How do I love You?

As I prayed last night, I mused about what it means to ‘love God.’ It’s a good question to ponder since Jesus said that loving God with heart, soul, mind, and strength is the top priority for every one of us.  Trained and shaped by the Pentecostal traditions of Christianity, my first thought is about emotional engagement.  From my youth I absorbed the idea that knowing the Lord will include laughter, tears, passionate prayers; a very personal engagement. When I hear my people pray for ‘revival’ what they often mean, perhaps unconsciously, is that God will let them have a highly charged emotional encounter with the Holy Spirit. Time and experience have taught me that God is loved in obedient service, in steady discipline, in studious understanding, too. Perhaps you are old enough to remember that old song that includes this line - "Love is a many-splendored thing!” It is!

And, we need to learn to love God in many ways, too.  Are you 'in love' with Christ Jesus? If you define that by applying the romantic ideals about love in our culture, you will be disappointed.  Yes, we should be passionate to know our God. Christianity without passion just isn't Biblical!

The grandest love story of all time is the story of God's love for us, written in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There’s mystery in it. I could never explain how I loved my wife of 41 years just with logical bullet points. Oh, I could have tried, but I found my love for her inspired by more than her beauty, her diligence, her grace, her gift of children- and whatever else I might list. I loved ‘her,’ the unique, complex person she was, with something that defied complete definition.  In a similar way we cannot reduce the love of our Abba to a neat paragraph of theological jargon. We should be able to converse about our love for Him, but there is a mystery to it as well – one that should and will deepen with time and experience.

There is a story that Jesus told about that inspires our love for God. It isn’t a nice, pretty tale. It is about a rebellious son, a man who selfishly abused his father’s good heart, who made a mess of life. After he wasted his fortune and ruined his life he finally began to grasp a little about the love he had known! He decided to go home. There he expected to find condemnation and a place with the hired help, not in the family’s house.

What did he find? Love!  "And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." That is compelling stuff! It defies logic, cannot be explained. It’s just love. John says that ‘we love because God loved us first.’

We cannot love God apart from faithful acceptance of the fact of His grace and love. If we won’t start there with Him, with His love for us, inevitably we will turn our “love” into duty, deal making, and calculations of appeasement.  God just wants us to respond to His declaration that He loves us and to weave that acceptance into every part of life, making it the foundation of every choice, every day. The Bible often talks about the concept of covenant with God. Jesus told us that God was writing a new covenant, an agreement, based not on our performance but on a gift.  It’s not a deal, not a contract, that says “You do this and then I’ll do this.” It is a declaration of love, eternal, embracing, hopeful, amazing, and deep.

Ah, friend, do you love Him? 

If we love Him, we will stop playing “let’s make a deal” with God.  Our theology of love will go way beyond the idea that if we believe some facts, then we get the key to Heaven.  Our love will be a tumultuous discovery of a Person, a weaving of His life into ours, surrender, acceptance. In the process, we will start to think as He does, acts as He wills; not because we must, but because we have become of His heart.

Let this 'love letter' inspire you today. Read of God’s many-splendored love for you and bring your heart home to Him. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." (Ephesians 1:3-6, NIV)

So,  "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge,” Why?

So, “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  (Ephesians 3:16-19, NIV) 

Lord, teach me to love You as I ought to love.

Inspire me my mind, enthuse my heart.

When other lovers offer me their delights,

Give me the courage and wisdom to choose You.

May love mature and deepen as I live for You and with You

Until that moment that You invite me home forever.

Amen.

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Spirit Of God Descend Upon My Heart

Spirit of God descend upon my heart

Wean it from earth thro' all its pulses move

Stoop to my weakness mighty as Thou art

And make me love Thee as I ought to love

I ask no dream no prophet ecstasies

No sudden rending of the veil of clay

No angel visitant no opening skies

But take the dimness of my soul away

Hast Thou not bid us love Thee God and King

All Thine own soul heart and strength and mind

I see Thy cross there teach my heart to cling

O let me seek Thee and O let me find

Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh

Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear

To check the rising doubt the rebel sigh

Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer

Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love

One holy passion filling all my frame

The baptism of the heav'n descended dove

My heart an altar and Thy love the flame

Frederick Cook Atkinson | George Croly

© Words: Public Domain

I'm really special, you know!

