Blind to Love

The heartbreak of the world’s tragedies and horrors exhibits the darkness in man’s heart. We are not a people compelled on our own to express love to others. The nature of man is more self focused and self serving. Yet, if man’s inclination is towards self, where does love come from?

Within the heart of man there is indeed a God placed knowledge of our humble state in comparison to a great and mighty God. This awareness, though dealt with differently by people groups and religions, provides evidence for a universal understanding that there is something greater than man, the existence of our world and a vast universe. Since the beginning of time, people have sought to attach themselves to this higher power by means of ritual worship.

The ongoing attempts by man to connect our temporal lives to an eternal deity, stems from a deep desire for significance: a longing to be loved. This is what Christians often refer to as a “God shaped hole” in our lives. And while the hole leaves us desperate for meaning and hungry for relationship with the Designer, the Lord tells us “few” will embrace Him, (Matthew 7:14).

This awareness does not make man meek. Desire to live, thrive and exalt ourselves is prompted by the enemy’s lies; you are great without God, you can accomplish mighty things in your own strength. You deserve power, fame, fortune and glory. Man begins to believe he needs these blessings and has a right to them. Thus, many measure life based on a warped understanding of man’s purpose. Therefore they become weary, anxious, dissatisfied and often angry when their life falls short of a glorious existence. The sense of being oppressed, denied or robbed of a blessed life drives a self centered response and people see others as competitors and challenges rather than brothers and sisters. Love for others is thereby lost in the pursuit of the blessed existence. God--being love--is thus, cast aside and man turns to himself for worldly things.

While our natural tendency is to promote self, the Spirit of God is alive and well among man, causing a battle between body and spirit. Compulsory reactions, like compassion and love is the work of the Spirit through man to comfort, encourage and bless people. It is the love of God which compels the hearts of men to minister to one another.

Oswald Chambers claims; “Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is it bursts forth in extraordinary ways.” For example, a father or mother is taken by surprise when they first hold their child in their arms. Something “bursts” within them and love and adoration gushes forth for their child. This is just a sampling of the Lord’s immeasurable love for us, demonstrated in the love of a parent.
There are many ways in which God pours out His love for us, as His creation and as His child. When we consider the awesome love showered upon us from the Lord, how can we believe that anything other than God prompts us to love? For God became flesh. The Son of God; Jesus the Christ, lived among us. He died for our sins upon the cross in order to have an eternal relationship with us. The Lord pursues us and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within every believer.

Yes, we are indeed to recognize that God himself is love,(1 John 4:16 NIV). Therefore, it is not just goodness that flows through man when he reaches out with kindness and compassion. Rather, it is the very essence of God himself moving through man. The Word of God declares; “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him,” (1 John 4:16 NIV).

In tragedy and terrorism man shakes their fists at God and declares Him unkind, unjust and unloving. Some declare God absent or unseen. Yet, in times of disaster the hand of God is mighty and the outpouring of His love is great. For in times of calamity and distress it the love of God which prompts us to reach out in compassion to others. Man rushes to the aid of the stricken in need. Hearts are moved to rescue, serve, support, encourage, nurture or train the afflicted. All over the world men and women step out daily to assist the needy, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and defend the defenseless. Man does not do this by his own compulsion and of his own desire. Man acts on behalf of God.

“We love because He first loved us,” (1 John 4:19NIV).

While all of man has the capacity to love others and to show love through compassion, Christian’s are called by the Lord to love without restraint. Followers of Christ are to love as Jesus loved and those whom He loved which is everyone. In addition to this principle for godly living, Christians are told the way they love others will directly measure their relationship with God himself.

“If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother,” (1 John 4:20-21 NIV).

Throughout life we are provided opportunities to allow love to flow through us. We choose whether or not to be a conduit or a dam. Those who choose to allow the love of God to pour into their lives and spill over into the lives of others are like a running spring through a dry and barren land. They bring life into a desert and refreshing others is their joy. For these lovely souls, God is on the throne and they are glad recipients of His mercy and grace. The abundant life is theirs-- regardless of their wealth--because the Lord lives in them and is their prize…their “very great reward,” (Genesis 15:1 NIV).

