Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Living The Love You Seek

Living in Love Series

Living the Love You Seek

Pastor Tom Millner

1 Chronicles 16:34; 1 John 4:10-11

 

God’s love is a boundless gift and for our reflecting that love to others, we are rewarded with even more of His love. His love is a bottomless well from which we draw the substance of life.

Within God’s Love dwell both the gift we need and the reward we seek!

God is Love – I John 4:16

The One in whose image we are created is the embodiment of love – LOVE is who He is. Let the reflection SHINE! It’s been said that we resemble what we love! So let us…

Imitate His Example – Matthew 5:43-48 (Message)

 "You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.'  I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best--the sun to warm and the rain to nourish--to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.

Forget Yourself – Matthew 10:38-39 (Message)

"If you don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.

The irony here is that in forgetting about ourselves, we actually find our true selves. Now that’s a GIFT.  We’ll learn more about this in July.

Take Ownership of Your Kinship – Galatians 4:6-7 (Message)

You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.

There’s great reward in this kinship.

John 13:35 “This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other." (Message) Do you see how this is so foundational to our future?

            Living the love that we seek requires that we…

Realize the love God has for us.

John 3:16 – God so loved – that He acted – at His own expense – so that – The ones He created who wanted to have it their way – could have a choice to walk in the knowledge of what God had done out of love – that would result in a life for eternity – with God.  --- We always have a choice. We can choose to believe the lie that we can do it all on our own – or we can choose to act out of the truth that the means of our measuring up has already been accomplished through God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ, and in so doing ---

Experience the joy of God’s love

John 15:9-12 (Message) "I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done--kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. "I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you.” The joy comes in the execution of His command that we love one another. Be the love toward others you seek for yourself. In doing that, you’ll come to a greater understanding of what your love needs really are. God loves us even when we’re not very Love-Able. Recognizing His love and beginning the process of exercising it, brings the joy of His love in us. Loving others (and thus ourselves) is our worship of Him.

Worshiping God in love

We generally think that worshiping God is done in a place – like a church – where we come together to sing and shout praises to God. We’re in a “worship” service now. We’re worshiping God by listening to His word of truth being exhorted. The Apostle Paul asserted to the Romans that worship is a lot more than what we’re doing here.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

When we love others we worship God. When we love ourselves enough to recognize the temple of God in which we live – we worship God. When you leave here today – may your worship begin anew!!  Amen…

 

Apply the healing power of love!

AGAPE Love looks out for the best interest of the other – Look at what God demonstrated through Jesus Christ – in our best interest. That’s love applied that heals a hurting soul, a lost sheep, a dejected child. When He commands us to love one another, He does so because the act of love heals us from the hurt that our self-centered, self-serving, self-deceiving, selfish acts bring about. Healing in our lives comes when we recognize the depth and breadth of His love for us.

Because we are so loved, we are then free to freely love others as we have been loved. – share the healing!

2 John 6 reads: “ And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

Reach out to others with love

Mother Teresa said “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

John 15:12-13 states “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

If we live the love we seek, we’re accepting others as God accepts them and loving them accordingly. It’s been said that “the desire of love is to give – the desire of lust is to get.” Let’s seek to give from the bounty of love we are receiving.

 

Daily walk the path of love!

The first step of the daily walk in love is time in His Word! It is from there that our path is lighted with the truth that only comes from Him. Remember, the destination to which the path leads is already secure. It is the walk to which He calls us – along a path that is filled with opportunity to grow in the likeness of Christ – to be the light of love to a world of darkness and in need. In John 13:35, God did not say people will know you are followers of His if you spout theological truths or speak in the tongues of angels… He said “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples – if you love one another.”

Live the love you seek!

Open your GIFT (God is love, Imitate His example, Forget yourself, Take ownership of your kinship)

Exercise you REWARD ( Realize the love God has for you, Experience the joy of God’s love, Worship God in love, Apply the healing power of love, Reach out to other with love, and Daily walk the path of love.)

 

 

 

Monday, October 18, 2010

The Face in the Mirror

The Face in the Mirror

 

 

“The Face in the Mirror”

Psalm 100:5; Luke 6:41-42; 1 Corinthians 13:12-13

Pastor Tom Millner

October 17, 2010

 

We’re told clearly in scripture that we’re the object of God’s affection. God finds us “to die for”! Yet, when we look in the mirror, we fail to recognize that loved, justified, redeemed, made whole object of God’s affection. We were created in His image – God is love…

What prevents our reflecting God’s love?

