Jesus didn't come to give humanity a religion. In fact, it seems like the only people He ever got annoyed with were the religious folk. No, He came to show us the Father. He came to bring us into RELATIONSHIP with the Father by showing us that we are God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. But here's the thing about relationships, they seem to come down to two things: Connection, and timing. And one without the other just won't do. A connection with someone might not matter if they aren't in the same place at the same time as you. And you might be the right person, at the right place, but the wrong time. For example: The people of Israel were at Mount Sinai and God--through Moses--asked them if they wanted to enter into a covenant with Him. "Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded. We will obey"" (Exodus 24:7). Which, unfortunately, was the wrong answer. Because, as they quickly found out, the covenant was impossible to keep. The Law of Moses was impossible to obey. Especially when Jesus preached it all the way to the max--letting us know that our thoughts and intentions are just as important as our actions. When Jesus said anyone who gets mad at his brother has committed murder He literally disqualified all of us. Because He didn't want any of us under the Law. He didn't want any of us trying to fit into a religious box. He wanted us to come out of the Old Covenant of dos and dont's and into the New Covenant of loving one another as He loves us. He wanted to make that connection between Creator and creation, and between each one of us. And that's where the timing came in. The appointed time--according to the time of life--was the cross. Jesus died, both for us and as us, so that we might live, both for Him and as Him. He didn't just give His life for us, He gave His life to us. He got rid of the separation that the Law had placed between God and man. He drew us into Himself, and planted Himself in us. The timing finally lined up. And you can't get any more connected than understanding that there is only ONE New Man on this side of the cross. Understanding that we are all parts of the same body. We are One. Connected by the only thing that CAN truly connect anybody: Love. Love is the glue that holds us together. And--this SHOULD go without saying but I'm going to say it anyway--relationships are all about love. Relationships are not about what we can get from each other. Relationships are about what we can give to each other. Relationships are about timing and connection. We can't force them to be something they're not. We can't try to control them. But, when we know that we have everything we need (because we have love), we can experience an abundant life by sharing what we have with each other!

It's about moving forward. Upward and God-ward. And you can't do that if you give up every time something doesn't go your way. Remember the verse I quoted yesterday, Luke 9:62, "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Another way to say it is, "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold not hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16). More is lost by indecision than wrong decision. Doing SOMETHING is better than doing nothing. Trying and failing isn't the problem. Failing to try is the problem. And I know "they" (there they are again) say God gives us mountains so we can learn how to climb. But Isaiah 40:3-5 tells a different story, "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." According to that, God doesn't give us mountains at all. He gives a straight and narrow path that leads unto life. And He does that by bringing the mountains low and the valleys high. So if you feel like you're on an emotional rollercoaster... just get off the crazy train. Let the Word from the mouth of the Lord make it easy for you. And the Word is Jesus. The Word is love. Love isn't supposed to be up and down. In and out. Will they won't they. Love lasts forever no matter what. Love never fails because it has already succeeded. And when you're running the race from the finish line... you can't lose. When you understand HOW love succeeded--by giving everything it has and everything it is and expecting nothing in return--that's when you can be still and know that God is love. And when you're being still (rather than running around like a chicken with its head cut off) that's when you rise. Upward and God-ward. That's the difference between "falling" in love and rising TO love. There's a song that says, "It's not the falling in love I'm afraid of, it's the sudden stop." Right? It's not the fall that gets you. It's the abrupt landing. So stop falling. Stop making moutains out of molehills. Stop tripping over things that are under your feet. Those who wait upon the Lord will rise on eagle's wings. Don't trade what you want most for what you want now. Don't ever settle. There's a power working in you (called love) and it can do more than you could ever ask or think. Love is bigger than we'll ever be able to fully understand. And that's what this everlasting life-long journey into the heart of the matter is all about. It's about testing the height, and length, and depth, and breadth of God's love for us. By loving each other as hard as we can. Not by trying to change people, but by letting people be who they are, and loving them no matter what. That's what longsuffering, and patience, and endurance is all about. You know, the fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. So don't get stuck, and don't give up. And whatever you do, don't go backwards. Press on for the mark of the high calling. You've been called to love. And you are equipped and empowered TO love because you ARE loved. Because you are love. So even when it seems hard... endure!

