I have felt so compelled lately to love people. Is this some new revelation? No, but a calling to rededicate myself to the command that Jesus gave. "A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:31. He said it repeatedly, love one another. I want to spend less time thinking about doing things and then maybe doing some of them and more time letting my heart be transformed into the heart of Jesus and being unable to not love others the way they need to be loved.
II Corinthians 12:15 "So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expand myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?" When Paul wrote this, I don't believe that he was looking for love in return, but to love as Jesus commanded. Oswald Chambers comments that "Natural love expects some return" This is why I hunger to abandon my natural love and take on and be covered with the love of Jesus. How I want so deeply to love people the way that God has loved me, the way that my husband has loved and sacrificed for me, the way that they need to be loved.
To really love is hard, it calls us to look beyond what we feel, beyond our selves, past what we think is best and it calls us to be unlike us and more like Him. It calls us to fight everything that is natural to us and be at the mercy of the Spirit of God. But when we are the joy and the peace that passes our understanding is there and connects us so deeply with the heart of Jesus. That's where I want to be.
My family and I tend to joke about being in the families "inner circle." Granted, I think sometimes my boys may jokingly use it to exclude their little sister from the imaginary benefits of being in the "inner family circle", but to be in the Inner circle of Jesus is a great place to rest ones head. To be in His inner circle means to be called a child of God, an heir to a royal priesthood, chosen and loved, covered by His blood and walking in His forgiveness everyday.
To be in His inner circle is a call to love, to love others, to humble ourselves and spend more time washing feet and less time thinking about it.
Let's go love. "Who's coming with me?" Hopefully it's not just me and the fish, hopefully it's you!
(10 minutes later. . . ) I need to follow that last line up with a credit. "Who's coming with me?" is a famous line from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire. I put that there simply because I am in a classroom of High School students who had absolutely no clue as to who I was quoting. Then I tried the line "Show me the money" still no response. My final attempt was the line "You had me at Hello" and that, they said "Yes, I know that one, but can't tell you what movie that was from". I must admit I just aged myself by 20 years and realized that the young man in this room was only four years old when this movie was big. But it's a good reminder that movies fade, famous lines dim, but the truth of Christ stays the same and can only shine brighter in the lives of His people.
Now I'm off to love, to live, to serve in the name of a Mighty God and I say now confidently "Who's coming with me?"
