Message #2815

[Martin]

There are good Samaritans and then there are people who are moved with Gods compassion to do great things for his kingdom.
Praise God for both types.

I've not come across a Christian foolish enough to believe that by doing good he he can earn favour with God. Perhaps they do exist?

I saw Heidi Baker (a missionary) speak last night at New Wine. now there is a women powered by Gods love and  risking her life in Africa to help the poor.
Wonderful stuff.

Forgive me if I don't reply as I have limited Internet access here.

Hmmm. I could use the words 'moved with God's compassion' and 'powered by God's love'.  But I wonder, when you use these words, whether you are imagining God as some external entity who issues love and compassion to 'his' followers and whether you imagine that this is a different love and compassion from that shown by, say, an atheist?

I find myself asking what the word 'God's' is for in those phrases.  Why not simply use the terms 'moved with compassion' or 'powered by love'?  Is there, in your view, any sort of compassion or love that is not God's?

Are you saying that both compassion and love are somehow issued to humans or invoked in humans by an external, non-human source?  To me it seems difficult to believe that, say, a mother loves her child only because some external being issued her with that love, i'd find myself asking why some mothers are issued with love and not others.

These are genuine questions.  I'm not trying to create a straw man, I really don't know what you mean by what you wrote, I'm just hazarding a guess.  It's quite probable that I'm way out, but I'd really like to explore what you mean.