Do you love God because you're afraid of going to hell? Or do you love God because you desire to go to heaven?
Or let me ask it another way... Do you serve God because you believe that if you don't submit, you will be punished? Do you serve God because you believe that you will be richly rewarded for your service and obedience?
It appears to me that many in Abrahamic religions believe in, serve, and worship God only because they are either afraid of bad things happening to them or desirous of good things.
This kind of relationship seems to me to be one of self interest more than love. Much more of a transaction...If I do this, I will receive this in return (quid pro quo). To me love doesn't work that way.
I once heard someone say, "there is nothing you can do to make me love you more, and nothing you can do to make me love you less". Now whether one chooses to accept love is another story. But love has an everything for nothing quality about it.
And in this age of suicide bombings and prosperity gospel, people seem to be trying to transact love. I'll go to heaven and get 72 virgins if I do this for God, or if I fast and pray correctly, God will make me a millionaire kind of thinking...
Who would love, serve and worship God if none of these things existed? If when you die, there was nothing else on the other side, would you be a good person and seek relationship with God to get to know God without asking if there's anything in it?
Can the reward be the relationship itself? Can the reward of goodness, be goodness for the sake of goodness?
Do You Love God?
Or let me ask it another way... Do you serve God because you believe that if you don't submit, you will be punished? Do you serve God because you believe that you will be richly rewarded for your service and obedience?
It appears to me that many in Abrahamic religions believe in, serve, and worship God only because they are either afraid of bad things happening to them or desirous of good things.
This kind of relationship seems to me to be one of self interest more than love. Much more of a transaction...If I do this, I will receive this in return (quid pro quo). To me love doesn't work that way.
I once heard someone say, "there is nothing you can do to make me love you more, and nothing you can do to make me love you less". Now whether one chooses to accept love is another story. But love has an everything for nothing quality about it.
And in this age of suicide bombings and prosperity gospel, people seem to be trying to transact love. I'll go to heaven and get 72 virgins if I do this for God, or if I fast and pray correctly, God will make me a millionaire kind of thinking...
Who would love, serve and worship God if none of these things existed? If when you die, there was nothing else on the other side, would you be a good person and seek relationship with God to get to know God without asking if there's anything in it?
Can the reward be the relationship itself? Can the reward of goodness, be goodness for the sake of goodness?
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