Because this was a leap year, there's an extra Rant. (Hooray!) And I want use it to talk about what love is. I know, I know, it feels like that's all I ever do. But I want to literally define the word love. 1 John 4:8 says, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." This verse, especially the last part, is quite literally what I base my whole ministry on. God is love. To me, it's that simple. When we're talking about God, we're not talking about some distant angry taskmaster who is just waiting to get us everytime we mess up. When we're talking about God... we're talking about love. And watch this: The word "love" is number 26 in Strong's Greek Concordance. It means, "affection or benevolence; specifically a love feast." Which, to me, is the perfect definition. A love FEAST. The only thing in the universe that can satisfy the hunger deep inside all of us. The only thing that can fill us up. And when we are filled to overflowing... it comes out of us. Naturally. Why do you think Jesus stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to open up to Him so He can come in and sup with us? You are what you eat! When Adam ate from the tree of death (the tree of knowledge of good and evil) he died. When we eat from the Tree of Life, we eat the Fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. When we eat love--or receive the heavenly Father's love--we can share what we've got. Because we know and believe we've got something. We receive and release. We receive BY releasing. The Spirit and the bride say come. But they don't say, "Come... or else." They say, "Come and get it!" Everything we've ever wanted is available to us. We don't have to earn it--and in fact, we can't earn it--but it was freely given from a Father who loves His Son. When it was dark God said, "Let there be light." When we were void He filled us with Himself. When we were hungry He prepared a table for us in the midst of our enemies. A table of bread and wine. A table of lamb. He gave Himself for us, and He gave Himself TO us. Jesus said, "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him" (John 6:56). He came to give us life, and that more abundantly. And He did that by fixing our diet. By cursing the fig tree--the tree of knowledge of good and evil--because it couldn't bear fruit, and showing us where the river of living water flows from. It flows from our innermost being. We don't just eat from the Tree of Life... we are PART of it! He is the vine and we are the branches! We don't just eat the fruit, we bear it. We carry it to those who need it. Which, by the way, is everybody. Everybody needs love. That's the universal human appetite. And if you don't know where to find it, you'll keep looking for love in all the wrong places. You'll run FROM God instead of running TO God. But if you know who He is--He is love--then you'll sit down in a posture of rest and enjoy the greatest meal ever prepared. The Love Feast.

It's not about what we deserve, because it's not about what we did. It's about what JESUS did, both for us and as us! And that's why it's called REST. Jesus did the work. And we get to enjoy the fruit of His labor. The fruit of the Spirit. Love. Jesus said the greatest love a man can have is to lay his life down for his friends. And then He went to the cross and did that very thing. He didn't just TELL us about love, He SHOWED us love. He SHOWED us the Father. He SHOWED us who we really are. By shining the light of the world. The same light that we are. We really don't seem to understand that in the beginning we were made in the image of God. And then on the cross we were conformed into the image of His Son. As He is, so are we in this world. Because He lives in us and we live in Him. There is no separation. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The straight and narrow way to the Father that can only be walked by His Son. The truth about God... and the truth about us. And the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life that IS a life full of love! To live is to love and to love is to live. Those two things aren't just connected... they are the same thing! So to say we have to earn God's love is like saying we have to earn our lives. Our right to live. And that's crazy. We didn't choose to be born. We were given that gift and had absolutely nothing to do with it. And before the cross we didn't choose to die either. Adam--as humanity's representative--made that choice. We didn't have anything to do with it. Then, at the cross, we didn't choose to be a part of what Jesus did, either. He was lifted up from the earth and He drew all men unto Himself. See, we have this idea of free will (and to some degree we do have free will, even though most of the time it seems like we don't have much choice in the matter when we do things), but Adam got us into trouble and Jesus got us out of it. That's the gospel in a nutshell. And the most important thing to realize is that it had nothing to do with anything we did, or anything we could do. It had everything to do with who we are, and who we are (or were) in. We WERE in Adam. Now we are in Christ. We didn't deserve God's mercy and grace. But He gave it to us anyway, because He loves us. Because He wants what's best for us. That's why He gave what's best TO us. He gave us something--love--to believe in. He gave HIMSELF to us. So that we might believe. So that we might live. It's not about earning your bread by the sweat of your brow. It's about Jesus sweating blood to redeem us from the curse. It's about the unforced rhythms of grace teaching us how to truly live. Teaching us how to love by teaching us how God loves us! That's what this life is all about. Loving each other as our heavenly Father loves us. And deserve has absolutely nothing to do with it!

