I think what I was trying to say yesterday is that it's important to receive. Because in order for you to be receiving something, someone has to be giving something. And that's not always easy for people. Reaching out makes you vulnerable. It gives someone else the chance to slap your hand away. And, believe you me, that happens sometimes. Sometimes people WILL slap you away when you reach out. Don't stop reaching out. The power isn't in how someone reacts to you. The power is in giving what you've got--everything you have and everything you are--no matter how they react. Receiving and releasing. Receiving BY releasing. But, like I keep saying, we're going to get to that. My focus for this Rant series is the importance of receiving. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. So... either you know and believe that you have something (because you know that God has given it to you, and you've received it), or you spend your Three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) trying to get something. That's the difference between the truth and the lie. The truth says, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand" (John 3:35). We already have everything we need. There is no earning involved. It was a gift. An inheritance, if I can put it in those terms. So we don't need anything. But the lie says, "You have to do in order to be." You have to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in order to be like God. WRONG! LIE! We were created in His image. And then, on the cross, we were conformed to the image of His Son. And WE didn't have to do anything in either event. When Jesus was lifted up on the cross He drew us all into Himself. He did it. He finished the work. Everything that was necessary... was necessary for JESUS to do. Not for US to do. And thank God for that. Because we couldn't do it. Break part of the Law and you've broken the whole Law, right? "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We were sinners in need of a Savior. We couldn't do ANYTHING to get ourselves out of the mess Adam had made for us. And that was the point. The point was, "You can't, so I will." The point was for us to stop trying. God doesn't want what we can produce on our own. He made that clear with Cain and Able. He wants the Lamb. He wants His Son. He wants us to know ourselves AS His Son. That's why Jesus didn't just give His life FOR us. He gave His life TO us. So that we could experience it. As He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. Did you catch that? Jesus does the living. Its HIS life. Nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. Living a life of love because you've received the love--the life, the light--that He has given you. Letting what's inside come out, simply by knowing and believing that its in there. Filling yourself to overflowing with that love and letting it come out. Naturally. But you can't believe something you don't know. And you can't release something you haven't received. It starts with a gift. The gift of God. Eternal life. The way of grace. And the receiving of that gift. Believing you have it. The walk of faith. The response of someone giving you a gift... is receiving it!

I don't really like cupcakes. Even chocolate ones. Shocking, I know. But at work when a kid has a birthday, he or she almost always brings cupcakes. And they usually bring them around the whole school offering them to all of the staff. And I usually politely decline. Because I don't really like cupcakes. But when its a kid that I actually have a relationship with--especially one of our ASD kids--I always take a cupcake. Knowing full well I'm not going to eat it. Because sometimes its important to receive what is being offered. Sometimes it means a lot to someone that they are giving you something. Its that connection. That relationship. They made an effort to reach out. The least you can do is not slap them away. Even when I pass on the cupcake, I make sure to tell the kid happy birthday. It doesn't always take a whole lot to make someone feel special. And if you can do that, you should. Because there's not enough of that in the world. More often it seems like we make others feel small in order to try to make ourselves feel big. And that's not ok. That's certainly not love. But it comes from a place of wanting love, but not feeling like we have it. And if we feel like we don't have it we'll do anything--ANYTHING--to get it. Because we don't just want it. We need it. It is the desire of our hearts. It is the most important thing and the world. And, as I've been trying to illustrate today, love is not about getting. Its about giving. So when someone gives you something, that's almost always an expression of love. You CAN give without loving. But you can't love without giving. So when someone does something for you, just receive it. Thank them. Strengthen that bond. That connection. That relationship. And--I've mentioned that I think we're going to get to releasing next, after receiving but--the best way to receive love is by giving love. Taking a cupcake that you don't really want, but doing it with a smile and a hug. A high five and a "happy birthday." Giving thanks in order to receive what is being giving. We always talk about that "attitude of gratitude" that goes with my favorite Bible verse--"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)--but we live a life of "I don't want your charity!" Too much pride. Too much self-righteousness. So even though it makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable when people give me stuff... the bottom line is that charity is love in action, and I'll take as much of that as I can get. I'll receive it. By releasing it. Because God works in mysterious ways... because He works through people. And people can be mysterious. Hard to figure out. Doesn't make a lot of sense. If I know one thing about life, its that life is a mystery. It doesn't go the way you think it will, or the way you think it should. So instead of getting mad every time it doesn't, you oughta be grateful for it. Pray without ceasing, to me, means be thankful for everything. That's my prayer with my kid every night: "Father God, thank you for..." Because He's given us so much. Everything. His heart. His Spirit. His Son. His life. Himself. Everything we could ever need. Love. We need love to survive. To thrive. To live. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. You can't have one without the other. Can't DO one without the other. So just accept it. Receive it. Don't slap the hand that reaches out. Hold the hand. Make a connection. Give what you've got, and receive what you've been given. Live a life of love!

