"He is the radiance of the glory of God"

Hebrews 1;1-4
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 
This passage of scripture is such a powerfully true statement, so descriptive and so poetic.  "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power."  What an awesome picture.  In my mind's eye, it would be like staring into the sun.  This radiance would be so bright, yet a complete reflection of the Father like a mirror reflects ones likeness.  Try and close your eyes and imagine what that would look like...I know it will be far more glorious than I can ever imagine, but it seems pretty great even in my limited imagination.

Job & Lance Armstrong

Job Chapter 1

11 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually. 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.7 The LORD said to Satan, From where have you come? Satan answered the LORD and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.8 And the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?9 Then Satan answered the LORD and said, Does Job fear God for no reason?10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.12 And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you. 20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.21 And he said, Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong. 
So tonight's text is quite lengthy (sorry about that), but I just can't skip anything in this story without detracting from it.  Do you remember the old 80's movies "O God" with George Burns?  I don't recall which one of them it was, but there is a seen where God and Satan are playing a hand of cards and the prize is a human soul (the irony in the movie is that God already knows the outcome and that Satan will cheat).  Job chapter 1 reminds me so much of this movie.  Here we have Satan talking to God and God speaking highly of Job and Satan telling God that if he wasn't so good to Job, Job would curse him to his face.  Firstly, how awesome would it be to have God speak that way about you!  When Satan is aloud to bring affliction against Job's family & his possessions the calamity begins.
Please notice the use of "While he was yet speaking...".  Job lost his sons and daughters, his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, many servants all in ONE day, and who knows it may have been in 1 hour.  Im going to make a weird comparison here that got me thinking about this the other day.  I watched the Lance Armstrong Oprah interview and listened to a man who appeared to have been humbled by his circumstances.  He mentioned in the interview that the day that he said he would no longer deny the charges, the phone began to ring and call after call was a sponsor leaving him.  He said that he lost $75 million dollars that day.  I have no concept of $75 million dollars, but my heart went out for Lance Armstrong (a self proclaimed cheat), not because of his loss, but because of this paramount opportunity for life change for him.  It's moments like this in life that cause a rousing in our innermost being, that tell us what we are really made of.  It tells us if we believe what we say is true or if our belief system is a horribly flawed.  When in that low place, people who say they don't believe in God pray anyway and people who don't know God seek him, and people who do know God draw close to Him.  I don't see God saying "Consider my servant Lance...he is blameless...", but my prayer is that Lance would seek after God and find Him.  I hope he doesn't miss this Job moment in his life to truly encounter God.
I don't have the wealth of Job or Lance Armstrong, nor the reputation of either.  I'm somewhere in the middle, wealthy by the world's standard (but not the USA standard).  I do have a family that I can not imagine the pain of losing.  I am far from blameless (though I wish I was, but He is not finished with me yet!).  What I can say is that I find great comfort that in times of incredible challenge, God is there and that he draws us to him.  That at the center of our being is a desire to love Him and to want to be Loved by Him.  I love Job's response, he tore his robe, shaved his head, and WORSHIPED!  In the midst of all that was going on, in spite of the tremendous amount of tragedy, Job's core was to worship the Creator.  That is how it should be.  I can not compare a single trial in my life to that of Job's.  Sure I've been down and out, had pain, experienced loss, but nothing as shattering as Job.  That being said, in those times that for me seemed like Job level moments when I was going through them.  Drawing close to God and worshiping Him for who He is regardless of my circumstance, that is a worship not to be missed out on.  That's when you feel deep inside yourself that no matter what, He loves you and this temporary affliction is but a blink in the scope of eternity and for those of us who KNOW Him, that kind of intimate worship will be experienced for all of eternity.  It's when you can literally feel Him carrying you, hugging you, and strangely, at least for me,  you feel most loved by God.  I'm praying for Lance Armstrong in his Job type moment, and I'm praying for you unknown reader in your Job type moment, that God would use this moment for something tremendous and that Lance's life/Your life will never be the same because you have come to KNOW God and will draw close to Him always and forever.  Amen!

