Living Lonely Or Living In Love (2)
Thursday June 2, 2016
God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love! (Jeremiah 31:3 MSG)
There are two primary forms of loneliness that people suffer from:
1. Social loneliness – brought on by a lack of understanding in family relationships and/or a non-existent social network.
2. Emotional loneliness – the absence of a close loving relationship. Acquaintances may help with social loneliness but emotional health requires love and a committed caring relationship.
Our Heavenly Father made us to be in a loving relationship with Him and with each other. When our relationship with God, our Heavenly Father, is broken we are not being nurtured each day by His unfailing love. For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)
When we fail to be filled up with God’s love we experience loneliness and disconnectedness. It becomes too easy to seek sexual intimacy and substitute live-in relationships that are less than a life-time marriage commitment, to fill the gap. However, all the physical or sexual contact in the world cannot fill an empty, lonely heart. We long for relationship in commitment. Our hearts yearn to be cared for and to be understood. Close intimacy in a committed loving relationship brings satisfaction and contentment to both participants. Nothing else truly satisfies.
There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” (1 Corinthians 6:16-17 MSG)
When we are starved of the love of God by our own self-will, we are unable to receive love or give love to others. When we draw near to God, and choose to be filled up each day with His love, then we are on our way to being emotionally healthy.
©2016 Partners in Hope
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