This is a thought that came to me after I had lunch with a friend. He was comparing two kinds of preachers. He was not critical of the first type. He made quite clear that he appreciates how they deal with important questions and provide good, biblical answers. But the second group draws one into the presence of God. There is a different feeling. There is a sense of God. And this is an aspect that is missing too much these days. A crying need in the church today is a greater sense of God. And that is not code for a greater sense of distance because of His holiness. While there needs to be a fear of God, there also needs to be a growing sense of the grace that He has for all of His children. So, as important as the mind is, as important as it is to fill the understanding, there is also the need to touch the affections.
We were listening to teaching recently that touched on how repentance and faithful living leads us into a greater Hope and greater Joy in the gospel of Christ. It is through repentance that we understand how gracious God has been to us. In a way, by loving the standard (the Law) we grow to love the Law-giver more. We find more joy and peace.
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