Let's get into the law of first mention today. The time in the Bible that a word or concept is first used, which then goes on to define how it will be used. Genesis 1:11, "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so." Two important things there. 1. Yielding fruit after his kind. An apple tree can only make apples. You are what you eat. You can't expect to absorb one thing and be able to have output of another. What's inside (what you believe is inside) is what comes out. 2. Whose seed is in itself. Look at 1 John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." That incorruptible seed. That seed of life. Of love. That seed that grows into a tree... after it's own kind. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). When Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross He drew all men into Himself. And He planted Himself in all men. Took our corruption and gave us His incorruption. Brought us out of death and into life. We were swinging back and forth from branch to branch on the tree of knowledge of good and evil--the tree of death--trying to be "good" but always falling short of the mark. So Jesus cursed that entire tree. He saw the fig tree couldn't bear fruit so He got rid of it. It withered and died. So that we could stop messing with it. We didn't need to turn over a new leaf, we needed to get plugged in to an entirely different tree! The Tree of Life. And when you go from the garden of Eden in the book of Genesis, in which there are two trees, all the way to the Kingdom of God in the book of Revelation there is only one tree. Look at Revelation 22:1-2, "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." One tree. That has everythign we need. Fruit--singular--for every occasion. Because love comes in all shapes and sizes, but it is all love. Love is the fruit (again, singular) of the Spirit. A fruit for every month. For every season. For every situation. And when that incorruptible seed is planted in us--Jesus identified Himself... and us... as the light of the world. The same light. The same love--it yields fruit after it's (HIS) own kind. We have been conformed into the image of Jesus. The literal image of God in the flesh, love in a body. God in our flesh. Love in our body. The firstborn. The firstfruit. The pattern. The example. So that we know what love looks like. So that we know what WE look like. When you look in the mirror you can, and should, and ought to see Jesus. That's your true identity. That's the seed that grows within you. That's the fruit that you bear. That's why, on this side of the cross, now that the Lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world... we can't sin. Sin is unbelief. A believer, by defintion, cannot sin. So stop worrying and focusing on what you did wrong. On what you're not. And just accept and embrace what you do right. Who you are. Who you are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in you. God's love filling you to overflowing and coming out of you as you simply know it and believe it. Receive it and release it!

You have to receive before you can release. Because you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. Look at Matthew 10:7-8, "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." And look at what, in context, we have received--healing and wholeness. Life. The gift of God is what Jesus came that we might have: Life, and that more abundantly. If you have life... you can give life. If you eat the fruit of the Spirit (which is love, which is Jesus's abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life) you can give it. He is the vine. He produces the fruit. It's HIS life. WE are the branches. We simply bear the fruit. We make it available to those who need it. And, by the way, those who need it... is everybody. It's not about people earning it or deserving it. It's about seeing a need and meeting it. That's our job. That's our calling. That's what it's all about. Knowing who you are and BEING who you are. Giving what you've got. Letting what's inside come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. Receiving it and releasing it. Freely you have received, freely you can give. You can give... because you HAVE something to give. You are God's garden. That is such a key, vitally important revelation. Look at Song of Solomon 4:12, "A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed." In the context of this poem, God is the man and we are the woman. He is the husband and we are the bride. The problem, of course, is that we are (WERE) inclosed, or shut up. We have what we need inside of us, but either don't know it or don't believe it. So then a few verses later after God lets us know all of the good things inside us we see, "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasent fruits" (SOS 4:16). When the wind (that is the Holy Spirit... remember when it descended on the upper room after Jesus's death it sounded like a great rushing wind) blows... all of that good stuff that is locked up inside of us... gets unlocked. When the wind blows the seed scatters. And if that seed finds good ground it will be planted and it will grow. Not to mix my metaphors too much, but the sower sows. That's our job. Take what we've got and spread it all over. And then... what's that old commercial? Set it and forget it? Something like that. We don't have to worry about making the seed grow. That's not our job. Some plant, some water, but it is God who brings the harvest. He has given us all of those things we talked about at the beginning of this Rant. He has provided for us. He is our provision. We don't have to earn anything, or "get" anything. We have it all. Seeking first the Kingdom isn't about seeking something we don't have. It's about seeking to find out what we do have. Exploring the Kingdom. And making the Kingdom our first choice instead of our last chance. We really need to come to a place of being in the world but not of the world. A place of making sure we are experiencing the days of heaven on earth. A place where we know what we have... and USE what we have. A place where we know what we have... and give what we have! That's how we use it. That's how we experience and enjoy it. What you believe is inside you WILL come out. Hurting people hurt people. But loved people love people. It flows out from inside. The garden was shut until thte wind started to blow. Now all the fruit inside of you is available for others to eat!

