With Valentines Day approaching it got me thinking about love. We think we have it, but do we really? I'm sure it's one of the most incorrectly used words in the English language.
My daughter is growing into womanhood, and I worry about it all the time.
I don't want her to make the mistakes that I did. I was only 2 weeks away from being 19 years old when I had her, an 18 year old kid havin a kid! Don't get me wrong in some ways I think I was a better mom to her than I am to my boys whom I didn't have until my late 20's. I didn't have as much responsibility so all my attention went to her. But now that she's driving, going out with friends, you know just all the teenager things, I constantly worry. I find myself all the time preaching to her, and I don't think she even listens. So then I tell her, "hey you need to listen to me, no one in this world will love you and protect you like I will. I am the only person that will always genuinely have the best intentions and always want what's best for you!" And when I say that to her, I mean down it in the depths of my soul. That is how the Good Lord feels about us.
God is love. I don't think as human beings we will ever be completely capable of even understanding the depth of his love for us, but I do know it's the deepest most unconditional limitless graceful and enduring love. It is the only love that is permanent and it will never fail us. It is never selfish and never debatable.
This morning I was reading in the 7th Chapter of John. Jesus knew that the scribes and Pharisees were never gonna close their eyes and open their hearts. He knew that his time was coming. Verse 37, says "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and Cried, saying "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. Vs 38 - He that believeth on me as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. - He knew that once he left he would be with us in the spirit. The Precious Holy Ghost, our greatest gift.
I imagine him standing and crying as he spoke to them. He was saving the world and wanted the world to get the message.
He loved the World, not just the people who believed in him, the whole world every single soul. He hurt for the ones who didn't believe. He gave them every opportunity to change their minds. Even when they were attempting to take his life, when they blindfolded him and were beating him over and over they said "since you're the son of god tell us who is hitting you!" He could have at any moment said every single one of their names and it would have stopped. Even before it began, he could have stopped them. They thought they were taking his life but they were not. They COULD NOT. He said I am the good shepherd and I lay my life down for my sheep. HE LAID his life down for US.
How many of us can say we would do that for the ones we love, let alone for our neighbor? When he stood and cried at the day of the feast, he wanted us to understand and to carry on his legacy. He wanted us to have unconditional love for All, and before we can truly love, we first have to have Faith.
You can't bring the thirsty to the living water if you don't have it flowing through you. It's easy to "love" and give and help people when we have the extra money and time to do so, but it's hard when we don't have it to give. That is where the Faith part comes in. If you're on your last meal and someone comes to you hungry would you shun them away or would you say "here friend have this, the Lord will provide everything we need. He said, look around I take care of everything from the grass growing beneath your feet to the birds flying high in the air, so I'll definitely take care of you.
He knows exactly what we need when we need it, even when we don't know ourselves. There's times when I have to remind myself, if he can rule this world he can rule this moment. We know he can move mountains, but yet we still get overwhelmed trying to navigate our own way through trials and tribulations, forgetting that all we have to do is give it to him.
Give everything to him. Don't worry about Anything. He'll provide your every need and guide your path. Put your faith in him and show love and Grace to Everyone around you, every single person he sends your way.
When we truly have that love for other people we want the best for them, and what's the best for anyone? The living water.
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