Love is not about feelings, but about deciding with our wills. C. S. Lewis says it this way: "Love, in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion. It is a state not of the feelings but of the will; that state of the will which we have naturally about ourselves, and must learn to …
What is Love? part 2
Love is not feelings. On the contrary - and this is going to sound rather cold, dull and unexciting (not like warm fuzzies) - love flows out of the will. It is a choice. Read these words: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as …
What is Love? part 1
Most often, love is associated with feelings. Whether it's in romance or with family or with friends or in a situation where you're helping someone, we usually connect love with that sort of overwhelming feeling of soft, warm, gushy goodness. Warm fuzzies. They well up within us. "I feel loved" or "I feel loving" right …
The Shema of Jesus
Last night at The Ave, we continued our series "Charity Case" by looking at our love for God. You can download the message and presentation slides here. I spent quite a bit of time talking about the Shema, which is the Jewish prayer beginning with Deuteronomy 6:4-5 that Jesus references in Mark 12:28-34. Some of …
Jesus the New Israel
From Egypt, Yahweh led His people into the wilderness. He led them with the promise of a new land for them to occupy as their own with His blessing. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He re-entered the story of Israel. He faced the temptations of Israel: 'provide for us, oh God, …
Matthew Erickson 