In the beginning, when God created the earth, He put man in a garden. Told man to tend it and keep it. I think that's important. And then, when Jesus rose from the dead, Mary mistook Him (but not really) for the gardener. Because here's the deal: WE are God's garden. He is our gardener. When we are dealing with things, the Divine Order is really for us to just give them to Him. To cast our cares upon Him, because He cares for us. If God wants to add something to your life HE will add it. If God wants to eliminate something from your life HE will do it. He will prune you. Because He is the gardener. My point is, we don't have to try so hard all the time to be what society has decided we "should" be. We don't have to follow a "traditional" path. Not everything is for everybody. It's like that cartoon you see where there are animals lined up--all different kinds--to take a test. And the test is climbing a tree. Some of the animals are going to do well on that test. The monkey for example. Some are not. The elephant is not going to be able to climb that tree. So if we judge everybody by the same standard, we are trying to fit square pegs into round holes. We are disqualifying people because of things that they shouldn't be trying to do in the first place. My point is: We need to let people be who they are instead of trying to make them into OUR image. If we want people to bear fruit, we need to stop crushing their branches. Instead of forcing people to be who they aren't, we need to embrace them for who they are. Not everything is for everybody. If you can't climb a tree... so what? Climbing a tree is not what life is all about for every single person. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you are responsible for tending YOUR OWN garden... by letting the true gardener tend it. By being open to what God has for you. Being open to why He created you... as you. Let me put it this way: I can write. I can't draw a stick figure with a ruler. So if everybody in my life was trying to force me to be an artist... I would have a miserable life. That's not for me. And that's ok. It doesn't have to be. If I'm not meant to draw, but I'm spending my Three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) on it... then I might be taking the opportunity away from someone who IS meant to draw. And if I'm meant to write, and I'm not doing that, then I'm taking away the writing that was meant to be. Now, let me say this: If you love drawing... do it whether you're "good" at it or not. If it sets your soul on fire... do it. That's not what I'm talking about. WHATEVER is in your heart to do... that's what you should be doing. My point is, I'm not good at drawing, I have no desire to draw, if people try to make me do it, it's just going to be frustrating and a disaster for everybody involved. Stay in your lane. Eat the fruit that tastes good to you. Be who YOU are. And by eating that fruit, you will produce the fruit that YOU are supposed to produce. Only you can reach certain people in certain ways. If you don't, who will? And if you're trying to reach people that aren't for you in ways that aren't for you, then you're just gumming up all the works. You bear the most, best fruit when you be who you were created to be. When you tend to your own garden by letting the true Gardener tend to you. When you receive and release the gift that you've been given. And it doesn't matter what that gift is. If it's writing, drawing, singing, dancing, whatever. Just be who YOU were created to be. Just be who you really are. Which is who you are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in you. When you do that, you can't help but bear fruit. The fruit that the people you are in contact with desperately need!

