How does one love God and others? Is there a book, “Loving God and others for Dummies”?  Can I learn the “how to” at a conference or seminar?  Are special chats, prayers, and postures necessary?  Honestly, we can’t do anything. The Apostle Peter stated that love is the by-product of God’s Spirit at work in us. As the Spirit works in cleaning us up – so to speak- we become obedient to God and are enabled to love Him and others.

The Spirit is that mysterious third person of the Trinity. It leads, guides, and teaches. It convicts and comforts. It dwells in our inner man. Paul encouraged the Galatians to walk in the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit, and to stay in step with the Spirit. How in the world do I walk with something I cannot see? This is often difficult for some.  We are prone to only follow that which we can see.  Walking with the Spirit requires we move in different ways – in ways of the heart.

I have lived in Indiana most of my life, much of that in the rural areas where there is farmland that stretches for miles with more cows and pigs than people, only interrupted by the occasionally small town. Now, I am no farmer by vocation, but I know that to get a decent crop, care is taken to cultivate the land.  If I do not cultivate the land and prepare it for planting, my crops would be less than desirable.  You might find me foreclosing “depression-style.”  The farmer understands the need to cultivate and prepare the land – turning over the soil so nutrients, rain and seed can make their way in deep.  Proper cultivation equals a good crop and prosperity for the hardworking farmer.

This truth is no different for our hearts.  For me to live in love – worshiping God and serving others – I must walk in, be led by, stay in step with the Spirit – simply put, this means to go where it goes.  But for me, “my heart is prone to wander” as the old hymn states. Much like an uncultivated field – my heart will not produce anything good on its own.

The solution is a heart cultivated unto God – one that has been placed and positioned before God for spiritual nutrition and water.  This begins when I allow my heart to be saturated by the Word. Truth then gets the opportunity to take hold of my heart and stick.  Other practices of prayer, reflection, and fasting can aid as well.  The end product is a life pouring forth love.

God, help me to allow you to plow the depths of my heart with Your Word – let Your Word flow into my heart – nurturing, transforming, and maturing Your love in me.  May my heart be cultivated unto the one true God and not the smaller gods of this world.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Here’s the big question.  Do you see yourself as God’s masterpiece?

If you are like me I have trouble answering the question.  I find myself thinking more of myself as a garage sale leftover rather than a masterpiece. I, like you and everybody else, am broken. I have lied, cheated, manipulated, lusted, and the list continues.  Some of us are addicts and abusers. Others bankrupt, divorced, etc… It is no wonder we pause before answering the question.

But here is the catcher. Unless I see myself as God’s masterpiece created in Christ, I can not love Him or others as I am asked to do.  You see, if I only see God and people outside the work He has done and is doing in me; I have failed to embrace the Cross and its work of restoration and reconciliation, and I continue to see others through my brokenness which so easily judges, categorizes, labels and seeks it’s own well being.  It is really difficult to love when I only looking out for number one.

So what’s the solution?

The very first Scripture verse given to me when I accepted Christ was 2 Corinthians 5:17.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
2 Corinthians 5:17

Paul is writing a letter to a church of people who have and are overcoming their brokenness. Paul is reminding them that in Christ they have been made new and complete as the recipients of God’s grace poured out to all through the Cross.  They are Christ’s masterpiece. God no longer sees the old man – a slave to sin. He now sees Christ when He looks upon each of us – holy, pure, righteous, good, complete, whole, and wonderful.

Can you see yourself as a masterpiece?  When you embrace the gift of Christ’s work on the Cross – His pain, His suffering, and the isolation and even abandonment He felt, you begin to see how deep the love of God has for each of His creation – which you are one – and the extremes He will go to make you all He has created to be.

Embrace this truth:  you are God’s masterpiece created in Christ, and then love Him in return and others to no end.

Remember God doesn’t have garage sales – all He has created and recreated is too valuable!

On the way home I pondered the attendant’s comment. What is a typical 50 yard dash? How does it apply to me being a pastor? This is what I came up with.

I reasoned that the parking attendant had seen and spoke to a good number of pastors that passed through his gate. I gleaned that from those encounters with those pastors he had created a stereotype of what a pastor is. His assessment of me was that I didn’t fit his stereotype. I can only hope and pray that this was a good thing.

The more I thought about this the larger my thoughts became. I do not want to be the “typical 50 yard dash” in anything I do, especially as a Christian. I want people who have preconceived ideas about what it means to be a Christian to see the reality of Christ in my life and for them to think, “This guy is not your ‘typical 50 yard dash.’”

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
1 Peter 2:12

Running a race dash to bring Him glory.

The woman decided to write a letter in gratitude. She went on to say that her life had been difficult; money was tight for her and her kids, and she was suffering from depression, but the unexpected act of kindness had given her hope – so much so that she was compelled to write a letter sharing the story and thanking the anonymous giver.

I was also touched by a story shared last weekend in the Bible School class I attend. One of the participants in the class began to tell of a bout of depression she had been experiencing. She said her kids had been at their father’s for a week. Life had her pinned down to the extent that she had actually spent the week on the coach immobilized by her sense of hopelessness. The kids were soon coming home. The house was a wreck and she was in no state to parent.