Safe

Proverbs 29;25
25 The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.

Fear has become such a pervasive and prevalent part of Society.  Safety seems to be of the utmost concern to nearly everyone (I'm not advocating unsafeness or lack of care).  The underlying theme behind all of this is a lack of trust in the LORD.  God wants us to trust him the way a child trusts their parent.  There is so much more going on in the grand scheme of things and God sees all.  I think of the book of Job where God basically calls Job out and asks him where he was while HE was creating everything.  I find it very freeing to know that God is in control, because it takes a ton of pressure off of me.  I know that no matter what, as long as I am seeking after Him and trusting in Him & being obedient to Him that things are going to be according to His will.

Devoid

Genesis 11;4

4 Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.

Since the beginning of human civilization, humans have sought to find ways to glorify themselves and seek more and more for themselves.  Fast forward to today and you see it has only continued to get worse.  Greed for power and self glorification runs rampant in our society.  We have replaced God with "Religion" and "Religion" with "Morality" and even still the definitions of those words seem to change daily.  

1 Corinthians 1;23-31

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.31 Therefore, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. 
Christ crucified is the only real answer devoid of the perversion of the world.

LIVE IN THE NOW

Today's reflection is on Proverbs 27;1 & Matthew 6;34

"1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring."

This leapt off the page to me today.  I'm much more used to hearing Matthew 6;34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. " when ever people are talking about "tomorrow".  I think the main reason Proverbs 27;1 jumped off the page is because there are many times in life that "tomorrow" did not go as planned.  I must admit that this has become painfully obvious to me as a parent.  Have you ever made the mistake of psyching up your child for a special event, outing, etc just to have something unexpected happen (sickness, death in the family, <insert catastrophe>)?  If you have, you already know how true this scripture is.  I can say that I will take away from these 2 verses this simple truth.  God wants us to be focused on right now, on this very moment.  When we live this way, we don't miss what is right in front of us, we don't procrastinate, and we don't take for granted all the glorious things that are happening right now in this very second.

I never thought I would reference "Wayne's World" in one of these posts, but perhaps Garth was a great theologian...after all he summed it up best "LIVE IN THE NOW!".

Angry Tongue Challenge

I would venture a guess that there is not a single child ever raised that hasn't heard the expression "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" or some variant of it.  Apparently, this advice is important enough to have been repeated again and again throughout all of time, yet it is not important enough to heed.  Allow me to provide an example.  If you are a consumer of "Social Media", do a count of how many nice things you see and then count how many negative things that you see.  I see posts where entire demographics are called derogatory or demeaning names just for having a certain political persuasion, religious affiliation, etc.  I'm not saying that we all need to just agree to disagree, or not discuss these topics, it's the inflammatory nature of the conversations that I take issue with.  I was reading in the book of James today and several verses stood out on this topic and I wanted to write about them tonight.

James 1;19-21

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 

I am doing my very best not to mention specific topics as the topics are not the issue in my opinion.  God's word clearly says in vs 20 "for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires".  Now lets take a look at James 3;7-10

James 3;7-10

7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

Ouch and GUILTY as charged!  Let's review what God is telling us.   God is laying it right out here and tells us that we all have a problem controlling our words and that our anger is a problem too (not all anger is bad, the Bible clearly speaks of a righteous anger also...a post for another time perhaps).  The real words I hear God whispering to me and writing on my heart is this.  We can not expect people to accept the good news of the Gospel if we continually lash out at people, call them names, afflict them with bitter and angry speech (posts, writings, letters, etc). God is not saying that we can not be an advocate for a cause, but He IS saying that we must do so in a way that will point people to salvation. 
 I'm issuing a challenge to myself and all who read this.  Let us commit to improving our online presence, Social Media, etc by being quick to hear, slow to speak, and when we do speak, do so without filthiness or wickedness (no name calling!), and instead respond with meekness, and point people towards Jesus.  It's ok to be against someone else's point of view and vehemently disagree, but instead of calling them a name or blowing up in anger, let's fall on our knees and pray for them.  Maybe even let them know you are praying for them...and if you really want to make an impact, get with other believers and pray for that person also, and then keep praying for them, and don't forget to keep pointing them to Jesus.  Maybe even tell them, "You know at one point in my life I would have reacted very differently because I disagree with you strongly on this topic, but I want you to know that Jesus loves you and HE changed my life..."