“Lord Jesus, help us turn our hearts over to you that we may overflow with your love and touch others on your behalf.”

Growing in Grace

While the worries of the world are like a hot flame upon on our heads and the work of man wears us out, the presence of the Lord refreshes and renews. Waking to a new day with the wonder of God in my mind, I strive to push aside the mundane tasks, which oppress my spirit. Thoughts of freedom to allow the Lord to move me wherever He pleases, feels like cool water on hot, swollen feet. I surrender to the prompt to ponder what the Lord has in store today and symbolically dip my whole body into the refreshing spring of Living Water.

Wading with a fresh word of encouragement from Chambers, I found myself drawn back to the awe and wonder I have of God. His desire to know me, His tenderness, power and faithfulness are my great comfort. However, when I focus on God alone, not the attributes that bless me, I am stunned to silence.

In times like this I become a very small child. The cares of day to day life are laid down and I step into an awareness of the hand of the Almighty all around me. Every single element of our world expands and becomes tethered to God's hand.

“Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made,” (John 1:3 NIV).

While a single flower holds a beauty and wonder of its own, it’s dependency on soil, nutrients, water, air and sun light remind me that God has intricately woven his creation to be dependant. Life is not by chance, nor is it in our control. Life is only by the power of God.

Looking to my grossly neglected garden, I marvel at the number of blooms on the rose bushes. Suddenly I am reminded that the plant can thrive without my precise, trained pruning. In an instant the bush went from a burden and guilt to a spiritual blessing. For the Lord spoke to me of budding hopes, blooming dreams, aromatic joy, days passing like petals falling to the ground, sucker branches stealing energy, even some dead issues that needed some attention. My present journey was portrayed in the portrait of a rose bush. The Lord revealed the life it depicted was beautiful—not because it had been meticulously handled and manipulated--because it was growing in freedom.

The visual ministered to me as I pondered Oswald Chambers words; “Our natural inclination is to be so precise—trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next—that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing.” While we allow fear and desire for comfort to fuel and guide many of our efforts we strain like gardeners striving to make a paradise on earth. In the process we lose the wonder of the rose bush or worse claim its beauty to be a result of our effort not God’s.

The Lord desires we remain like children struck with awe and wonder as we go through life. Not fighting to take control of circumstances but gleefully anticipating the work of His hand. We bloom when we trust He has a plan and surrender ourselves to every surprise he has in store for us. For when we rest in the certainty of God we can relish not resent the uncertainty of His ways.

Young David slayed Goliath through his faith in the certainty of God. Gideon sought confirmation to the uncertain ways of the Lord. Each man brought glory to our King through their lives because they allowed the hand of God to work in their lives freely. They didn't determine the shape of their bush. They simply allowed God to be Lord in their circumstances. Their joy was in the glory of God.

Again I go to the garden and recall moments with Him as I watered and weeded. The hummingbirds drinking from the hose…so close I didn’t dare breathe, the turtle doves nesting in the haven of our trees, the woodpecker hammering away, the glorious hawk pausing on the lawn with prey in its claws, the owls silhouette in the night, even the ducks enjoying the pool. Each encounter, a blessed surprise and thrilling experience.

God desires to surprise us in our day to day lives as well. He delights in revealing Himself and the glory in His creation with us. The "chance" encounter with a long lost friend, an upgrade in service, a note of encouragement in the mail, an opportunity to speak of him to a stranger. What gifts of God do we miss because of tight fisted hands or hyper control issues. How I pray we learn to lay our pruners down and allow our lives to grow in the freedom of Christ. Let us hold to our childlike wonder of God and give our Lord opportunity to surprise and thrill us in this garden of life.

When we step back and take in the whole picture of our life…may we recognize the beauty in uncertainty and freedom in Christ. For the True Gardener knows how to tend our vines best and the certainty we have in God is our best nutrient for growing.

