What is love?

What is love?  And more importantly, is it a valid question in this day and age?

Back in the '80's, Howard Jones released a song called "What is love?"

He sang
'I love you whether or not you love me
I love you even when you think that I don't
Sometimes I find you doubt my love for you but I don't mind.
Why should I mind?
Why should I mind?'

According to Dictionary.com love is both a noun (a thing) and a verb (an action)

Noun:

1.a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3.sexual passion or desire.

4.a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.

Verb: 
5. to have love or affection for.

6. to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person).

7. to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in.

8. to need or require; benefit greatly from.

9. to embrace and kiss (someone)

"The one thing everybody's looking for is unconditional love.  We all need somebody to love us just the way we are."  Joyce Meyer

Unconditional love. Does it exist?  I guess the closest we come to it is when we are parents.  We love our children, whether or not  they clean up their rooms; whether they get an 'A' or an 'F' on their maths tests; whether or not they obey us and whether or not they love us back.  Sometimes its painful to look at what your kids are doing but it doesn't make you love them any the less.

But that is our kids...what about other people in our family?  Or people we work?  Or even God when it comes down to it.  Everyone knows the saying "God is love" but is that love all encompassing or does it mean that we are in Gods bad books automatically and we have to strive to be mini versions of The Pope or Mother Theresa to get anywhere close to His good books?

We humans like to qualify or disqualify ourselves and others when it comes to believing and accepting God's love.  To think that sometimes God is happy with me and at other times he is angry at me is nothing short of schizophrenic Christianity.  Yet its almost impossible to believe that God could have as strong like for me...to take great pleasure in me. 

Maybe society has taught us that if God really exists, He couldn't possibly be interested in each persons life.  If He is real, then he must be watching us from so far away that we are nothing more than a blur to Him. 

Years ago, Bette Midler had a huge hit with a song called 'From a Distance'.  This is the chorus:
God is watching us
God is watching us
God is watching us
From a distance

If this is true, then how can God take any sort of pleasure in me if he is watching me from 'a distance'?  To say He is watching us from a great distance, makes it sound like God is watching from the nose bleed section of the theatre...you know, the cheapest seats available.

If God is real then why did He go to all the trouble to get our attention?   For instance, I'm not interested in football so I wouldn't voluntarily go to a game.  I might look at a couple of minutes of it on the news if the local team does good but that is about it.  I wouldn't put myself out to try to find any more about it because I can think of more worthwhile things I'd rather do with my time.

And if God is real and as close as to have a deep affection for me, then what happens when I make a mistake...when I stuff up?  Will He stop loving me then?  Will I be in the naughty corner or sent to my room...out of sight, out of mind?  Will I have to cry and beg for His attention again?

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again."     John 3:16,17 (The Message)

According to that verse in John,  the God of the Bible wants to put things right, to help out, to have a whole and lasting life.  He wants to be on our side and all we have to do is let him be on our side.  Can it really be that simple?  Just to believe in Him?   

It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.  Hebrews 11:6  (The Message)

Okay then, if I believe God exists then what do I have to do? Do I have to learn Latin or Greek or learn special prayers and stop doing fun things? If God is God, and he is as all powerful and all knowing as the Bible says, then surely He knows what we are like and yet He still accepts us anyway.  None of us are perfect.  If we were, then we wouldn't need God, because we would be god.

Someone once said God isn't interested in behaviour modification, He's interested in life transformation!

Its easy to look at ourselves and compare ourselves with someone like Mother Theresa and feel that we are too 'sinful' for God to even want to have anything to do with us.  But the opposite is true.  It is because none of us are perfect, God wants to be part of our lives, to help us along.  If we were perfect, we would be gods ourselves and have no need of help from anyone...to be cared for by anyone...to be loved by anyone.

Have you ever tried to tell your child how much you love them?  Its not easy.  You can do so many things to show your love to your child but sometimes words and a simple demonstration go well together.  So we stand up, stretch our arms as wide as they can go and say "I love you this much!" before reaching down and hugging them.

"Beloved, when you look at your life and find yourself wondering if God really loves you, look to the cross and see God’s outstretched arms. It will remind and reassure you of how much He loves you!"  Joseph Prince

White on Rice

In my Anglican Church each week, we have four Bible readings.  I write down whatever jumps out at me from each reading, usually a strong sentence or two from the sermon and then see what happens from there... I will start by giving you the reading and then in italics the passage, verse or message that jumps out at me.

