Over the course of our journeys with God, as we fall deeper in love with Jesus, a restlessness comes, one that leaves you unsatisfied with complacency and comfort and gives a longing for a deeper intimacy with the Creator of the world. In any relationship, love is only meant to grow deeper, never stop. Sometimes though, we experience seasons of hurt, pain, dryness, loneliness, and feelings that God is absent from our lives and like we are no more capable of loving anything or anyone. The most recent season in my life has felt just like that. Feelings of loneliness, abandonment, silence from God, and despair clouded me. Feeling like a failure the last few months, I decided I was doing something wrong, for the noisiness in my soul prevented me from hearing anything from my God. I spent the last week in desperate pursuit for “something” from Him. Finally, last night, He brought to my attention what I have neglected to treasure in my life: My relationship with His wonderful Spirit living within me. I grieved Him (Eph 4:25-32) and my constant fight for my “own way” forced Him to remain silent (he is a gentleman) for I would not have it His way. Slowly, hurt, sadness, resentment, and the poison of bitterness in my heart were causing me to turn cold within. So much that I began to feel hatred, absolute loss of joy, and worst of all, despair. In my brokenness, God was near, knowing my heart was now humble to hear Him. He “turned on the light in my head” so to say. Thinking about the many conversations I’ve had with people in the same desperate place, I decided to share this, for it brought me back to a greater intimacy with my God. And here it is….Hope this reminder is like wood to the fires within us. Let them ignite even more. For we are the light of the world.
The beautiful simplicity of real love.
I hope this is clear enough for ya’ll to follow ;)
God sits on His throne[1] and Jesus sits at His right hand[2] as a reminder that our sins are paid for. The Spirit of God was sent/assigned to live within us,[3] the temples of God,[4] once we ask Jesus to be our Savior (which only happens when we realize we NEED one because we can’t do life on our own). This makes us different from the rest of the world (having the Spirit of God live in our hearts)[5] . Walking by the Spirit living in us,[6] we are able to fulfill the two commandments Jesus gave us: Love God and Love people.[7] To walk by the Spirit is to be best friends with Him; It is through our intimate communion and fellowship with the Spirit[8] that we are able to love one another[9] and the only way the world sees the love of the Father in us is through the love we have for each other[10]. Things like bitterness, strife, envy, gossip, division, pride, and all iniquity (habitual sin in our lives, ex, fornication, drunkenness, disobeying parents, etc[11]) grieve the Spirit[12] and keep us from hearing and seeing His perspective (He is not crazy like many think, but a friend, a helper, a gentleman)(p.s. He is God). And that sin clouds us and keeps us from loving the way He loves….therefore Keeping us from loving God and people, and therefore from obeying Him, and according to Him, we love Him only if we obey Him.[13] See the relationship? SO we can only conclude that in grieving the Spirit, we cease to hear His voice. And how can we have a relationship with someone without their fellowship with us?? Consequently without Him, we are unable to Love like He loves.
In a deeper conclusion, we are unable to truly love if we are not in close relationship with the Holy Spirit who pours the love of God in us as we hang out with him (reading the word, talking to Him) (Romans 5:5). And here is the thing, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7).
So here is an idea, have a date with the Spirit of God today, ask Him to show you ways you might be grieving Him and therefore not able to love like He loves. This kind of thing takes time, for some things (like bitterness, unforgiveness, gossip, envy, etc, are deeply rooted and many times unnoticed by us), therefore ONLY with a willing and teachable heart, in quietness and trust, the Spirit will reveal those things to you as ya’ll hang out, and when He does, be quick to REPENT (turn in your ways, leave them behind) and you will see the Love of God poured into you to such an extent that you will want to burst (not over night, but as you daily, unceasingly hang out with Him).
Love is the fulfillment of the law; by loving through the love poured into you by the Holy Spirit, you will be able to withstand every obstacle and every hardship in life. How amazing is that![14] If we all just focus on this area of our life, our fellowship with the Holy Spirit, imagine the transformation that would come to our people, communities, and nation.
If anything, we should make it our call and destiny to love like He loves out of our intimate relationship, and in this we will please the Father and allow Him to use us for anything and everything. Only faith working through Love pleases Him. All else will leave us empty, unsatisfied, and unfruitful.
What a beautiful thing huh?! J
[1] Revelations 7:15
[2] Hebrews 10:8-14
[3] John 14:16-17;7:38-39
[4] 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
[5] Ephesians 4:29-31
[6] Galatians 5:16
[7] Matthew 22:37-40
[8] John 14:21-23, 15:1-17; 1 John 1:5-7, 2:5-6
[9] Romans 5:5;1 John
[10] John 13:35
[11] Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 14:15, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,18-19; Ephesians 4:25-32
[12] Because the Spirit lives in all believers, mistreating any involves grieving the Holy Spirit.
[13] John 14:15
[14] Romans 13:10