Strength in Weakness

This morning on the way to work there was a beautiful sunrise.  The kind of sunrise that paints quilted clouds with soft shades of pink, orange, and every shade in between.  The warmth of these colors gave way to an ever brightening layer of blue that seemed to bring it all together and made my heart sing for such a glorious sight.  I love moments like this.  It is times like this that I long to cherish for eternity.

I would love to tell you that this blissful moment lasts and lasts and lasts, but I must confess that it doesn't.  Eventually, my human brain interjects it's thoughts and not surprisingly, it is thoughts about everything that is "wrong" with my life as opposed to being grateful for all that the Lord has blessed me with.  This leads me to today's verse from 2nd Corinthians 12; 7-10

"7 So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated.

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.9 But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. "
There are so many "Social Norms" in our culture today, you can "pick your poison" so to speak, but I don't know a single person that doesn't suffer from some kind of affliction.  The kind of affliction that they would do anything to get rid of, yet it is the vary thing that God is using or is going to use to show the fullness of the power of Christ.  Our human brain tells us "This is wrong" or "You deserve better than this" or "If I could only" or "If I only had" or "If I could...." etc. We should instead be content with our hardships, embracing the opportunity to experience the power of Christ, for when we are weak, we are strong because of Him.  His Grace is sufficient!
I drove home tonight, and watched the sun slowly setting in the sky.  I drove through rolling hills, sprawling farm fields, ponds, forests, and more splendor than I can even find words to describe.  It was like strolling through a museum filled with your favorite artist's paintings, while listening to music from your favorite composer.  I could almost feel the rocks singing out His praise.  I'll end with Psalm 24 today:"1 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,the world and those who dwell therein,

2 for he has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?

And who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to what is false

and does not swear deceitfully.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD

and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,

who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

The LORD, strong and mighty,

the LORD, mighty in battle!

9 Lift up your heads, O gates!

And lift them up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is this King of glory?

The LORD of hosts,

he is the King of glory! Selah"

AMEN!

Unveiled

A phrase that I have always found peculiar is "The day we are born we begin the process of dying".  I can't deny the truth or profoundness of this statement.  What a hopeless message that statement is.  Tonight while reading 2nd Corinthians 3, I was reminded of this statement when Paul refers to the law as "the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone" and how Moses' face shown so bright from the glory of God that the Israelites couldn't look at it unless it was veiled.  God has chosen to reveal himself through Jesus and reconcile us unto himself.  He has removed the need for the veil and wants us to look upon Him in full glory.  He has unveiled our hearts, set us free, let me say it again he has set us FREE!  Free from the power of sin, Free from the grip of death, Free from affliction, Free from addiction, Free means Free!  Above all, we are free to behold the glory of the Lord of the universe, unveiled, and face to face.

2nd Corinthians 3;7-18

"7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end,

8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.

11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold,

13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

Face Down

There are many times in life that I find myself as an observer.  I'm taking in the 30, 000 ft view and my thoughts drift to what each person's story is as I watch from afar.   Today I sat high in an office building watching cars drive this way and that,  people rushing about their day thinking about their "To Do List", their needs, wants, desires, etc.  I am no different, I too find myself easily caught up in the "Activity" of life.  While I continued to think about this, the word irreverent came to mind.  I don't really know why, it just did.  I started thinking about the "Rat Race".  The idea that if you work hard enough, long enough, make enough money, etc that you can have that next big thing you can't afford, buy a bigger house, nicer car, go on that dream vacation, etc.  I'm not saying that these things are inherently bad, but I kept going back to that word "Irreverent".