The Gift of Life

Did you know your life was meant to be a prize…a glorious gift from God? The child who abandons their own desires and will, through total surrender to the Lord will indeed receive their life as a gift, (O. Chambers).The word of God proclaims this in Jeremiah 45:5; “I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” (NIV)

Many of us, looking back over our life, might struggle to see it as a gift. Life is not easy. Yet, the point Chambers is making is not that our lives are a gift on their own. Rather, lives which are in “total oneness with Himself, paying no more attention to what you call the great things of life,” become our gift from God.

Abandonment of our own fleshly desires and wants leaves us completely available to the Lord and His work. Thus, we live freely in the will of the Father and like little children rest in His care. The gift is the freedom to be who we are created and destined to be. Living in oneness with the Lord is the supreme way of life and tragically so few people experience it.

The story of the prophet Samuel provides a wonderful illustration of a life surrendered to the will of God. First we see Samuel’s mother, Hannah, broken and barren crying out to the Lord for a child. Unable to stand the taunting of Peninnah (her husband’s second wife), Hannah prays for a child: a single son of her own. Hannah promises to give the child to God at the time of her petition, and makes no request for him to be great or revered. Still, God recognizes her willingness to sacrifice and honor the Lord. Hannah is “remembered” by God and is blessed with the son she prayed for. Faithfully, Hannah brings a weaned Samuel to the temple and presents him as an offering to the Lord. In return God blesses Hannah. To her great joy, one son given sacrificially to God is replaced by three sons and two daughters.

But God gave Hannah more than the blessings of children.

Samuel would bring honor to the family by serving in the Temple under Eli the priest. In addition, Hannah's gift to God would be God's gift to the Israelites. Through Samuel the Lord would speak to His chosen: “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions,” (1 Samuel: 3:1 NIV). Hannah would see the goodness of God as He remained with Samuel as he grew, “and he let none of his words fall to the ground,” (1 Samuel 3:19 NIV). Moreso, the Lord revealed himself to Samuel, called him into fellowship and made him His prophet. Samuel’s word became well known and revered as the Lord’s by the people.

Hannah’s act of worship--the gift of her son-- was greatly favored by God. We should not overlook Elkanah’s great sacrifice. He also sacrificed a son in giving Samuel to God. His love for Hannah allowed her freedom to honor God as she was led.

While the parents in this story certainly provide remarkable examples of sacrifice, Samuel is for us the model of complete surrender to the Lord. His first words to the Lord were; “Here I am…” (1 Samuel 3:8 NIV). As he grew Samuel gave of himself tirelessly to the Lord. The result was a life of closeness with God for himself. However the Israelites benefited as well. Samuel brought them a powerful anointing of the word of God. In his life, Samuel served as both a judge and deliver of Israel. Sharing the wrath of the Lord with his children and prompting them towards repentance and covenant renewal through the establishment of kingship in the land.

The one who recognized and submitted to the Lord as the sovereign King of Kings, anointed God’s chosen to govern His people.

Samuel could have ignored the voice of God calling to him in the night. He could have rejected a life of a Temple servant and sought a life based on his own dreams and desires. However, Samuel chose to live completely surrendered to the will of God and the calling He had made on his life. In return, the Lord God Almighty gave Samuel a mighty and meaningful life.

The adage; “living life to the fullest,” sounds good but really is impossible for those catering to their own wants and desires: for the ways of the world are shallow or empty. Only through total surrender to the will of God will we find freedom to be who we were created to be. And only in this freedom will we experience, the fullness of truly living the life God longs to give us. The gift of a life he died in order to give.

We simply can not out give God. When we surrender our all, He in return gives us everything.

Intimacy With the Father

God fashioned us with specific abilities and talents to serve His purpose. Therefore, using our gifts to serve the Lord will naturally bring a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Still, it is imperative the believer does not allow their work for the Lord to upstage their relationship with God, (Oswald Chambers). Though one may be gifted in an area of service, the glory of a fruitful ministry is God’s and the joy for the worshiper should be in being used by God.

