Discovering God's Love: From Religion To Relationship

Welcome to another episode of Walking with God with Hanna Eyobed. In today’s conversation, Hanna is joined by her friend Mark as they dive deep into the transformative power of God’s love. Mark shares his personal journey—from growing up in a Catholic family and chasing dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, to experiencing a life-changing revelation of God’s love during a high school convention. Together, they explore the challenges of identity, the struggle to truly accept grace, and the unshakeable security found in being a child of God.

Suppose you’ve ever wrestled with feeling worthy of love or wondered how to pour out from a place of fullness instead of striving to earn affection. In that case, this episode offers wisdom, encouragement, and real-life stories to help you rest in the truth of God’s never-ending, unconditional love. Whether you’re new to faith or need a fresh reminder of your identity in Christ, you’ll find hope, honesty, and inspiration in this deeply authentic conversation.

This episode was created by the SLBF STUDIO. Find more media resources at https://slbf.org/studio.

Produced by Daniel Johnson, Dave Conour, and Brian Beatty

Edited by Dave Conour

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Hey, this is Hannah, and I'm walking with God. Thanks for listening. As the semester comes to a close, I've begun a deep reflection. Since following Jesus, my life has felt surreal, like almost indescribable in a way. During Holy Week this year, my friends and I watched The Passion of the Christ. And while I heard the story of Jesus' death on the cross hundreds of times, it was a completely different thing to watch it on screen. That's the beautiful thing about the Lord. We never stop understanding and coming into revelation about Him. He is a deep, wide, and vast God whom I will never fully understand. Psalm 139, verse 17 and 18 say, How precious to me are your thoughts, God, how vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I am weak, I am still with you. I will never stop being a student in learning of God's love. And that has been my meditation as of late. God loves me. His hands were pierced for me, his body was broken for me, he was defiled for me, he was killed for me, and he's God. He could have stopped it, changed it, or made it a different way. So not only did the God of everything die for me, he did it willingly, with love and with joy of what was to come from his death and ultimately his resurrection. Like it says in Hebrews twelve, verse three, consider him. Consider his hands pierced for you, his body broken for you, and his blood shed for you, for all of us. So what do we do with that kind of love? Earlier in my walk, I thought I had to scramble up some sort of reciprocity, as if I could ever repay God for what he has done for me. I experienced an anxiety to live up to his love, to try to earn it in some way. And maybe you've done that too. What does Scripture say we should do about that? As y'all know, I love a psalm. And in Psalm 51, it says, You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it. You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, you God will not despise. God wants us to bring him ourselves. And throughout this school year, I found that there's so much difficulty in that kind of vulnerability, but so much fruit. When I let God love me, I can love others so much better. When I sit and consider the one who made communion of himself, so I can stand in the throne of grace and be known and loved by God Himself, something very beautiful happens. And it's so simple. Jesus loves me. And I think we all need to sit there more often and for way longer. Because once that happens, we are able to pour from a place only produced from time with him as our full selves, being clothed in the love only He can give us. And on that note, I am joined by a good friend and brother in Christ, Mark. He has had a powerful revelation of God's love just a little while before I did. When we've been friends for about two years now, but our story actually goes back to high school. I remember during our senior year, I started noticing his posts about Jesus on social media. At the time, I wasn't walking with the Lord, even though I had grown up knowing a lot about faith and went to church regularly. But something about what he shared caught my attention and made me curious. That summer, as I was rediscovering my relationship with the Lord, Mark and I started to talk more. We got to hear each other's stories, and it was just really, really clear that God was doing something in both of our lives. Since then, I've had the privilege of watching him grow deeper in his faith and boldly share God's love with others. So today, I'm really excited to let you in on one of those conversations. This is Hannah, and I'm walking with God. We'll be right back. Well, anyways, I'm glad you're here. Thank you. Thank you. I'm excited to talk about God's love today. Um, I know that you get it.

SPEAKER_04 4:43

I get it, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Um, so let's just start from the beginning. Like, what was it like receiving a revelation of God's love? And can you walk us through what that looked like for you in the beginning?