I started thinking about the book of Esther.  Chapter 1 of the book of Esther 1;1-7, starts with the King throwing this Lavish, HUGE party.

"Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces,

2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the capital,

3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him,

4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.

5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa, the citadel, both great and small, a 1feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace.

6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones.

7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king.

This party was all about the King, his importance, and showing off.  If you continue to read in Chapter 1, the King wants to "Show Off" his beautiful queen to his buddies and summons her to appear.  She refuses and this irreverent attitude sparks a chain of events (read the rest of Esther, it's a great one.)  

The reason I started thinking about the book of Esther was because we live in a nation that in comparison to the rest of the world, is at this Lavish, HUGE party, at the expense of God, yet we act like it is no big deal to be at the party much less feel required to appear if God "summoned" us. 

I don't have any idea what it is like to be in the presence of royalty.  I've never met a King, Queen, Prince, etc, but based on the power the Kings of the Old Testament wielded, they were not to be trifled with.  I got to thinking about how a subject should treat his/her King.  My mind kept going down this path and the Matt Redman song "Facedown" started playing over and over in my mind.  I want to share some of the lyrics and continue down this path and what I hear God speaking to my heart.

"Welcomed in to the courts of the King

I've been ushered in to Your presence

Lord, I stand on Your merciful ground

Yet with every step tread with reverence"

WOW!  What a beautiful picture (Especially after you read the book of Esther, I'm telling you, don't miss this one!) We are being welcomed, we are allowed in, asked, invited, Hallelujah for that!  Ushered in to His Holy presence, abounding in mercy, and knowing that though His mercy is ever present, each step, no matter how small, is with reverence because HE is worthy.  We are only at the party because HE chose to invite us to begin with.  

Then Revelation 5;1-14 came to mind:

"1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?

3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it,

4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

5 And one of the elders said to me, Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

9 And they sang a new song, saying,

Worthy are you to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth.

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

12 saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!

14 And the four living creatures said, Amen! and the elders fell down and worshiped."

Now after reading that let me share the Chorus of "FaceDown":

"And I'll fall facedown

As Your glory shines around

Yes, I'll fall facedown

As Your glory shines around

Around, around"

After putting all that together, let me just say that Irreverent is NOT OK!  I feel small, so very small, but in such a good way.  Because we are ushered into HIS Presence.  He wants us to come and dwell with HIM, HE wants us to be at the party, HE wants to Lavish us with HIS glory and our response should be one of falling face down and  proclaiming that HE is Worthy, that HE is to receive Blessing, and Honor, and Glory and Might forever and ever! Amen! 

Glenn

Love Endures

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love

Endures (5278) (hupomeno [word study] from hupo = under + meno = abide, remain) literally means to remain or abide under and figuratively refers to abiding under not simply with stoical resignation, but with a vibrant hope. It describes is not the spirit which can passively bear things, but the spirit which, in bearing them, can conquer and transmute them. The idea is to continue in an activity despite resistance and opposition.

Hupomeno (present tense) speaks of perseverance and tenacity in all circumstances. It means to endure in times of pain, suffering, deprivation, hatred, loss, and loneliness.

In secular Greek hupomeno was a military term used of an army’s holding a vital position at all costs. Every hardship and every suffering was to be endured in order to hold fast.

Love only takes 1, we can only love because God first loved us.

1 John 4:15-21”Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.19 We love because he first loved us.20 If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. “


The Love Chapter

• What does the world tell us love is/looks like?


• The “Easy”, “Feeling” traits-Patient, Kind, doesn't envy, is not Proud, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices in truth, protects, trusts, hopes.
 

• Love Endures (see above)


• it only takes 1 to Love (Love is a choice)


• It is not about You, but it starts with a work in you (see 1 John 4)


• Love is not self-seeking


• Love doesn't run away just because things get hard


• Why the world has given up on Love- they haven't given up on Love, but short of understanding the Love of Christ, there is no earthly example of Love that is complete or possible outside of God. 

• Love without God is imperfect. (1 John 4)


• Christ's example, what we are called to do


• Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride, this is our example (Ephesians 5;25-33 “25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,30 because we are members of his body.31 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. 

