The Love We Lie About

Where have I been? Right here…Just took a little time off. This past month I’ve been traveling around from Oklahoma City to Fort Wayne recruiting for INTRSCT, visiting friends, and simply living life.

I recently had the opportunity to speak at Nappanee Missionary Church. I want to give you a recap of what I talked about that night. It is a message that I need to hear more and more as I go through my day.


Throughout my life I’ve had a constant struggle: Who is this Jesus, and what do I do with Him? We say we have this “personal relationship” and maybe we do, but do we act like Jesus? Do we talk like Jesus? Do we walk like Jesus? Do we love like Jesus?

We’re going to walk through two priorities that should infiltrate our lives.

Priority #1: Discovering God’s Heart and Desires

It’s interesting to see how focused we are on finding God’s will for our lives, Books, T.V. shows, scriptures, sermons…you name it. God’s will for MY life…if I can just find it, then I’ll be able to serve God and then, He will be pleased.

LIE!!

I guess since most of our lives are consumed with our needs and desires, it would make sense that our relationships with God be so focused on us. Amazing life is about the opposite, everyone else.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book I Am Not But I Know I AM by Louie Giglio. He paints such a clear picture of God’s story and our part in it. It’s all His, none of it is ours, no money, no job, no nothing, but again, this is far from reality in most our lives.

It took me several major life experiences, possibly failures, to discover that I had it extremely wrong. It’s not about God’s will for my life, it’s about God’s story and me fitting into it. Two distinctively different approaches to how we view our lives, or tension points if you will.

There are two tensions points we find in our Christian lives. The first, taking Jesus with us as we proceed on with our lives. It is here where Jesus isn’t Lord of our life, just in it to an extent.

The second, letting Jesus take us. When Jesus takes us, we dive into the unknown, the dangerous, the unexplored. It is here we experience the fullness of God, the true rich beauty in being a Christ Follower.

Priority #2: Love God and Love People

You’ve heard it before, Matthew22: 34-40. Love God…Love People…it’s that simple, yet it seems to me we focus on the loving God, but never truly embrace loving others. We rarely experience, “and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.”

We can’t love God without loving people and we can’t love people without loving God.
Do we get it? Do I get it?

And where does love end?

I see a very limited love in our lives as followers of Jesus. The only problem is if we’re following Jesus our love can’t end…shouldn’t end. It didn’t end for Jesus, it extended to the very fullness of love for Jesus. It extended to all…not a select few.

It seems impossible to live out. I struggle with it everyday and I’m glad. If we stop living in tension with who we are and who we’re becoming…I think it’s a scary place to be.

None of us have it correct, but if we stop seeking the depth of grace, truth, and love, we’re pretty stagnate.

So where does love end?

Does it end with the homosexuals…

Does it end with terrorist…

Does it end with that person you despise…

Does it end with the addict that can’t seem to ever get it right…

Does it end with those that don’t look like us, talk like us, believe like us…

Where does it end?? I’m asking you.

Oh yeah Valentines Day…Almost forgot…Love…what does it truly look like??

Love God…Love People

All the law and the prophets summed up for you right there.