LOVE
As we all have had the opportunity to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our loved ones, I hope you all enjoyed being mulling over our scriptures on love.
Let’s take a minute to review our scriptures from last week.
Would anyone like to share?
YOU HAVE TO BE THE “TO” BEFORE YOU GET THE “THROUGH”
If you noticed over the week, there were two groups of scriptures. Days 1-4 were all about God’s love TO us, while Days 5-7 were about God’s love THROUGH us to others. And I think that is a very vital order to realize. There is that old saying that was used in a book I read recently that said “You can’t give what you don’t have.” You can’t truly give love to others, unless you already possess that love.
It’s like when I used to work at Sam’s club and people would come in and be irate that we stopped selling their Ol’ Roy Dog food or their Sam’s Choice soda because “they just bought it here last week.” Each time I would have to talk them down from the proverbial ledge and break it to them that they had never bought those products at Sam’s Club because they were only sold at Wal*Mart stores. Some would sheepishly admit that “Oh yea you’re right”, while others would argue with me for a while before giving me the answer “well…since they’re the same company, you should have it to.” And all I could do was shrug my shoulders and apologize because….
I COULDN’T GIVE THEM WHAT I DIDN’T HAVE! There is no way I could magically reach into the pocket of my blue vest and like a rabbit out of a hat, produce for them a 6-pack of Diet Caffeine Free Sam’s Choice Cola or a 20 pound bag of Ol’ Roy Dog food for overweight dogs.
And it’s really the same way with the act/emotion/feeling, whatever you choose to call it, of love. Yes, you can be loving to others, but until you have had that ultimate encounter at the cross with the creator of Heaven and Earth who created LOVE, then it will never be the genuine article. The depth of love will never rise to the pinnacle of what it could be…the height of love so deep that it would provoke the God of the universe to sacrifice his son, so that we might live.
It is that encounter at the cross that shows us the intensity and devotion of God’s love and allows us to start to love others in the way that God loves us.
BEING THE FOUNTAIN
Now that we know God’s love and hold it within us, it’s time for it to be flowed through us to others.
Giving it away is the only way to perpetuate the cycle of God’s love. It’s like a self-contained fountain…always flowing forth beautiful streams of water, into a deep pool, and then through an intricate web of pipes flows from the pool back up to the top to be flowed forth again.
And I think too many times, we try to put God and ourselves in a box, thinking that to show God’s love we have to be super spiritual and two steps from a bible degree or else God’s not in it.
That’s junk!
Do you remember what Christ’s first miracle was here on earth? Turning water into wine at a wedding. It was a basic necessity of that time.
THEN…he went on to heal 4 times before he helped the disciples catch an abundance of fish…another necessity.
Yes, Christ did miraculous amazing healing and told parables that had everyone clamoring for more, but smattered in there were miracles that met people where they were and addressed the immediate need they had.
God’s love can pour through you in words, in deeds, financially or any other way he chooses fit. I heard a preacher state once that where you’re passion and talent lay are a pretty good indicator as to where your ministry is.
What talents or passion do you have that could be potential ministries or be used as a way to showcase God’s love to someone?
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
As we studied our LOVE scriptures this week, there was one that, for me, stuck out mainly because it correlates so closely to a scripture on love that is the cornerstone of our faith.
John 3:16 says that “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that all who may believe on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
BUT….as we learned this week there is another scripture that picks up seemingly where this one stops.
1 John 3:16 continues, like a Part B or a sequel scripture: “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
1 John 3:16 is a complete wrap up of this week. First, we learned REAL LOVE through Christ and then it is flowed through us and given away “for our brothers and sisters.”
PRAYER
As always, feel free to rewrite this in your own words or use it just the way it is.
Dear God: First and foremost, I thank you for your love for me as demonstrated by your willingness to lay your son’s life down for mine. Help me to be used as a fountain of your love, continually receiving love and allowing it to flow back out to others. Help me to be open to new ways of showing your love that I might not have seen before in my life and to resist the voice of Satan who would tell me that whatever I do, big or small, doesn’t make a difference because I know with God behind my actions, everything makes a difference. Amen
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