Here's the key--and by that I mean the key to everything. The key, and the secret, of life--Ephesians 3:19, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Being fiilled with the fullness. Experiencing everything we are by experiencing everything God is. Living life to the fullest. Experiencing Jesus' abundant, everlasitng, eternal, Resurrection Life of love by letting Him live His own life in us, and through us, and as us. Trying to be someone you're not is NOT living your best life. Trying to live Jesus' life will only ever end if failure in frustration. Nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. It's not about trying to follow in His foot steps. Jesus 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). Talking about the Holy Spirit coming to dwell inside us. Talking about not just doing what He did... but greater things that He did! It's unfortunate, but it seems like we see Jesus as a Junior God, and we see ourselves even further down on the totem pole. This is completely false, and extremely harmful. Jesus said, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30). There is no separation and no difference. Jesus IS God. He is the fullness of the Godhead in a body. In OUR body. So we don't have to think of ourselves as worms. Or unworthy. Or anything like that. Being humble is not thinking less of yourself. It is simply thinking of yourself less. Point being, "...I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13 NLT). We have been equipped and empowered to not only survive this life but to thrive in it. To experience it to the fullest. And it all comes down to love. Knowing the love of Christ, which passes knowledge--not just head knowledge, but heart knowledge... not just having an idea of it but having experienced it--is how we are filled with the fullness of God. Because love is not just what God does. Love is who God is. And because of that love--because we were created in His image and likeness in the beginning and then conformed to the image of His beloves Son in whom He is well pleased on the cross--love is not just what we do. Love is who we are. Our new (true) nature... is love. And love is giving. You can give without loving but you can't love without giving. But the trick is to receive it and release it. The trick is to know it and believe it. When you know the love of Christ, you know that you have something to give. Being filled with the fullness of God is about letting what's inside come out. By knowing and believing that it's in there. Filling yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Letting God love the hell out of you and then loving Him back by loving the people that you come into contact with. You can't truly know love without doing it. And, again, love is giving. You can't do love without giving. Laying your life down for your friends. Gladly spending all that you have and all that you are and not worrying about how people treat you. You're not scratching someone's back in the hopes that they scratch yours. You're scratching their back because they are itchy. Period. Full stop. It's not about what you can get. It's about what you can give. Which is about what you already have. Christ gives us the strength to love... by loving us. That's the New Commandment for the New Man--love one another as Jesus loves us. That's how we experience life. That's how we fill ourselves, and each other, with the fullness of God!

I'm going to use the NIV for my memory verse today. John 1:16, "Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given." I like that phrasing. Grace in place of grace already given. That's what God's fullness is. Look just a few verses previous, John 1:14 (NLT), "So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son." Full of unfailing love and faithfulness. Full of grace and truth. All the fullness of the Godhead in a body. Jesus--God in the flesh, love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. WE have been filled with all the fullness of God. Jesus emptied Himself out... into us. And now we simply receive it and release it. Now we simply fill ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with. Grace upon grace. Grace in place of grace already given. Fullness means overflowing. What's inside coming out. Naturally. What's inside bursting at the seams. When you know and believe what you have, that's when you can experience it by giving it away. By letting God love you and loving Him back by loving people. There is so much more available to us than what we settle for. And all it takes is a mindset shift. Letting the mind of Christ (that's already in us) BE in us. Using what we've got. Being who we are. Being transformed into what we've already been transformed into. That's so key--we don't need to wait for anything to happen. We simply need to accept what has happened. The truth has set us free and made us free, but it is when we know and believe the truth that we experience that freedom. When we use what we've got, or give what we've got, that's when we experience what we've got. And, if I can make this as simple as possible, it's all about love. Experiencing God's love by loving people. Letting God love us and loving Him back by loving people. Receiving and releasing. That's as simple as I can make it. Let God love you and love people with that love. Grace upon grace. Love upon love. Exceeding abundantly above all we could ever ask or think. That's what's available to us. That's the fullness of God. His mercy, and forgiveness, and grace, and truth. His love. Everything God is is everything we are. That's the shift we need to make. That's the understanding we need to come into. Who we fully are. Which is who God fully is. Our true identity is who we are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in us. Christ in you the hope of glory. The hope of REVEALED glory. As one preacher once said it, "We are the spout where God's glory comes out." We are the visible face of the invisible God. We are what people see. If we want people to know the grace of God... we need to be gracious. If we want people to know the forgiveness of God... we need to forgive them. That's where I always get to with this stuff--releasing what we have received from God. And in that way experiencing what we have received from God. Love is giving. You can give without loving but you can't love without giving. If you want to feel loved... love someone. Because you ARE loved. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Charity is love in action. Where the rubber meets the road. The overflowing that makes the fullness... full. The love of God that makes the abundant life... abundant. And that's what being full means--living out of your abundance. Letting God bless you... so that you can be a blessing. Giving what you've got because you know have the fullness. You have everything you need. You have more than enough!

Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. All of God inside of a human body. And Jesus... lives in us. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. That's why we can experience all that He is. That's why we can understand the height, and depth, and breadth, and length of His love for us. He gave it ALL to us. God didn't hold anything back. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He didn't want us to perish. He wanted us to live. To experience His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love by letting Jesus live His own life in us, and through us, and as us. That's what rest is all about--it's not inactivity, it's Holy Spirit directed activity. It's being still and knowing that HE is God. Being still and knowing that whatever God wants to accomplish... HE will accomplish. Again--in you, and through you, and as you. I think a lot of the time we miss out on what is available to us because we are too busy trying. Trying to be someone we're not in order to get something we think we haven't got. Trying to earn something that can't be earned. Or trying to get other people to fit into our idea of who or what they should be. But guys, let's be real: When you put expectations on someone, all you're really doing is setting yourself up for disappointment. Because people are going to be who they're going to be and people are going to do what they're going to do. And let me say this: If you have to beg someone for something... even if you get it, it's not worth it. If something is not given freely from the heart... it's not real. If you guilt someone, or trick someone, or in some other way coerce someone into doing what you want... I'm telling you, it's not worth it. If getting what you want is your goal... get a different goal. Because love is never about getting. Because love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. Putting others first. Living a life of service. This is how we experience the fullness of what we've been given. Because this is who God is. God is love. If you want to feel love... love somebody. Give what you've got. If you want to feel forgiveness... forgive somebody. Give what you've got. If you want to feel mercy... be merciful. Give what you've got. The Divine Order of things, and the secret of life, is receiving and releasing. Letting God love the hell out of you and then loving Him back by loving the hell out of the people you come into contact with. Being who you are--who you really are, which is who you are in Christ, which is who Christ is in you--by letting Jesus be who HE is. And, one more time, He is love. Period. Rest is not inactivity. It is Holy Spirit directed activity. And the only thing the Holy Spirit ever leads us, guides us, or directs us to do... is love. What else could the Spirit of love direct us to do? And why else would God fill us with all of His fullness if He didn't want what's inside of us to come out of us? He filled us up with the fullness of Himself. All we have to do is fill ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with. Let what's inside come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. Scientifically, being "full" of something means overflowing. It's not technically full until no more can fit and it comes tumbling out. That's what it means to be filled with the fullness of God. That's what it means for His love to fill us up. It overflows out of us with every breath we take and every move we make. It utterly consumes us and, last time for today, leads us, guides us, directs us, and protects us! So let what's inside come out. Experience the fullness of God--His love--by giving it away!

I think about how much we settle for a lot. Or, I should say, how little we settle for. Which is a crying shame. Because there is so much available to us. But we disqualify ourselves from experiencing what we've been given because we don't think we deserve it. Or we don't think we're worthy of it. Or we don't think we've earned it. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Ephesians 3:16-19 (NLT), "I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." There's a lot there, but it is all so good. And it all leads to the idea of being complete in Him. And what that means is experiencing all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Experiencing His life as He lives it in you, and through you, and as you. Letting God do what He wants to do. Not trying to live Jesus' life (nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus), but EXPERIENCING that abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of God (His life of love) by receiving and releasing the gift of God--which is His life, His love--that we have already been given. Not settling for anything less than what we already have. Look at Colossians 2:9 (NLT), "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body." And because Christ lives in us... that fullness lives in us! We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. We have been filled with the fullness of God. We can understand how big His love is when we let Him love us. When we let Him show us how big His love is. It's not something we need--it's something we have. It's not something for us to get--it's something for us to give away. Because love IS giving! You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. The whole point of having this fullness is so that we can experience it by giving it away. Filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with so that it comes out of us. Naturally. With every move we make and every breath we take. In order to stop settling, we need to understand what is available to us. What we really have. We need to understand how high and long and wide and deep God's love is. And the only way to do that is to let us love Him, and to love Him back by loving people. Receive and release His love. We seem to think that something is better than nothing. But I've learned the hard the way that the wrong thing is NOT better than nothing. And I've learned that our God will never leave us nor forsake us. We never have nothing. Because we always have Him. The body that Christ lives in... is ours. So even when we think we're all alone, we're not. He is with us. LOVE is with us. And if we have that, we have everything we need. If we have love, we can love. And to live is to love. To love is to live. They aren't just connected, they are the same thing. So stop settling. Experience and enjoy the fullness of the gift you've been given... by giving it away. By sharing it. Love is giving. Give what you've got. And in that way, experience what you've got! What you've got is so good. It's the best thing going. The best thing ever. So make sure you understand what His love is. Let Him show you. Let Him love you. And then love Him back by loving people!

