Oh, goodness! What a whirlwind life has been over the past few weeks- but I wouldn't trade it! Days full of school, ministry, spending time with dear friends, and connecting with old ones.
I have decided to take the plunge and talk ..., er write, about the major lesson God has been teaching me lately, which is LOVE. I usually get the love memo every year, around summertime, it seems; time when I can really focus on God. But God has been asking those who love Him to step up the devotion and sacrifice even more this year. So, it is fitting that He started this year off with this neverending, beautiful lesson of unfailing love.
I just finished a book called Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. It is about the church realizing the awesome love God has for each one of us, and the response that realization should provoke. Chan talks about how the church has become ineffective because she is having an identity crisis- She has forgotten who She is. Once we realize how much Jesus gave up, all so we would have the choice to live for Him, the only fitting response is a life of love. Our love for Jesus overflows onto everyone we encounter; it's not an option, it is a chain reaction. But it is so easy to say these things. Even as I write these words, I can still feel the disconnect between what I believe and know to be true and how to simply live it out. Towards the end of the book, Chan lists several individuals and organizations who are living love out, everyday. They didn't wait for some worthy organization or group of people to call them to action. They heard Jesus asking them to treat each person they interact with as if he or she were Christ Himself. The least of these... The thing about living love is that it is so radical and unearthly, wherever and whomever you share it with is certain to notice. The world is not accustomed to pure love.
Chan ends with the simple notion that we are called to live holy, loving lives, not just talk about it. He offers the mindset of viewing each person we encounter as if he or she were Christ Himself. How would that change our words, tones, actions, and overall demeanor? This is a simple, yet absolutely revolutionary nugget of wisdom.
Earlier this week, I was listening to a speaker talking about modesty and what exactly that means. The she cited 1 Peter 3:3-4, and was speaking about what should our adornment be.
1 Peter 3:3-4 (New International Version)
3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
She concluded with a simple question: At the end of your conversations, have you been pointed towards Christ?
I think that question is incredibly fitting and a great nugget to hold on to: At the end of a conversation, have I pointed that person towards Christ?
Lots of love,
-L