The wildfires a couple of years ago in the Everglades shut down long stretches of I-75 across the Alligator Alley. Visibility was virtually zero, so drivers could not even see the road, much less where they were going. In similar fashion, our vision of God’s love is often obstructed by the smoke around us. The good news is that the smoke comes from us and can therefore be cleared by us. Let’s look at the S.M.O.K.E. that hampers the reflection of God’s love as we were created for and commanded to put into action.

Self absorption –

“I Got to be Me,” “I Did it My Way,” – and loads of other popular songs reflect the degree to which we as a society are so absorbed with self. We are so absorbed with self, in fact, that thousands of people are dying of starvation as we now speak. In case you haven’t noticed, self is our favorite subject. “Well, I’ve talked enough about myself, now tell me what you think of me.” It’s nothing new. Even those closest to Jesus did it. Mark 10:35-37 “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."  What do you want me to do for you? he asked.  They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." When was the last time you prayed exclusively for someone else and not your own need? How many of you just went to a place of self-condemnation or deprecation over what I said? Get my point? We’re grossly self-absorbed and God is calling us to “surrender, Dorothy…” He’ got you covered! Not only are we self-absorbed, but we also experience…  

Momentary distractions

Often we allow the smallest thing to distract us from the purpose of our mission. It takes a conscious effort to keep ourselves focused on the task at hand. Different personalities react in different ways to events or things that cause distraction – a phone call that can wait - a flattering or not so flattering comment – a person who catches your attention – a perceived need to do something right now! Two weeks ago I was discussing my neurological symptoms with a Neurologist and research director at Duke University when I paused, noticing that he was marking off different blood tests to be performed by the lab. I stopped describing some experiences and said; “I apologize for going on… I’ll wait till you’ve finished what you’re focused on.” Without missing a beat, he continued to check things on his sheet and said; “Oh that’s OK, when I was younger they told me I had A.D.D., now I call it multitasking.”   Luke 10:40 “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’”

Other competing demands

Work, tasks, even ministries, may be the instrument that competes for our attention and thus takes us away from being the reflection of love that God calls us to express. When we re-order our priorities we see more clearly.

Luke 9:59-60 “He said to another man, ‘follow me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’" First things first! When we read “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind,” we think it so simple. Yet we fail at it miserably. God simply desires to be first in our lives. It is so easy for us to place Him second, third, or tenth in our list of priorities for the moment. It takes effort to make that happen… However, we often see no issue with…

Keeping up with the crowd

Heard the statement – “Just trying to get ahead?” – Some would settle for just keeping up! Keeping up with what? Keeping up with what we think is required to appear as measuring up? Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”  We can’t serve God and everything else that we think makes us measure up. There’s a term I use to describe what goes on in our community. I call it “homosexism.” It’s the belief that everyone has to fit a particular image or persona in order to be acceptable or to measure up. It’s just as damaging as the heterosexism and homophobia that has led to the years of what is now being seen as bullying. It’s a thought process that leads to actions that are lethal for people. We’re better off spending time affirming who Christ says we are in His love than trying to measure up to the faulty and reactionary God of prejudice!!!! Another smoke screen is our…

Ego driven ambition

Ever heard people being described as having a big ego? Can’t confront them, can’t discuss with them – have to have it their way. This is not big ego – its WEAK ego that has to puff itself up in defense of its weakness. It gives way to all kinds of distractions from what God calls us to in love. James 3:16  “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”

Getting rid of the smoke allows us to live in God’s reflection more C.L.E.A.R.L.Y. Want to see a different face in the mirror…the real one as Christ sees?

Commit to His will.

Commitment to do God’s will is not always easy nor is it popular. We pray the prayer that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Do we know what that entails? It means an alignment of our will to the will of the one who is love. Jesus said to His disciples that if they loved him, they would obey His command… that command was to love one another. If you seek to follow God’s will for your life, see first the love opportunities set before you each day, each moment. That’s what Jesus did even to the end.  Mark 14:35-36 “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’" We do a great job living to try to make God’s will conform to our desires and wishes as we see them for our benefit. When we strive to understand and live out His will for our lives, we’re pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Had Christ not submitted to the Father’s will, there would have been no propitiation for our sin, no resurrection life…no life in grace and mercy. God has something good for all as the outcome of living in His will.