One of the things "they" say is, "Don't trade what you want most for what you want now." And while I don't always agree with "them," I think this one is pretty good. Because, while it might be harder to do, enduring until the end will pay off in the long run. That's why I always say, "If you want something different, do something different. Unless you're building something. In which case, keep up the good work." But that's such a different mindset than we generally see in this microwave, "I want it NOW" society that we've built. If something doesn't happen immediately, we think it's never going to happen. But that's not how seeds work. You plant a seed, and you water a seed, and at the appointed time it brings forth the harvest. That's what God told Abraham and Sarah in Genesis chapter 18. He said they were going to have a baby, and Sarah laughed at the impossibility of the situation. Then God said, "Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son" (Genesis 18:14). Two things to notice here: 1. Sarah understood that it was impossible with man. But she DIDN'T understand that with GOD all things are possible. It's not about what we can do. It's about what Jesus did (on the cross), and what He's doing in us, and through us, and as us. 2. The appointed time is according to the time of life. It's not about good and evil. It's about LIFE. And how long does it take for a baby to be born? From the time of conception it takes nine months. Things don't always happen the way we want them to in the timeframe that we want. That's why there's an old saying that goes, "Good things come to those who wait." But I think it's important to understand that while we're waiting, we're not just sitting and twiddling our thumbs. Rest is NOT inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. Rest is trusting that what God is doing IN you is going to come OUT of you. Not giving up when you don't see immediate results, but trusting the plan. Trusting the MAN (Jesus) behind the plan! "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). So don't give up. Don't give up on love! A setback is really just a set-up for a comeback!

Love never fails... love lasts forever... because love endures. Love is unconditional. It doesn't waver when things "look" bad. It doesn't give up when things don't go it's way. In fact, love doesn't demand it's own way. Love isn't about GETTING. Love IS giving! But when it's people doing the loving--and that's the "mysterious" way in which God (or love) works... God works through people--it's easy to get discouraged. Easy to feel like you've given everything you've got and now you're empty. Especially when it feels like people only care about you in the context of what you can do for them. When it feels like people never notice the things you do, but only the things you fail to do. You give, and give, and give and if you never get anything back it's easy to get weary. Worn out. Sick and tired of being sick and tired. But here's the truth of the matter: You're connected to an unlimited source. This is one of my favorite Bible verses of all time, "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was greived, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (1 Samuel 30:6). When you get DIScouraged you need to have the COURAGE to ENcourage yourself in the Lord! To tap into that unlimited supply. Let God fill you to overflowing with what you have been filled with. Let what's inside come out instead of looking for something external. Let go and let God, as they say. Let go and let it flow. Focus on Daddy's love for YOU and then that love will come OUT of you naturally. Because it's too big and too powerful to be contained. It's not too good to be true. It's SO good that it must be true. And it's too good to keep to yourself! You can't give what you don't have, right? And you can only give what you do have. So in order to love you have to know and believe that you ARE loved. Receive it. That's the first part of enduring. You have to receive in order to release. But it's more blessed to give than to receive. Sharing what you've got makes it real in a way that hording it up can't. Sharing what you've got makes it grow, and expand. I know it can be hard sometimes. I know you can feel all used up. Feel like everyone's turning against you. David didn't set out to lead the people. They came to him. And as soon as things got rough they turned on him. They wanted to stone him. Kill him. But David didn't give up. He endured. He encouraged himself in the Lord. He didn't listen to what the people were saying about him. He didn't let the circumstances of what was going on around him dictate his reality. He encouraged himself. In the Lord. That's where we find our true home. Our true identity. That's where we find that strength to stand in the midst of trouble. Because we're planted on the Rock. And we can't be shaken. We are pressed but not crushed. Persecuted but not abandoned. Struck down but not destroyed. Because the fire in us is ALWAYS hotter than the fire we're in. The love in us is always more than enough. The power in us is working to do more than we could even ask or think. It's is sustaining us. Keeping us from falling. Equipping and empowering us to live this life in the flesh through the faith of God's beloved Son. Giving us the strength to endure. Giving us the strength... to love.