Receiving is so important, because it gets us out of the mindset of getting. So often we spend our Three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) trying to get the things we think we haven't got. We waste our lives chasing the very things we've always had. And we do it, in my opinion, because we don't believe we're worthy of those things that we want. Our heart's desire is love. Period. What else could it be? Acceptance. A place of belonging. People who care for us. People who have our backs. That's what we all want. Community. Relationship. Even hermits like me want--NEED--that support group. Let me say it another way, "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18). And, when you get right down to it, that's what love is: Giving everything you have and everything you are to someone else. Laying your life down for your friends. Experiencing that bond. That relationship. I guess, today, I'm trying to say that relationship is important. And on the cross God shined the light of the world to show us that relationship. A heavenly Father who loves His Son. A Son that knows His Father loves Him, and is well pleased in Him. A Father that loves His Son and has given all things into His hands. So, because of that relationship, we don't need to get anything. We already have everything. We simply need to receive what we've already been given. We need to know and believe that we have what we need. That we ARE who we need to be. And, again, that takes us out of the mindset of trying to be someone we're not in order to get something we haven't got. When you know who you are, you can BE who you are. When you know you've been transformed--conformed into the image of God's Son--you can BE transformed by the renewing of your mind. When you know who you are you can embrace who you are. And you can embrace others for who THEY are. That's the other part of receiving--releasing. But we'll get there. First things first. You can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. So you need to KNOW what you have. You have to receive what you've been given. And here's the key: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:31-33). Point being, don't chase after the worldly stuff. Seek the Kingdom. Not because you don't have it, but because you DO have it. Because you ARE it. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). This kingdom that we seek, this righteousness that we seek... its us. Its me and you. When we find this kingdom, this righteousness, in ourselves and in each other, that's when we can have that love relationship. The deep calls out to the deep. The light in me connects to the light in you. And it flips the script on the relationship dynamic. We stop trying to get things from each other, and we start giving things (and, more importantly OURSELVES) to each other. We don't just receive AND release. We receive BY releasing. Giving what we've got. The love that we've got. The love that we ARE!

