All About Love

"Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." - Ephesians 4:2

I recall a conversation I had with a Christian friend many years back in which she claimed to have turned to Buddhism because "those people really know how to live." I was not very close friends with this girl, so I do not know how strong her own faith had been (I do know that she had only professed to be a Christian for two years). I also do not know if she had completely turned from Christianity or if she was simply exploring some Buddhist teachings while maintaining a walk with the Lord. But this statement really stuck with me. At first, I was taken aback. To be honest, my judgmental 14-year-old heart was seriously doubting the genuineness of her faith. Over a decade later, however, I am filled not with judgement but sadness. I am sad that individuals can be turned off to Christianity because they don't know what Christianity is really about.

The primary reason people, especially seekers and new Christians, are turned off to Christianity is our lack of love. Christians can be mean. I am reminded of that song "Jesus, Friend of Sinners," which has the line "Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against, when we judge the wounded." Is our hope in Christ and the love that he gives immediately visible to outsiders? I'm not saying people should immediately get saved when they see you without ever having a real conversation, but does your spirit make them curious about this Jesus you claim to live for? Or do you (unknowingly sometimes) push them away by only casting judgment without expressing love for the hurting?

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

This was one of the first scriptures I memorized (besides John 3:16) as a child in Sunday School. I could go into a lengthy discussion about what it means to be "fruitful," and why the word "fruit" is singular when clearly more than one trait is mentioned, but I just want to focus on the first part of that scripture: "But the fruit of the spirit is love." But what is love? (Baby, don't hurt me?) I have a post where I go into depth about the specifics of love (but fail to give a concise definition). Read that post. Although I did not concisely define love, I gave a few practical examples of love.

I am reminded of another scripture, John 13:35, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." How can we expect to be accepted as trustworthy witnesses if we, as Christ's disciples and ambassadors, do not show love to outsiders or even each other? 

I will be healed...eventually

The circumstances surrounding my healing may not be what I expect, or even pray for...but I will be healed.

- Cole Gossage, 2020

This weekend I went to see the movie about Jeremy Camp's life, I Still Believe. The movie is based on his memoir, which I am also reading (I take pride in my Amazon Prime-like reading time of one to two days regardless of the length of the book, but that is not what is happening right now...). I will try not to reveal too many details other than those which I knew before I started reading the book, but this message is too important not to share.

If you listened to Christian radio any time circa 2003, there is a good chance you know at least a little of Jeremy Camp's testimony. His first wife, Melissa, died of cancer just a few months into their marriage. Throughout their short relationship, the couple often prayed that Melissa would be healed. There are a few instances in which she was healed temporarily, and she was in remission for their wedding. This cancer-free period was short-lived, though, as the cancer came back "with a vengeance" shortly after the wedding, and doctors revealed that there was nothing more they could do.

Jeremy wrote about his faith being challenged in this time: "God, why did you allow us to believe she had been healed?" His realization really resonated with me:

"The realization began to set in that perhaps she was indeed being healed in that moment - a different type of healing from what I had been praying for, believing for, and hoping for, but healed the way God wanted. I believed God had been revealing to Melissa that the cancer and all the pain and suffering was being removed from her as she entered His presence for eternity."

So, even if I am not healed on Earth, I will be healed in Heaven? Revelation 21:4 promises us that "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." I look forward to this (while acknowledging that it will certainly not be the best part of eternity with my Jesus), but I admit that I have never exactly thought of it as "healing." Whenever someone prays that I will be healed, I admit that I cringe a little. My condition is medically untreatable. While God certainly CAN heal me on this Earth, I realize that it isn't very likely. I am 100% okay with that, and honestly (for reasons that I still have not quite figured out how to put in words) I would prefer it. But I realize now that healing on the other side of eternity is still healing, and it is promised.

How Many Kings

This morning, I was listening to the song How Many Kings by Downhere. Yes, a Christmas song. In February. Generally, I dislike Christmas music. It tends to be quite gimmick-y and, honestly, a little cheesy. You're a societal laughingstock if you listen to Christmas music before November 1 (even that is debatable, with some Scrooges insisting that Christmas music not be played before Thanksgiving, or even December 1). Okay, maybe labelling the holly jolly and their critics as "laughingstocks" and "Scrooges" is a bit much, but listening to Christmas music outside of a specified window of time is definitely not socially acceptable.

Is Easter music as "time-restricted" though? We listen to songs of Christ's resurrection and sing them at church year round. Why is the incarnation different? Both are central to the Gospel message.

My point is not to demand that worship leaders choose more Christmas songs when planning services throughout the year, or even to defend my own listening/worship habits, but I want to encourage us to think about the Gospel message as a whole. The chorus of How Many Kings is as follows. I believe it encompasses the Gospel quite beautifully:

How many kings stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

One of the greatest miracles of all time is that God humbled Himself to become a man. Humility doesn't even begin to cover it. John Eldredge compares it in his book Beautiful Outlaw to Albert Einstein, in all his knowledge, sitting in a class full of kindergarteners and completely outsmarting them because, well, he's Einstein. That doesn't make him a kindergartener. But Jesus was fully human. Fully God, yes, but he spent nine months developing in Mary's womb. He had to learn to walk and talk. The God who calls the stars by name had to learn the name for everything. Human.

By no means was he faking it. The God who never tires had a physical need to sleep. If he weren't fully human, he wouldn't have been able to suffer on the cross as he did. He felt every lash of the whip. A God who is so separated from humanity would have no idea what that is like.

God deserves to be praised not just for what He's done, but for who He is. Father. Son. Spirit. None of this would have been possible if God were not who He is.