Love Deeply, From the Heart

8/4/1995

Has it ever happened that you have fallen on some personal hard times, some wrestling, some weakness, or some failure. You have come to a place where you realize you haven’t been “on the edge.” You decide to get back on “your horse” to “be faithful” again. That could be great. It is a sight better than being a quitter, for sure! Perhaps the “gettin’ back on the horse” is driven by God from revelation, but also, it’s possible to have a carnal, ambitious energy behind “being faithful” to point out sin in other’s lives; a sense of “being involved” or having a religious or soulish energy behind watching over our brothers and sisters, rather than an energy which originates in grace and humility, not lazy or apathetic or compromising, but with wisdom and love. Let the hard times shape your character into one who can show mercy, from one who “rights wrongs.” Look GOD in the face! rather than looking “to be faithful” (yuk!). A humble and contrite heart is what God is looking for, not a quitter, OR a white horse of self-life!

There really can be no self-life involved when we walk with each other. We mustn’t be ambitious with an energy that wants to “do the right thing.” We must see these souls from God’s perspective and if we have “blown it” spiritually by being a mess, then we need to walk out of it, repent with a humility and looking GOD in the face, listening to Him. Not a militaristic attitude about “being faithful” with others, unless our hearts ache and grieve because we have been dull and hurt others by not seeing them and their lives the way God sees them. Knowledge puffs up; love builds up. Life in Jesus’ body is not about finding things wrong in people’s lives so that we can feel good with God, because we “see” or we’re “involved.” NO! It must not ever be motivated by self-righteousness, but by a holy love for God and His zeal that consumes us for Him and also for God’s people. He is a Father, a Shepherd who is motivated by love, not by a sense of fixing others or “righting the wrongs.” If He was motivated by that alone, we would have been dead a long time ago. He is patient and merciful, noncompromising and holy, an all-consuming fire.

There is a zeal that comes from seeing God that is righteous and merciful. And there is a self-righteous zeal that is strong and looks good on the outside, but is motivated by self. Consider Paul. Likely, there were very few people he cried over before he met Jesus—because that wasn’t what his life was about. His life revolved around his own righteousness and good standing with God. After he met Jesus there is substantial evidence that he wept over people because he saw God and in turn cared about their right standing with God for their sake and God’s glory.

Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do NOTHING.” How true! How much potential supernatural, everlasting fruit we rob each other of if the things we say to each other are not His words. Of course there is always room and patience for growth as we are changed into His image, from one degree of glory to the next. I wouldn’t want people to be so afraid to say anything for fear they won’t have the right words. Yet, if we aren’t looking Jesus in the face as a real person each day, we won’t be able to see properly into the lives of others. We’ll miss out on precious opportunities if we don’t stay in touch and our lives will only pass on stale fruit that has little or no taste and very little spiritual value. We may even nit-pick each other too much with things to talk about in each other’s lives. Consider 1Jn. 5:16-17.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart” (1Pet. 1:18-22).

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load” (Gal. 6:1-5).

This verse describes a protection factor. God doesn’t allow us to pass on empty stuff. He warns that if the reality of Jesus’ life is not there, we are to be awfully careful of how we talk to others. Otherwise we will be tempted (in pride, perhaps). However, if we are honest about our own lives and decide to carry the burdens (being a servant) of our brothers and sisters, then we are on the right track and we can say what we need to say. If we don’t love one another deeply, and Jesus too, then we will only pass on empty religion that doesn’t bring life, but burden and death and we’ll be pulling weeds. The letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

I’m sure none of us want to pass on empty religion to others. I’m sure none of us want to have our lives built on activities, “being involved,” “seeing something” in someone’s life without Jesus. All these things are so empty and void of supernatural life passed on from Jesus. Putting too much importance on the “activities” and less importance on being with the only One who can make me happy and “productive” doesn’t work too well, does it? It’s about loving Jesus, righto?

Glory and Praise.