This woman mustered up enough strength to call for help. She phoned a friend who immediately came over to help clean the house (after arranging a sitter for her own children). Together they worked until the house was in order and everything set for her children’s return. The woman said she was overwhelmed with gratitude. The friend offered to pray for her. Here’s the clincher. In her prayer the friend thanked God for the opportunity to serve her friend and Him.

Wow! That’s what it means to love.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence…”
1 John 3:16-19

How do we begin to love like this? Can I say it doesn’t happen by accident? Loving like this is the product of intentional preparation. Most of us can muster up an occasional random act of kindness, but I believe God wants more. I think God wants a life where “love” flows through all the seconds of one’s days, not just in impromptu and unprepared ways. I am a firm believer that if we aim at nothing, we will hit it consistently; so if we are to love, we must aim to love.

The love pictured in the above stories comes out of a life marked by “margin” and “embracing inconvenience.” Margin is the space that we give ourselves to prepare for the unexpected. It can be in terms of time, finances, and other things. The truth is if I am using my up all the resources I won’t have extra left when God allows me the opportunity to show love. Financial margin allowed the “giver” at the McDonald’s to bless another and provide hope. I hope we have created margin with our money, time, or other resources to love and bless others.

Loving like this also demands we embrace inconvenience. It wasn’t the most convenient time for the friend in need to call in the second story when childcare arrangements and the like had to be made. But love doesn’t know inconvenience, and be assured God shows up in wonderful ways in the midst of inconvenience.

If we are to love, let us love well. Let us intentionally prepare by creating margin and embracing inconvenience.

Father, may love flow from me. May my love be intentional. My I create margin in my life and embrace inconvenience so that no matter when and where love is needed, I am ready and able to respond. May hope be the product of my love as hearts turn to You in gratitude.

Emptying myself so that love may abound…

“The first duty of love is to listen.”

I love my girls. They are precious and by far (for the majority of time) obedient to their mom and me. Occasionally though, they both can tune their parents’ voices out. Have you experienced this with your kiddos? This cause for concern often happens when they get in engrossed in watching a TV show, reading a book, or playing a game. They will be asked to do something, respond to a question, etc… and there is absolutely no response, as if we had never uttered a single word. I know that both my daughters can hear – perceive sound, but do they always listen – pay attention?

I can’t just point my finger at my daughters. I am prone not to listen nor pay attention at times too. But usually it is because I am engrossed in myself. Do you find yourself here? You don’t complete a request at work because it is not in your best interest, your desire, or convenient. Do you fail to respond to your wife because what she needs can’t be as important as what you’re watching on TV? Do you fail to obey the speed limit thinking it only applies to others? The list goes on, but ultimately our lack of listening and paying attention is connected to our pride and self-centeredness.

So ask yourself, “How do I listen?”

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27

How well do you listen to Jesus?

We can rephrase the question to ask, “How well do you pay attention to Jesus?” John 10:27 tells us that if you are or I am listening and paying attention to Christ, we will follow him. This means my life will model His. My fear is that many of us aren’t listening and thus not following Him.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”
James 1:22-24

Let’s be honest. Look around you. Do you see Christians modeling Christ-like behavior? And I am not talking church attendance. Why is the divorce rate as high in the church as it is outside? Why are addictions just as prevalent among church members as non-members? Why are Christ-followers as much in debt as non-Christians? I believe the answers lies in the fact that we are not listening to Jesus.

My parents are divorced. Divorce can be caused by many factors including finances, adultery, health issues, and tragedy, but I believe most divorces have their roots in a lack of communication. Paul Tillich got it right! Love’s duty is to listen. A failure to pay attention to your spouse is a failure to love. God has invited us into a wonderful relationship with Him. He desires that this relationship be marked with a love for Him that surrenders all and a love for others. If will fail to listen to God, what does this say about our love for Him?

“What hinders me from listening is that I am taking up with other things. It is not that I will not hear God, but I am not devoted in the right place.”
Oswald Chambers

Even the most mature Christians can have a lapse in listening. Sometimes we forget that we are in a war for our hearts. In this war the enemy desires nothing more than for us to be distracted from listening to God. I believe these distractions come in three forms. First, Satan – he would love to keep us from listening to God and experiencing His blessing (Read John 10:10). Second, the world – there is a lot of noise in the world, and I don’t mean that which affects our hearing, but that which distracts our hearts (Read Matthew 18:7). Finally, ourselves – we can be our own worst distraction; we are at times lazy, prideful, lustful, etc… (Read Mark 4:18-20).

Good listening can overcome the distractions we face in our attempt to listen to Jesus. There are several skills involved in good listening. For the Christ-follower we must be committed to listen – listening to Jesus begins with us positioning ourselves to hear His voice. This can come from time spent reading the Bible, hearing sermons, practicing prayer, and engaging in spiritual conversations with others. We must be committed to act on what we hear – listening to God demands a response. A failure to respond quickly turns into disobedience. We must be committed to keep focused on the speaker – distractions abound. We must be diligent to keep our eyes on the goal – Christ-likeness. I have accountability partners that ask me weekly if my focus has been on Jesus the past week or on “me”.

How well will we listen to Jesus?

Dear Father, forgive me for failing to listen to You. I know I have been distracted by the Enemy, this world, and my own self-centeredness. May I be intent on listening for Your voice, and follow in obedience. May my life model Yours. You are the Good Shepherd, my Shepherd. May my heart follow where You call.

Learning that listening is more than just hearing…