Some days I run out of things to say, or at least things to say that could have any real meaning. Today is one of those days. On days like today I am grateful for people like John Piper. I am currently reading What Jesus Demands from The World, and it is full of truths that have convicted me and caused me to think more deeply about Christ's call on my life. I struggle a lot with fear of man. So when I read a section like the following statement, I am encouraged to continue to fight my prideful tendency to fear man rather than God. I hope this gives you hope to start your week fighting sin.
(He is talking about the how loving people doesn't always mean they will "feel" loved by us.)
"It (love for people) has real motives and real actions. And when they are loving, the response of the loved one does not change that fact. This is good news for the lover, because it means that God is God and the loved one is not God. The judgment of the wounded loved one is not absolute: It may be right, or it may be wrong. But it is not absolute. God is absolute. We give an account to him. And he alone know ours hearts. The decisive thing about our love when we stand before God is not what others thought of it, but whether it was real. That some people may not like the way we love is not decisive. Most people did not recognize Jesus' love in the end, and still do not today. What matters is not that we are justified before men, but that God knows our hearts as truly (though not perfectly) loving. And he alone can make that final judgment (Luke 16:15)."
(He is talking about the how loving people doesn't always mean they will "feel" loved by us.)
"It (love for people) has real motives and real actions. And when they are loving, the response of the loved one does not change that fact. This is good news for the lover, because it means that God is God and the loved one is not God. The judgment of the wounded loved one is not absolute: It may be right, or it may be wrong. But it is not absolute. God is absolute. We give an account to him. And he alone know ours hearts. The decisive thing about our love when we stand before God is not what others thought of it, but whether it was real. That some people may not like the way we love is not decisive. Most people did not recognize Jesus' love in the end, and still do not today. What matters is not that we are justified before men, but that God knows our hearts as truly (though not perfectly) loving. And he alone can make that final judgment (Luke 16:15)."