Remember, mercy is NOT getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you DON'T deserve. Which is basically what Ezra 9:13 says, "And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespasses, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this." Punished us less... and given us such deliverance as this... Mercy and grace. Undeserved. Unforced. Unearned. It's the GIFT of God. Given from a loving heavenly Father to His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Let's face it- the wages of sin is death. That's what we "deserved," because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And that's where we were. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. But catch this: That wasn't God punishing us. That was the natural consequences of our actions. If you eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (the tree of death) what else could come BUT death? A seed can only produce after it's own kind. That's why, at the appointed time of the cross, Jesus drew us into Himself and planted Himself in us. A NEW seed. An incorruptible seed. We were no longer in Adam. We were finally able to rest in the arms of our heavenly Father. No longer running FROM God because we thought He was mad at us, but finally able to run TO God. Because we finally understand that He's not mad AT us, He's mad ABOUT us. Absolutely head over heels in love with us. He's not looking to punish us. He's not concerned with us "getting what we deserve." He wanted the best for us, so He gave the best TO us. He gave us His Son so that we might be conformed to the image of His Son. So that we might know that we ARE His Son. He gave us His Spirit. So that we might know and believe the love He has for us. That's what the Holy Spirit is--it's our love receptor. The cross didn't turn us into something God could love. He already loved us. Always has and always will. The cross turned us into something that could RECEIVE God's love. Receive it and release it. Receive it BY releasing it. To everybody we come into contact with. It was freely given to us... so freely we ought to give it to others. Not judging be appearance. Not withholding it from those who we decide "don't deserve it." But simply filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with, and watching it come out naturally. Watching people get healed just because our shadow passes over them. Meeting needs without a second thought. Just because we can. We've been blessed... to be a blessing. Given abundance... so that we can share out of our abundance. According to Malachi 3:10 WE are the windows of heaven. WE are the link between heaven and earth. We experience the days of heaven ON earth by letting what's inside come out. And we let it out by believing it's in there. We let it out when we stop trying to get something we think we don't have and start to know and believe that we DO have it. We have it, because our Father gave it to us. As a gift. Not something we earned. Not because of anything we did. But because of who we are... and because of who HE is. So stop trying to be someone you're not. Stop trying to get something you think you haven't got. God loves you. So love each other with that same love!

When you understand that the gift of God--eternal life, knowing the Father and the One whom He sent--has nothing to do with what you do and everything to do with who you are... that's when you can start to ENJOY the gift of God. You can stop trying to earn something that can't be earned. Look at Matthew 11:28-30 in the Message Bible, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Did you catch that? The ryhthms of grace are UNFORCED. Undeserved. A gift that we've already been given, but must learn to receive. And that's what the Holy Spirit is all about. That's what it means to "get away with Jesus and recover your life." Because to live is to love and to love is to love. That's what the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of truth--teaches us. That's where the Holy Spirit leads us. He leads and guides us into all truth. The ultimate truth of the universe that says the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. WE are that Son. All things have been given into OUR hands. We don't need to run around like chickens with our heads cut off, looking for love in all the wrong places. We don't have to try to earn something that is freely given. We don't have to judge others--or ourselves--to see if we are worthy of the gift. Explaining why Jesus died for us on the cross, why He washed us with water through the word, Ephesians 5:27 (NLT) says, "He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault." And this idea is taken almost directly from Song of Solomon 4:7, "Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee." That's how the Lamb sees His wife. That's how the Father sees His Son. That's how God sees us! Not according to what we do, but according to who we are. According to who HE is. As He is, so are we in this world. But so many times we rob ourselves from the gift we've been given. We try to earn it, and in that way completely miss out on it. Or we disqualify ourselves. We sin (which is unbelief) when we don't believe that we are who our heavenly Father says we are. When we try to be somebody we're not. When we try to modify our behavior to fit into a relgious box because we think in that way we'll get what we want. Guys. Love is NEVER about getting. Love is always about giving, because love IS giving. And, yes, you have to recieve first, so that you have something to give. But it is more blessed to give than to receive. You don't receive and then stop there. You don't horde up what you've got, waiting for someone to deserve it. Freely you have been given... freely give. Stop trying to get something you (think you) don't have, and start sharing what you do have! My pastor always says, "If you know it, throw it." If you have it, give it away. And don't be afraid to lose what you've got either. Because you're connected to the unlimited source of love. The very God who IS love. You can't run out. You've been filled to overflowing. Not because you earned it, or deserve it... but because your Daddy loves you!