• There is great JOY in Love, however JOY isn't just a fleeting passing 

• feeling of “moments”, it is a continual satisfaction.

• The love Chapter, as it has become known, has been on my heart for the last several months. I compare what the scriptures say and compare it to the world view of Love today and to no big surprise, it just doesn't fit. I am not an expert on Love, as a matter of fact, that has been one of my biggest prayer requests to the Lord is to show me how to Love like He Loves us. I've had several years of God literally just breaking me down and showing me things that haven't always been pleasant, fun, or even survivable without His mercy and grace. Until recently, I didn't even know what He had taught me. I have had an odd thing happen over these past several months, God has placed people in my path that were having a tough time in their relationship. In each instance, the issue went something like this “I just don't feel connected to [Spouse's name] anymore. It's not that I'm mad, I just don't feel like I Love them anymore.” This is where things get a bit weird for me. First, I'm not a counselor, nor would I ever want to be. This being said, I firmly believe that God wants to use us in His work and He does this by allowing us to be involved and share our own first hand encounters with Him with others. 

There are a few things to start with here. First, let's look at some of the key attributes listed along with some synonyms and antonyms for them (Sometimes I find it very helpful to understand the opposite of the trait so I know what I don't want to be).

• Patient:[Synonym] Accommodating, Calm, Composed, Easy Going, Untiring.
• [Antonym]Agitated, Frustrated, Impatient, Intolerant, Unwilling.

• Kind: [Synonym] Affectionate, All Heart, Benevolent, Charitable, Compassionate, Friendly, Gentle, Considerate
• [Antonym]Bad, Bitter, Cruel, Inconsiderate, Mean, Unfriendly
• Bears: [Synonym] Abide, Admit, Allow, Encounter, Experience, Permit, Tolerate.
• Endures:[Synonym] Cope with, Go through, live through, stick it out, stomach, weather, withstand, brave, hang in, keep up, live out.
• Fails:[Synonym] Abort, Backslide, Blunder, Breakdown, Deteriorate, fall 

Now put your name in the front of each of the attributes. Does this describe you? Are you Patient, Kind, etc? As of late, these have not been the issue, the issue as of late seems to deal directly with “Endures”. This is where things get hard. I never understood when people who have been married for a long time would say “You have to work at your marriage”. God has had me on a journey and here is what I here him saying. “When you Love someone, YOU are making a decision to love them REGARDLESS of if they Love you or not”. Now that feels like it should be a game changer, but guess what, it is not. If you truly Love someone, then their response to your Love has no effect on the nature of your Love. Yes it is nice to be loved back, but if we Love the way that God wants us to Love, then reciprocal love is not a requirement. Today's society is caught up in the “idea” of Love. The “warm fuzzy”, the “New” in a relationship, there is no romanticizing about the couple who has been married for 20 years and the wife finding joy in picking up dirty socks as a token of love for her husband(today's society would have that as grounds for Divorce) or a husband doing the dishes as a token of appreciation, not a hail Mary pass for some action in the bedroom. The “working at it” part of a relationship is the “Endure”. Let's look at some of those synonyms: Cope with, Go through, Live Through (meaning you didn't die), Stomach, Weather, Withstand. These are not “warm fuzzy” times. These are the challenges, the hard stuff that YOU have to work through.

The Endures part of Love is the hard stuff, it is the
stuff often laced with hurt or often times even numbness or hard
heartedness. The Endures part of love is when you
must choose Love over Sin. Love is the answer,
Love is always past and present tense(1Peter
4;8”Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love
covers a multitude of sins.”). We are only able to love because Christ first loved
us. If we could just stop there and show that kind
of love to everyone, the Gospel would have no limitations, Satan would have
no foot hold on this earth, and the name of Jesus would already be on
the lips of the tribes of EVERY nation.
Well, that's all now for the first post in the "Into Your Presence" blog.
Feel free to post your comments, questions, etc.
Your servant,

Glenn