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch Catholic priest, well known for his writing about authentic Christian spirituality, was a brilliant man, a university professor, a prolific writer. He took the call of Christ seriously and wanted to know Him in deeper ways. Once he thought that he could best find God’s Presence in the monastic life . . .  until he was there for a few days.

Nouwen tells how he searched the mailbox, waited for calls;  hungering even for another monk to show him some attention. His mood darkened to depression and then anxiety. These were his thoughts, recorded in his journal. “My lifestyle became part of our contemporary desire for ‘stardom.’ I wanted to say, write, or do something ‘different’ or ‘special’ that would be noticed and talked about. ... you can even preach the Gospel in such a way that people are led to believe nobody had thought of that before. In all these situations you end up with applause because you did something sensational.”   The Genesee Diary

Many of us, especially in the Western culture, are trained to believe that we are exceptional.  We become convinced, sometimes subtly, of these things- “I am important. I deserve good things. I am worthy of your attention.” The emphasis in on our individuality. This makes living a truly Christ-like life complicated. Nouwen’s experience with anonymity in a community dedicated to quiet sameness in contemplation and service of Christ led him to a new understanding of Christ’s own surrender which is described in the Scripture. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." (Philippians 2:5-7, NIV) This is not self-hatred. It is not a call to leave our gifts undeveloped.  

When we ‘forget’ ourselves something happens that allows us to find love, what we all desire.  And there is this - God reveals that if we want to be of the highest value to Him, if we would live in the serenity of the Spirit promised to us, we will have to learn to be content with being all that Christ makes us. "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3, NIV) Ponder the call of Jesus. He asks each of us to give up our life, to take up our Cross, to die to Self. Does that sound like a path of misery? Think again! His promise is true. "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39, NIV)

Does the moon pine for its own radiance? We love that light in the night sky mostly unconscious that we are seeing reflected light. That lump of rock is beautified by the glory of another heavenly body.  The principle for our lives must be learned there.  IF we will surrender our need for notice, when we settle our heart on reflecting His radiance, we can discover a contentment that is beyond any fulfillment to be found in promotion of Self.

How much of your time is spent on making your own life more pleasant in ways as simple as insisting that a room be kept at a temperature comfort for you?  Christ offers to give us an inner life, to let us commune with Him. The paradox is that in Him we become real, content, and rich in that which cannot be taken away.

Here is a word from the Word - "Dearest friends, ... put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. Hold tightly to the word of life." (Philippians 2:12-16, NLT)

Abba, how I love myself.

So much time is spent wondering about what others think,

Trying to capture attention,
wanting so desperately to matter.

Forgive me for believing the lie that I can find

Satisfaction for that love-hunger in anyone but You.

Free me to serve, to love, to be all that YOU desire.

Let me rejoice in reflecting Your radiance into the world,

Content to be hidden in Christ.

Amen

Stop whining, for God’s sake.

I hate suffering! There I said it.  I like happy days, when I sing along with the radio, when in spite of the fact of being unable to dance, I go ahead and shuffle my feet.  Tears show up uninvited too often because of all the injustice, pain, and hardship around me.  Yes, I know that there are those who seem to be skilled at shooting themselves in the foot, making one poor choice after another and wondering, “Why is life so difficult?”  There are some who just can’t seem to catch a break, going from one tragedy to the next. And there are a lot of us who live on a planet where things go wrong for reasons we cannot know.

Here is what I do certainly know:  In the hand of God, the suffering that we endure, particularly that which comes our way because we are Jesus’ followers, has a purpose and a reward.  My reading in the Word took me to this extended passage. 

 Peter, God’s man and a guy we can readily identify with, reveals important principles.   

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (1 Peter 4:12-19, NIV)

Suffering does not necessarily mean that we are doing something wrong or that we lack enough faith to rid ourselves of it!  Peter says if we are suffering like Jesus, because we are dying to Self and doing God’s will, we ought to rejoice when it gets tough and makes us groan!  There are preachers and teachers by the hundred who will tell you that they have the key to making it all better. They will invite you to their conference, sell you their book, and insist that you can learn some set of spiritual ‘truths’ that will produce miracles on demand.  What utter nonsense!  “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ.”  Faith is not a magic wand in our hands that waves ahead the realities of this sinful world. It is our strength that keeps us on our feet as we wade into the battle, armed with love, and reveal the patience and love of Jesus when the going gets rough.

