to each one of us, so that “.. we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2Co 3:18