I've heard it said that mercy is NOT getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you DON'T deserve. And those are two of the three things (which ain't bad at all) found in 2 John 1:3, "Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." And make sure you catch the part about "from God the Father." And the part about "in truth and love." I guess what I'm trying to say is, when we're talking about love (talking about God) we need to make sure our focus is in the right place. Not self-centered, but God-centered. Love-centered. People-centered. Because that's HOW we love God... we love people. Jesus said whatever you do unto the least of them you do unto Him. God lives in people. So in order to interact with God we have to interact with people. We obey the New Commandment by loving others as Jesus loves us. By receiving and releasing the love of God. The love that IS God. And since grace, mercy, and peace was given to us free of charge--the GIFT of God is eternal life--we can give these things to each other free of charge. We don't have to judge by appearance and try to make sure people "get what they deserve." And what a good thing that is. Because according to Romans 3:23, "...all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." We were all in the same boat. Sinners by our actions, and our very nature. Adam stood as representitive of the whole human race and sinned. He didn't believe what God said. He believed the lie that the serpent whispered into Eve's ear. And even though WE didn't have anything to do with that... we weren't even born yet... we got the consequences of Adam's actions. We didn't deserve it. But it happened anyway. Luckily that wasn't the end of the story. Because in the same way that we didn't deserve what Adam brought down on us, we didn't deserve what Jesus gave us. Romans 5:18-19 in the MSG bible says it like this, "Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right." So it was NEVER about US. Never about what WE did. It was always about who was representing us. Who we were IN. Before the cross we were in Adam. And that corruptible seed could only produce itself. More death and corruption. But on this side of the cross we are in Jesus. Because Jesus is in us. He is the incorruptible seed. He conformed us to His image. Drew us into Himself. Got rid of the separation and equipped and empowerd us to live His live by giving us His life, and by living HIs life in us, and through us, and as us! Deserve's got nothing to do with it. It's not about what you do. It's about who you are. And who you are... is Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. You are loved, and you are love!

I think it's important that we take some time to focus on the pure and simple fact--the TRUTH--that, when we're talking about love (which means we're talking about God) "deserve has nothing to do with it." We don't have to do ANYTHING to EARN anything. That's the trap that religion has set. That's the lie that the serpent hissed in Eve's ear. "IF you eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil THEN you'll be like God." Lie. Because man was already created in the image of God. We were already like Him. And we didn't--we don't--have to DO anything. It's not about what WE do, it's about what JESUS did on the cross. Because what Jesus did on the cross was He SHOWED us who we really are. He showed us the Father. He showed us the unconditional love relationship between Creator and creation. Between Father and Son. And the best picture I can find of what I'm trying to say is in Mark 1:10-11. Jesus is baptized. "And straightaway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Now catch this, the baptism... and the words of confirmation... came BEFORE Jesus started His earthly ministry, but AFTER the Holy Spirit descended on Him. BEFORE He did anything worthy of earning His Father's love, but AFTER He received the love receptor. At that point God was declaring His love for His SON. Not for a priest, or a rabbi, or a pastor, or a minister. He wasn't giving confirmation to what Jesus had done. He was giving confirmation to WHO JESUS WAS. And that's why knowing and believing our true identity is so important. That's why understanding 1 John 4:17 is so vitally important. "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." And I always like to point out that THIS is the day of judgment, and WE are the one's doing the judging. Look at 1 Corinthians 6:3 (NLT), "Don't you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life." Remember when Jesus said, "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24). Jesus said, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven," (Luke 6:37) right? But we need to understand that A. He was speaking under the Law, and B. He was showing us HOW to judge. He wasn't saying we shouldn't judge, just that we had to have the correct frame of reference TO judge. Judge righteous judgment. Judge the way HE judges. Boldness in the day of judgment because we are as He is. People don't always "deserve" mercy, and grace, and forgiveness, and love--according to the standards of this world. But while we are IN this world we are not OF this world. We don't judge by appearance. We don't give people what they deserve. We give people what we have been given. We receive it and release it. We receive it BY releasing it. We didn't get what we deserved, so we don't have to deal with other people on that level. We don't love to GET love. We love because we ARE loved. Because we are LOVE!

