KNOW GREATER LOVE

When students began taking exams this week, I couldn’t help but notice everyone wearing crosses around their necks.  I saw many of them during their exams clutching those crosses, even kissing them.  I’m sure they were praying for divine help for a good exam result.

This brought to my mind the cross and what Jesus did there…the ultimate demonstration of “love” that changed history.

Come to think of it…this week is a big week globally to think about “love” and sacrifice.

Many churches kicked off the season of LENT with Ash Wednesday last night…commemorating the 40 day countdown to Easter…

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian calendar. Occurring 46 days before Easter, it is a moveable fast that can fall as early as February 4 and as late as March 10.

According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day period of prayer and fasting.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads as a reminder and celebration of human mortality, and as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. Many will take time the next 40 days to fast and pray.

And of course…in some countries, like my home country- the USA…it’s Valentines day today, a holiday celebrating love and friendship.

I’ve had some discussions with different students and people who have asked about the difference between “like” and “love”- which I have found very difficult to explain.

But the verse that keeps coming to mind for me about “true and ultimate love” is this…

John 15:

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

There is a “greater love.” 

And the questions I’ve been pondering for myself this week have been…

1.       Do I “KNOW” this greater love?

2.       And do I SHOW/SHARE/GIVE this greater love to others?

Knowing God deeply and intimately is what Jesus died to give us the opportunity to have and experience.

Yet, what took me a long time to realize is “knowing God” and “knowing about” God are two very different things.  I “know about” my President- Barrack Obama.  But have I actually ever met him? NO! 

Do I “KNOW” this greater love…that God is and has extended to me?  Have I embraced it?

Being “loved” by someone, really loved and valued- and feeling that, does something to you, doesn’t it? 

It puts a spring in your step, maybe some music in your soul, a smile on your face. There’s a confidence that is felt when someone believes in you.  Knows you deeply- even the not so good- yet values ALL of you and encourages and applauds your potential.  Wow.  That does so much. 

Considering that God Himself has shown us this huge overwhelming undeserved love…it should change everything for us!  Our confidence should soar.  Our smile should be huge. Our peace, our joy, and hope, our perspective- everything should be affected.

Is it that way me?

Is it for you???

Have I embraced the knowledge of that love…stay in it, walk in it? 

I can! We can!!!

1 John 3:1

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 3:17-20

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

John 15:9-17

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

I’m convinced too….it’s impossible to deeply love another person if you haven’t first embraced this “greater love” of God.

To me, it’s much like the picture of the cross. There’s a key vertical part…connecting up- that is the base. And there’s a horizontal part- where it extends out.

I believe we must know and experience God’s love in our core- connected up vertically to Him. That is key. Connection to that “greater love” is available thanks to Jesus.

The amazing thing too about embracing this love of God…is we can love Him back.  Relationships are two-way!  Somewhere I read that the difference between infatuation and love is this: infatuation is content to just take.  But love isn’t…it wants to give back.  And even GIVE more than TAKE.

So what does this look like...this love we can give to God?

Again, I think of the cross.  It’s a surrender of will.  It’s a trust position towards God that you hold, even when it hurts. It’s a loyalty and commitment to hold that position and not move.  It’s saying…I love you most, I look to you first, I will trust you with what you ask me to do and to be where you want me to be.  It’s not connecting into other things for affirmation or security.  It’s covenant love!

Love is usually wrapped up in feelings.  But love is not a feeling...those are affected. But love is a CHOICE.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Psalm 108:3-4

I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

So after you’re in this “love relationship” with God, receiving and giving to Him…then you’re in a position to extend this love out…God’s greater love to others.

What does that look like?

Well, in a world that seems to be short on this type of love…many people have maybe never seen it or experienced it.

People need this love, we all do!  It’s radical and sacrificial and often even undeserved. 

Check out these verses…

1 John 3:11-18

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.  Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.  Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 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 and sisters.  If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 4:7-12

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us

John 13:34-35

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 Peter 1:22

love one another deeply, from the heart.

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

Proverbs 18:24

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother

Showing this greater love to another is putting the other person first.  It’s loving that person with God’s love.

This “greater love” is often tough love.  It might be saying the hard thing when needed. It may be backing away from someone if you know your attachment with them is not healthy. 

God can give wisdom, strength, and health to all relationships if He remains at the core. 

And it’s even loving those who you can’t in your own strength. Even your enemies, those who drive you crazy, God can help you love.

Matthew 5:44

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,…

Luke 6:32 
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.

May I experience God’s “greater love” in a deeper way this Lent season, even this Valentines week!

May I love Him back in a deeper and greater way that blesses Him!

And may I deeply love others with His arms, His words, His compassion, His mercy.  Saying...I will lay down my life for you.

God blesses us with others to travel with!

May we help each other as we go!

so honored to be in the lives of these students and more!

May my life show that I’m part of a redeemed story and bloodline who left heaven’s splendor and comfort…who took off royal robes and put on dying flesh and dusty sandals.  One who wrapped in a servant’s towel to love the least and lost. One who challenged the religious and pious and proud. One who chose to reveal His truth to the simple and poor and change the world through their lives.  One who laid down his life for His friends.  May I boldly show the world this “greater love” and follow the example Jesus left us.

Philippians 2:1-11

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

May you feel God’s love and extend God’s love this Valentines week and Lent season and beyond…wherever God has you!

Praises/Prayer Requests

-Continued praises for my friend Debelle’s wife- she is now at her home with her family and seems to be stabilizing. Keep praying for her full restoration to health!

-My Dad has made a decision about his back pain…he is going to have surgery on February 20.  The other options seemed only temporary solutions to deal with the pain and not trying to get to the root of the problem. Please pray this will be successful.  We know God is able!!!

-Please pray for staff and students as we’re into two weeks of final exams.

-Please continue to pray for my sister serving in the Czech Republic- that God will bless and keep her.

-Please pray for my schedule after February- that God’s perfect plan unfolds for how I can best serve.

-Pray for many people serving international during this time and those serving soon- that God will protect and give courage.  (a special prayer for my friend Daniel Bachman serving at Tenwik Hospital in Kenya, excited to see him visit here at the end of February)

-Please keep several friends in prayer who are looking for work and applying for international visas- that God will open doors as He will!

-Please pray for the writing of my first book, that God will help me make time to finish it !

Thank for praying! Know you’re in my prayers as well!!!

Happy Valentines Day!  Know you are greatly loved!!!!