Monday Meditation: FEEL THE LOVE

On this last day of February, the month of love, I felt it was the perfect time to take a leap (yes, pun intended) and talk about feeling loved. Many of the sermons, messages and events this month were focused on valuing relationships and love. 

But honestly, how do any of us know how to love, if we don’t first feel loved? 

How can you give something you may not have ever really felt? 

And in today’s world, there are so many of us who have not experienced healthy and unconditional love. So to define it, lets’ go back to the source where love first began, with God.

John 3:16 is such a familiar verse, but have you really dissected what these words mean?

For God loved the world in this way… not just that God so loved. God showed His love for the world by giving His most prized possession, His Son. Who loves like that? I don’t know of anyone who has ever experienced that kind of love from anyone. That's a love so deep and priceless, there's nothing that can compare.

I have an amazing husband who consistently lets me know how much he loves me. I also have five beautiful kids that I love to the core of my being and they let me know how much they love me. But I couldn’t ever have felt their love nor given my love the way I do before feeling how much God loves me. When each child was born, I was amazed at how my capacity to love expanded uniquely for each one. But that was due to the day I realized the depths of His love. It took my breath away and floored me.  I couldn’t believe that I was worth that much to Him, yet was unworthy at the same time. But that’s what God made clear as the truth when He made Jesus’ death the price for me and for you.

Real love is reassuring.

God’s love consistently assures me that I have value and worth.

REal love is endless.

                I don’t ever have to worry about this type of love ending…. It’s eternal as He is eternal.

ReAl love is affirming.

                Just that truth with in itself gives the guarantee that I am somebody and somebody loves me. This is the Good News personified through Jesus’ life, death and love for me.

ReaL love is liberating.

God’s love offers a freedom to have self-worth versus insecurities which can cause us to doubt ourselves and if we will ever find real love.

We can feel the love because we didn’t have to initiate it. God did. He loved us first. And if He is the only One Who ever loves us, that is really more than enough.

Feel that kind of love. Accept that kind of love. Use that kind of love to help you love others… even those who don’t love you back.  Love in this way.  Yes, it is very self-sacrificing, yet simultaneously self-valuing. 

Check out a deeper explanation of God’s love in 1 John 4:7-12,

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 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. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

How do we feel the love... real love? 

Believe that God loved you while you were unlovable. Cherish that knowledge and know if He loved us, we can be loved and love as well.

BREWING IN ME

Philippians 2:12-18 (NIV)
¹²Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. ¹⁴ Do everything without complaining or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe ¹⁶ as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

 

I heard a preacher say he drank tea instead of coffee to preserve his voice for the many times he would have to speak to the multitudes as a part of his life's calling and profession to proclaim the Word of God. One morning as he was preparing for such a speaking engagement, he sat down to have a cup of tea and he heard the Lord say to him, “Let that tea bag preach to you.” His incredulous response was, “Lord, a tea bag? How is a tea bag going to preach to me?” The response was the words the Spirit of God infused in this pastor’s heart through the illustration of the tea bag which were, “You cannot use what is in me, until you place me in the hot water for it to be drawn out!”

As ridiculously silly as this episode may seem, the reality is it is very true when you consider what God must do at times to perfect the work He has begun in us. If we only experienced the cool thirst quenching of “southern sweet tea days” that may only have a twist of the sourness of lemon or a slight bitterness from the strength of the tea, we will only experience one type of refreshment. But there are times when we need to experience the heat of a moment or a season where it is unbearably hot and uncomfortable, essentially that which caused the brewing. And in these times we must allow the Spirit of God within us to permeate through the very filter of our fleshly nature which often will stifle or suppress the true essence of the healing properties provided by the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised He would impart to all who believe and follow Him.

Without the heat of the boiling water the tea bag is placed within, there would be no infusion of the flavors and the aromas the tea bag has to offer up. Think about what happens if you place a tea bag in cold water… not a whole lot or it is a very slow process for the infusion to take place. Most times when people do place tea bags in cold water, they sit the container in the sun in order for it to be heated and the infusion process to be initiated. Whether you are going to allow the heat of the circumstances GOD has allowed in your life or the light and heat of the SON  to accelerate the infusion process in your life, it is necessary for God to perfect the work He has begun in you and you to work out your salvation with fear, of God and God alone and NOTHING else, and trembling, in awe of the divine power of God where it makes you quake to your core.
 

Be encouraged by Philippians 2:12-18 how God requires us to be obedient in trusting what He may use to bring about the end result He has preordained for our lives. In the end, may your desire be to be poured out like a healing, soothing cup of tea, a drink offering to those in need for His divine will and good purpose.

 

Verse 13 … for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.

HE HEARS

Psalm 3:4(HCSB)

I cry aloud to the LORD, and He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah

There may be times we cry out to the Lord and it seems because we see the evidence of no tangible response to our cry and that God has heard us. My belief is our Heavenly Father has an ever attentive ear and hears all even before we have breath to speak our needs, concerns or fears. Could it be that what transpires during those times of apparent silence from Him, when our cries are uttered for help, is more for us than for the Lord Himself?