How does one discern between the desire to give God your best and personal ambition? Two answers stand out among the rest. First, consider whether the goal is that you are blessed, or that others are blessed? Second, ask yourself if you are able to willingly walk away from the goal--if God asks you to--regardless of your investment. Staying in the will of the Father should override all else.

Believers can easily slip into focusing more on their service work and ministry than on their personal walk with Christ. Accolades and praise may draw their attention from the call of the Lord. The enemy wastes no opportunity to steal or destroy our focus on God. Therefore, we must always be on our guard and remain in close unity with the Lord: so as not to fall into the devil’s traps of pride, arrogance and self service. Chambers claims the evidence of being in this state is marked by fatigue, burn out and feelings of being overwhelmed: for we may act in our own strength and serve our own means. While we may certainly feel these temporarily in our service to the kingdom, an ongoing, debilitating presence of these should be a warning we are off on our own agenda.

Oswald Chambers reminds us the opposite is true for the servant who keeps their focus on the Lord during their service. “There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him.” Remarkably, when our focus remains on the will of the Father, we will; “soar on wings like eagle’s, (Isaiah 40:31 NIV).

Today’s devotional takes a closer look at this principal by asking the believer; “What do you want?” Pondering what we want before the throne of God may shed light on impure motives or desires or confirm that you are in a right place of worship. Chambers states; “If you have only come as far as asking God for things, you have never come to the point of understanding the least bit of what surrender really means. You have become a Christian based on your own terms. “Simply stated, are we seeking God or the blessings which come from His hand?

Abraham sought after God and was honored with riches, family and every imaginable blessing. Yet, consider God’s servant Job. Here we find yet another devout God loving man. Yet, Job, with all his loss, his physical, emotional and spiritual pain, as well as ridicule from his peers, kept his eyes fixed on the Lord. Though he suffered, he did not denounce his God. The gift of relationship with the Lord sustained him through the stagnant and rotting valley of death. In the end, his joy was increased beyond what he had known.

Job overcame the devil’s wrath, not through his own strength, but rather through his relationship with the Almighty: he knew God was good, faithful and loving. Though he pondered the will of God, Job trusted the hand of his Creator, and a greater depth to their relationship was the outcome.

Coming off a high of fruitful labor, it is important to determine if your service would have been as satisfying if the fruit was not evident. In other words, are we seeking satisfaction in our ministry and work or a deeper relationship with the Father? Tilling the soil, sowing seeds and nourishing the crop is our calling, regardless of whether or not we ever reap the harvest. Are we willing to labor without a pat on the back, applause or recognition?

When we look to Abraham’s first encounter with God we see his desire to know the Almighty over all he had and knew. Though he was told by God, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you,” his motives were to embrace an intimate relationship with the Lord, (Genesis 12:2 NIV). Abraham’s prompt response and obedience opened doors to a remarkable spiritual life built on faith and a rich relationship with God. For even his son, Isaac, was not more valuable to Abraham. This faithful servant sought a right relationship with God over everything else in response to God’s promise.

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward,” (Genesis 15:1NIV).

For many of us this is not knew information. However, the question at hand is in the midst of our everyday life…do we keep a desire to be intimate with the Lord over everything else?

When our work is taken for granted, do we place recognition before rest in Christ? When others treat you poorly, does desire to retaliate upstage your trust in the Lord? Do you only feel close to God when circumstances feel good or appear fruitful?

Serving the Lord, takes on a different meaning when it is shadowed with adversity. How we respond to less than desirable circumstances is a vital insight into our relationship with God. When we are sold out to simply serve for the joy of growing closer to God, we will find the ability to rise above “issues”. While we may stumble at times--getting caught up in petty talk or attitudes--we must repent, once again leave the ways of the world behind and seek after Jesus.

Intimacy with God is our greatest opportunity, our highest calling and our most valued achievement. Let us therefore, strive to follow Christ where ever He may lead: serving for the sake of relationship and casting aside anything that would upstage our King.