Look out for love’s opportunities.

We are so consumed by our own important agendas that we often fail to see what is right in front of us.  What to some may seem a bothersome distraction, may well be the opportunity to show God’s love to another person. Our tendency to judge another person by the situation can blind us from the opportunity to love as well. Take for instance the story of the woman caught in adultery. The crowd was eager to condemn and stone her. Jesus, however, saw the opportunity to share God’s love for her. 

John 8:7  “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’" 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter, tells us what love looks like. Let’s begin a love revolution…being the love we seek! We so long to be loved with the passion and compassion of our dreams. God gave us each other to be His face to one another!

Establish a daily pattern of love.

Agape love is love that demands an action. Ever notice how we become creatures of habit, going through the same routines each day, week, or month? Exercising our love of God and for others is best expressed through making it a habit, establishing a pattern of love behaviors. Expressions of love don’t have to be grandiose acts that are noticed. These expressions can be made in the form of prayer. Creating a list of those for whom you will pray each day for a specified period of time – or the ministry you desire to pray for during a specified time frame. A daily pattern of phone calls with a prayer buddy, etc., can go a long way to fulfill the love that someone for whom you are praying desires.

Hebrews 3:12-13 “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”

Apply the temple principle.

I Corinthians 3:16 “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?”  The Temple in ancient times was where the Holy of Holies dwelled. Only the High Priest who had offered an acceptable sin offering was allowed into that most holy of places. If God were dwelling now is room 2 over here, how would you approach that room? Remember, in the Tabernacle/Temple, the High Priest went in with a rope tied around his garment that trailed behind him so that if his sacrifice had been unacceptable, the other priests could pull his body out from behind the curtain… Fortunately, God does not dwell in room 2 any more than He dwells in the auditorium. Because of Christ and His atoning love, God now dwells in another holy of holies – our hearts. Our bodies, friends, are the temple of God. Knowing that God now dwells within, how do you think His temple should be cared for?

Respond to God’s calling.

You’ve heard each of us Pastors talk about the calling on our lives to Pastor.  What you haven’t heard a lot about in these words is the calling of God on your life. Did you know that God has a calling on your life? His calling is to be His and His alone. His calling is to love Him and love your neighbor as yourself. His calling came at the time of your acceptance of Him as your Lord and Savior. When you accepted that call, you were the recipient of a guarantee of no separation from His love, an inheritance of eternal life, the right to be called the child of God, saints in Him! Amen? Amen! Now, the challenge we face is living in the light of the love that came when the call was answered. Why place the most precious gift ever received on a shelf to gather dust. Use it!

Ephesians 1:18-19  “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength”  Use it by -

Leaning on His promises.

As responders to God’s calling, we are the recipients of a magnificent GIFT… a new creation in Christ Jesus! As a new creation, we have the promise that our destination is secure, our eternity sealed, our life is everlasting. Yet, we as a people are often filled with anxiety and or depression. We worry about measuring up to a standard that only we have set. Even when things happen that are out of our control, we react as though it has something to do with us personally and tell ourselves it’s a result of not measuring up. Enough is enough! Stop dreaming and start leaning – on the One whose promises are for sure.

Matthew 6:31,33 “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Yield to the Master’s plan

God’s plan is not just for us as individuals, but for His body of believers as a whole. To be the best body builder He created us to be, we have to individually yield to His plan for our lives – loving Him, loving each other… so that we can indeed ignite the world for Christ, one life at a time! His plan is not for our glory, but for His, and His a lone.

Ephesians 4:1-6 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Living love’s reflection requires the elimination of all the SMOKE so that we can reflect CLEARLY His love in our lives. We are called to be the love of Christ. Let’s start the revolution! Let’s be the face of Christ first to each other and then to this community. That action alone goes further than any advertising, door to door canvassing or community outreach alone. God calls us to love Him above all else…with our hearts, minds, souls, and that translates to loving each other with the same loving acts we would welcome from others. In the words of that famous and popular theologian, Larry the Cable Guy… “Gitter done.”

