Love - Obedience -Faith

John 5:19, "Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, 'Truly, truly,  I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner."

I have discovered that the recent posts on love are spiritually provocative, and a little bit controversial. On one level pure, perfect, agape love represents the unattainable. And because it is unattainable, then perhaps these discussions are pointless. Perhaps it is too difficult a task for any individual to look in the mirror and honestly say to themselves I can never achieve perfect agape love. But reality is this is the very thing that needs to happen. Until we can look in the mirror and say that very thing we will never experience it.

T Austin Sparks wrote in 1927, "...it is necessary to settle it once and for all that we, in ourselves, will never be overcomers, and that opens the way for the whole of this theme and its reality of meaning to come from the Lord to us. There is only one Overcomer in the universe, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and if there are ever any other overcomers, they will not be others at all, they will simply be the extension of His overcoming — the expansion of His victory." Until we can admit this truth to ourselves I fail to see how we can ever overcome the arrogance of our ego to truly love. (Please understand that I use self, ego, and flesh interchangeably and believe them to be the same inner man referred to in scripture.) In admitting our weakness, acknowledging Christ strength, then God's perfect love can begin to work in us. Leading to the second point.

Obedience to God is what makes the "act" of love perfect. But how can we obey when the voice is still and the vision is as in a mirror dimly? Jesus did it with a perfect connection to God. He did and said what the Father did and said. Hear the words of Christ, "the Son can do nothing of Himself." Even the love shown by Jesus was not His own, but belonged to the father. So what then of this obedience? Is obedience the barrier that prevents us from loving?

I think not. This is one of the many paradoxes of life. God loves us, so that we can love others, so that God can love us again, and so that we can love others. The relationship is critical, but the acts of love become a reflection of what we see the Father to be. The perfect acts of love are God's light shining through us in His act of first love. So the spiritual reality is that obedience is not a limiting factor because we can only reflect what we see. We can only obey what we hear, and it is God's responsibility to speak as much as we have responsibility to hear. Bringing us to the final component or point.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Because we see poorly, if at all, and because we hear poorly, if at all... we must have faith to fill the gap. The spiritual "thought" has to be seasoned with faith inorder to become an act of love. We love in faithful obedience knowing that even if not a perfect act of love, God will cause it all to work together for good.

Lets jump to the practical. If we will approach life with the attitude of being in relationship to God, then we will find the opportunities to be a refection of His love. This does not have to be done a church, on the mission field, or in any other "institution" of Christianity. This can, and is to be done, right where you are. How about the Boss who takes the file clerk to lunch and just listens to them? Or the file clerk who on the way home throws a quarter into the beggar's cup? These can be practical acts of love triggered by God's tug on the heart. To yield to that tug is the faith that makes the act love. The act can be anything, and in any direction. I am reminded of a story I heard about Abraham Lincoln. It was of an old lady making him cry with her gift of cookies. He was used to people coming to his office wanting something. This woman just wanted to bring him some cookies. The tears were obviously an acknowledgment of the love.

Last I will share this. My mom text-ed me the other day that she wanted to pay my phone bill. This was absolutely an act of God's agape love. Not because it is my mom. Not because it met a need. It was an act of God's love because she did not know the bill was not paid, and hours from being cut off. This was God saying to me... I love you and your quest to discover Me as both provision and Provider will not go unanswered. Equally, had she know those facts, I would not have received it as love, but rather her attempt to fix the situation. I'm not looking for my situation to be fixed. I am looking for God's love, so that I can love, and be loved again... continuously by God.

Who can you show the love of Christ to today?

If you need love, or prayer, please feel free to contact me.

Love is not

1 John 4:8, " The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

I cannot escape thinking about Agape love. It sounds stupid, but the totality of all my life's experiences and thoughts of love are but a fraction of what I see love to be today. It as if God has hung this proverbial carrot out in front of me and said, come and get it. I see something out there I have never fully experienced, nor fully observed in this lifetime. Oh sure, my definition of love has been met and seen thousands of times. But God's definition of love... frankly I have mainly read about it in the life of Christ. Oh there are times when I taste it, but that taste is the little baby spoon for the sample at the ice cream counter. I can see that there is a four scoop banana split of love out there. That's what I want to take a bite of.

What is this love? Oswald Chambers says that it has a degree of spontaneity. That true, pure love is not something that is planned. 1 Corinthians says it is patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag, not arrogant, doesn't act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never fails. 1 John tells us God is love and if we don't love then we don't know God. Jesus said there was no greater love than to lay down one's life for another.

What fascinates me more at the moment is not what love is, but what love is not. For example, no where does it say love is never angry, or love is compassionate. Both feelings the bible is clear that Christ had. Love is not necessarily giving advice. Love is not even giving a hand out. Though advice and a hand out could be considered kindness, they could equally be unkind if the advice is misguided, or the handout is enabling. There is not an absolute that love is doing what someone wants. It does not say that love teaches... though this could be an act of love. It does not say love is feeding the hungry. It does not say love is giving to the poor. Though Christ clearly gave to the poor, He also did not give when it was suggested by Judas that perfume used on Him should be sold for that purpose. On the contrary Jesus replied, "you will always have the poor with you." So in the reality of life there are a lot of acts, and omissions for that matter, that may or may not be love. What makes them love or not is if God (who is love) is behind them. So love, the love of God, also has an element of obedience to it.

Can we conclude that if we know God through salvation then we will experience His love? Can we also conclude that if we have experienced His love then we will also be able to express that love? Can we also conclude if we are to express love correctly then God will have to communicate what the correct act is?

