Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The Prelude of Love, The Journey of Faith: Part 8 - Love

"... and add to your Brotherly Kindness, Love."
-2 Peter 1:7

I've been trying for a very long time to write this, every time I start again, everything that I know changes, but I think Liege has finally given me the basis needed for this... at least for the very beginning.

There are many parts of Love, some that are unimportant that we focus on, and other things that are the core of Love, that even the wisest seem to forget.


Does a maiden forget her jewelry?
Or a bride her wedding ornaments?

Yet My People have forgotten Me,
Days without number.
-Jeremiah 2:32


Someone once said: "In what way, are we seeking God? Diligently? Earnestly? Sincerely? With warmth, ardor, and affection? Is our seeking the ardent pursuit of one in loveā€”one who wants to be around this personality and really desires to know Him because we are, after all, going to marry Him and spend all eternity with Him? Or is it a kind of a take-it-or-leave-it, distant, academic coolness because we do not want to make a fool of ourselves or offend others with our zeal? Think about it."

I honestly hope that none who know me can honestly say that my Love for God is a "take-it-or-leave-it, distant, academic" love, I hope they can say that I Love my Liege, but (speaking as the one who spends the most time around myself), many times there are things that I know I need to do or say, and fear still stops me.

A friend of mine recently said, "Evil things happen, and God makes good things come of them." In that, he spoke truth, but I think that there might be more to it than that.

There is a young woman I know by reputation, one whose life has helped define my own.

In her teen years she was a semi-normal teen, but she had an illness, one that she knew would eventually cause her to die.

One summer she left home on a missions trip across the globe, and on her way there something (I don't know the disease enough to know what) happened that let her know she would not survive long.

She had two choices, go home and live the rest of her life in comfort with her family, or spend her last days in a foreign country, giving the last of her life to people she did not know.

Her Decision?

She told no one that she was about to die, and instead gave everything she had for those last two weeks of her life.

Finally, as the plane they got on to go home took off, she began to bleed from her eyes, nose, ears and mouth.

By the time they landed in London, there was nothing to be done.

She died.

In her death lies a testimony of life... Life and Love.


When you want it the most,
There's no easy way out.

When you're ready to go
But your heart lets you down,

Don't give up on your faith,
His Love comes to those who believe and,

That's the way it is.


I can't tell you if in the years before she came to this point that she Loved Jesus, or that she didn't. All I know is that in her death, she gave a testament of Love.


For as long as I shall live, I will testify of Love,
I'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough.

With every breath I take, I will give thanks to God above,
For as long as I shall live, I will Testify of Love.


I do know this, that like Sampson, this young woman made more of a impact in her death than her life. Her pastor, her friends, her family, and all those who knew them are changed be her last actions.

I have a good Friend who once looked at me in a Wendy's and said, "I know what it means, 'To Live is Christ, to die is gain.'"

When my friend said that it was the beginning of that understanding, those words were said in sorrow and pain, but someday, my Friend will be able to look at someone in the face, truly smiling, and with jubilee say, "To Live is CHRIIST!!! To die? When God calls me home? It's even better than this!"

When that young woman gave her life, she Lived Love, the Love of God.

But...

What about the rest of us...

Those of us who must continue to "Testify of Love?"

Things get more complicated then one would think!

I've been trying to understand enough of this to be able to type out some kind of explanation for almost two years now, but without much success.

Now... I have learned much, but am no closer to an end than I was In July 2005.

How do you say "Love?"

How do you express it?

It's like a blind man describing the sun!

We see and know bits and pieces here and there: A husband knows the Love of his Wife; a Father, the Love of his children; A Pastor, Loving his flock; A Child loving a parent; Grandparents, loving their own.

All Love, but not All "OF" Love... Not even close to the beginning.

What is Love?


"This is Love: not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US, and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
- 1 John 4:10


It's not the nitpicking debates, or the incessant power struggles... but its when one who has the Right and the choice to argue or take the power, Chooses to step back, and quietly say, "Love."