In real estate it's, "Location location location." In relationships it's, "Timing timing timing." Sometimes you're the right person in the right place... at the wrong time. Which is to say, sometimes no matter what you do, you can't always get what you want. But, as the Rolling Stones put it, if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need. And here's my point for today: Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, right? The beginning and the end? Which means LOVE is the beginning and the end. Which means if you start with love, and end with love, then love can also be everything in between. But if the timing's not right you'll be let down by unrealistic expectations. You'll be disappointed because--from your limited point of view--it might feel like love didn't get the job done. Even though, in the grand scheme of things, love never fails. Love always prospers in what He sets out to do. Which is give us the Kingdom. Lead and guide us into all truth. The ultimate truth of the universe that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. That YOUR heavenly Father loves YOU and has given all things into YOUR hands. And what that means is... you have what you need. Already. Right now. And it's very much like the Wizard of Oz, where you go on a journey trying to GET what you need only to find that you had it all along. But the timing wasn't right. You know what they say about people, right? People are like teabags. Put them in hot water to see what they're really made up. I've been in situations before where I absolutely positively KNEW something was impossible... until it happened. Then I was like, "Huh." Awestruck. Because seeing is believing. And what you experience always trumps what you might think. Now you might be asking what that has to do with endurance. And if you're not asking that, it's ok. I'll ask for you. What does that have to do with endurance? Well, quite simply, when the timing is NOT right... you endure. You don't get discouraged. You don't give up. You don't stop loving in order to try something different. Love never fails. It just might not succeed the way we think it should, in the timeframe we think is good. But as soon as you stop loving you stop living. Truly living. As soon as you stop loving you stop experiencing the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of Jesus. You stop experiencing the gift of God that He freely gave to you when He gave His life for you and gave His life to you. So, even when things don't "go your way" you endure. You protect your heart by keeping it soft. Keeping it open to love. You don't let the world isolate you, or knock you down. And even if it DOES knock you down, Daddy will help you back up. And He will keep you from falling. Because love never fails. It's our strength. It's the Rock we stand on. It's our foundation. And even though the timing might not be right right this second, your story isn't written. There are more chapters to come. And if you fill them with love... then it'll be a good story. Guaranteed!

When I think about some of the things we take for granted it's kind of amazing to me that we DO take them for granted. For instance, 1 Corinthians 13:8 tells us that charity never faileth. In the New Living Translation it is rendered, "love will last forever!" And I actually like that better. Because thinking that love will never fail can get you thinking that love will always get you what you want. But before you can understand WHY love never fails you have to understand HOW love succeeds. And I've written at length about that before. I don't want to rehash it here. What I want to do is talk about what happens when it doesn't seem like love is getting the job done. And, in a nutshell, here it is: When it seems like love isn't getting the job done... endure. Because love lasts forever. Love isn't a sprint. It isn't a big romantic gesture and then everybody lives happily ever after. Love is a marathon. Love is getting knocked down six times and getting up every time. Love is not giving up. And that means not giving up on PEOPLE. Because people are the apple of God's eye. The object of His affection. We were created to be loved, and to love one another. And that doesn't mean loving people only when it's easy, or convenient. I've said many many times that the people that seem unloveable are the ones who need it the most. Because they are the ones who aren't getting it anywhere. It's easy to love your friends, right? But what about loving your enemies? That's perfect--mature--love. Because that kind of love doesn't expect anything in return. That kind of love isn't trying to get anything. That's the kind of love that would cause God to die for us when we were yet sinners. When we'd rather choose Barabas than Jesus. When we were running from Him, He opened His arms on the cross and gathered us to Himself. Drew us INTO Himself. Reconciled us. He showed us a more excellent way, even though it cost Him everything He had and everything He was. He gave it to us. Not because of what He could get in return, but because He wanted us to have it. Because He knew we were worth it. And watch this, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). We don't always see things happen the way we want them to when we want them to. But that's because God is longsuffering. He is patient. He doesn't care how long the journey takes. He has all the time in the world. All He cares about is that we don't perish, but come to repentance. Which, by the way, is why He gave His only begotten Son. So that we would not perish, but have His eternal, everlasting, abundant, Resurrection Life! Love lasts forever. It's not going anywhere. It's not in a hurry. No matter how long it takes someone to see that... the truth of the matter is that love endures!