In our cry, there is an acknowledgment that we are weak, desperate and in need of supernatural help that is beyond ourselves and our natural capabilities. Ultimately, we confess the state that our Father already knows we are in and allows challenging circumstances to remind us of our need for Him and to value our relationship with God Almighty, the One who created all. Mind you, this is not a source of punishment, but a means of disciplining us to engage Him for our needs, instead of us attempting to be our own answer. In making this confession, we also put God in His rightful position in our lives. We quickly think of Him as Savior, especially in the midst of these “cry-out” circumstances, yet we should first see Him as LORD, MASTER, and RULER. If we thought of Him in this light at all times, we would always expect Him to be the One we go to for our needs and never rely upon our minimal capabilities to provide for ourselves.

This surrendered positioning can be called DIVINE ALIGNMENT, and is better than what any chiropractor could ever provide because it is literally a realigning of the spine of our spiritual selves with our God as He created us to be. When this takes place, all the anxiety, pain and discomfort is released because we are able to place ourselves back in alignment with where God wants us, dependent upon Him, acknowledging His ability to resolve our situations as He sees fit and offering up our praise.

Lord, You are exalted in my life today as LORD, RULER, and MASTER. May my will be surrendered to You and my circumstances laid at Your feet for you to provide my answers as You continue to perfect Your work in me through them. In all, I praise You and the cry of my heart is no longer of need, but instead of praise for who You are to me!  ~ Selah

SATISFIED REST

Exodus 33:7-11

The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

My heart’s desire is to know the Lord so intimately that, like Moses, He speaks to me face to face, as His friend. This kind of relationship can only be accomplished by forsaking all. Like Moses we need to pull away from all else to our “Tent of Meeting” with the Lord. In order for us to enter the presence of our Holy God, our hearts must be expectantly prepared to invite Him in on a daily basis, with our belief in Jesus as Savior, but more definitively as OUR LORD, MASTER AND RULER. When the Lord examines our hearts, there must be NO thing or NO one which keeps us from being able to be in His presence because there is No thing or No one who comes before Him.

Much of our dissatisfaction with life comes from our seeking the wrong thing or one to satisfy our physical needs for love, affirmation, respect and provision. More importantly, we find no rest in our seeking because we are not satisfied spiritually to the core of our souls by the only ONE who can. Julian of Norwich, a 14^th century devout mystic renowned for hours in contemplative prayer shares,

Until I am really and truly oned and fastened to God so that there is nothing created between us, I will never have full rest or complete happiness.

To be satisfied means we are content, happy and fulfilled. To be divinely satisfied by God is to fully rest in the truth we are completely satisfied in our oneness with Him (John 10:30, 17:21-23) and Him alone. Acknowledging this truth affords us the pleasure and blessing of entering into friendship with God.

FACING FEAR

This is my first one so bear with me.....

My daughter admonished me by saying, “Women are dying because you haven’t shared what God wants you to say to them.” My heart was cut to the core because the last thing I wanted to do was cause someone to die. Honestly, I never felt like much I had to offer could be the difference between life or death. Why would she say something like that? Most likely because I have been writing for years and never shared it with others. I’ll most definitely respond to a call from a friend in need. I’ll speak encouraging words to people who come my way on a daily basis. I’ll even pick up books that share my same thoughts and beliefs and kick myself for not writing my own down to share. Most times my lack of motivation was caused by feelings of insecurity; feeling no one would care to hear what was on my heart or that what I had to say was of no value to anyone but myself. That kind of attitude was literally my own fear of rejection and being concerned about what others might not like or value. Yet the words within me are words which are inspired by God and often surprise even myself because they are not my own yet they speak to my soul and hopefully to others. They are His to share with those who may have similar apprehensions or insecurities or for those who just need to be encouraged, so here we go…

What are you destined to do that you've placed on the back burner because you are walking in the fear of rejection or failure? Could it possibly be there are things you are destined to do to effect change whether in your own life or in the lives of others, but you are afraid to explore this unchartered territory. Ask yourself, “What is the worst that could happen if I do step out and discover this new frontier?” Most times we won’t experience as much loss as we fear and definitely not more than if we had never tried.

This quote from unknown author touches on my thoughts,

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic.”

Ultimately, those who built the ark were indeed amateurs, yet they were inspired by God and didn’t allow fear of rejection or failure to deter them. Walking in fear can cause us to miss out on supernatural experiences because we limit ourselves to our own abilities instead of trusting in the power of the One greater than ourselves to lead us to experiences beyond ourselves, which can ultimately be blessings for us as well as many others. Just think if Noah had never built that ark, where would we be?

Genesis 6:9, 22b (HCSB)
⁹ These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. ^22bHe did everything that God had commanded him.

Prayer:
Lord, I praise You for who You are and the awesome power You possess which you've placed within me. Your power is far greater than any fear I could ever face. May You find me faithful in the endeavors You have provided for me to experience and may they be glorifying to Your name. ~ Selah

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