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Love's Foundation

Love’s Foundation

Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 7:24-27; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; 1John 4:16

Pastor Tom Millner

October 10, 2010

 

What is this thing called “LOVE?” We have come to believe in our society that love is a deep emotion, an overwhelming feeling, which embraces a deep desire, a longing, to act in a particular direction. The pop music (and much of the “sacred” music) we listen to is filled with the notion and emotion of love.  “I second that emotion!” …. If we really listen to what‘s being said, however, we can recognize it for what it is; – self-centered, self-seeking, self-serving, sensation centered, shallow SLOP!  Now, I’m as romantic and as sentimental as any of you, but let’s not confuse sentimentality, sensuality, (and sometimes lust) with LOVE.  Sentiment and feelings can’t build a lasting foundation because they are subject to change. Ever hear “I don’t feel that way any more?” Or more precisely “I just don’t feel that way about you any more?”  Feelings come from thoughts and thoughts can change. We could more honestly say; “I’ve changed the way I think about you so the way I feel about you has changed.” The love about which we speak today has its foundation in truth… That love is the love that can only come from God … The Greek word – Agape.  This is the love upon which we are wise to build a foundation. What is the greatest of the commands? You got it…love God with all we are and love each other with the same degree of love we would desire for ourselves!

Matthew 7:24-25 states “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

While we were living in our home beside the Middle River, two new homes were built across the street. Each required that pilings had to be laid down to the bedrock before the concrete floor could be poured. Because of the proximity to the water and the potential for undermining the foundation over time, the weight of the house had to be secured against the sway of the tide and the flow of the river. This wise and prudent building technique is the same from which Jesus drew his metaphor for building our spiritual home.

-          Love is the foundation on which our relationship to God and each other is built!

-          Love is the well from which grace flows!

 

The house on the rock stands firm during times of calm and during times of turbulence. So can we stand firm during our times of calm and during those times when turbulence will certainly come. That rock is the love of God for us, to us, within us, between us!  We are secure in that foundation when we

Recognize Our Constant Kinship to the Father! Now that ROCKS!! 

It is that ROCK about which Paul speaks in Romans 8: 37-39 when he says; “No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the LOVE of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

            So, why don’t we rely upon this foundation as a sustaining force when the water rises and the winds of life blow? Why do we often act like our foundation is planted firmly in sand and not on the ROCK?  Because, in our convoluted view of love, we’re so pre-occupied with self that we fail to LISTEN to what God’s Word affirms for us. Let’s look at what it means to LISTEN.

Love – AGAPE –

Lays the foundation for life

John 3:16 tells us: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Anyone see an exclusion clause here; any fine print that nullifies? Do you see your name as an excluded participant in eternal life? NO!! There are no exclusions, no fine print, no nullification clauses – “That whoever believes in Him” - Henry Ford once said “If you believe you can or you believe you can’t, you’re right.” The choice to believe is ours, but the price for our eternal position and relationship to God has been paid on our behalf. This foundational truth positions us on a footing that never falters, never wavers, never gives sway to the winds of a world dying to know Him! God so loves us that He did something! He gave someone for our sake- His very own!

Inspires a response!

A couple of years ago there was a silly TV commercial in which a driver was having a conversation (albeit one sided) with his GPS device as he was being given directions to his destination. He professed his love to the voice coming from the instrument and received no response except for the direction for which the instrument was programmed.  An expression of love without a response is only an expression – not love. The instrument was not programmed for anything other than directions. We, on the other hand are created (and thus programmed) in the image of God. God is love! AGAPE love embraces action. The OT is full of examples of God’s love to His people. God didn’t pontificate about how he FELT about His people. He didn’t emote a gush about how He needed his people – HE ACTED OUT of His love for His people by providing for their individual and corporal good. Even when the decisions of the people rendered lemons, He made the metaphorical lemonade. What a wonderful story we have in the Passover and subsequent deliverance from bondage of His people. Why the deliverance? - His unfailing and abiding love!  Because of His love, He solicits a response from us. Listen to Exodus 20: 1-3 “And God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (therefore) You shall have no other gods before me.” His love inspires a response – His action inspires our reaction… because I have done this for you, respond in this way to me, He says. Not only does God’s love inspire a response toward Himself, it calls us to –

Serve Others!