I think the two hardest things in the world are 1. Doing what you don't want to do and 2. Not doing what you do want to do. Trying to go against your nature, in other words. And I think that's why religion is so frustrating. Religion tries to cram us into a box that we don't fit in. And even if we give maximum effort trying to be someone we're not, we're doomed to fail. Because you can't be someone you're not. How could you? And that goes for trying to be like Jesus more than anything else. Nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. And that's where rest comes in. Because rest is not about us trying to finish the work so that we can rest. Rest is about experiencing Jesus' life as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. Rest is about letting things flow. So let's get back to my original point. We all have things we can do, and things we can't do. And if we try to go against our nature we WILL fail. All you get from banging your head against the wall is a headache. Trying and trying and trying is not what I mean by maximum effort. What I mean is going the extra mile for someone. Giving everything you are and everything you have for someone. But it gets tricky when you don't have what someone else needs. It gets tricky when you're trying to give something you don't have. I guess what I'm trying to say is: You can't do everything for everybody. And if you try, that's the same frustration and failure coming out again. That's why Paul wrote about some planting, and some watering, and Jesus getting the harvest. You don't have to do everything. Just do what you can do. Walk in your calling, if I can say it that way. Just be you. Just do what you can do. But do it all the way. Do small things with great love. And that makes the small things great things. Because there's faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. Don't do things for people because you feel guilty. Or because you feel obligated. Do things for people because it's in your heart to do things for them. That's what it means to me to follow your heart. To be led by the Spirit. Let love be your guide. But don't try to do something that you can't do. Because if you can't do it... you can't do it. And that's ok. You were not called to be a world changer, or a history maker. You were called to be a disciple. A student of love. You were called to be a Son. And a Son loves because He is loved by the Father. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. And all we need to do is receive it and release it. That's what maximum effort is. That's what rest is. Letting God love us to the max and then loving others to the max. Filling ourselves with His love until it overflows out of us. Naturally. Until our maximum effort isn't effort at all. But it's just what we do. It's just who we are.

Going the extra mile for people is pretty much the definition of "rest." Because rest is NOT inactivity. Rest is Holy Spirit directed activity. And what would the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of Love--direct us to do other than love? Those who are led of the Spirit are the Son(s) of God. Because they receive the love of the Father and release it to the world. And do you know what Jesus was talking about when He said, "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain" (Matthew 5:41)? He was talking about turning the other cheek. He said, "If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too" (Matthew 5:40, NLT). Don't resist. Don't fight back. You've heard about an eye for eye, but there's a more excellent way. And that more excellent way is love. It's giving everything you've got and everything you are so that someone else can have what they need. And THAT is the definition of love. Meeting people where they're at and giving them what they need. Not expecting, or forcing, them to jump through hoops. Not putting conditions on something that is unconditional. Giving maximum effort no matter what. To no matter who. That's a tall order though, unless you understand how unconditionally and perfectly you are loved by the Father. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. So unless you've received love you can't release love. Makes sense, right? Unless you know and believe that you are connected to the unlimited source of love you'll be afraid. Afraid to lose what you've got, and afraid that what you give won't be received the way you think it should. But perfect love casts out fear. It doesn't matter how someone else receives it. It doesn't matter what happens next. We were created to be loved, and to love one another. And as long as you do that... you're good. Love is the safest place you can be. There are so many Old Testament verses--in the book of Psalms specifically--where God is referred to as a refuge. A strong tower in which we can rest safely. And since God is love that means LOVE is the strong tower. LOVE is our refuge. It is where we can get away from all the noise and distractions of the world and focus on what really matters. And it's where we live! We live in Him just as He lives in us. We live in LOVE just as love lives in us! So our maximum effort of loving one another doesn't come from trying and trying and trying. It comes from filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've been filled with. It comes from not reacting to the outside--turning the other cheek--and giving from the inside. It comes from knowing and believing that we are loved. Jesus gave maximum effort on the cross. And He said we'd do all the things He did and greater things! He laid His life down. He gave His life for us and to us. And now we can do that for each other. We can give maximum effort. We can go the extra mile. We can love.