I preach about receiving and releasing a lot. Because I think its important. The secret of life, perhaps. Because the thing that we are receiving and releasing is the gift of God. Which is eternal life. Which is knowing the one true God and the One whom He sent. Knowing the Father in the context of being His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Experiencing Jesus' life by letting Him live it in you, and through you, and as you. And that's basically what I want to focus on for the next few days; not trying to get anything, but receiving what we already have. Fighting the good fight of faith and laying hold of eternal life. Not getting it, because we already have it. Jesus gave His life FOR us on the cross... but He also gave His life TO us on the cross. We have it. Right now. What we need to do, well, let me quote my passage of Scripture. Colossians 3:9-10, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." That's it right there. The old man believed the lie that the serpent hissed into his ear (I know it was technically Eve, but Adam and Eve were kind of almost one and the same so bear with me). The lie that says you have to do in order to be. The lie that says you have to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in order to be like God. When the truth of the matter is, as He is, so are we in this world. We we created in His image in the beginning, and we were conformed to the image of His Son on the cross. We are who we need to be. What we need to do is BE transformed (into what we've already been transformed into) by the renewing of our minds. By letting the mind of Christ (that's already in us) BE in us. BE renewed by the knowledge of Him. Our true identity. Who we really are is who we are in Christ. And who we are in Christ is who Christ is in us. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So that old man that believed the lie could only speak lies. You can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. When we put him off--burying him in the watery grave of baptism--we reject the lie and accept the truth. And its only when you know the truth that you CAN reject, or ignore, the lie. Because the truth is so good that nothing else matters. Not too good to be true, but so good that it must be true! And here's where I wanted to get to: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). If you're in Christ--and you are. When He was lifted up on the cross He drew all men into Himself--you're a new creature. But you need to PUT ON that new man. You need to accept it. Know it and believe it. Because the truth HAS set you free and made you free. But if you don't know it, you'll keep acting like a slave instead of a Son. The new has come. Its here. Its you. Receive it. Put it on. Get comfortable in it. And, yes, that takes time. Change always does. But the gift (again) is eternal life. So we have all the time in the world. All we need to do is stop trying to be someone we're not, and learn how to be who we are. Let Jesus be Himself in us, and through us, and as us!

What we have been given is what we have to give. We have NOT been given a spirit of fear. A spirit of doubt, and a lack of self-confidence. That's not what we have. That's not who we are. We HAVE been given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. We HAVE been given the gift of God, which is eternal life, which is knowing the Father in the context of being His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. We HAVE been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. We don't need anything else. And that means we can stop chasing. Kind of what having a sound mind is all about. We can stop trying to be someone we're not, and we can embrace who we are. We can BE who we are. We can be transformed (into what we've already been transformed into) by the renewing of our mind. By letting the mind of Christ (that's already in us) BE in us. Do you see a theme with the word "be"? When it comes to Spiritual things, what we have is who we are. Because we have love. We are loved. And that means we ARE love! Love is what we do, because love is what we be. And the difference between the two spirits--the one we DON'T have and the one we DO have--is that the spirit of fear keeps you from operating in love. But there is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear. Because perfect love knows where it (HE) comes from. Perfect love knows what it (HE) is all about. And what love is all about, who love is, is giving. Laying your life down for your friends. And if that sounds like a powerful thing... it is. Its the most powerful thing there is. Its a miracle. Loving someone is literally a miracle. It'll change their world. Even if it seems small. Sometimes the small things are the big things. The important things. Having someone's back. Being there for them when no one else is. Man... if you think you're all alone, and then you find out that you're not... you talk about powerful. But you have to HAVE power in order to DO something powerful. The spirit of power. Knowing that we are seated at the right hand of the Father. The power seat. Knowing that we are connected to the unlimited supply of love. That means that no matter how much love you give, you can't run out. That means you can love fearlessly. That's HOW perfect love drives out fear. There is nothing to fear when you are wrapped up in the loving arms of your heavenly Father. The whole armor of God? That's God protecting you. A Father protecting His Son. And, listen, that doesn't mean you won't go through things. That means you are strong enough to go through things. No matter what you get into, you don't have to let things get into you. You can weather the storm. You can plant yourself on the Rock and know that you will not be shaken. I think one of the most powerful things you can do is stand. Be still and know that HE is God. Know that the love inside you is enough. Know that YOU are enough. You don't have to be someone you're not. You can be yourself. Who you are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in you. The love inside coming out. Naturally. As you fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Power. Love. A Sound Mind. Not just what you have. Who you are. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in your flesh. Love in your body. Coming out with every act of love and kindness that you commit!