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Um so kind of just like testimony time. Okay, wonderful. Um, well, kind of like you, I grew up in the church. Um, except my dad was Catholic and my mom was too at that point um when I was very little. Um so grew up going to Mass every Sunday, um prayers and stuff like that. Um, but then I think there was a switch my freshman year of high school um when I went to this conference, Ascension Convention, that's um kind of a shameless plug there. I just went back last weekend as a chaperone with my church, so it was kind of like a full circle moment. Like I remember being there as a student and then now um as a chaperone leading um middle schoolers and high schoolers, so that was pretty cool. But during that convention, I felt like um the Holy Spirit just like convicted me of the way I was living. Um and so I think that is when I truly got saved, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

Um the rest of the or some of your freshman year of freshman year of high school.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

High school, gotcha. Freshman year of high school. Um and so then high school happens. Um there's a lot of distractions and um friends get in the way um and things like that. So um I still believed in God, um, but and I still had that conviction in my heart. Um I loved listening to worship music. I think worship music Maverick City got me through a lot. Um, but I wasn't really living like it fully um until senior year of high school, which is why you said just a little earlier than you.

SPEAKER_04 6:42

Just a bit.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Just a bit. Um I remember soccer season ended and I was just like, what am I gonna do? Because up until that point, like I wanted to become a professional soccer player.

SPEAKER_02 6:54

Were you serious?

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Yes. Yes. I thought that was like my purpose in life was like become that playful the Panamanian national team specifically. Because I knew I wasn't gonna be good enough to make it into the US or Columbia national team. That's where my mom's from. So I was like, if I'm gonna make any team, it's gonna be that one.

SPEAKER_04 7:16

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

Um but after that had ended and I had like no offers or anything, I was just kind of like a a bit lost. And God met me there. Um I remember I did a little 30-day fast from social media um for a month, and I feel like that's when I didn't feel anything like supernatural at that moment, but I remember afterwards I just fell in love with God. Um He met me right where I was, and I remember I was opening up my Bible every single day, and um I was kind of just reading, like I would just like kind of open it wherever and just read um and read um for a long time and I didn't want to go to sleep because I'd do it at night mostly, and I just did not want to go to bed because I was just like there's so many stories that I had read um growing up, and just to see them in an at a new perspective, I don't know, for like myself, I think was was really powerful, and I don't know, I just I fell in love with God, and I think um that's what started it all, yeah. Two two years ago, not two and a half years ago. No, yeah. Which is crazy because it feels like it's been so long. Um but also so short at the same time. I don't know how to explain it. But um yeah, that was that's kind of that's kind of my story. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

That's so wild. Yeah. You're saying that you fell in love with God, which is such a good way to put it.

SPEAKER_05 8:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

I remember because we were in the same pre-college program. This is true. Infamous information technology account and Mark literally you went up because I really how did we even get to that point of you getting voted for our class speaker?

SPEAKER_00 9:05

I don't know. It had to be God.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

I don't know. Because it was seen you and like another really great speaker, and I was like, okay, I guess we're choosing Mark.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

Yeah, I did I don't know. No, it's because all my friends just wanted me to do it for some reason. I remember we voted, um, you're gonna talk about the speech, right? Got to, yeah. Um and we were just sitting in in class at our program, um, and they were like, okay, we need a class speaker for graduation. And in my head, I'm just like, yeah, I'm not doing this, like, never. But all my friends like started, Mark, Mark, Mark, you gotta do it. You gotta I'm like, well, no.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Somehow you're on the ballot. I was like, the Google Doc. I was like, Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

And then I'm like, what am I doing here? And it's like, if they only vote for me, that's fine. But they were getting other people to vote for me too. I was like, what is going on?

SPEAKER_02 9:54

They were infiltrating.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

They were, they were.

SPEAKER_02 9:57

But it was so cool because my mom is has always been a very, very strong follower of Christ. And that day, she's usually very like unimpressed with everyone that I like that she me. No, I'm just kidding. But she's like, okay, like, you know, but she's only ever very like passionate about godly things, which I get now.

SPEAKER_03 10:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Um, and we had come and like it was great, and like I had I was gonna graduate high school the next day. We came to like our gr ITA graduation. I was about to do this, Mark speaking, I didn't think much of it.