In case you haven’t noticed, the sacrifice of Christ was NOT all together for His benefit alone! (What an understatement!) He came that we might have life – and, have it more abundantly. He came to serve, not be served. His obedience to The Father’s command was His act of love for the Father which translated to the greatest act of love for our sake in recorded human history!  Matthew 22: 36-40 sums up AGAPE in action; “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Isn’t it interesting that Jesus would sum up 3,000 years of Jewish history in this response to the Pharisees? Isn’t it interesting how a very simple truth, the foundation of a faith, becomes illuminated by the One whom John describes as the Word in flesh? Jesus didn’t say some of the Law and the Prophets hang on these commands – He said ALL… If we put God before SELF – we’ve freed up self to love others. When we put God before self – we are in a position to listen to the His voice in love and to put that love into action – not an action that says “come together and reason to do things my way” – but an action that says “I see you as the object of God’s love, and designed to be the recipient of His grace.”  AGAPE is a force that has its origin in the Holy and Divine – and its object is not just mine. Jesus said: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, the he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15: 9-13)

We show our love for God when we love one another! Not just those for whom it’s convenient, but all His creation - even those who would hate us.

 

So, LOVE lays a foundation for life, inspires a response that leads to serving others – and in so doing it –

Testifies to God’s presence:

You’ve heard the statement made that we are all created with a hole in our heart that only God can fill? We’re hard wired that way – every human being – from the richest to the poorest – from the least to the greatest – each of us desires to have that hole in our heart filled. Proverbs 19:22a says; “What a man desires is unfailing love.” We seek to fill that space created by God for Himself, and Himself alone, through all sorts of means – remember the country song “Looking for Love in All The Wrong Places?” We’ve all been there… every sin known to man has been the instrument to fill that hole. Yet only ONE can fill it. And when filled, it is filled to overflowing and testifies to the presence of itself to the glory of God. It is only filled, however, when we empty it of other “Stuff.” That “stuff” is often our own selfish desires, our own silly notions as to what we need to measure up, etc. The Apostle Paul asserts; “Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12: 1   As we offer up our hearts, as a living sacrifice to Him who first loved us, we allow His presence to then give testimony to His work in our lives. The work and the worship are summed up later in chapter 12 of Romans as he states: “Be devoted to one an other in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:10-13.  Want to witness for God? Want to testify to His goodness and grace in your life? Then get rid of the junk you’ve put in that heart in your effort to be filled and let the power and presence of God’s all consuming love secure you to the ROCK of your salvation.  – Let the testimony begin!! Amen? AMEN!

Love lays a foundation for life, inspires a response in us to serve others in a way that testifies to God’s presence – In this process it –

 

Engages our soul!

What is there about a good love story that appeals to so many of us? Is it the vicarious sharing of a dream coming true; the happy ever after? Or is it the pathos of love gained, and love lost, and to be consoled yet again? What we do know is that it engages us to our very depth. So it is with the Love of God – the greatest love story every told. The greatest truth ever presented to us – a love so great that it would provide a way to restore each of us to our rightful place of being a pure, holy, sinless, acceptable, and measured up kid of the Kingdom. Jesus fulfilled the true meaning of “to die for!”  He restores my soul, my soul cries out for Him, Praise the Lord, O my soul – and all that is within me – bless His holy name! We cannot be made whole through the Love of God and not be engaged to the depth of our being. AGAPE engages our souls!

LOVE (Living Our Very Existence), is founded on the ROCK (Recognizes Our Constant Kinship) that Lays the foundation for life, inspires a response, serves others, testifies to God’s presence, engages our souls and –

Never Ends!

God’s love (AGAPE) is not on again, off again. It’s not that short lived limerence that we’ve so often experienced around infatuation. It’s not that conditional thing that says “I’ll love you until something better comes along.” AGAPE love is the love that is God Himself. “God is Love.” 1 John 4:16.  If God is love and he is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, Love is with us eternally. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34 Money can’t buy it, power can’t command it – Love endures forever because is it the essence of the Creator! As long as we have life and breath, we have the eternal love of God that inspires and sustains us. It’s been said that we grow to resemble what we love. As you look into the mirror of your soul, may the reflection be that of a loving God, who has given His all so that you may be made whole – standing solid on the ROCK that is the foundation of the world…

 

Using today’s scripture reading, let’s superimpose our name for love…and see how it fits!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

 

Let us pray.