I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging. I may have the gift of prophecy, I may fathom all mysteries, know all things, have all faith-enough to move mountains; but If I lack love, I am nothing. Corinthians 13:1-2
So the road is narrow that leads to Righteousness.
Before I begin I want to be very clear about who I am. I am a man. I was made in the image of God. This man in the image of God has done things, thought things, said things, that are completely at odds with God's ways. I have at times, and sometimes with frequency, been standing in direct opposition to God's will in my life and the lives of those around me. These things ought not be so. They have been so. I am a lover of God. I am a broken self-concerned Lover of God. I can only rejoice in the Love that God has for me! I am not very good at loving Him. I am not very good at loving others. I really want to be, but I am not very good at it. This reality humbles me. 1 Corinthians 14:1 says, "Pursue Love!" This is the greatest desire in my spirit. At times my flesh just wants to, "pursue boredom and dissatisfaction" by doing my own thing. This week I had the opportunity to tell someone, "I am a man of integrity a man who wants to pursue love." This is true, God is doing a great work in me but, "Any man who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor 10:12). Lets not think too highly of ourselves.
I want to be a friend of the Bridegroom. I want to be a man who encourages the Bride of Christ to be a passionate lover of God. I want Jesus to come back to get a bride who is so in love with Him. That she would have a longing heart! When God comes back to get us we want to be found having longing hearts. We want to be found seeking him in the secret places of our hearts. We want to be found pursuing love. If God came tonight how would He find us? Would He find a selfish bride? Would He find a bride who was mostly concerned with the desires of the brides of men? Would He find a foolish woman seeking other lovers? What would He find?
I want to be a friend of the Bridegroom. I want to be a man who encourages the Bride of Christ to be a passionate lover of God. I want Jesus to come back to get a bride who is so in love with Him. That she would have a longing heart! When God comes back to get us we want to be found having longing hearts. We want to be found seeking him in the secret places of our hearts. We want to be found pursuing love. If God came tonight how would He find us? Would He find a selfish bride? Would He find a bride who was mostly concerned with the desires of the brides of men? Would He find a foolish woman seeking other lovers? What would He find?
The way is narrow.
The road to being God's Bride is narrow. It is not a wide road. If anyone has eyes to see, what one would see is a Church that is on a wide road. We are a church that is full of syncretism. We are a church who likes blending within our culture so that we can be a relevant church. God has zero interest in providing a relevant bride for His Son. I want to beware of being too negative, but it is very important that we realize that we are in constant danger of missing God if we blend in with what is around us.
This notion of following God is so important. I will step out here on a bit of a limb: If you have been in the presence of God any time recently and you are not getting a warning of what is coming you may want to rethink what you are experiencing. Popular Christianity has no value in the Kingdom of God. Tweets and all the little Christian ways of standing up are of zero consequence. Please keep tweeting. Please keep sharing God's word! Please keep being aware of our Creator. Above all these things, "Pursue Love!" Love is something that is deep. Love is something that is beyond the nature of man to stumble upon. Love will bring great anguish to your heart because as soon as you see it you will see a world that is so deprived. One that is deceived by the power of sin. We are to be like Jesus and have joy more than our companions, yet we will have a sorrow that moves us to prayer and moves us to walk in humility before God and men.
This year I fell in love. I met a woman who spoke to a part of my heart that I had not been able to get at for quite some time. It was a part of me that was put there by God Himself. My experience with this woman quickly led me to a bit of understanding of death and the vapor that our lives are. I would look into her eyes and see before me all the great things that we would get to experience with each other and how we would become one. I kept thinking, "we are going to die one day." This thought gave me such great courage. I didn't want to die, but I knew I would. I knew we would eventually fade from this world as well as the memories of who we were.
The thought that I would only have a relatively short time to experience this beautiful woman really encouraged me to try to be present in every moment. I wanted to experience all that God had for me in that relationship. I wanted to experience the love, the pain, the children, the excitement of pursuing God together, the humanness of hospital visits, and the joy of traveling to peaceful places where we could just experience peace of God in each other's presence. This is what the notion of death did for me. We must be aware that this life is not what we were created for. We were created for an eternal life. The reality that this is just a moment in time will make this moment so much more rewarding, and it will help us make decisions in this moment that are eternal. The fleeting pleasures of the pride of life will steal everything that God has ever desired to give to us. Don't let it happen.
The thought that I would only have a relatively short time to experience this beautiful woman really encouraged me to try to be present in every moment. I wanted to experience all that God had for me in that relationship. I wanted to experience the love, the pain, the children, the excitement of pursuing God together, the humanness of hospital visits, and the joy of traveling to peaceful places where we could just experience peace of God in each other's presence. This is what the notion of death did for me. We must be aware that this life is not what we were created for. We were created for an eternal life. The reality that this is just a moment in time will make this moment so much more rewarding, and it will help us make decisions in this moment that are eternal. The fleeting pleasures of the pride of life will steal everything that God has ever desired to give to us. Don't let it happen.
Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures. Love never ends.
There is not a thing in this world that cannot be forgiven. There is not a thing in this world that God does not expect us to forgive. We are to continually extend grace to those who have offended us. I am not fully aware of how this will challenge me in my life, but there is not one thing that God does not expect me forgive. I will love you. God has called me to love you. I can do nothing less.
Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not gloat over other people's sins but takes delight in the truth. Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures. Love never ends.
Corinthians 13: 4-8
This reminds me of two of my favorite people. The message is one that we need to keep at the front of our minds and hearts as we move back and forth before of the sons of men.
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