To get a man’s soul and give him nothing in return—
that’s what really gladdens Our Father’s heart.
This quote serves as an introduction to our next series – GLORY
February 28th – March 28th
We’d like to know your reflections on it:
Is it true or false?
Is Complete or Incomplete?
How does it make you feel?
Take some time to ponder these questions as a means of preparing your heart for the next series
Feel free to comment below
Without context, not sure what this means…but
I would turn this around as the Father gave us
His Son- we give nothing-He gave us everything
such that “nothing in my hands I bring”. He is the
captain of my soul- I came kicking and screaming,
He prevailed, I surrendered.
Here’ the full quote – it’s from The Screwtape letters
Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which he has forbidden…. An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula…. To get a man’s soul and give him nothing in return—that’s what really gladdens Our Father’s heart.
I didn’t understand this at first … God wants to get our soul, and give us nothing in return? huh?
But here’s what I’ve been thinking. Something we all have in common on a corporate, and individual level is our desire to ‘feel’ God in our lives. We don’t want to just intellectually know about him, we want to experience him daily so that our knowing is intuitive as well as intellectual. I think that the quote really makes more sense when the perspective is flipped. To give ourselves wholly to God (especially regarding the Lordship of Jesus) and expecting nothing in return is the ultimate sign of love, trust and humility. I think that this opens the door for our awareness of how God’s grace is already at work around us.