All things should be performed in light of love. Love as defined by God (no greater love than to lay down ones Life for another) and not the twisted action the world has defined as love (if it brings me pleasure, it is love). Me
Relational sin is rooted in our heart’s sin of idolatry. When we demand to experience what we believe is life and to be protected from what we know as death, we worship a false God. We are idolaters. Larry Crabb: Inside Out
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, (purposing to reestablish the perfect relation He designed it for before it turned away from Him), that He gave His Only Begotten Son, (a seed of hope and promise, facing and experiencing the fullness of the human creation without that relationship, including death, yet victoriously trusting in God to restore that relationship), that whosoever would believe in Him, (recognizing and acknowledging that humanity alone (without God=idolatry), not having relationship and the help of the infinite love of God, that is physically and spiritually displayed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (with God=faith), could never reestablish that relationship), would not perish, (be forever left to its own useless devices and power to seek (and never find) the perfect relationship with God that it was designed for), but have eternal life, (be forever loved and in right relationship, (including purpose), with the entire fullness of God; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
With all the Strength that I have, I turn from every Thing that is not God, and his holy Will; with all the Desire, Delight, and Longing of my Heart, I give up myself wholly to the Life, Light, and Holy Spirit of God; pleased with nothing in this World, but as it gives Time, and Place, and Occasions, of doing and being that, which my heavenly Father would have me to do, and be; seeking for no Happiness from this earthly fallen Life, but that of overcoming all its Spirit and Tempers. William Law: The Spirit of Prayer
Now the Spirit of Love has this Original. God, as considered in himself in his Holy Being, before any thing is brought forth by him or out of him, is only an eternal Will to all Goodness. This is the one eternal immutable God, that from Eternity to Eternity changeth not, that can be neither more nor less nor any thing else but an eternal Will to all the Goodness that is in himself, and can come from him. The Creation of ever so many Worlds or Systems of Creatures adds nothing to, nor takes any thing from this immutable God. He always was and always will be the same immutable Will to all Goodness. So that as certainly as he is the Creator, so certainly is he the Blesser of every created Thing, and can give nothing but Blessing, Goodness, and Happiness from himself because he has in himself nothing else to give. It is much more possible for the Sun to give forth Darkness, than for God to do, or be, or give forth anything but Blessing and Goodness. Now this is the Ground and Original of the Spirit of Love in the Creature; it is and must be a Will to all Goodness, and you have not the Spirit of Love till you have this Will to all Goodness at all Times and on all Occasions. You may indeed do many Works of Love and delight in them, especially at such Times as they are not inconvenient to you, or contradictory to your State or Temper or Occurrences in Life. But the Spirit of Love is not in you till it is the Spirit of your Life, till you live freely, willingly, and universally according to it. For every Spirit acts with Freedom and Universality according to what it is. It needs no command to live its own Life, or be what it is, no more than you need bid Wrath be wrathful. And therefore when Love is the Spirit of your Life, it will have the Freedom and Universality of a Spirit; it will always live and work in Love, not because of This or That, Here or There, but because the Spirit of Love can only love, wherever it is or goes or whatever is done to it. As the Sparks know no Motion but that of flying upwards, whether it be in the Darkness of the Night or in the Light of the Day, so the Spirit of Love is always in the same Course; it knows no Difference of Time, Place, or Persons, but whether it gives or forgives, bears or forbears, it is equally doing its own delightful Work, equally blessed from itself. For the Spirit of Love, wherever it is, is its own Blessing and Happiness because it is the Truth and Reality of God in the Soul, and therefore is in the same Joy of Life and is the same Good to itself, everywhere and on every Occasion.
William Law: The Spirit of Love 1752
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