You know what I always thought was weird? When people made fun of people for doing things for their significant others. Calling the "whipped," and whatever. I always thought, "Isn't that supposed to be the person you love the most? Why wouldn't you do things for them?" And guess what: The more I come to understand the true nature of love, the more I understand that that's really how we ought to treat EVERYBODY. We oughta give what we've got to anyone we come into contact with. And, listen, as always I'm NOT saying you should burn yourself out and put yourself into bad situations. I'm just saying that the best way to FEEL love is to LOVE OTHERS. Remember, Jesus was refreshed when He ministered to the woman at the well. He didn't empty Himself out by giving what He had. He filled Himself up. And that's the coolest thing about love: We're connected to an unlimited source. We can't run out. The more we give, the more we find we have. I don't think love has any limits. We HAVE unlimited love so we can GIVE without limits! I know it's scary when you think about giving what you've got and not getting anything back. But guy, perfect love casts out all fear! When we understand how totally and completely we are loved, we begin to see that we don't lose what we've got by giving it away. Because really we're sharing it. And shared experiences grow in size. They feed on themselves and get bigger and bigger. Better and better. Love feeds on love. It is the fire that consumes everything except itself. So what am I saying? "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain" (Matthew 5:41). Don't be afraid to go the extra mile for someone. For ANYONE. My motto is go big or go home. If it's worth doing at all, it's worth doing all the way. And there's nothing more worth doing than love. Love can literally change someone's entire world. Because it can show them something better than they've got. A more excellent way. And when someone sees a better option, chances are they'll go for it. If we show people who God REALLY is--our loving heavenly Father--chances are they'll run TO Him instead of running FROM Him. Because people want... people NEED... to be loved. It is the desire of our hearts. But we look for love in all the wrong places. We get burned and then we try our best to stay away from the fire. But God IS that consuming fire. He burns away the chaff, and purifies the gold that's deep down inside. So that we might know and believe what's inside. So that we might be filled to overflowing with what's inside so that it comes out... naturally. And that's when maximum effort BECOMES rest. When we stop "trying" to love people in order to get something, and start to love people effortlessly because we HAVE something. We have something to give. Something to share. We can meet needs and we can give people the desire of their heart. We can lay our lives down for each other. In short, we can love each other!

When we were kids my brothers and I would use this as a test to see if something was worth it: Would you jump a fence for it? Like, "Man, I'd jump a fence for some chocolate right now." And that meant you'd give maximum effort to get what you want. But here's the thing, "When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things" (1 Corinthians 13:11 NLT). There's a huge difference between being child-like, and being childish. Being childish is the same as being selfish. Me me me. Giving maximum effort to try to GET something. That's reasoning as a child. "I want something, so I'm going to do whatever I have to do to get it." But that's not rest. And remember, rest does NOT mean inactivity. Rest means Holy Spirit directed activity. You can get so much more accomplished from a position of rest than you can from running around like a chicken with your head cut off. Because when you're resting what you're really doing is going with the flow. Letting the love of God fill you up to overflowing and come out of you naturally. It's not something you have to try to do. It's not "fake it til you make it." And speaking of "fake" I just want to say that being nice to someone you may or may not like is not being fake. It's being mature. It's putting away childish things and acting like an adult. And in some ways I think that's exactly what I'm talking about. Giving maximum effort to PEOPLE. Loving PEOPLE with everything you have and everything you are. And do you see the difference? If you're jumping over a fence--or laying your life down--for someone else then it's not about you trying to GET anything. It's about you GIVING what you've got. Going the extra mile, as Jesus put it. Turning the other cheek. Not giving an eye for an eye, but giving love no matter what. That's rest. Not letting a situation or a person dictate your response, but letting love be your ONLY response. Your beginning and your end. And your everything in between. I think instead of making prayer our last chance we should make it our first choice. I think instead of breaking the glass in case of an emergency we should just fill ourselves with the fulness of God right from the beginning. Instead of being afraid of losing what we've got, or trying to get something that we think we don't have, we should pay more attention to the needs of others. Being humble doesn't mean thinking less of yourself. It just means thinking of yourself less. Being Christ-centered means being people-centered. Taking care of others because you KNOW Daddy's got your back and you don't need to worry about yourself. You're covered. So cover someone else! Give (or share) what you've got. And don't worry about how it makes you look. Don't worry about how they'll receive it. Don't do it because you feel obligated to do it. Do it because it's in your heart to do it. And what else could possibly be in your heart but love?