The readings for today:-

Genesis 1: 1-5  

 God spoke and light appeared

Psalm 29

Vs 3 God thunders across the waters,
   Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness—
   God, across the flood waters. 

Acts 19: 1-7

Johns Baptism was for repentance.  The Holy Spirit baptises into Jesus Christ.

Mark 1: 4-9

God said, as the Spirit alighted on  Jesus 'You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.'

'The Jews hated the water and thought all darkness and evils of the world existed in the water" Rev Ken Youman

***

When God created the world, He paused and saw it as good.  When Jesus was baptised, God paused and was overcome with love for His Son.

It was when Jesus began his ministry that God's love came to the fore.  Jesus was/is/always will be the only way of salvation.  Its like God pauses before He applauds His Son.  God wants us all saved, all to be with Him eternally.  He wants us in relationship with Him now.  He doesn't want us to pause.

R

I

C

E

Like white on rice is the Holy Spirit on us who believe Jesus is our salvation.

Jesus took our sins on His body on the cross.  He was punished for the things I have done wrong.  He was a once and for all time past/present/future sacrifice for our sins.  We don't have to strive to be acceptable because we are already acceptable because of Christ. 

Jesus died and rose again sinless!!  Praise you Jesus.  He is now seated at the right hand of the Father.  His work is done. It is finished and now He lives to intercede for me before the Father.  I am forgiven, made clean, filled and enveloped with the Holy Spirit.  And I have done nothing to deserve it except believe in Christ's sacrificial death for me.

The Holy Spirit hugs me like white on rice!

***

Hmmm...white on rice.  A grain of rice is white inside and out.  If you boil or steam it, it gets whiter and brighter.  If you squish it when cooked, its white inside.  The Holy Spirit permeates and colours every part of the one who believes and accepts Jesus as their saviour. We need to be baptised in the Holy Spirit to be hugged by Him, enveloped by Him and coloured by him.

My Inspiration - Psalm 118

Psalm 118

 ¹O GIVE thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

    ²Let Israel now say that His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.
    ³Let the house of Aaron [the priesthood] now say that His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.
    ⁴Let those now who reverently and worshipfully fear the Lord say that His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.
    ⁵Out of my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free and in a large place.
    ⁶The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?
    ⁷The Lord is on my side and takes my part, He is among those who help me; therefore shall I see my desire established upon those who hate me.
    ⁸It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
    ⁹It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
    ¹⁰All nations (the surrounding tribes) compassed me about, but in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!
    ¹¹They compassed me about, yes, they surrounded me on every side; but in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!
    ¹²They swarmed about me like bees, they blaze up and are extinguished like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I will cut them off!
    ¹³You [my adversary] thrust sorely at me that I might fall, but the Lord helped me.
    ¹⁴The Lord is my Strength and Song; and He has become my Salvation.
    ¹⁵The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents and private dwellings of the [uncompromisingly] righteous: the right hand of the Lord does valiantly and achieves strength!
    ¹⁶The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly and achieves strength!
    ¹⁷I shall not die but live, and shall declare the works and recount the illustrious acts of the Lord.
    ¹⁸The Lord has chastened me sorely, but He has not given me over to death.
    ¹⁹Open to me the [temple] gates of righteousness; I will enter through them, and I will confess and praise the Lord.
    ²⁰This is the gate of the Lord; the [uncompromisingly] righteous shall enter through it.
    ²¹I will confess, praise, and give thanks to You, for You have heard and answered me; and You have become my Salvation and Deliverer.
    ²²The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
    ²³This is from the Lord and is His doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
    ²⁴This is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
    ²⁵Save now, we beseech You, O Lord; send now prosperity, O Lord, we beseech You, and give to us success!
    ²⁶Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship].
    ²⁷The Lord is God, Who has shown and given us light [He has illuminated us with grace, freedom, and joy]. Decorate the festival with leafy boughs and bind the sacrifices to be offered with thick cords [all over the priest's court, right up] to the horns of the altar.
    ²⁸You are my God, and I will confess, praise, and give thanks to You; You are my God, I will extol You.
    ²⁹O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.