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Любов и граници

Любов и граници

“Бях благословен от вашия семинар на тема „Изцеление на ума”. Предефинирането на определението за безусловна любов в светлината на закона за свободата поражда въпроси в съзнанието ми за това каква е нашата отговорност един към друг.

Каква е разликата в това да обичаме, както Бог го прави (непрекъснато отдаване, до степен да ни позволи да изберем да Го убием) и да имаме лоши граници в дисфункционални отношения, които дават възможност за деструктивно поведение?”

Д.Т.

Въпросът, който повдигате, е въпрос, с който много хора се борят. Ето защо ви благодаря, че го отправяте!

Богоподобната любов е принципът на благодеянието, ориентираността към другите, даването, саможертвата за доброто на ближния. Това означава просто, че като произтичащо от близката ни връзка с Бога, ние имаме в сърцето си най-добрия интерес на другия човек; и именно този мотив насочва нашите действия. Искаме да направим това, което ще бъде от най-голяма полза за него, от гледна точка на неговия най-добър вечен, а не само временен интерес. Това означава, че не просто даваме това, което иска другият човек, а даваме онова, което всъщност е най-доброто за него.

Какъв е “любящият” отговор от родител, чието дете иска да гледа телевизия, вместо да напише домашната си работа? Ако мислим кое е най-доброто за детето, отговорът е “не”. И това не е фокусирано само върху временните ползи от постигането на добри оценки в училище, а върху развитието на характера, помагайки на детето да развие правилно самоуправление, самодисциплина и способността да жертва непосредственото удоволствие за дългосрочното добро. Подобно решение е мотивирано в интерес на неговото вечно благополучие и е истински любящо.

Ако обаче мислим за себе си, ако се страхуваме от това как детето може да реагира, ако по някакъв начин се нуждаем то да ни одобри, да ни валидизира, ако очакваме да получим нещо от него, а не да му дадем най-доброто, тогава можем да се поддадем на молбата му. И въпреки това си казваме, че сме безкористни и даваме, и обичаме детето си; но това е лъжа! Ходът на действие, мотивиран от безкористна родителска любов, е да правим това, което е най-добро за детето, а не непременно това, което то иска, дори и да се разстрои.

Този принцип се прилага във всички човешки взаимоотношения. Ако вашият съпруг има проблеми с алкохола и ви моли да му купите бира, какъв ще е любящият отговор? Заради любовта бихте казали: “Обичам те и понеже те наистина те обичам, не желая да подпомагам твоето самоунищожение. Ще направя всичко по силите си за твоето добро, за твоето здраве и благополучие, но не мога и няма да ти помогна да се самоунищожаваш”.

Представете си тийнейджърка на първата си среща, с младеж, който още тогава се опитва да наруши нейната добродетел. Може дори да й каже: “Ако ме обичаше наистина, щеше да…”. Очевидно, всички признаваме, че правилният избор е да каже “не”. Но защо това е правилният избор? Често отговорът е: “Защото се нарушава Божията заповед”; “Защото да се отдадеш при тези обстоятелства е греховно”,”Защото това би омърсило тялото, което е храм на Светия Дух”. Макар че всички тези отговори са верни, ако приложим закона на любовта, какъв отговор бихме дали? Какво е наистина е най-доброто за младия човек? В най-добрия духовен интерес ли е за него момичето да веднага да каже “да” на желанията му? И не само че е правилно заради Бог да му каже “не”, не само че е правилно да поддържа собствената си добродетел, но и ако тя обича младежа, ако е загрижена за неговата вечна съдба, отговорът е: “Не, прекалено много ме е грижа за теб, за характера ти, за ума ти, за духовното ти развитие, за вечната ти съдба, а такъв акт би ти навредил, затова не мога да се съглася”.

Следователно, когато обичаме другите така, както Бог ги обича, ние не даваме просто това, което те искат, а използваме  дадения ни от Бога и осветен от Светия Дух разум, да изберем да използваме енергията и ресурсите си за тяхно благословение, да ги издигнем, да им помогнем да израстват, да им помогнем да преживеят пълното изцеление на сърцето, ума и характера, за да бъдат като Исус. И често това ще означава, че с обич ще трябва да казваме “не”.

 

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Testimony 73

I have been truly blessed by your blogs and other resources. They have helped me to see things in a much brighter light and to reason things out better. Thank you so much for your ministry. Whenever I have the opportunity I pass along your material to my friends.

R. Noseworthy, Newfoundland, Canada

Testimony 61

I grew up in a prominent protestant church and had what I like to call religious anxiety. I’ve always had questions about God and Salvation that no one could seem to answer.  I didn’t know how to find resolution. During 2020, at the height of my anxiety, I fell to my knees and begged God to show me truth and light and to give me the hope that I’ve been longing for. Days later, I stumbled upon your online videos and it was like a veil was lifted and EVERYTHING made sense! For the first time in my almost 39 years of life, my religious/spiritual anxiety has lessened. I feel a sense of freedom and peace I’ve NEVER had before… and it’s all because my view of God has changed. Thank you!

Ashleighn C.

 

Testimony 4

I’m a youth leader in South Africa. We as a youth group are currently using a lot of the material on the Come and Reason site. Since we’ve started using the material, our youth group has grown.

