OF LOVE AGAIN

There are three main motives for a person to do something - fear, reward and love. All three motives are biblical, but the only motive that matters for the nature of our actions, the motive pleasing God the Father's heart is love. This is the motive that distinguishes the regenerate believer of the unregenerate. This is the motive which determines the direction of the other two motives - toward God, or toward us.

God's love for a born-again believer is one that crushes him, restrains him and makes him loving - both God and his neighbor. Born-again believer does everything out of love for God. Fear of God, for him is the beginning of wisdom, the reward is a bonus, a reason not to be ashamed in the day of judgment seat of Christ, where all the deeds will be tried with fire.

For the unregenerate man, misled or fooled himself that he is in Christ, the main motives are fear and reward - fear for his own skin, not to go to hell and numerous awards in this life due to his "generosity" to accept Jesus Christ into his heart.
Love of God to him is this: "Oh, God so loves me that he would never hurt me, whatever I do, and however I  treat Him. Jesus gave His life for me, how He would not give me all I want! "
And the love of God - of course you will love the one who blesses. The question is when there are no blessings, if there are difficulties, illness, loss. What would the love to God turn into?
In accusation, in hatred?

Unfortunately, this is what we see ...


If the only reason you repented, dear friend, was to keep out of Hell, then all you are is JUST A LEVITE SERVING FOR TEN SHEKELS AND A SHIRT! THAT'S ALL! You're trying to serve God because He'll do you good! But a repentant heart is a heart that has seen something of the enormity of the crime of playing God and denying the just and righteous God the worship and obedience that He deserves! Why should a sinner repent? BECAUSE GOD DESERVES THE OBEDIENCE AND LOVE THAT THE SINNER HAS REFUSED TO GIVE HIM! Not so that he'll go to heaven. If the only reason he repents is so that he'll go to heaven, it's nothing but trying to make a deal or a bargain with God.
WHY SHOULD A SINNER GIVE UP ALL HIS SINS? WHY SHOULD HE BE CHALLENGED TO DO IT? WHY SHOULD HE MAKE RESTITUTION WHEN HE'S COMING TO CHRIST? BECAUSE GOD DESERVES THE OBEDIENCE THAT HE DEMANDS!
I have talked with people that have no assurance that sins are forgiven. They want to feel safe before they're willing to commit themselves to Christ. But I believe that the only ones whom God actually witnesses by His Spirit are born of Him are the people who come to Jesus Christ and say something like this: "Lord Jesus, I'm going to obey you, and love you, and serve you, and do what you want me to do, as long as I live, even if I go to Hell at the end of the road, simply because YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE LOVED, AND OBEYED, AND SERVED, and I'm not trying to make a deal with you!"

Paris Reidhead "TEN SHEKELS AND A SHIRT"