SPEAKER_05 10:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:26

You go up there, yeah. Speech aside, first thing he says is, I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And my mom's eyes just lit up. She was like, Oh my gosh, who is this kid? I was like, man, like I actually don't even know. This is like this is great. Because you were so quiet before, or maybe not quiet, but maybe I just didn't know you that way.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Yeah, no, I was, I was quiet. You were a bit quiet.

SPEAKER_02 10:46

And then like that, yeah, anyways. But just being so, so bold in your faith, I feel like it projected me into a direction because I was like, people are still doing this, like people still rock with Jesus Christ, like you know, yeah, and it was just not common. And I feel like there was some sort of like it was you and a couple of other people in Madison who just like there was like a revival, resurgence, however you want to put it, of all these like kids who grew up in church that were just like, Wait, that was actually so valid, I'm gonna spin the block.

SPEAKER_05 11:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

Like, let me go back. And then I was like, because I had been a there had been like a tug on my heart too, and I was like, but I can't go full sin. Like, I'm so like, yeah, he can't forgive me. Like, you know, like the whole wall, wallow, walla, walla. No, and we've all had that moment, you know, where it's like, this is a dark hour, look at my sins, this is terrible. But it's like, he really died for us, he really loves us. No, he did. Um so on that note, like in what ways has knowing that you're fully loved by God changed how you move every day, like since then, but even now, like throughout your life.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

No, no.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

How do you move differently?

SPEAKER_00 11:55

Yeah, I think a big part of my testimony was identity. And um, I think it's so important to have that foundation. Um, like I was saying earlier um with my testimony, like I put like my purpose and everything in soccer. Um, and once that was over, I was like lost. And it's because I didn't put my foundation on my identity in Christ, and I think that's why I felt so lost, and that's why my heart wanted something more. Um and so crew actually here, um shout out crew, um they we for evangelism we use the KGP, um, the Knowing God Persley booklet. Um, and one of the verses in there, um most of them actually, I'm like, where are these? Like it's so weird because it's like um they're in a little pamphlet and they're just one-liners usually, and it's like so direct, and I had never seen anything like that. Um, but like growing up, I mean I went to a Christian school and stuff like that, so I knew a lot about the Bible, but and I have probably heard those verses, I probably heard the gospel like thousands of times, yeah. But like really reading it for myself, um, I was like, I did not know this was in the Bible, like um, and specifically John 1 12.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Um Okay, you want to recite that?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Yes, people I I always butcher the first part, so it says, Um, for those who believed in him, to those no, to those who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Um so yeah, I'd been growing up my whole life um being told like you're a child of God, you're a child of God, you're a child of God. But it wasn't until here, specifically freshman year in college, where I really um took that as my identity and really like, okay, yeah, this is I am actually a child of God. Um because an analogy I really love is the analogy of like an earthly father and or earthly parents for that matter, and how there's nothing I can do to separate myself from my earthly parents. Like I could do the worst thing like ever, and I would like the fact that I'm a child of my parents wouldn't change. Like that's that's a fact. And so the fact I can do that with God too, once I receive him in my heart, like that just changed everything for me. And that's probably my five my favorite verse like ever, um, now because it's so simple yet so like I don't know, it's it's something about it I just love and so having that identity as a child of God, like I think that was um really important for me because it yeah, like you said, it changed the way I lived my life. Like I started seeing everything in a place of victory rather than like defeat. And so, yeah, because I mean throughout high school I struggled a lot with like shame, insecurity about a lot of things. Um so like really having that shift in perspective um and identity, I think was really important because now I wasn't like like I said, defeated, but like in a place of victory because I'm already you know so high up in God's eyes. Um and that's the only thing that matters really. Um and so I think that's what really really helped me um be more confident in myself and well not in myself but like in God, but like that gives me a confidence in myself. Yeah. Um so I think that was that was really big, really big. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

And I'm glad you mentioned like father, like seeing God as a father and like the analogy of parents um and children, because like there's also a verse in Romans that's like he has not given you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of adoption. So I think that that maybe can coincide with what you're saying about experiencing shame, guilt, or like anything, honestly. Like when even in as a Christian, you experience these things, but it's so so different in comparison to when you're not in Christ.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

No, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 16:01

Because you're able to like hold on to something that has a foundation that's not moving. Doesn't change. Exactly. And whenever because that's the verse I think I'd think about if I had to answer this question. Um because like for example, I was just on a retreat and I was getting prayed for, and like I love my parents, they're great. Um and when the woman who was praying for me, she was just like, God is saying like you are about to detach from them and like fully enter into like his fatherhood over you, spiritually speaking. Of course, like my parents are always my parents, as you said, but like being fully adopted and um fully loved, fully known, like going to God as like my mom, as my dad, like as my everything, yeah, and not having any room of like lacking intimacy with him, like coming to him all the time as myself, yeah, in freedom, yeah, with a spirit of adoption, with a spirit of joy. Um I'm glad you mentioned that. So I think that that's something that we need to hear all the time.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

I mean he knows us fully. Exactly. Psalm 139, I think.

SPEAKER_02 17:08

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

I think we're gonna get into that, but Psalm 139. It's so good.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

That's a good such a good psalm.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

It's so good.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

So I mean, we're we're on this topic of love, of God's love. Yeah, and how would you describe God's love to someone who's never experienced it before?

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_02 17:29

Not to get deep.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

That yeah, that is how would I describe love?

SPEAKER_02 17:35

You know, I mean you can even think about moments where you have had to describe love to someone who has like you you're you're an evangelist. Yeah, this is true. You know, so this is true. Tell us the team.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Yeah. Someone who hasn't experienced God's love. I think the fact that it um no matter what we're going through or no matter what we're feeling, like we said, there's something we can fall back on and something that doesn't change. And I I think that's the most powerful thing for me because my feelings come and go. Like I'm feeling happy one day, or even the same day, then I'm just I'm feeling depressed and I'm just like what is going on? And but there's always that fact that God loves me. And I think that's the biggest thing for me, like having that security and um knowing that He loves me unconditionally, that there's nothing I can do for me to not like there's nothing I can feel even, you know, because a lot of times I have different feelings towards God. Um no like no matter what it may be, like confusion or doubt or anything, but like that still doesn't separate me from his love. Um I I think it's Romans Romans 38, 39.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

I think it's Romans eight, thirty eight, thirty nine. Yeah, that sounds right. Is that your talk? That sounds right.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Nothing can separate us from the right. Check it out from the love of God. Wait, what?

SPEAKER_02 19:00

So check it out.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

I know, I don't know. I I can quote maybe where the verses are in the Bible, but not exactly like we're gonna we're gonna grow in that. Um but yeah, just like the fact that you know neither life nor death, angels nor demons, um it goes on, but like can separate us from God's love. So I think just having that security and that that brings me peace. And I think that's how I describe it to others. Um the fact that you know some maybe I may not feel it every day, but I know it's there, and I know I can always fall back on it and have that security um in God's love. And I think that's the most important thing because um I don't know, there's so many instances where people, humans, I mean we all have sinned, we all fall short of the glory of God. So it's like none of us are perfect and we all get let down by people in this life, and people that may say they love us. Um so just knowing that God will never let us down in that way, no matter how we're feeling towards him, I think that's what makes God's love so special. And so true.

SPEAKER_02 20:15

Um you feel like the biggest difference is that it's consistent, but also that it remains. I mean, that's the same thing, sorry. It's like consistent and it's like because it's consistent, it's not gonna change.

SPEAKER_05 20:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

And like the same what's the word? I mean, whenever I think about God's love, I think about Romans. I'm sorry, not Romans. Hebrews 11, because I think about like the people who did these things by faith. I literally mention this every single podcast episode. Um, but I think it's so powerful. Um But like what are some words that you would use? Use use the word security, um as in like constant, but like are there other words you would use if you had to practically describe it? Like practically describe it. I know there's that one song.

SPEAKER_05 21:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

Reckless love. Everyone hates that song. I'm like, wait, you guys, it's so good though.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Corey guys are so funny.

