Edward this thread really touched me. My dad is 72 and has been saved since 1975. He's a faithful church attender, tithe payer, involved in various ministries in his church and when his pastor needs something, he's the first one there.
But Dad constantly fights the feeling that God really loves him. He's sat in church services for 30 years where fire and brimstone preachers did their best to make him smell the smoke. He's heard sermons where the pictures of God's judgment and punishment have been clearly painted.
Unfortunately so many of the preachers/teachers neglected to mention the unconditional, amazing love of Jesus Christ. I think that many of the old timers were afraid that if they preached about the Love of Christ, it would be taken as a license to do wrong, when in fact it doesn't. It actually makes me want live a more consecrated life knowing the amount of love and care that he has for me. How can you walk away from a Savior that loves us that much?
We can't do anything to ever earn it, make it more real, make the love deeper. It just is and always will be.
He and I have talked about it a lot in the last 5 years or so. When I was growing up I never knew that he dealt with it. He's beginning to overcome it some after countless talks and praying together.
I've tried to compare it to mine and his relationship. I've asked him if I could ever do anything to make him stop loving and caring about me and of course he says no. Then how much more does our Heavenly Father truly love us? Wow, what a thought!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RML-gY-cK_Y
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