Power, love, a sound mind. That's what we've been given. And that is a spirit. THE Spirit. The Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The truth that God is love and He loves you. And that's the point. Receiving and releasing His love. Its not a spirit of fear that is afraid to love. It is the exact opposite. It is the Spirit of Love that has no room for fear! Love is powerful, I'm telling you. Its hard to resist. When someone loves you... that's what we're all looking for. That's the desire of our hearts. That's why we were created. Think about it: We long for love more than anything else because love is the whole point of the whole thing. Its all about love. Jesus' abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life is a life of love. That's what makes is abundant, and everlasting, and eternal! Love is what makes life worth living. And love is what makes life possible to live. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. You can't have one without the other. Because they are not just connected. They are the same thing. And I've said many times that the hardest part about life is just living it... doing what you've gotta do day after day after day... living is powerful. Truly living. Letting God love you and loving others with that love. There's nothing more powerful than that. You've probably heard the saying, "You aren't called to change the world, but by loving someone you can change THEIR world." And its true. Love is all powerful. And, really, that doesn't mean MOST powerful. Because that would mean that something other than love HAS power. And nothing else does. Love isn't MOST powerful, love is ALL powerful. Love has all of the power. Love IS all of the power! So when you get overwhelmed... or when you don't know what to do... just do what you know; Love! Love will win the day, because on the cross love WON the day. Jesus won the war to end all wars. Which means there are no more wars to fight. We don't have to scratch and claw for everything we get. We already have what we need. We can rest. Relax. We can stop trying so hard to be someone we're not, and we can embrace who we really are. We can BE who we really are by letting Jesus be who HE really is in us, and through us, and as us. And that's where the power comes from; we are seated at the right hand of the Father because HE is seated at the right hand of the Father. As He is, so are we in this world. What is true about Jesus is what is true about you. And what is true about Jesus is that He is the Father's beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. Which means WE are the Father's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Which means we can stop trying to earn His approval. We already have it. And there is nothing that will equip and empower a Son like His Father's approval. That's where our power comes from. Our heavenly Father's love fills us up, and then we fill ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with, and then it comes out. Naturally. All over everybody we come into contact with. We CAN change people's lives by loving them. Its miraculous. Love is a miracle. Its powerful. And its not just something we DO. Its who we ARE. We are powerful. Connected to the unlimited source of love that is our heavenly Father!

It takes power to do something powerful. Makes sense, right? But watch this: The word "power" in 2 Timothy 1:7 is number 1411 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "force; specifically miraculous power." And since we're talking about love I want to say this as clearly as I can: Love is a miracle. Love is THE miracle. Power, love, and a sound mind. That's the spirit (Spirit) we've been given. And, again, all of those things are the same thing. Love is the power, or the force, that makes a difference in this world. Love is the light that was spoken into the darkness. Let me say it this way: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). There's a motivation there, and the power to back it up. Which I think is one of the biggest misconceptions about love. People seem to think love HAS a motive, when in fact (and in truth) love IS the motive. God's good pleasure is love. When people love each other, God is happy. That's what He wants. Because that's what He is. Now watch this: "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Link that up with this: "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33). Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. The power seat. And as He is, so are we in this world. We are in Him because He is in us. WE are seated at the right hand of the Father. The power seat. And it is from there that Jesus hath shed forth the light of the world. The LOVE of the world. God is light. God is love. Light is love. We have the power to shine. The power to do something powerful. To make a difference in people's lives. By laying our own lives down for them. By giving everything we have and everything we are without worrying about what comes next. If you're loving someone in the hopes of getting something... you aren't really loving them at all. At best you're working on control and manipulation. Love is NEVER about getting. Because love IS giving. Remember how we saw that we were not given a spirit of fear? And that meant fear of doing something. Fear of loving people. Fear of giving what we've got. That's what we were NOT given. Because we WERE given the sound mind. The mind of Christ that thinks the thoughts of Christ. Both to will and to do. Not this "fake it 'til you make it" idea. But a "I'm so full of love it just comes out naturally and gets all over everyone I come into contact" deal. Which, as I said, really is a miracle. We think a miracle has to be, like, the lame walking. And it is that. But don't discount the miracle of making someone smile. Of seeing a need and meeting that need. Of helping someone who was beginning to feel hopeless. Sometimes the little things ARE the big things. Sometimes the little things matter the most. Paying attention to someone. Listening. HEARING. Giving a hug, or a shoulder to cry on. But it takes power to do something powerful. It takes knowing what you've got in order to give what you've got. You have love. You ARE love. You are strong. You don't have to be afraid. You are loved... you can love!

