I am still reading the book Carpe Diem by Ed Madden, copyright 1993, by Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. I know! I'm a slow reader. Maybe that's the reason why I didn't go on to some higher level of education. I can see myself reading a book with many short chapters (like this one) instead of one with few chapters but long ones. I need a stopping place ever so often, where I can put the book down and pick it up tomorrow without loosing the value of the content. My 'hats off' to those of you who can consume a book in one evening. I envy you.
As I said in my blog on September 23rd., I would share some of the book with you as I travel through it, so here is something I'd like to share. Actually, I thought about posting this on Careplace, an internet site where people with health problems meet and support one another, but I thought it might be helpful if I could get some insight from some of you. Ed Madden was not a protestant, evangelical pentecostal, as far a I know, so I am really surprised to hear him talk as well about the love of God as he does. I would love to hear from you, and those of you who have some theological knowledge of the subject, your comment would be most appreciated.
"I went to Catholic grade school and high school and learned to fear God. I came to know a God who was always watching me, who knew my innermost thoughts even before I did and who would have no hesitation about punishing me for the least transgression of his innumerable laws, or even more importantly, the rules of the church."
Ed Madden goes on to tell us how he saw God some years later. He said, "I learned of a God who loved, and like any lover, was always ready to forgive. I studied a Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, who taught mercy, compassion, and above all, love....
"Those of us with terminal illnesses know that in a longer or shorter period we will be face to face with our God. I am not afraid. Jesus taught us to call God "Father." .... Who loves more than a parent loves a child? Should I believe that my love for my daughter, which I consider boundless, is greater than God's love for me? If so, I would be a better parent than God.
"No, my acceptance by God will depend not so much on how good or bad I've been here, but on how much he loves me. He loves me not because I am so loveable but because he is so loving. My sinfulness cannot discourage me when I read Jesus saying that it was for us sinners that he came. Some of the most tender moments in all the Gospels are the stories of his dealings with sinners. Never once did he condemn common sinners. Indeed he reserved his scorn for those who considered themselves righteous and law-abiding."
And in conclusion he said, "Our God is a God of love, of forgiveness, of mercy. Our God...is the God of the Scriptures; this is the God that Jesus described to us. This is the God I've come to know these many latter years. This is the God who will welcome all us prodigal children back home soon."
Am I missing some important theological error here? What do you think?
Go to this link if you would like to read more of his book. There, you can also order the book if you would like to buy it. I think it costs anywhere from $19.95 to about $26.00 - plus tax, shipping and handling you know.
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5 comments:
Hey brother. I am certainly no theologian but I like what Madden says. I think you and I (and many who were raised like us) learned a healthy (or unhealthy?) fear of God. Now, after all, "fear is the beginning of wisdom" right? So, to not fear Him would unwise. However, I think we learned to fear as in "be very afraid because IF you mess up, HE will squash you and send you to Hell," instead of fear as "reverencing Him and His presence." Just today I was leaving a school and praying in my car and I thanked God for allowing me to learn that He loves me and accepts me and I thanked Him for loving me even in spite of my faults and failures. It has not been easy to convince myself that God may not be as harsh as I believed He was in my childhood and even early adulthood. Really believing that has caused me to feel much more deeply rooted in my relationship with Him and to feel secure in His love toward me. While I do believe in salvation, sanctification, etc. I do believe that like Madden says if I can love my child even when they sin then God is bound to still love me when I sin. Now, it doesn't mean that there are no consequences for those sins but I believe that getting saved 52 times in a year is really not what God had in mind for us either. :)
OK< I'm rambling but I'm trying to land this plane....oh well, I think you and I usually agree on these things. We must talk in person about this!
Cracker Barrell, next week...cause I know you're gonna get hungry. :)
Call me and tell me when (Cracker Barrell). If you can, call me the day before so I won't eat breakfast at home.
10-4 got it! :)
You two have a great grip on the subject. I too believe that God forgives ALL WHO REPENT! I think that is what the author of the book was saying also. He is not saying there is no judgment to come for those who reject God. He is trying to help those who have had warped views of God as a mean old authority figure carrying a big stick and looking menacingly down upon us hoping to catch us doing wrong so that he can crack our hands with his ruler!
I, too, was raised to belive that God was just waiting to "get me". Catch me in the wrong so He could send me to hell. Even though I accepted Christ at the age of 8, I grew up with the continuing belief that I was going to do the wrong thing at wrong time and go straight to that firey grave, forever doomed. "Hell, Fire and Damnation" was all I heard, or all Satan allowed me to hear.... Perhaps a bit of both.
When I went to Lee, I was quite a rebel. I was quite sure that I couldn't do enough good to keep from going straight to Hell, therefore, why try. I earned quite a reputation do to my actions, too. I didn't come to understand the LOVE of God until several years later. I didn't realise that I didn't need to "get saved" every time there was an alter call, but when I realised that I had done wrong, I just needed to tell God that I was sorry. In fact, I continue to work on that it was so ingrained in me as I grew up. I KNOW that God loves me, but sometimes it's hard to believe that when I fail Him, He doesn't take that love away, that it isn't conditional.
When I left Lee, I also left church. I didn't return until I had my own children and realized that I was responsible for their exposure to God and His mercies. Having those wonderful blessings also helped me understand that a parent's love is unconditional and how much BIGGER God's love is for me, than mine is for my kids. Now I really know what it means to have the JOY of the Lord and He really IS my strength! Praise God for that!
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