Chris,
"You have heard that God is love. Love has characteristics about it and one of these is jealously."
True love is selfless. Jealousy is not part of love. Jealousy is lack of love of another and love of oneself. If one truly loved another, they would wish them well and send them on their way. What is defended is the love that they have received and see themselves as about to 'lose'. Just doesn't sound like God to me.
"Notice how jealousy and love go hand in hand in the scripture: Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm; for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be condemned."
I don't see them going hand in hand here, I see them as being contrasted. But maybe I misunderstand the meaning of the phrase "hand in hand". To me, it is more like two sides of a coin. Love is as strong as death, and defeats death, because death is a lack of love. Jealously is as cruel as the grave because both are a belief in the lack of love. If a man gave all of his substance for love, he would be selfless, and the house of worship of the self would fall apart (and be rebuild in a day). He would be like Jesus, whose love will only save someone if that love is equally within themselves.
Peace,
Darrin
P.S. I am NOT saying I'm there yet, as is probably obvious, but I am working toward it. Not saying you are or aren't either. : ) |