The Bible uses the picture of fruit a lot. Even all the way back to the misty garden of Eden. Eve ate the fruit from the wrong tree and it was kind of all downhill from there for a while. And people like to say it was an apple that Eve ate, even though there's nothing in the text to support that. I believe it was a fig. For a couple of reasons. First, as soon as Adam and Eve ate the fruit their eyes were open, they knew they were naked, they were ashamed of their nakedness, and they covered themselves with fig leaves. That was what was right at hand. And second, when Jesus cursed a tree--because it couldn't bear fruit--it was a fig tree. So I believe the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a fig tree. But I digress. The point is, fruit is important. What you eat is important. You are what you eat. If the love that God is, is a love feast... then we really need to be on the right diet. Eating the right food--bread and water, lamb and wine... the fruit of the Spirit--is what makes you healthy. Eating the wrong things cause you to wither and die. Physically and Spiritually. Here's what I want to use for my main passage for this Rant series, "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heardd before in the word of the truth of the gospel: Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth" (Colossians 1:5-6). The Word of God (which is Jesus, which is love) is what brings forth fruit in us. Again--you are what you eat. What's inside you is what will come out of you. You receive (eat) and release (share) the fruit of the truth of the gospel. And let me say this as clearly as I can: The ultimate truth of the universe is found in John 3:35, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." God is love and He loves you. That's our foundation. That's what we build on. That's what we stand on. That's our faith. Have faith in God, right? Have faith in love. It's all about love. God loving you, and you loving Him back by loving the people you come into contact with. That's what this life is for, and that's what this life is all about. So don't get mixed up, or twisted around. It's all about love. The fruit of the Spirit is love. But let me say this: Apples come in all different shapes, sizes, and flavors. It's one fruit, but many different varities. Love comes in all different shapes, sizes, and flavors. The key to loving someone is giving them what THEY need. Because loving someone else isn't about you. It's about them. Seeing a need and meeting it. Giving what you've got, but doing it in a way that benefits others. Jesus is the vine, right? And we are the branches. He produces the fruit (that He is... love) and then we bear it. We make the fruit (that we are... love) available to everybody who needs it. Which, by the way, is everybody. Everybody needs love. The trick is finding out what flavor of fruit (love) they need. Making it palatable for them. Not shoving it down their throat only for them to choke on it. The fruit of the Spirit is love. Eat it. Enjoy it. Share it. Enjoy it with others!

Let's start with our memory verse and then dig into it. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). A life of service isn't meant to be more than you can handle. It is your REASONABLE service. We always talk about how God never requires something that He doesn't first supply. How there was grass for cows to eat before there were ever cows. How there was a Savior before there were ever sinners. We love because He first loved us. We love by receiving the love He has given us and releasing it to those that we come into contact with. Which, by the way, is HOW we present our bodies unto God as a living sacrifice. The New Commandment for the New amn is to love one another as Jesus loves us. To receive and release the love of God. That is our calling. That is our purpose. That is our EPIC (Eternal Purpose In Christ) destiny. That's why we were created. It's all about love. Serving people is loving people. Giving them what they need (which is different that giving them what they want. Just because someone wants something doesn't mean it is good for them. Just because someone wants something doesn't mean they should have it, or you should give it to them). Seeing a need and meeting it is the purest, most simple way to love someone. If they need to talk, give them an ear to hear. If they need a hug, give them your arms. The little things ARE the big things. It's reasonable. It's staying in your lane. Doing what you can do. Doing what you were created to do. Because it's in your heart to do it. I honestly believe if people listened to their heart more things would be better all around. God's Word--which is Jesus, which is love--is a lamp unto our feet and our light unto our path. Following your heart can never lead you wrong or astray. Doing things heartily--to the best of your ability, because it's in your heart to do it--is the best motivation you can have. Doing what you do because you love people (because God loves you) is the best reason to do what you do. And, one more time, it's reasonable. It's not a hardship. Loving people IS serving them. Love is giving. Giving yourself. Laying your life down for your friends. Destroying your enemies by making them your friends. That's the more excellent way. That's what Jesus showed us when He got down on His hands and knees and washed His disciples' feet. He showed us what it meant to be a servant. To be a friend. To love someone. Everything Jesus did, He did because of love. Even when Jesus wanted to get away from everything and just talk to His dad... when the people needed Him... He was there for them. He always put people first. Because He loved them. And He is still doing that because He loves us. He puts us first so we can put each other first. So we can esteem others higher than ourselves. And, like I always say, being humble isn't thinking less of yourself. It is simply thinking of yourself less. Knowing that God has you covered, and because you are already covered, you can cover someone else. Knowing that no matter what happens, the fire in you is always hotter than the fire you're in. Knowing that the fire in you is the Holy Ghost wildfire of love that feeds on itself and grows and grows until love is covering everything and everybody. Love feeds on love. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Only taking care of each other. Only serving each other. Only loving each other.

