ConneXus Blog

By Julia Fowler, Worship Arts Pastor

The purpose of our life here in this lifetime, here on earth is to give away and to receive Love.  God's love is perfect, so He loves perfectly.  Scripture tells us in John that not only does God distribute love, and understand love perfectly but that he is, in His nature the actual definition and substance of Love.   God is not tainted by world view, perception, learned behavior, experience, or sin.  He is the only pure example of love unadulterated, undisturbed, or undefiled. 

It occurred to me this week that I still struggle with understanding this type of love.  It goes beyond unconditional.  It reached beyond infatuation.  The depth of its fullness, its purity, its consistency, long-suffering, cannot quit, won't judge, is selfless and merciful.  This characteristic, love, seems familiar because I have heard it described throughout my life, and I have experience differing degrees of its nature and yet my understanding seems somehow illusive and incomplete.  Still, somehow I have hold of a small piece of it, an ever growing piece that lives in my heart and works through my life because Christ dwells in me.  And it grows, and blossoms and transforms more and more everyday that I live and move and breath as I try to love God and love others. 

This is the most incredible thing I find true about God and His love the more you give, the more you receive!  God desires for us to work on understanding His love by giving it away.  How's that for an interesting concept.  The more love you actually give away, the more love you truly receive.

Luke 9:46-48 - Jesus' followers began to have an argument about which one of them was the greatest. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a little child and stood the child beside him. Then Jesus said, "Whoever accepts this little child in my name accepts me. And whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me, because whoever is least among you all is really the greatest."

Acts 20:35 - I showed you in all things that you should work as I did and help the weak. I taught you to remember the words Jesus said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

We cannot deny this concept is difficult--not only to understand but actually put into practice. 

Our examples often paint us a picture that suggests self-preservation as our priority -- that protecting ourselves and our families should be our highest objective.  And yet this is not what God instructs for us.  God's ways are not our ways, and so we MUST resist the urge to preserve self and withhold love.  Instead our response to this human desire should be to do the opposite of what is instinctual; risk loving and risk being loved.   Yes, it is next to impossible -- until, we remember that all things ARE possible WITH God.   The question you must answer now, is very personal: do YOU want to be WITH God?  Do YOU want to be WITH God on EVERYTHING?  If your heart searched desire is yes, than self-preservation must take a back seat to risking love and risking being loved.

There is so much more to be said about this subject, but for now allow the loving presence of God to be a part of your reflection.  Ask Him how you are doing in the area of giving love and receiving love.  If you approach Him honestly, I believe He will be faithful to respond to you.