Sarah Nelson, a listener from Tallahassee, writes in,

Pastor John, I've been reading Joe Rigny's book, The Things of Earth.

You know, reflecting on the correlation between our limits as creatures and our love for God,

seeing as we are unable to love an infinite God as finite beings,

Rigny speaks of the alternative of loving God supremely, fully, and in a way ever expanding.

How would you describe or define the practical differences between these two categories?

How do I know if I'm feeling false guilt for trying to love God infinitely,

which goes against my creaturely design, versus a right guilt for not loving God supremely and fully?

Well, I think I'm going to say something that will at first be discouraging to Sarah.

Sorry, hang on.

If I understand what she's struggling with, that will probably be the case.

And yet, I think what I'm going to say will in the end be massively encouraging to her and the rest of us who share her struggles.

So hang on.

Let's clarify what she's struggling with because I'm not sure what you just said went by pretty fast,

and it might be too complicated for some of our listeners to grasp the distinction she's making.

She points out that the finite human being cannot love in a qualitatively infinite way.

And I say qualitatively because temporarily our love will be infinite.

That is, it will last forever.

It will be without end.

But our love for God will never correspond to God's love in the sense of being infinite in a quality or kind.

And therefore she points out rightly that we should not feel guilty for falling short of

infiniteness when God has designed us to be finite, well taken good point.

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