Sun, Aug 16, 2009
My thoughts on Love...
My thoughts on love...
Our church has been tackling relationships over the past month or so. We are now diving into the topic of making love last. Yep, love. This 4 letter word that is easily thrown around, regurgitated, misunderstood, used, misused, and often leveraged based on agendas. Yet, it's a word that God personifies Himself as repeatedly through Scripture. He doesn't just describe himself as being one who loves - it's who He is.
An interesting point was made in this weekend's service by one of our pastors that the amount of love that you allow yourself to receive from God is in direct correlation with the amount of love you are able to give to others. So, if God IS love, and He wants us to receive and give His love without prerequisite... what does that look like? What does "love" mean anyway? While I'm no philosopher, teacher, preacher, scholar, or even overly smart guy - I do have a story to draw from. The idea that I have to allow God to love me before I can love others is quite thought-provoking. Here we are, commanded by Christ to love God and love others. Not only to love others, but to love them as HE first loved us (John 13:34). However, we aren't commanded to allow God to love us. We get that automatically. Can't earn it, buy it, merit badge our way into it. It's always there. But when I examine what this means to me, I realize that the baggage I may be carrying is probably preventing me from fully receiving God's love. Why? Because I am a sinner. I am fully cognizant of my transgressions. I don't always feel like I deserve it. So I, in essence, shield myself from it. Ever found yourself in this position?
The other interesting thing about this idea is that Paul tells us in Romans 8:38 that there is nothing that we can do that will separate us from the love of Christ. Nothing. So, if that is true, why is it the human condition to fight love unless we feel like it's right or deserved or to/from the "right" person? I totally struggle with this. I have a massive wall that I am working to allow God to dismantle brick by brick. I have always cherished these bricks because they provide some sense of security. However, I am coming to realize that this is a false sense of security because the higher and stronger the wall, the less any amount of light, life, and love can get through. This has been evident several times in my life. It's hard to allow anyone to get close when you feel like you don't deserve the love and once they find out what's in those little crevices, the love will expire and the source of that affection will be gone.
See, God doesn't work this way - and He commands us to portray the same characteristics in these verses from Phillipians 2. If we are created in His image, and love is who God IS, then love should be our first and natural response. So should humility and sacrifice (two things I also struggle with!) as with Christ in verses 5-11. Christ's example, while simple in concept, is ultimately a struggle because of who we are... made in His very image, a creation called good - yet jaded by our own free-will so that how we define love rest largely on popular opinion; which seems to morph with every new generation or turn of pop culture. God's definition, example, and source of love has never changed, never will change, and never need be earned - therefore never taken away regardless of how far we walk away from it. To paraphrase the way our pastor put it: no matter how ragged we think we are, there is nothing we can do that will make God love us any more than He already does right now.
In my case, humility would allow more love. Sacrifice would allow more love. Love would allow more love. The more I love God and allow him to love me (without my deciding whether or not I am worthy - cause I'm not, and will never be), the more I will be able to give love to others. This is the love of God through Christ. Love as defined over and over again throughout Scripture. Love shown at the cross. Love given freely and without end, as designed by Love Himself.
Pray for me as I grow in this area, as I will for you. I'm in a position where I think I'm ready to allow God to destroy my wall once and for all and allow His love to take over me. I think I'm ready to love others and allow others to love me. This is how I can then follow harder after Christ with others who are trying to do the same.
Our church has been tackling relationships over the past month or so. We are now diving into the topic of making love last. Yep, love. This 4 letter word that is easily thrown around, regurgitated, misunderstood, used, misused, and often leveraged based on agendas. Yet, it's a word that God personifies Himself as repeatedly through Scripture. He doesn't just describe himself as being one who loves - it's who He is.
An interesting point was made in this weekend's service by one of our pastors that the amount of love that you allow yourself to receive from God is in direct correlation with the amount of love you are able to give to others. So, if God IS love, and He wants us to receive and give His love without prerequisite... what does that look like? What does "love" mean anyway? While I'm no philosopher, teacher, preacher, scholar, or even overly smart guy - I do have a story to draw from. The idea that I have to allow God to love me before I can love others is quite thought-provoking. Here we are, commanded by Christ to love God and love others. Not only to love others, but to love them as HE first loved us (John 13:34). However, we aren't commanded to allow God to love us. We get that automatically. Can't earn it, buy it, merit badge our way into it. It's always there. But when I examine what this means to me, I realize that the baggage I may be carrying is probably preventing me from fully receiving God's love. Why? Because I am a sinner. I am fully cognizant of my transgressions. I don't always feel like I deserve it. So I, in essence, shield myself from it. Ever found yourself in this position?
The other interesting thing about this idea is that Paul tells us in Romans 8:38 that there is nothing that we can do that will separate us from the love of Christ. Nothing. So, if that is true, why is it the human condition to fight love unless we feel like it's right or deserved or to/from the "right" person? I totally struggle with this. I have a massive wall that I am working to allow God to dismantle brick by brick. I have always cherished these bricks because they provide some sense of security. However, I am coming to realize that this is a false sense of security because the higher and stronger the wall, the less any amount of light, life, and love can get through. This has been evident several times in my life. It's hard to allow anyone to get close when you feel like you don't deserve the love and once they find out what's in those little crevices, the love will expire and the source of that affection will be gone.
See, God doesn't work this way - and He commands us to portray the same characteristics in these verses from Phillipians 2. If we are created in His image, and love is who God IS, then love should be our first and natural response. So should humility and sacrifice (two things I also struggle with!) as with Christ in verses 5-11. Christ's example, while simple in concept, is ultimately a struggle because of who we are... made in His very image, a creation called good - yet jaded by our own free-will so that how we define love rest largely on popular opinion; which seems to morph with every new generation or turn of pop culture. God's definition, example, and source of love has never changed, never will change, and never need be earned - therefore never taken away regardless of how far we walk away from it. To paraphrase the way our pastor put it: no matter how ragged we think we are, there is nothing we can do that will make God love us any more than He already does right now.
In my case, humility would allow more love. Sacrifice would allow more love. Love would allow more love. The more I love God and allow him to love me (without my deciding whether or not I am worthy - cause I'm not, and will never be), the more I will be able to give love to others. This is the love of God through Christ. Love as defined over and over again throughout Scripture. Love shown at the cross. Love given freely and without end, as designed by Love Himself.
Pray for me as I grow in this area, as I will for you. I'm in a position where I think I'm ready to allow God to destroy my wall once and for all and allow His love to take over me. I think I'm ready to love others and allow others to love me. This is how I can then follow harder after Christ with others who are trying to do the same.
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