SPEAKER_02 21:07

But reckless is a good word. Unreasonable is also a good word. This is like unreasonable. It doesn't make sense. I don't know. Yeah. Kind of just thinking out loud here, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

No, I think that's that's a unreasonable. I I've never heard it. I heard that like maybe a couple weeks ago.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

And I was like, that is so valid. I think it's not, it doesn't make any sense.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

That word has come to mind. Well that idea has come to mind this past weekend.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 21:30

I think, yeah, Easter. Um wait and just like how we don't deserve it, like at all. Um I know you mentioned it in your little intro.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

That is so valid. That is so true.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

Like, yeah, we don't deserve anything, and I think a big thing um at church this weekend um that my pastor talked about was how Jesus was thinking of me on that cross. Um, like if it was d only me in this whole entire world Like he would still choose to die for me in that way. Um and that just that hit me so hard. It's like if I was the only person on earth, like bro, like um yeah, so I think I would say security peace and um never ending, I don't know. I think never ending. I think um peace is so big for me. Yeah, yeah. Just um because I think yeah, that no matter what I'm going through, I can always have peace because I know he's there and I know he loves me. So I think those would be three words.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

That's real.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

Yeah, yeah, and even just like I mean Hebrews 12, 3, like literally just says consider him. And I feel like there's so much power in that. And you're talking a lot about peace, which I think is like okay, when I first watched The Passion of the Christ, I felt so I mean, I was like so much grief because I was like, wow, I'm actually seeing this man like die. Like it's so I mean, so talked about. Everyone, yeah, almost everyone everywhere has heard that story. Almost. Um but that like rocked me, and I was like, at first I felt a little bit guilty, and then I was like, wait, let's let's read the scripture. What does it say? And it's like for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. Yeah, I was like, wait, so like you're actually you're joyful, like you're joyful. I don't I don't know why, like it doesn't make any sense. And like in the film, you watched him like get like his hands like are nailed to the cross, and that's the moment where something like you'd expect something terrible to come out of his mouth, you know what I mean? I mean, I know he's Jesus, but like when you watch that, you're like, he's still a human being, like you know, you're literally you're killing him right now. And I was watching that part, crying, crashing out, everything. And the like in Armaic, shout out to Mel Gibson. I'm so glad that's in Armaic. Um, but like that's the director. And he was just like, um, father, forgive them. And like watching him say that with like agony in his voice because of the pain that they're causing him, but he's dying for them. It was just so much. It was so much. And I was like, wow. And the entire time me and my friends were like, Oh my gosh, we hate these people. I was like, I think I am these people. I am everything. Exactly. I was like, Lord, but there was so much. Like, I was one thing that I like took from that was like after sitting with it, marinating on it, and like praying and like worshiping and everything. Yeah, like I have to say, because it's a very spiritual experience. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was like, man, and I was like, I need to forgive myself, I need to forgive everyone. Cause like that, that's the part that stuck out me for me the most. And I'm sure like if I watch it again, something else might stuck out, stick out to me. But I think that like there's something about like um, I think for me it might be just like wanting to be perfect, wanting to be good, because like I feel like I don't deserve this love. I have to like work for it, I have to earn it, I have to fight for it. Yeah, but it's like like you said, it's consistent, it's never ending, it's secure, it's constant. It's he's doing it from a place of delight. Why do I keep trying to work for this?

SPEAKER_05 25:21

God can't love you more.

SPEAKER_02 25:23

I yeah, and it's like, well, and it's like that's so wild. So like, how do you for this is like a question I sit with all the time, but like, how do you pour from a place of like not for something, but from something, like from the love of God, not for the love of God. Does that make sense? I feel like there's a lot of like, especially because I know you're like you're doing a lot of ministry, yeah. You're working with like a youth group, you do crew, yeah. Even just like evangelism stuff for funsies, you know? I mean, let's be real. Yeah. Yeah. And we like we all have our things or whatever, but like I I can see like a a like a kind of like a trend sometimes of people we're doing this because like we want people to be saved, which is like right, of course. But then this at times it can get us to a point where we're like, let's just lock in, let's just lock in, let's just do it, the neck, the next thing, the next thing, the next thing. And I don't think that Jesus would have lived that way, per se. But he wasn't he was always emulating the gospel, yeah. Even though he was at rest or he was praying, or he was like, guys, I have to go like give my father and stopping for people on the street. Like he was always very patient, he always had a lot of peace.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

So like, what would you say to that?

