Have you ever noticed how children who
are in the presence of God become loving and affectionate? Our kids
were certainly like this. Whenever our family was in a time of
intimate worship, our kids would start leaning on us, hugging us,
kissing us, squeezing us… it was so wonderful! (What parent doesn’t
love that??!!)
Why do you think that happens? I
believe it is because Love gives birth to love.
John said it well, we love because He
first loved us! (1 John 4:19)
LOVE
When I first began to receive God’s
amazing love for me, I became empowered to love Him back. Even more
amazingly, this truth had an exponential factor... the more I
received, the more I was able to give back. So simple, yet so epic!
There are no words to describe that feeling of utter bliss and
ecstasy that comes from being so completely loved! It is a
foundational truth that must be understood and experienced in order
to live in the fullness of grace and peace.
But something really amazing begin to
happen to me… the more love I received and gave back to God, the
more I realized how much love I had to give to others. And this is
really where the rubber meets the road! Because until I realized
that God gave me everything I needed to love others, I was not able
to live life to its fullest. Getting rid of the fear, “I may give
too much love away,” or, “it’s not safe to love from the
deepest part of me,” helped me break partnership with and overcome
a victim mindset. I am not in danger of living a love-depleted life!
I was designed to love! I am no longer crippled from enjoying
covenant relationships… AND Jesus has given me back the honor of
experiencing sheer joy as I love others just because they are God’s
beloved created ones.
WORSHIP
God has really been talking to me about
how loving is a form of worship. Of course, most of us would already
agree that loving God is a part of worship. But what about how we
love each other? What about how we love the things He has
created… you know, trees, animals, nature, our bodies, our dreams?
I believe we worship God every time we honor and appreciate those
things which He has placed here for our pleasure, those things which
He loving created for us to enjoy and steward. Agreeing with God’s
plans and appreciating His ideas and designs for our lives certainly
seems like worship to me.
Some of these things have been a
journey for me over a period of time, and some are newer concepts
that I am enjoying as I explore the vastness of God’s riches and
glory. In my next post I will talk more about some of the beautiful
ways these truths are currently being worked out in my life.
Stay tuned for Part 2, which will be posted tomorrow!
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