Real power isn't about crushing people. Its about loving people. Yesterday we saw that the spirit of fear that God has NOT given us is all about being afraid to do something. Being afraid to love. Because opening yourself up like that CAN be scary. Especially if you do it with the idea of getting something out of it. And let me say this as clearly as I can: If you think loving somebody is about getting something out of it, you're 100% wrong. Because love is never about getting. Because love IS giving. And that's where the second part of 2 Timothy 1:7 comes in: "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Power. Love. A sound mind. Three things that are really one thing. Kind of like how 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Three things that are really one thing. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Three things that are one thing. So we need to look at what God HAS given us, quite simply, as love. He gave us Himself. And He is love. And then, when we understand that--when we understand that a sound mind is the mind of Christ, which only has love on the brain, and that love IS the power of God--when we understand that its all love, that's when we can start to look at the different aspects of love. But for today I want to focus on that phrase, "a sound mind." It is number 4995 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means--get ready--"Discipline, that is self control." Now there's another movie quote that fits right here. I know, I watch a lot of movies. It goes, "I'm not crazy. I'm in control." And that's kind of the first thing we think about in regards to a sound mind, right? We think about the opposite of crazy. Or at least I do, at first blush. But its so much more than that. Its about controlling your thought life. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). Now what this DOESN'T mean is that we are supposed to wear ourselves slap out by chasing every stray thought we have. In fact, just the opposite. It means you don't have to believe everything you think. It means you can SET your affection on things above, and not on things on the earth. You can have some discipline in your life, and even under grace--especially under grace--that's not a bad thing. Because just because you CAN do something, that doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. And if you're letting that mind of Christ (that's already in you) BE in you, by using it, then you're thinking the thoughts of God. The thoughts of love. You're obeying Christ. The New Commandment that says love one another as Christ loves you. You're thinking about love, and letting those thoughts--that Word--become flesh in your actions. Charity. Love in action. Letting Christ's love control you. That's what self control is. Its not trying to fit into a box. Its receiving and releasing--receiving BY releasing--the love of God. Using the power we've been given to help people. Seeing a need and meeting it. Not squandering what we've been given, but sharing what we've been given. And I'm telling you--I'm gonna keep saying it--when you love someone with no expectations... that's powerful. And because its powerful, it takes power. But we'll get there tomorrow.

