For The Love

"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering... Now, let us acknowledge the wonder of our physical incarnation-- that we are here, in these particular bodies, at this particular time, in these particular circumstances. May we never take for granted the gift of our individuality."
                                                            St. Augustine




When I look at the current state of our country, I am compelled to pray for yet another reformation. We are in desperate need of an awakening that would cause our nation to once again rise and honor God and love and care for one another. Instead of factions and groups causing more dissension and division, it would sure be nice to see us come together and unite for the principles and standards that God set for us long ago.

It is heartbreaking to witness so many that are filled with hatred and determined to spew their venom on anyone who will listen to their rhetoric. It has, in fact, now escalated to the extent that violence has become commonplace and free speech is restricted. Evil has been elevated in the marketplace and truth and goodness are in jeopardy of being quenched.

For us, as believers, the anecdote is love. Jesus spoke of these times and He said that "everyone will know My disciples [by their] love" (John 13:35). We will never win the battle or the war raging on our culture if we do not genuinely exhibit the fruit of the Spirit and not engage in the lesser things.

If we really understand that we are living in the end times and that God has placed us here with purpose, we could begin to change the world in the ways that God has purposed for us to do. All of this begins and ends with the love of Christ. When God told us that people would know we are His disciples because of the love we have for each other (John 13:35), that was both a challenge and a commandment.

Jesus teaches us that love is both a decision and it is an action. That means that it can be inconvenient and sometimes even impossible to do in our own strength. Yet, God never leaves us ill- equipped for the task at hand. He empowers us to give out what He first gives to us.

One of the obstacles we deal with as believers is that the enemy of our souls is a master of illusion. He taunts us to focus on what we can see with our own eyes, rather than understanding the worth of our own soul, as well as the souls of those around us. He tempts us to get caught up in the frustration of loving those around us who are difficult to love, rather than genuinely serving them and praying for their salvation.

Too often and too easily we give up, rather than pressing in and understanding God's heart in a particular situation. We opt for convenience and what feels good instead of facing the obstacles and challenges that stand in the way of either exhibiting the love of Christ or becoming more like Christ, or both. I mean, let's be real, there are some people that exasperating on a good day. However, our lives have more meaning than to acquiesce to the pressure of not being everything that God has called us to be. If we are submitted to God's will, it will truly be "the love of Christ that compels us" (2 Corinthians 5:14).

If we had to narrow it down to one reason why this country has not experienced revival, I think it all comes down to the issue of love. For quite a while, the Church in this country taught its members to be more main-stream and to fit in with the culture around us. Many people did, and, in the process, we only became more like the world, losing our saltiness and light.

Paul warned us that "in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, and unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, without self-control, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

We can see this both within and outside of the Church. It all boils down to one thing-- what is it that we love? Is it success, or notoriety, or significance from those around us? It is acknowledgement, or praise, or admiration we seek? Or, is it truly to live a life that is pleasing to God and eternally valuable to every person within the sphere of our influence? If the latter is true, then it can only be achieved by knowing how loved and valuable we are to God and then becoming distributors of the love He so lavishly bestows upon us.

Every one of us have people in our lives that desperately need to see and experience the love of God. We forget sometimes that that is what we are here to do. Look around... I'm sure you will see people who are sick, elderly who are homebound, single Mom's, young Mom's, difficult classmates and co-workers, children without parents, teachers who are overwhelmed, people who are hurting, men and women in jail, neighbors who are lonely, and even family members who would never ask for help, but genuinely have a need. There is no thing that is more Christ-like than to see a need, and then respond, in action, to meet that need.

Ask God to show you who needs the most help, and then ask Him to help you love them even more. Don't be surprised if they are the most "prickly" people because these are the ones who have been battered by life but have too many walls to ask for help. These are the ones who are crying out to see God's love and mercy in their lives. Rick Warren says, "Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centered nature."

To spread love horizontally, we have to first receive it vertically. We do this by trusting God with our whole heart (Proverbs 3:5-6), seeking God with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13), and loving God with our whole heart (Deuteronomy 6:5). We pursue the things that God approves of, which is a "godly life, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness" (1 Timothy 6:11).

Martin Luther's true message to the Church was one of repentance. That message is also desperately needed today. In America, we have strayed away from daily repentance and somehow believe that loving others is optional. It wasn't 500 years ago, and it is not today.

When the church in America distinguishes itself by love, we will see revival. It begins individually and then spreads like a wildfire. The world desperately needs to see the love of Christ and to experience it firsthand. This is when they will understand how much God loves them and the reason the church is here on planet earth. It is definitely for the Love!


    "The best use of life is love. The best expression of love is time. The best time to love is now."
                                                                Rick Warren