Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – May 19, 2016
By Tripp Prince
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. John 16:12-15
If someone on an elevator ride asked you to explain what it means that Christians believe in the Trinity, what would you say? If you were to respond by saying that God is one divine being existing eternally as three distinct yet equal persons, you would certainly be theologically correct, but you might leave them more confused than when they first asked!
I’ve found one of the most helpful ways to speak of God as Trinity is to use the language of community. When we say that we believe in a triune God, fundamentally we are saying that we believe God is a community of love.
Have you ever heard it said that God created the world and human beings because he was lonely? I’ve heard this from time to time, but when we see God as a community of love, we must realize that there was never a time when God was alone! In fact, you could say our very desire for community, to be known and know others, exists because we are made in the image of a communal God.
“Community” and “love” are two words that get thrown around a lot. We all seek community and want to be loved, yet why then is community so elusive and love so confusing? In part I think it is because we aren’t exactly clear on what we are looking for! When we say that we value community, what do we actually mean? When we look for love, what are we looking for?
As Christians, we learn how to live in community and how to love by looking to our triune God. We see the Father who in love sends the Son and Spirit (Jn. 14:24-26), the Son who reveals the Father (Mt. 11:27), and the Spirit who glorifies the Son (Jn. 16:14). It is here that we see three persons who exist for the good of the other. Here we see a love that gives itself so fully that it can’t help but overflow and invite others into this way of being. Does your life reflect this kind of community? Is your family life at home characterized by this kind of radical, self-giving love?
Rather than thinking of the Trinity as an abstract Christian belief that is confusing or irrelevant, seek instead to see it as nothing less than the eternal community of love from which all love flows. And the great mystery is that, as we are united to Christ, we are invited into this eternal community of love. As we respond to this invitation, we learn what it truly means to live in community, to love and be loved in return.
Prayer
Father, help us to know and reflect the love that you have revealed to us through your Son and have confirmed in our hearts through the work of your Spirit.Application
How does your life reflect this community of love?Related Reading
Proverbs 8:1-4; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; Luke 10:22Post/Tweet today
Our very desire for community, to be known and know others, exists because we are made in the image of a communal God. #wisdomhunters #trinityWorship Resource
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Having trouble sharing on Facebook. Keeps saying ” link could not be found”.
The sad thing is that we have fallen so far away from community, from heart to heart community. This culture has robbed us of it. I pray we get it back. We don’t realize that one of the biggest holes in our hearts is caused by us not reaching for each other. We are lonely people and we have substituted community for many, many different things that this culture, in this generation is offering us. It has been a slow fade, but we all feel it, we feel the lack of loving community of that real heart to Heart fellowship that we were designed and created for.
What a “loving” explanation of our Good Good Father Elohim!!! Thank you for this teaching and know that i will share it as He grants opportunities for His reflection. Amen. Mark 12:30-31
Dear Greg,
Let me look into this and I will email you this a.m. from gwynne@wisdomhunters.com. We appreciate you letting us know about the trouble and hopefully, we can figure it out.
We are so thankful that you are a fellow wisdom hunter!
Blessings to you.
Gwynne
Dear Kimberly,
Thank you for your comments on community. You added clarity to why we tend to hold back at times, from community. I think you are right when you said “We don’t realize that one of the biggest holes in our hearts is caused by not reaching for each other”. Once again, I am thankful for your thought-provoking comments and I am sure others that read your thoughts will be, also. We are “designed and created for” that “real heart to Heart fellowship” you spoke about.
Tripp’s devotional “A Community of Love” confirms the blessing (and the importance) that is “our community” as God intended it to be. I appreciated his statements: “As Christians, we learn how to live in community and how to love by looking to our triune God.” ….”It is here that we see three persons who exist for the good of the other. Here we see a love that gives itself so fully that it can’t help but overflow and invite others into this way of being.” Wow! How can we as believers NOT live in community when we realize and recognize God is a community…of love. Amen.
Kimberly, once again, I am grateful for your insight. We look forward to hearing from you again.
We are so thankful that you are part of the Wisdom Hunter’s family.
Believing and trusting~
Gwynne
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and through all its parts are many, they form one body- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free- and we are given the one Spirit to drink.”
1 Corinthians 12:12
Dear Yvonne,
Thank you so much for reaching out to us with your kind response to Tripp’s devotional, “A Community of Love”. Please know, Yvonne, that I will pass along your comments to Tripp. I am sure he will be blessed and encouraged by them.
We are so thankful that you are a fellow wisdom hunter and look forward to hearing from you again.
May God bless you and yours.
Believing and trusting~
Gwynne
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18