I wasn't sure if I was going to go here to end this Rant, but no matter what I try to follow where the Spirit leads. So. The interesting thing about helping others... about releasing what we've received... is that BY helping others we really help OURSELVES. Because the truth of the matter is, we're all in this together. We are different parts of the same body. When our neighbor does well, so do we. But this is a very UN-carnal mindset. Because the carnal mind says, "If I make you look worse, I'll look better by comparision." The way of the world, if I can say it that way, is to get higher by climbing over others. And I'm not saying you don't learn from those who came before you. I'm not saying you shouldn't stand on the shoulders of giants in order to see further than you could on your own. I'm saying you don't have to knock those giants down in order to look like a giant yourself. I'm saying, when we're talking about God (or love) as a crutch... when it comes right down to it we're all in the same boat. We all need a crutch. We all need each other. In Song of Solomon 5:16 the man (or Jesus) is referred to as "altogether lovely." And one day God quickened something to me. If something is true, the reverse is also often true. For example, Acts 17:28 says, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." In Him we live, and move, and have our being. That's true. And the reverse is also true. In US He lives, and moves, and has HIS being. So if He is altogher lovely... that means He is lovely all together. When WE are all together. Because we are He. We are His body. As He is, so are we in this world. Psalm 133:1 says it like this, "A song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Unity. Dwelling in unity means dwelling in love. The unity of love. The unity that IS love. We have to live together. With each other. No man is an island. It's not good that man should be alone. And watch this: When I help you stand--as a crutch--and you help me stand... neither one of us has to stand alone. Helping you HELPS ME. I've never felt love so clearly as when I was loving someone else. That's why when I talk about receiving and releasing I always try to point out that the best way to receive is BY releasing. Because if you give what you've got that means you believe you have it. If you love someone, that means you know and believe that you are loved. Otherwise you couldn't do it. You can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. So instead of the "conventional thinking" that says, "I'll take care of me even if its at your expense," the love of God says, "I'll take care of you and in that way I won't even have to take care of myself!" By holding you up, being YOUR crutch, I have something to hold onto. I HAVE a crutch, and I AM a crutch!

There's a story in the Old Testament of the Bible that says what I'm trying to say better than I can. It's found in Exodus chapter 17. It's about a battle between the people of Israel and Amalek. In this story, whenever Moses raised his arms the people of Israel would prevail. But whenever he lowered his arms Amalek would prevail. Now watch this, "Moses' arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset" (Exodus 17:12 NLT). Did you catch that? Not even Moses could do it himself. His own strength was not sufficient. He needed help. He needed someone to hold him up. He needed a crutch. And look who answered the call: Aaron and Hur. Two PEOPLE. God works in mysterious ways, because God works through PEOPLE. God holds us up by sending people to hold us up! And when we are standing tall... we can hold other people up. Remember Jesus said we would do the same works He did and greater works... if we believe. Because it's not about what you do. It's about what you believe. If you're trying to fix your behavior you're putting the cart in front of the horse. You've got it backwards. Behavior modification never leads to lasting results. Because it's outside-in. And outside-in isn't real. You can't let what's outside dictate what's inside. It has to be the other way around. What's inside comes out. When you know and believe that it's in there. When you know who is holding you up... that's when you can hold others up. When you know you're forgiven, that's when you can forgive others. When you know that you are loved, that's when you can love others! The crutch--that people think proves weakness--is really inner strength. God's weakness is stronger than our strength. And His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we stop trying to do it ourselves, that's when God has room to operate. I believe He'll let us try it ourselves. But I always believe He's right there with a helping hand when we stumble. A still, small voice inside of us correcting us when we turn to the right or the left. Keeping us on that straight and narrow path that leads to life. And, again, when we know the way... we can show others the way! Not by condemning them because they make mistakes. But by bearing their burdens with them. Standing shoulder to should with them and holding their arms up. Everybody messes up. Everybody makes mistakes. And everybody needs help. We HAVE BEEN helped, and that means we CAN help! We don't look down on people, unless we are reaching down to help them up. It's not condemnation. It's love. And it's not just what we do... it's who we are!