Yesterday I said something along the lines of living a life of love, and in that way loving the life you live. It's a good turn of phrase. And it's completely true. Love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. Look at Acts 20:35, "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." And maybe I'm weird, maybe this is just me, but when I look back on things I remember more fondly the times I was able to give to someone rather than the times someone gave to me. And don't get me wrong, I appreciate it. There's nothing worse than needing something that you don't have. When someone steps into that gap and has your back... that's amazing. But the flip side of that coin is when YOU step into someone else's gap. I can remember once hooking someone up--I'm not going to go into the whole story--but the fact that they were literally shaking with relief and gratitude... that's something you don't forget. And, look, I'm not trying to pat my own back here. I'm just trying to illustrate how powerful it is when you give. And never forget, you can't give what you don't have. That's why it's so important to understand 1 John 4:19, "We love him, because he first loved us." And, to be clear, we love Him BY loving each other. So we love (full stop) because He first loved us. God and people, right? Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. That's what this life is for. That's what this life is all about. That's why we were created. God loves us SO THAT we can love. He fills us up with everything we need. Everything He is. And then we fill ourselves to overflowing by knowing and believing that He has filled us up. We fill ourselves with what we've already been filled with. We are transformed (by the renewing of our mind) into what we've already been transformed into. I said that to say this--you can't give what you don't have. So you have to know what you DO have. You have receive it. It is more blessed to give than to receive. Yes. But you have to receive first. So that you have something to give. The greatest love a man can have is to lay His life down for his friends. To give everything he has and everything he is. To esteem others higher than himself. That's one of my favorite verses. "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others" (Philippians 2:3-4). It's the whole idea of if I watch out for you and you watch out for me then neither one of us has to worry about ourselves. It's literally the difference between selfish and selfless. Self-centered and Christ-centered. A life of wasting your three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) in order to get something you (think you) haven't got, or a life of service in which you experience and enjoy what you have got by sharing it. By giving it away. It's not about getting. Ever. Because we already have it all. Because we already have Jesus. It's about giving. Giving what you've got. Being who you are. Letting what's inside come out by knowing and believing that you have it. Receiving and releasing the gift--the love--of God. Receiving it by releasing it. Releasing it by receiving it. That's what this life is for. That's what it's all about. That's why we were created. And that's how we live. It's a life of love. A life of service!

Jesus showed us how to rule and reign on the earth when He girded Himself with a towel, got down on His hands and knees, and washed His disciples feet. I've heard it said that good leaders rule over people without always overruling them. Without controlling them. Withing making "leading" all about the "leader." You can't lead from the back. You can't expect people to do something you wouldn't do. And you SHOULDN'T expect people to do things even that you WOULD do. Expectations are the quickest and best way to get disappointed. Loving people no matter what--no matter who they are or what they're doing--and just letting people BE people... that's how we can begin to truly experience this gift that we've been given. A life of love is a life of service. A life of love is the only life worth living. So a life of service is the only life worth living. But hear me on this: I'm not saying you should run yourself ragged trying to be a people pleaser. Boundaries are healthy and important. Staying in your lane. Doing what you can do, and not worrying about what you can't do. Learning to say no. And to say it without explaining yourself. All of these things are healthy. I believe it is better to burn out than rust out. But, as always, there's a more excellent way. Instead of burning out (OR rusting out) you can do whatever you do from a posture of rest. You can stop fighting and start flowing. Letting what's inside flow out of you. If those who are led by the Spirit will be called (or identified as) the Son(s) of God... that means the way we show Jesus to people is by loving them. What else would (or could) the Holy Spirit lead us to do? So I guess what I'm trying to say is, the best way to lead is to follow. Whoever would be first should make himself last. Esteem others higher than yourself. Don't worry about what you do or don't have. You have what you need because you've been given the gift of God. The gift of love. For God so loved the world--you and me--He gave His only begotten Son--to you and me--so that we might not perish but live. So that Jesus might live in us, and through us, and as us. So that we might know Him, and in knowing Him... know ourselves. Jesus is our true identity. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So what we need to do is let Him out. He's in there. The same Spirit that washed His disciples feet lives in us. WE can serve others because HE has served us. All we ever need to do is receive and release Jesus. Receive and release the love of God. Let what's inside come out. By knowing and believing that it's in there. All we ever need to do is serve people. Give what we've got. And in that way experience and enjoy what we've got. This life is not about getting. Because love IS giving. And because we have already been given everything we need. We don't need anything, because we have everything. Because we have Jesus. Because we ARE Jesus. As He is, so are we in this world. He lives in us. We live in Him. There is no difference and no separation. When God looks at you He sees Jesus and when God looks at Jesus He sees you. We need to know who we are so we can BE who we are. So we can live the life God wants for us. The life He has provided for us and given to us. The life of love. The life of laying yourself down for your friends. The life of giving everything you have and everything you are. That's the life worth living. That's the life of God. The love of God. That's the life of service. And tomorrow I think we're going to talk about the LOVE of service. Because it's not about doing it grudgingly, or feeling obliged to do it... it's about doing it heartily. To the best of your ability because it's in your heart to do it!