SPEAKER_00 26:35

I don't know. I think that's a really easy trap to fall into. Yeah, I agree. Um I mean, like you said, I've been um Yeah, I think since following Christ, I've been wanting to serve more in any way that I c can. Um evangelism, crew, church, whatever it may be. Um I mean, going on mission as well, I think was really big for me last year. I went to North Myrtle Beach for a month. Um I've gone I went to Mexico for um a filter of hope trip this year. Um and I think I grew a lot in there. Um because I think w with uh what you mentioned with like wanting to save other people, I think the biggest thing I could take away from those trips was um that it's not me doing the saving like at all. Um it's all God. Like God is the one who um softens hearts. And I think just laying that burden on Him and not on me. Um because I'm I'm nothing without Him, you know. Um and I think that the reason I'm so passionate about love, especially in this season of my life, is because recently I've been tapping into that more. Um Like I said, um doing all these things, it's so easy to like want the next thing or like focus on that, you know, and then we don't it's like the cup, right?

SPEAKER_04 28:07

Yeah, it's like we're always empty.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

Yeah, we're pouring out from our cup, but then it's like, are we pouring into it? Like are we?

SPEAKER_04 28:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

Um so instead of you know pouring out an empty empty cup, having that overflow to like cups around us. And I think um I've been trying to to go back to where it started, you know. Um a couple weeks ago, my pastor talked about I didn't know this verse is in the Bible like at all because I have not read Revelation. Um it kind of scares me. Low-key. Um which I need to I need to read it. I need to read it. And but I want to like fully understand. Well, no, I don't think I think it's hard to fully understand it. But like have a good gist of what's going on, you know, um, for the most part. But I think it was like Revelation 2, like verse 1 through 4. Um, and it talked about like returning to your first love, which is Christ. Yeah. Um and so I think that was like two or three weeks ago, and that's what really shifted my perspective recently. I'm like, I I remember like how in love I was with him at the start, and like how I was opening my up my Bible because I wanted to learn more about him.

SPEAKER_04 29:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:16

Um and I wanted to dive deeper and I wanted to continue to grow in that love. Um and it's not like I haven't experienced that throughout like my walk with him, but like focusing on that. Yeah. And so recently I've been trying to do that more and trying to just enjoy his presence and enjoy time with him and enjoy loving him. Um just in a way that you know makes me feel that more, I guess. Um because I mean, Jesus talks about how if you love me, keep my commands. Like, and I feel like that's something as Christians we try to do as best as we can. Um so apart from that, just showing that I love him with like the amount of time I spend with him. And I think because that I feel like that's the way we love other people here. Um we spend time with them. Um and so I kind of forgot what your original question was.

SPEAKER_02 30:15

Like how do you just like I mean you kind of meant you kind of answered the question a bit, but just like how do you pour from a place of like from, not for.

SPEAKER_00 30:24

Yeah. I think it's just that verse, again, reminding yourself of why you're doing everything in the first place. Like why you want to serve others, why you wanna um share the gospel because of your love for God. Um because if it's coming from any other motive, then it won't work. Um so yeah, I think just um making sure that's always um a thing that's there is that that love for him. I agree.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

Yeah, but I I think that's that's that's so good. And I think I think we try to overcomplicate it too too much um as people, as students, as people trying to like follow the Lord. And um I have so from Colos I know Colossians it says, I think I have it pulled up here. Um you have been made complete in Christ, who is head over every ruler and authority. And what that's uh Colossians 2 10. I'm com like we're complete, you know? And we can like step out from that completeness, like step from that completeness, I mean. And one thing that I've been trying to do mainly this semester is like God told me like you read too like not read too much scripture, but like you read a lot and you forget a lot of what you're reading. And so like he's kind of like made me read smaller script, like smaller passages, where it's it'd be like half a psalm or like a verse, just so I can sit longer. Yeah. And I think a lot of what you're saying is like dwell in that place, dwell in that place. I think I just think of even like John 15, um, abide in in the love. And I think it's just really simple. And even in like, I'm sorry, I'm sitting out like a lot of scripture, but in like 1 Corinthians 1, uh it just talks about how the gospel isn't eloquent, like don't use eloquent language. It's very simple. It's meant for the lowly, it's meant for people who like everyone can understand it. It's simple. And if you believe it'd be safe, like it's such a simple gospel, and I think that we overcomplicate that.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

