LIFE IN THE TRINITY

Reflect on the Podcast

The Triune God opens HIMSELF to us.  And in opening himself to us he shares his own life with us-the life of love in communion.  Thomas Torrance writes, “God has opened himself to us…and established an intimate two-way relation between himself and us and us and himself, making himself accessible to us and giving us entry into the inner fellowship of God’s life”

God doesn’t want the fellowship to be one way with God giving himself and us giving nothing. That would not be fellowship.  Fellowship is sharing in one another.  It is mutual.  Mutual self-giving and mutual sharing is the very nature of fellowship. So how do we get to love God back the way he wants us to? God loves us by putting his own love in us and his love within us enables us to return his love by loving him back.  What this means is that we become co-lovers of God with God.

Over the last few podcasts we have made much of God’s love.  Do you think we have made too much of his love?  Have we made his love too big?  Is it possible for us to exaggerate his love?

We return God’s love by loving him back with his own love as his Spirit puts his love within us.  That means we become co-lovers of God with God.  Do you think this is taking God’s love too far?

What do you hear the Living Word saying to you through this podcast?

What do you want to say back?

What does The Triune God want most of all?  What does He most want for us and with us?  Jesus shows us that the Triune God wants fellowship with us.  He wants to be with us; He wants us to be with him.  He wants us to belong to him: He wants to belong to us.  Furthermore, he has done everything in his Son and Spirit to bring us into fellowship within his circle of love.

Is this really what God wants for us and with us?

Maybe all this doesn’t feel true.  Or maybe it feels too good to be true?

Why might this be so?

What must you now do to actually live in this beautiful reality?

Father, we thank you that our fellowship is with you and with your Son, Jesus Christ.  We know that in this fellowship our joy is complete.  Enable us, by your Spirit, to be at home within this communion of love.

Reflect on the Podcast

When we say “God is love” we must be careful not to project our own image of human love onto God.  In Jesus, God has projected his own image of the love that he is.

When we look at Jesus we see that God is love within his own community of love as Father, Son and Spirit.  In Jesus, we also see the love that God is as he moves towards us to include us within his own fellowship of love.  God loves us and wants fellowship with us.

The love that God is within himself overflows towards us with dynamism, delight and desire. And His love overflows towards us seeking fellowship with us.

• In view of God’s overflowing love that we see in Jesus do you think it might just be possible for us to live loved-continually?
• Attentive to God’s overflowing love for fellowship with you how do you now want to respond?
• What is all this calling you to become?