Everybody needs a crutch. Because everybody stumbles. Everybody makes mistakes. Eveybody needs help. So this idea that believing in God makes you weak is a little bit silly to me. You're weak either way. Even the strongest of us can't make it our own. But watch this, because this is good news. (And that's what the Gospel is, isn't it? The good news?) 1 Corinthians 1:25 (NLT), "This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength." God's weakness is stronger than our strength! Which, of course, begs the question: What IS God's weakness? And, quite simply, you are. I am. We are. The Father has a soft spot in His heart for His Son. That's what His plan was, after all. His plan was to give us His only begotten Son so that we might know and believe that we ARE His Son. So that we might experience the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of Jesus as Jesus lives it in us, and through us, and as us. And God's plan is wiser than all of our plans. What He did both for us and as us on the cross is better than anything we could do on our own. We run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to build our own little kingdoms, and we miss out on the truth that He already GAVE us HIS Kingdom. The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Love. He holds us up and keeps us from falling. When the just man falls seven times he gets us every time, right? JESUS is the just man, and seven is the number of perfection! He's been there, done that, got the t-shirt. He knows the way because He IS the Way (and the Truth, and the Life). That's why He CAN keep us from falling. And look at 2 Corinthians 12:9 to see HOW He keeps us from falling: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we can't... He can. And will. And does. When we come to the end of our rope, and tie a knot in it... when we're hanging on for dear life trying to do the best we can... Daddy looks us in the eye and says, "Child, you're not holding on to me. I'M holding on to you. And I'll never let go. I'll never leave you nor forsake you." It's not about how strong we are. It's about how strong HE is. But it takes our weakness to reveal His strength. If we could do it by ourselves we wouldn't need Him. And He wouldn't have any room to operate. Why do you think God always asks people to do things that--in their own strength--they have no chance of doing? Do you think he's setting us up to fail? Or do you think He wants us to rely on Him? Trust Him? Let HIM do what HE wants to do in us, and through us, and as us. If you only do what you're capable of doing, you'll never be any more than you are right now. But if you glory in your infirmities... if you embrace the God in you--the LOVE in you--you'll find that you can stand tall no matter what. Because you have a crutch holding you up. And when you can stand tall, you can help others stand tall. But that, of course, is for tomorrow. 

Nobody can do it on their own. That's why God said, "...It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him" (Genesis 2:18 NLT). And, really, that's my whole point for today. When people look, scornfully, at God and accuse those who believe in Him of simply needing a crutch, they completely miss the truth that God works through people! And, listen, I'm not saying God ONLY works through people. There's a story in the Bible about God working through ravens to bring food to His prophet. God can do whatever He wants to do. I'm not trying to limit Him. I'm simply saying that the "mysterious" ways in which God often works is through people. Look no further than Jesus Himself. God literally BECAME a person in order to FINISH the work! And He said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father" (John 14:12 NLT). The work is finished, and now we can do the same work... and greater works! So let's back up and define what the work was. It was the cross. It was the greatest expression of love that a man can have. It was Jesus giving His life FOR us, and giving His life TO us. THAT'S what we can do for one another. We can help each other. God is the one who keeps us from falling. Which means we can keep each other from falling! Instead of trying to trip each other up... instead of trying to look better by making someone else look worse... we can esteem others better than ourselves. And to me that's what it means to be humble; not thinking less of yourself, but simply thinking of yourself less. Being Christ-centered (which means being people-centered) instead of being self-centered. We all NEED a crutch, and we can all BE a crutch. Remember, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom. Knowing that we can't do it ourselves is literally the reason the Law of Moses was given. It was given as a school master to bring us to the end of ourselves. To bring us to Christ. To show us that no matter how hard we try... it's not about trying. It's about BELIEVING. And SEEING is believing. When we SEE the finished work, we will stop trying to finish the work. When we see how loved we are, we will stop looking for love in all the wrong places. We will stop trying to get something, and we will start giving (sharing) what we've got. I talk a lot about letting the mind of Christ (that's already in us) BE in us. This idea is found in Philippians 2:5. But if you look at the preceeding verse, the Bible tells us HOW to let the mind of Christ (that's already in us) be in us. Philippians 2:4, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." We "use" our crutch, if I can say it that way, by propping up others. By looking after others. By helping others. Because we can't do it on our own. We need a crutch. We need... each other!