"This is how God showed his Love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is Love! Not that we loved God, but that he Loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so Loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we Love one another, God lives in us and His Love is made complete in us."
- 1 John 4:9-12


I don't know, maybe I'm off my rocker... but it seems both so easy, and so difficult that it ends up being deadly.

It seems, that to Love, is to die.

First, we trust; have Faith that God does know what comes of it.

Second, in that Trusting Faith, we begin to do small things like God would; we begin to show His Goodness.

Third, by Trusting Him, and beginning to mimic Him, God opens up... He gives us Knowledge... We begin to get to Know Him, until we actually begin to (albeit slowly and minimally) be like Him.

Fourth, as we start to be like Him, our Self-Control begins to grow, as we not only do what he would do in small, Good things, but in our choices, our lives, even our mannerisms... We begin choose to do things like Him, instead of the way that we know and love.

Fifth, These choices become more and more consistent and begin to permeate more and more of our lives. We begin to Persevere in God-Like choices, even when we really don't want to, and those choices begin to slowly and truly become part of our lives.

Sixth, by doing this, we start showing God-like qualities. Maybe not the Raising-Dead-People or Lots-Of-Food-From-Raw-Fish qualities, but the ones that cause people who barely know us to turn around and ask, "What happened to Him?"

Seventh, those God-Like qualities are pushed to the limit when those close to us begin to see real and dramatic God-Like actions. God begins to change us into His Own Image/Likeness, and we begin to have True compassion for other; we show Real Care for both those we slightly know, and those close to us.

Last, and by far the hardest: We begin to not only have these changes and qualities "tacked on" to our personality, or as "major additions," but the things that we still care about for ourselves begin to die.

This is where our flesh begins kicking and screaming for dear life.

Because honestly, we want to Love and give just that far... So far that we begin to slightly act like Christ... Bear an uncanny resemblance... But let's just leave our the nails, the death, shall we? We'll keep the nice bed, the permission to brag, the right to complain (We are human, after all), 'cause, y'know, getting rid of that was all part of the one man to save them all... Right?

Right?

Or maybe...

Just maybe...

There's a slight chance...

That's where Love begins.

When we work and work without recognition... and people ask "How are you?" we say, "The Joy of the Lord is My Strength!" not, "Absolutely Exhausted... You?"

When people say how exhausted they are, and we get irritated about how (in our pride, we think that) they do so much less than us, we don't try to top them or nod and try to get away... but instead we encourage, and try to give them a little boost.

That when we see pain, we act. Not because we must, but because we choose to Love.

Maybe that's where Love begins. When we're still like Jesus, even when it just galls our flesh, and we want to just STOP! And when we start to Love them, not through clenched jaws, but through loving hands, and kind hearts.

Yes, it goes against every grain of self-preservation, and sometimes it becomes harder than before... But then, we Love.

Then, we begin to be like Christ...

Then, we are our Lige-Lord's servants... His ambassadors.

Honestly, I don't know what else to say.

I'm just a blind man describing the sun. I know it's amazing... I know it's wonderful... I've experienced it and I know that it's far beyond what I say... But I don't know what else to say.

I do know this though: Even without fully understanding Love, somehow, we can Love.

So...


"Dear friends, let us Love one another, for Love comes from God. Everyone who Loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not Love does not know God, because God is Love. This is how God showed his Love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is Love: not that we loved God, but that he Loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is Love. Whoever lives in Love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, Love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in Love. But perfect Love drives out fear."
- 1 John 4:7-18

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
1 John 3:16&18


My Friends, I feel like C.S. Lewis, when he wrote, "All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

I feel like I've finally read the first page of the prelude to an amazing Novel... One that will last for all eternity.

I have no idea where this path will lead, and even less of an idea of where it will lead any of you who decide to walk this path too.

No matter what happens, I trust the Lord to keep me... I trust My Liege to teach me to Love.


"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."
- 2 Peter 3:18

-David

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