November 13, 2007

My Heartstrings Come Undone

God is good.
There's cows everywhere.
And I have a lot of work to do on the next issue of HM.

McManus zeros in on our God-given passions in ENTRY #23. It is easier to control people if you standardize them, make them all generic -- clones of some arbitrary standard. According to McManus, Buddhists and Hindu's work to achieve freedom from desire. The author contrasts that with the passion-filled character of Jesus. God has created us with passion. He's a passionate being.

Unbridled and unredeemed passion, of course, can rage out of control and lead to mis-channeled passions and negative results. To neuter passions is not the answer, though (thank goodness). Discipline and self-control will reign in passions and control them to develop restraint, wisdom, and the ability to choose.

The oft-quoted verse has an interesting light on it in this chapter:

"...delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart."

God is like a fire that burns within your soul.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at November 13, 2007 08:23 AM