Jesus is our example, right? I mean, in a sense. Not to follow in His foot steps (which is impossible to do) but at least in the sense of Him showing us what He was about on His earth walk ministry so that we could have an idea. God told Moses to follow the pattern when buildling the tabernacle, right? But also, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" (Psalm 127:1). Co-laboring with Christ. As He does what He's going to do in us, and through us, and as us, we are receptive to it. We go with His flow, if I can say it that way. Not trying to follow in His foot steps as much as letting Him walk with our feet. So. I said all that to say this, "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded" (John 13:3-5). Jesus. The King of kings. The Lord of lords. The master of commander of all that He sees. Getting down on the floor and washing His disciples' feet. And, as usual, I think Jesus did it for more than one reason. The first reason, as He stated, was for them to be clean. And not in the natural sense--although at that time people were barefoot or wore sandals. Their feet were dirty--but in the Spiritual sense. Jesus said, "...If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8). It was a Spiritual washing. A cleansing. And I think it's important that He choose the feet. The dirtiest part. He took away the sin of the world. Cleaned us up where we needed it most. Made that part of us that is continually touching the mud and dirt of the world... clean. You don't have to let what you get into get into you. You can understand that everything is under your feet. Heaven is God's throne and earth is His footstool. Under His feet. His feet are our feet. But I think another thing He was doing is showing us what it MEANS to be a king. Or a lord. Or a leader. You can't really lead from the rear. You have to lead from the front. You guys know I'm a huge wrestling fan. Vince McMahon, the boss of the WWE, never expects a wrestler to do a stunt that he's not willing to do himself. And he's like seventy years old or something. Jesus was, in a very real way, putting His money where His mouth was. He didn't just tell us to love another. He first loved us. He didn't just tell us to serve one another. He got down on hands and knees and served us. And He did it because He loves us. Because He wanted us to be clean. To be part of Him. God's cry all throughout the Old Testament was that He wanted to be our God and He wanted us to be His people. And then, through the cross, He accomplished that goal. He made His dwelling place with man. IN man. We live in Him because He lives in us. As He is, so are we in this world. Jesus was showing us what to do. Showing us what love is. Giving everything you have and everything you are. He showed us what it meant to be a king... by showing us what it means to be a servant. The best leaders don't just order their people around. They take care of them. We don't need to control people. We need to take care of them. A life of service is a life worth living. It is good for others... and, in the act of being good to others... it is good for you as well!