Now throw into the mix that loving God, and loving our neighbor as ourselves are the only two commandments. And Jesus says that in exercising these commandments His burden is easy and His load is light. Therefore should the acts of love that God commands not be horrifically burdensome? Oh you can be certain that pure love will absolutely confront our egos, and never allow us to be seeking our own. But beyond that beautiful experience of dying to self, of ego being defeated, shouldn't love be easy? Answer... love is only easy for a dead man, an ego-less man.

Unlovable

Matthew 22:39 "...you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

I had every intention of posting a message of  mission/vision and multiplying, but God I guess had a very different idea. You see, today I had to go to court for a ticket. Well, several tickets, but that is beside the point. I was a little late getting there and ended up having to sit in the very front left in a seat that faces the pews of the courtroom. No big deal, it actually was some pretty good people watching. There in court room were 200 plus people from every walk of life, background, and ethnicity. Hour upon hour passed, dismissals happened and deals were made. My attorney said I would probably have to come back after the lunch break.

So I thought, how can I turn this waiting and people watching into an experience with God. It was then it came to me. Scanning the room I asked myself, why does God love that person? Or that person? In fact, I thought... I sure am glad He said to love my neighbor because none of these people fit into my little sub-culture, and certainly would not be found in my neighborhood. Don't get me wrong. I know God loves them, but felt some since of relief thinking that my unconditional love for them was unnecessary. That was it... no big revelation. My attorney got my tickets dismissed before lunch and I treated myself to some street tacos on Harrisburg St.

Harrisburg is a Hispanic part of town. And though I truly love the Hispanic people there are elements there, and places that are not nice at all. Once again I was appreciative of my country life and the little sub-culture that surrounds me. Glad I could come to Harrisburg for some good food, and that I didn't have to live there.

Next up was Iwo Jima meeting at 3:00pm. It's a men's group I attend in the Montrose area of Houston so there was not enough time to go home and come back. Other options exhausted I just went early.  After all, it does meet at Ecllesia Church and there is a coffee shop on the facility that is fairly nice. Turns out to that I ran into Jim between appointments, where he invited me to sit in on his next one. I marveled inside how Jim can communicate and love such a wide variety of people. After the appointment here comes another of Jim's friends. In tow is a... I don't even know how to describe him.- - A guy in tears hating life and wanting to die. He asks to talk to Jim and upon approval jumps in by saying I just need to have a breakdown. I hate life and I hate people. I found out 2 weeks ago I have HIV. I sat there silently, probably with a look of absolute horror. But Jim, he smiled and leaned in to hear more. So Greg, that's his name, went on. He asked Jim to be his mentor and Jim said, I will listen to you. So Greg says, I'm a homosexual, my lover is a transvestite and though she (he likes to be referred to as a she) has had HIV for 15 years I did not get it from her. I got if from sharing needles for IV drug use. At this point I am literally excusing myself to go to the bathroom. I had to wash my hands right then and there. Iwo Jima was coming up and if I played my cards right I could avoid the rest of the conversation.

So 10 minutes later we gathered in the other room for Iwo Jima. And there is Greg on Jim's invitation. After Prayer Jim say, go ahead and have your breakdown Greg. Then it began. On and on for 30- 45 min. Greg explained how he was raped and beaten by his father. At the age of 7 he was knocked unconscious by this vicious man only to wake up to a lighter, a box of filter-less cigarets, and a glass of Jack Daniels on the rocks. His dad said, there you go son. That's how I deal with it so you deal with it. He shot both his parents at nine. They didn't die, but he became property of the state. In and out of prison, mental hospitals, and 14 foster homes. He has been a male prostitute, a heroin addict, and nearly died dozens of times. He is missing a front tooth and has a few prison tattoos. There is more, but by my definition Greg is the absolute bottom of society. In the midst of detailing his past he kept saying I just want to be loved, will you love me? I don't want to be judged or criticized, will you love me? Andrew, will you love me? Jim, will you love me? Gary, will you love me? And there is where it hit me. This is what my entire day has been about. Will I love the unlovable? All I could think of was Jesus asking Peter in John 21:15-17 if Peter loved Him. If Greg asked me if I loved him what was I going to say? I wanted to say, hell no, you are unlovable. But instead I said, "What is love to you?" Pretty cute huh? Best avoidance of the day if you ask me.

But the avoidance was not helping. Not loving Greg was burning in me and I could not shake it. So Greg had his breakdown. Andrew led him in the sinners prayer and the meeting continued. Oops... nearly forgot. So Greg was on 36 pain killers for all of this and high as a kite. Jittery, shaking his hands, disjointed in his communication. But after praying with Andrew the distractions of his body movement went away. A fact I noticed later when Greg said he was not high anymore after praying.

So Jim is going around the room asking what is on everyone's heart. I am praying that he does not ask me because I know what's on my heart. That Greg is unlovable. And low and behold Jim does skip me and goes to Gary. Whoosh... a sigh of relief. Until Gary says, "I'm angry and don't know why." I questioned him why and he went on to say something to the effect of he thought it was because he was not loving people like he used to. That was it... I could not take it any more. I had to spill my heart or explode.

I told Greg, to me you are unlovable. But all I can see if Christ sitting across from me asking me if I am going to love Him. Just like He did with Peter. Jesus asked if Peter loved him unconditionally, and Peter replied that he had brotherly love for Jesus. Here was Greg, the most unlovable person in the world, asking me the same thing. I could do nothing but cry as I told him this. I concluded with I know that God wants me to hug you but I don't want to. He stood up and said, give me a hug. To which I did.