Sometimes when I finish a Rant series it leads right into the next one. Sometimes it doesn't. This is one of the latter times. Because I had 2 Timothy 1:7 stuck in my head (in my heart), so I figured it was the right time to go ahead and explore it for a few days. First things first, the verse itself: "For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." There's kind of a lot there. The juxtoposition between what we THINK we have (but don't really have, and don't have to act like we have), and what we ACTUALLY have. So let's start there. The spirit of fear. That word "fear" is number 1167 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means "timidity." Basically, being afraid to do something. Dictionary.com defines "timid" as "lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery; easily alarmed; shy." So its not so much that you're afraid that something will happen. More afraid that you can't do something. Which, by the way, is why 1 John 4:18 is so important: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." The spirit of fear that we so often operate under--but was NOT given to us by our heavenly Father--is the fear of loving. Of being able to love. And even though love is the desire of our heart (what else could it be?) I think for the most part we're terrified of love. Terrified of not having it... and even more terrified of having it. Because letting someone love you means opening up to them. Being vulnerable. Giving yourself to someone. And when you're that intimate with someone, you give them all the ammunition they need if they want to hurt you. I've felt for a long time that you can only truly hate the people that you love. Because otherwise you can't muster up enough energy to even care. Or at least I can't. When people do stuff that I don't like, or when they do stuff against me, 99% of the time I just shrug and say, "who cares?". Mind over matter, right? If you don't mind, they don't matter. But when you open yourself up to someone... that's when you can really get burned. And that's scary. But it doesn't have to be. When we realize that perfect love casts out fear. There is no fear in love. Because love is about the result. Love is about the act. Charity--love in action. Love isn't about what you get. Love is about giving everything you have and everything you are. Which, again, CAN be scary. Especially when you think, "If I give everything I've got and don't get anything back, well, I won't have anything. I'll be busted. Empty." But that's not love. Love is laying your life down for your friends. Love is knowing that you are connected to the unlimited source of love. That you can't give so much that you run out. In fact--and we might get into this in the next couple of days--giving love is how experience love. It doesn't run out when you give it away. It fills you up. I always talk about filling yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Well, that's how you do it. You give away what you've got. You dont' focus on getting. You focus on giving. You don't focus on yourself. You focus on others. Not self-centered, but Christ-centered. Which means people-centered. And while that CAN be scary, it doesn't HAVE to be. What it is... is powerful!

There is nothing more important than what you believe. Because what you believe is what manifests in your life. What you believe is your reality. And that doesn't mean you can say, "I believe I'm a millionaire" and then check your back account and see all those zeroes. That's not belief. That's wishing and hoping. What I'm talking about is either what the world says, or what your heavenly Father says. The lie that says you aren't good enough, or the love letter that says you are perfect. And here's the deal: You are NOT what people call you. But you ARE what you answer to. Because what you answer to is what you believe about yourself. I want to tell this story as an example, but I won't use any names to protect the "innocent." Once upon a time a person I know had too much to drink. And got into a fight. And when they got accused of doing what they had done, they said, with all sincerity, "That wasn't me. You've got the wrong guy." Because in their mind, they hadn't done anything. They didn't believe what they were being accused of. And all that mattered to them was what they believed. So let me say it this way: When you know the truth, its easy to ignore the lie. But if you don't know the truth, its easy to believe the lie. And, unfortunately, the lie comes from the world screaming at the top of its lungs. Burying you under all of your past mistakes, and all of your future worries. Making it almost impossible to hear anything else. Especially the still, small voice of the Lord. But that's why you have to be still, and know that He is God. The deep calls out to the deep. In His light we see light. When we are still, we can hear His still, small voice. It is deep inside of us. His heart beating with love. His Word written on our hearts. And when we listen to that voice, when we read that love letter, we find the truth. The truth that has always been true, and will always be true. The ultimate truth of the universe that God is love and He loves you. Always has, always will. That's what the world doesn't want you to know. Because if you know that you are loved... you WILL love. What's inside WILL come out. It has to. Its too big to keep inside. And the world doesn't want you to love. Because love is giving. And the world works when people try to get. The Kingdom operates when we give. How else could the ever-expanding government of peace expand? It expands when we share it. When we give it away. When the Word (inside) is made flesh (and comes out) in the act of love. Or charity. Love in action. A love letter that we read, and a love letter that is read by all men. People notice when you don't do what everybody else is doing. When something different, and unexpected happens. That's why people seem to be so afraid of love. They look at it suspiciously. Like, what's the motive? But I'm telling you, love doesn't HAVE a motive. Love IS the motive. Love is what matters. Love is what we were created to do, and love is what we were created to believe. Have faith in God. Believe in love. Receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. Read the letter over and over, and let others read it. In you. As you show it to them. By loving them. Know and believe the love of God, and by believing it, let it manifest in your life. Live a life of love by letting the love inside come out. That's a life worth living. That's what Jesus gave us on the cross. That's the Word of God. Love!