R. V. N., South Africa

 

Testimony 71

When I was 9 years old, I remember setting at our devotional table with a hunger and thirst for God that wanted more, deeper, BETTER. I can remember literally crying and pounding on the table, “I know these teachers didn’t mean to give us error. They taught what THEY had been TAUGHT, but didn’t ANYBODY READ THE BOOK?!?!?” It mattered to me then. It mattered to me as a teenager. It matters now as I teach bible classes. It didn’t have to be so hard as I watched so many give up and lay God’s great plan and gift of salvation aside as being “impossible.” Then, a friend sent me a link to Come And Reason’s website. I grew excited. YES! FINALLY! Then another friend told me to stay away, saying her son had just broken up with a girl because she was involved with Come And Reason and that “Tim Jennings preaches a false gospel.” But, AFTER many years of developing an authentic and, dare I say FUN relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit I see this message has been around a LONG time, since the apostle Paul, Ellen White, Graham Maxwell, Ray Foucher, and yourself (though I admit, you’ve made me back up, rewind and replay the clips, and get out my well-worn Bible on a few things.) I’m so thankful I have found LIGHT during these DARK days. I am not alone.

Vicki DiNitto

Testimony 27

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 60

Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

Andrew H., Great Britain

 

Testimony 11

I would love to have a copy of “Healing the Mind” DVDs to have in my therapy office. I enjoy having clients check out materials to enhance their therapy experience. I have sat under Dr. Jennings’ teaching at an American Association of Christian Counselors convention and respect his work greatly.

K.B., LA, USA

 

Testimony 32

The message [of Come And Reason Ministries is] for all Christians (and those who may become Christians) and not just Adventists or any other group. It is difficult to imagine why any [anyone] with intellectual and spiritual honesty could find fault with the way you explained the healing substitution concepts and the truth about God’s character, though I know some will reject and criticize. On behalf of those in our group near Tacoma, WA, thank you and your staff for all of the hard work and for sharing the Gospel in this manner. God’s message of healing love will be carried to the whole world and then Jesus will come – He promised it.

Terry U., Tacoma, WA, USA

 

Testimony 69

After reading your book, ‘Could It Be This Simple,’ someone was explaining Christianity in a way that made sense to me for the first time in my life. One morning, I simply prayed “I’m sorry and I love you.” As soon as I silently said that, I could literally feel God’s presence and light flood down on me from above and fill me up with love and joy. I sat there crying my eyes out, because I was so overpowered with this feeling of love and joy. It was just so incredible. I hope that more people can read this book and get a blessing from it. It’s really amazing.

Rachael H.

Testimony 42

I am just writing to say that I have been so blessed by the teachings of Come And Reason Minitries recently. I watched last week’s bible study lesson on Youtube and am thankful that the error in the printed lesson guide you use was pointed out and this week’s study was of equal benefit, if not more so. My understanding of God’s nature has been very confused of late and I am so grateful for clarity in this matter. I have never really fully understood previously how a good God can cause bad things to happen and now I realise that He doesn’t, it’s a natural consequence of sin. May the almighty Father and His Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to bless your ministry.

Laura P., United Kingdom

 

Testimony 54

I had a lot of pressure, as a pastor’s kid, to conform and be “good.” I was good at being “good.” I thought my life was going along well until it all started falling apart and I could not figure out why! In my search for “why is this happening to me, God?” I came across your book, “Could it be this Simple,” and God started revealing to me the many distortions I held about His character, His principles, and how He has designed His universe to operate. I remember thinking, “Wow, I have had this all backwards.” I was happy and angry all at the same time. Happy to have the light of truth break through the darkness, revealing a wonderful, beautiful way of understanding God and His plan for His children, and angry, because I felt deceived and cheated by the church, my family, and myself!

My heart thrills when I listen to your bible study lessons. Literally I have gone from death to life. It is a journey I look forward to every day, as God reveals areas this distortion affects. Praise GOD! I will ever be grateful to God for this ministry and your cooperation with the Spirit!

Karen S., Portal, AZ, USA

 

Testimony 17

The blessings of clarity and understanding you and your class inspire me to take from the word of God have impressed upon me so greatly the true, loving character of our Creator. I have found amazing freedom and joy through building a stronger, more intentional relationship with Him. What is new is that this is now a relationship built on love, reverence and respect rather than fear and obligation, and as such my eyes have been slammed OPEN as I am continually impressed by the manifestations of God’s true character in His provisions for fallen man.

T.E.H., Salt Lake City, UT, USA

 

Testimony 44

We were given a gift of the DVD set, “God and Your Brain,” and we just finished watching it. The truths in this are so powerful and truly an answer to a prayer. We’re seeing hope where once we thought God wasn’t answering our prayers to be free of certain mindsets. He answered with these DVDs and we are hungry for more. Thank you!

Daniel T., Easley, SC, USA

 

Testimony 1

Thank you! I love listening to the Come And Reason Ministries Bible study classes and am using some of your notes to get the lessons together that I will be teaching. You always have such good quotes and Bible texts and pull things together to make good sense.

T. C., IN, USA

 

Testimony 23

I would just like to add my voice to the many people who, I believe, must have contacted you to express their appreciation for the “Healing the Mind” DVDs. I’ve been listening to your Bible study class discussions for many years and I’ve been personally blessed by your research and teaching about the character of God.

L. G., Oakland, MI, USA