I love Peter’s blunt reminder that if we are acting wrongly, if we are sticking our noses into other people’s business, we ought to expect the pain that comes our way. If people reject us because we are foolish or sinful, there is no glory in that. “But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name!”  (The Message 1 Peter 4:16)

As he finishes his thought, Peter speaks about judgment beginning with the family of God.  It’s time to think hard, to be clear-minded and discerning, about how we live.  No more silly slogans and simplistic answers for us. No more quick fixes and three step solutions for the complexities of life.  Because we have the ‘mind of Christ’ we should be able to see past our problems, understand the spiritual realm that surrounds us, and lead the way to  goodness and godliness.   

Like it or not, Peter asks “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” This Christian life is not a stroll along a country lane in the sun up to the pearly gates of Heaven. Jesus did not make it all soft-focus sentimentality. “Take up your cross and follow Me.” Crosses hurt!

In a hard time? Stop self-pity and excuses. If you’re making bad choices, do not play the victim. Get the help you need. Confess your failures and sins. Then go after Jesus.  If you are feeling the squeeze because you are following Him, then thank Him for the privilege of serving!

The word from the Word wraps it up for us. "So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and He’ll keep on doing it." (1 Peter 4:19, The Message)  And that is the Truth!

_______________

The End is Near!

“Jesus is returning soon!”  That message makes some quake, some sneer, some yawn.  A young man angrily told me how the teaching of his youth about the Lord’s return made him terribly fearful in his teen years, numerous times feeling that he had been “left behind.”  The Blessed Hope was anything but blessed and hopeful for him.  Many others eat up the books that create elaborate stories of wars, famines, and a world gone mad around the prophecy texts of Scripture. For others the promise of Jesus’ return is an escape, a way to avoid dealing with life as it, their attitude basically consigning this world to Hell while they wait for their Savior to show up and carry them away to heavenly bliss.   

Here is what Peter wrote 2 millennia ago. "The end of all things is near.” (1 Peter 4:7)  

What do we make of his statement? Was he mistaken? Or, did he understand something that we need to know as well?  First, he is not wrong. A centerpiece of Jesus’ message was that He would return to the earth in glory and power.  The totality of Scripture is about justice and reconciliation. God’s desire is to defeat the evil that convulses the world, that produces pain and suffering, the restoration of all things. How will He do that? With the coming of the Lord!  Jesus told the band of disciples who clung to Him after the Resurrection that He was going to go and send the Spirit and that He would come back.  In a vision that John had on Patmos, one full of strange images of cosmic warfare told in the book of the Revelation, Jesus says to him - “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:12-13, NIV)

When we try to force dates on that promise we make a basic error that causes us to be foolish.  Hundreds of times in the history of the Church, little sects of people with end time fever have set dates, retreated from the world to wait, and found themselves disappointed.  Why do we so conveniently forget what Jesus said about this?  "Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows." (Matthew 24:35-36, NLT)

The return of the Lord is the hope of the Church. No, we won’t be date-setters, spinning fanciful schemes around the hard to understand texts about His return.  Rather, in faith, we will hold the promise. We will wait for the vindication of our sacrifice, the deferred justice for the martyrs, the full realization of the promises of God will come on that Day.  

Meanwhile, we take our cue for the way we ought to be living from the rest of Peter’s text.  “The End is near,” he wrote.  He went on to tell us this, our word from the Word for today:  “Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:7-10, NIV)  

Be a thoughtful Christian, engaged with your world.
Be a loving Christian, connected to the family of God, sharing life.

Be a serving Christian, doing what the Lord equips you  to do for His glory.

And, with John, we all say - "He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20, NIV)

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The Lion And The Lamb

(a song of worship)

He's coming on the clouds

Kings and kingdoms will bow down

And every chain will break

As broken hearts declare His praise

For who can stop the Lord Almighty

Our God is the Lion

The Lion of Judah

He's roaring with power

And fighting our battles

And every knee will bow before Him

Our God is the Lamb

The Lamb that was slain

For the sins of the world

His blood breaks the chains

And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

Every knee will bow before Him

So open up the gates

Make way before the King of kings

The God who comes to save

Is here to set the captives free

For who can stop the Lord Almighty

Who can stop the Lord Almighty

Who can stop the Lord (Almighty)

Brenton Brown | Brian Johnson | Leeland Mooring

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