Daily Huddle - Thu Jan 9, 2020 Love

Love you all, praying for you. 
 
Have you ever been in love?  If you have you’ll know it.  It’s almost as if something has taken over you – physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally.  It’s definitely a feeling unlike any other.  It consumes you – your mind, your affections – it’s a preoccupation of mind and emotion.  You can’t stop thinking about her, or thinking about him.  You are drawn to spend time together – doing anything, or doing nothing it doesn't matter.  Research says it's actually a physiological thing – chemicals are released.  It’s kind of like an anesthetic – it numbs you to some of their realities – it can short circuit – logic and rationale.  It’s hard to explain – you just feel it.  But that’s not all that love is.  Love isn’t just a feeling – love is a doing.  Eventually that “out of mind” experience fades.  Studies say the physiological affect can last up to two years - when your brain doesn’t function quite as normal.  But people fall out of love too - they write songs about it - the thrill is gone, you've lost that lovin' feeling.  That's when reality hits – when their prince charming isn’t as perfect as they thought, when their dream girl – becomes a real girl.  Love is not just a feeling – it’s action.  Someone said ‘Love is a verb.’  Love takes work – it requires self-lessness.  that's what makes love so hard.  It's something that doesn’t come naturally - it requires intention over feelings.  But even all of this is not the greatest love.  The greatest love of all – is the Love of God – for you.  And a second greater love than this – is in response - your love for God.  What is that really?  There’s nothing that could describe God’s love for you.  It’s infinite – eternal.  That means it continues – without end.  The love that God has for you – cannot be comprehended by human mind, spirit, physical, mental or emotional capacity.  It means that if you receive eternity with Him - that a billion years from now – you will still be discovering His love for you.  No words could describe God’s love for you – it endures forever.  Perhaps all the books ever written could not describe or contain it.  But there is one book – that is His love story – His love letter – to you.   From Genesis to Revelation – it contains His love in those pages.  A recent TV show has drawn some attention.  Married at First Site – challenges the cultural norms of what is required to have a strong and lasting relationship.  While not always successful – people make choices and just like in every other approach to marriage - some people are more concerned about themselves than their spouse – which is why marriages don’t last.  But other marriages have remained.  The intrigue of this show – is not only the nervous anticipation of the wedding day – but the discovery of that other person from that moment on.  Starting from square one.  Whether they experience the instant chemical reaction of physical attraction – or it grows into that over time – all depends on the partners and their choices.  But love really is a journey of discovery.  On that show – both come with their wedding vows prepared for a person they’ve met.  Their vows reveal a lot about themselves – what they value – and what they believe marriage to be.  Most express hopeful commitment (at various levels) to the discovery of that other person.  Most – since they are human – want to discover if that person is the right person for them – the husband or wife they have always dreamed of.  That’s the problem with human love.  Perhaps far fewer – have a greater commitment to discover how they can be the person their spouse has always dreamed of.  The marriage kind of love is full of joy, and invitation and opportunity - it's the greatest natural love on earth.  But God’s love for you is at another level - it's eternal – it is complete – and it is never self-serving.   John 3:16 – I love this description of God’s love – For God so loved the world – that He gave…  If you had to start to explain the eternal love of God for you in one word.  That would probably be it.  He gave.  That’s what He always does.  Everything you have - from life, breath, DNA, personality, potential, ability, the uniqueness that makes you, you – different from any one else ever to have been born on the planet in all of human history.  All of this was given by God – and every good thing in existence – comes from Him as well.  God’s Word says no greater love exists than this – that a man would lay down his life for his friends.  That’s what God did for us.  So what is our love for God?  Bottom Line - Love is Obey.  It’s a feeling and a doing – but everything we could feel or do in our love for God – is still just obeying what He said.  What we should feel and do in light of what He has already done for us.  Jesus said – if you love me – you will obey what I command.  This is a daily growing relationship with the One who created you – who loves you intimately, eternally, who has principles set forth for your good – but also specific plans that He wants to lead you in – for your success.  Love for God – demonstrated in our obedience really has both of those factors – feeling and doing.  The feeling part – the ‘in love’ part – of this love is both affection and reverence.  He becomes our first affection – even more than marriage and children, family and friends.  Love for God means – He’s your first affection – and in the great mystery of this love of God for us – putting Him first – is how we can love our husband or wife and children even better.  The more we love Him, the better we love them.  God told husbands to love your wife like Jesus loves you.   Lay down your life for her – just like He laid down his life for you!  The first affection for God – also includes reverence.  A holy, fearful, awesome, deep respect for the Almighty – the Creator of the Universe – the Holy and Awesome All-powerful God.  The fear of the LORD is to tremble in His presence as well as marvel at the authority and power that He is, as well as His tender loving kindness toward us.  Our relationship with God is actually like a marriage at a whole different level.  If there were vows in that relationship – I guess God’s vow would be the promise of Jesus,  “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  And our vow to Him – is "Jesus is LORD" – My number one affection, reverence, and obedience.  Just like husbands are to lead in marriage – it’s not hard to follow someone who lays down their life for you.  Especially when we realize what Jesus did for us!  Jesus is LORD means we fully give up our ‘old’ – single lives – when we made all our own plans and decisions and dreams - and join ourselves to Him and His.  His plans for us are so way better.  I pray you will see the PRISM Topics – God Has Good For You, What Does God Give, and Love Is Obey.  The love of God for you is completely and fully trustworthy.  The one who created you and loves you the most – has plans for you – for your good – beyond what you could ever imagine.  So what does this journey of love with Him look like?  Discovery!  Praying you will discover Him more every day – the One who loves you with an everlasting love - so you can grow every day in your love for Him!  You discover Him in His presence and in His Word.  In worship and PRISM - it's how He reveals Himself and His love for you!  In that atmosphere of worship - praise and adoration – He sends His Holy Spirit to inhabit it.  That's why you always see Him in new and deeper ways – in that place of worship.  That’s His promise.  And His Word – PRISM will let you see Him as He really is.  Every time you spend time in His Word – He reveals more of himself and His love for you.  Praying that today and every day - you will discover Him more - so you will love Him more.  Praying that worship - His presence is your priority.  It’s how you grow in your affection for Him.  Praying that worship will start your PRISM times with Him each day – In His Word.  It’s how you grow in your knowledge of Him and His will for you – so your obedience can grow - which demonstrates and grows you in your love for Him.  It's how He can bring you to everything that He has planned for you.  And it is so good!  Praying that you will grow in your love for Him – affection, reverence, and obedience – and that you would know His great, great love for you – a love like no other – that you were created to walk in – His love for you that never ends. 
 
Love you all,
dad