I've long (and often) said that a life of service is a life worth living. That we find our purpose in loving others. Giving everything we are and everything we have. Laying our life down for our friends, and understanding that all we have are friends... and people who don't know they are our friends yet. Remember Abraham Lincoln said he destroyed his enemies by making them his friends. Ok. In order to really set the stage for this Rant series I want to quote a decent chunk of Scripture, so bear with me. "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:19-22). So powerful to me. The power of love. Putting yourself aside in order to give others what THEY need. A servant doesn't worry about himself. But that's important. Let's talk about that. The only way and the only reason I can put myself aside... is because I know my heavenly Father has my back. If I'm not secure in my "self"-sufficiency... if I'm not secure in the knowledge and power that I have everything I need because I have Jesus... that I am fully reliant on Him, and that is where I find my sufficiency... if I don't know that I'm covered, it becomes very hard for me to cover anyone else. Because if I don't know that I'm covered, I'll spend my three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) trying to get what I think I'm lacking. I'll spend all my time trying to be someone I'm not trying to get something I think I haven't got. Banging your head against the wall will only ever get you a headache. Trying to earn something that can't be earned will only ever get you frustration and failure. You can't earn it... and you already have it! So stop robbing yourself from experiencing and enjoying what you already have. Instead, start USING what you already have. Love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. If you're being all things to all people... that means you're giving yourself. And it doesn't mean you're being fake. It doesn't mean you're being deceptive. At work, for example, there are different things that I talk about with different people. Music with one, wrestling with another, kids with someone else. It's just meeting people where they're at. Building those bonds and connections that are so vitally important. And here's the key: I'm not forcing anybody to talk with me about anything. I'm finding out what THEY are into and then relating to them on their level. I'm simply letting people be who they are and connecting with them as best I can. Even if it's music I don't necessarily like. I can let them like what they like. I don't have to convince anybody of anything. I tried to get my kid to like my favorite band. He doesn't. So instead... sometimes we listen to mine and sometimes we listen to his. (Mostly we listen to his. Or the music we DO have in common.) Because I COULD just listen to whatever I wanted and alienate him. But is it worth it? To knock someone else down in order to prop yourself up? Of course not. It's better, and more fun, and more fulfilling, to enjoy things together. We're all in this together. A life of service is like the tide--it raises all ships!

Come boldly to the throne of grace. To find grace to help in time of need. That's what we're talking about. That's what is important. And here's the best part, "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Ephesians 4:7). That's so amazing to me. People talk about univeralism and predestination and whatever else. There's grace for every one of us. And it has been given to every one of us. Let me say it like this: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). And, again, I believe this is speaking of something very different than "I broke the Ten Commandments." I believe sin is unbelief. And we all unbelieved until we knew what to believe in. Until we knew that we could believe. But just stick with me. Romans 5:20 says, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." So we all sinned (universally). And where sin abounded, grace much more (or super) abounded. Grace beats sin hands down. Every time. The truth beats the lie. Every. Single. Time. And the ultimate truth of the universe is that God is love and He loves you. That's what the opposite of sin is--faith. Knowing and believing that you are immaculately loved by your heavenly Father. That's what faith is. And one of the way that He proves HIs love for us is by giving us--giving ALL of us--grace. The grace to grow, as we grow in grace. I like the defintion of mercy and grace that says, "Mercy is NOT getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you DON'T deserve." Because that kind of answers the question of whether or not we can come to the throne of grace. We don't have to worry about whether we deserve it or not. We can just come boldly because the One who sits on the throne loves us. We can go straight to the source instead of looking for love in all the wrong places. We can find what we need by looking for it where it is. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Looking at Him face to face. Not afraid of dying if he saw that face, but knowing that that face... was his own face. When we look in the mirror we see Jesus. Because He lives in us. That's our true identity--God in the flesh, love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So we can just simply be who we are. Not who the world tells us we're "supposed" to be, but who we are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in us. Me being me and doing what I do... in love. With love. Through love. Because of love. Guys... it's all about love! Love is what makes the world go 'round. Love is what makes life worth living. Because living and loving are the same thing. You can't do one without the other and you can't have one without the other. So don't be afraid to go to the source. You ARE the source. The same light of the world that Jesus is... we are. It's the same light. The same love. It's why we can be merciful--because we have been given mercy. It's why we can be graceful--because we have been given grace. We love because He first loved us. It's simply receiving and releasing what we have been given. And just to be clear: For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son. That's what we've been given. That's what we can give. Give Jesus... by giving ourselves. Love is giving everything you have and everything you are. Love is laying your life down for your friends. Love is living this life the way it was meant to be lived. A merciful life. A graceful life. A life of forgiviness. A life... of love.