That's so crazy. Because literally just this morning, I was getting ready to come here. Um and my roommate, um, Ashton, shout out, I don't even know if he's gonna listen to this. Shout out to Ashton. Um, he's taking this stats class, and for one of his projects or whatever, he chose, he could choose what he wanted to study on. And he studied on like how many, like the percentage of like college students or like people with higher education, um, the percentage that believe in the afterlife, or like, you know, a place after after death. And he said that he was surprised about how like about how high it is, like how high people don't believe.

SPEAKER_02 33:10

Yeah, the high percentage. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

And I was just I didn't say it to him, but I was just kind of thinking about it, and I was just like, that kind of sucks because then it's like people from the outside looking into Christianity, they're like, oh, like, if you have a brain, like you won't believe in something like that. Because look at all these people that uh, you know, are very smart, are going into higher education and um don't believe in God or you know, the afterlife. And I think um I was thinking about it, it's like it's because the gospel is so simple. Like think about it, like it doesn't really make sense, like going back to what we were saying, like we don't deserve it. Like God, the creator of the universe, came down and lived a perfect life and died for every single one of us, and all we have to do is accept Him into our hearts, yeah, and trust Him with everything. Like that's it's so simple, it doesn't make sense. And like um and so that's for it's for everyone. Like Jesus' closest, closest disciples were fishermen, were chill dudes, for chill dudes. They weren't any like Pharisee or like anyone that knew of the word. No, they were normal ordinary people, that's who God chose. Um and so it's so crazy that you bring that up because it's like God's gospel is for everyone, like it has no limits, and it's like I'm not saying that you can't be smart and like can't know the gospel, like I mean the Bible talks about like my wisdom is not your wisdom, like he calls the wisdom of humans like foolish compared to his um it's probably a proverb or something. Definitely a proverb. I don't know, it's somewhere in there so bad it is.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

Um the final question though, what would you say to someone who is maybe newer in the faith and is struggling with the love, like struggling with finding the love of God or understanding or even receiving it? What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 35:08

Yeah. I think I would say just keep going, just keep keep pushing because I think from what I'm realizing recently, it's like for new believers, I think it's so important to know God's love or to fully grasp that love. Um, if that makes sense. Like before anything else. Yeah. Like I think when I started to fall in love with God, I think it was like I was focusing on the gospels, um, the letters of Paul because of how much of like I just wanted Jesus, I just wanted to fall in love with Jesus. Um and just recently I've been trying to dip into the Old Testament, the prophets, um because I think it's harder to see God's love in those books, but once you have that knowledge of everything and of God's love, it's so easy to see it, you know, and everywhere and it all makes sense and it all connects. But I think it's so important to first find that. Like find what makes you love God more because he already loves you. Yeah. Like Jesus loves you. Like I didn't wear this like on purpose. I thought it fits so perfectly to today. But like I think, yeah, I would say just keep pushing because he loves you. Yeah. And he showed he demonstrated that by dying on the cross 2,000 years ago. That's the biggest act of love sacrifice um that anyone could ever do. So he did that for you already. Um and that's a fact, and that won't change, and that's a firm foundation. So, um, like I said before, whether I feel it or not, like I know it's there, and I think it's really important to find that. Um, so yeah, just keep pushing, keep praying. I think God wants everyone to be safe, and God wants everyone to come to knowledge um of Him. So I think that experiencing God's love is probably the most important thing you can do as a new believer. Just to find that because everything else will fall into place after that.

SPEAKER_02 37:11

Yeah, so just sit sit in it.

SPEAKER_00 37:13

Sit in it, sit in it, meditate in it. Um, yeah, abide.

SPEAKER_02 37:18

Abide in this stuff, marinate insert other word here. Anyways, Mark, thanks for coming. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 37:27

Um thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 37:29

You have a good rest of your day. And yeah, bye.

SPEAKER_00 37:32

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

Bye.