When you stop stumbling and falling--through the power of God (the power of love) that is able to hold you up, it is then and only then that you can live in a way that keeps others from stumbling. Let me say it like this--if you have a weakness for drinking... you should probably avoid bars for a while before you try to start a ministry there. Like the airplane example I always use: Put your own oxygen mask on before you try to help someone else get theirs on. Because you aren't good to anybody if you're passed out on the floor. It's the idea--and the Divine Order--of receiving and releasing. First you have to receive... so that you have something to release. It's the idea of God blessing us so that we can be a blessing. Living out of our abundance. Letting God love us and then loving Him back by loving each other. Letting God take the stumbling blocks out of our road--and seeing that everything is under our feet. Seeing that He has brought every valley low and every mountain high so that the Way that leads to life is both straight and narrow. And don't think of that as a bad thing. If the Way is straight and narrow, that means it's easy to stay on course. AND, if we do get off course, there is a voice from behind us, the finished work of the cross, redirecting us. Leading us, guiding us, directing us, and protecting us. But what I'm trying to say is... once God has cleared your road... you can, and should, and ought to, help others with theirs. Receiving... and releasing. Breathing in the love of God, and then breathing it out. Letting the love inside you come out as you know and believe that it is in there. Filling yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. That's the key--giving what you've got. By knowing and believing that you've got it. Letting God hold you up, and then, in HIS power, holding other people up. And, listen, it takes sacrifice. I'm not saying it doesn't. Giving everything you have and everything you are can, quite frankly, be terrifying. Being that vulnerable. Laying your life down for your friends. Because when you give what you've got, the "natural" reaction can be to worry about not having anything left. But the truth of the matter is: We are connected to the unlimited source of love. The God who IS love lives inside us. AND... love is giving. You don't lose it by giving it away. You experience it by giving it away. If you want to feel love... love somebody. Don't worry about what you don't have, just give what you do have. Don't worry about who or what you're not. Just be who you are. Embrace who you are and embrace others. Let people be who THEY are. That's key. Don't try to micromanage people. Don't try to change people. Just don't make it worse for them. Don't make it harder for them. In as much as it's within your power--live peacefully. Don't do things that will cause others to stumble. Care enough about your fellow man to not climb over them in order to get higher. Don't sacrifice others for your own selfish wants. Because, really, there are only two things that REALLY matter in this universe: God and people. Loving God and loving people. Loving God BY loving people. Letting Him love you and loving Him back by loving the people He puts in your path. And think about this, to end this Rant series, if God puts someone in your path... they aren't a stumbling block. They are either a lesson or a blessing. And either way you can love the hell out of them. That's the entire point of your whole life. Be loved, and love. Be known, and know. Walk without stumbling, and help those you come into contact with do that same!

When you understand the glorious truth behind Jude 1:24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy," you will understand that you don't have to worry about any bumps in the road. You don't have to worry about any stumbling blocks. Because even if you DO lose sight of the fact--the truth--that everything is under our feet, you can still be comforted in knowing that even if you stumble... God can keep you from falling. He can reach out and hold you up. LOVE can reach out and hold you up. When you begin to depend solely and wholly on love to lead you, guide you, direct you, and protect you... that's when you're in the safest place you can be. And that's when you can live in a way that doesn't cause anybody else to stumble either. That's when you can truly begin to esteem others higher than yourself. Listen--if you're running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to make sure that you have what you need (even at the expense of others)... that's no way to live. That's not life at all. Because to live is to love and to love is to live. And love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. So if your motivation is getting... that's not love. Which means that not life. This idea that "whoever dies with the most toys wins" is not a good one. I'd rather focus on a life that doesn't end. A life of laying your life down for your friends. But you can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. So you first have to have something. You have to receive before you can release. You have to let God love you before you can love Him back (by loving people). If you can't walk down the road without stumbling, it will be very hard for you to keep anybody else from stumbling. It's like when you're in an airplane and they tell you "If anything happens, put your own oxygen mask on first." You can't help anybody if you're passed out on the floor. You need to--and listen, there's a lot to be said about ministering out of your hurt. If you have a PHD in something (Personally Have Done it), you can relate to someone who is going through what you've gone through in a more intimate way. When you've been there, done that, and got the t-shirt you can help someone else through it in a way that maybe no one else can. So I'm not saying we shouldn't go through things. We HAVE to go through things. That's just part and parcel of life. Sometimes the hardest part of life is just living. But you go THROUGH it. You don't have to stumble and fall and get stuck. It came to pass, not to stay. So I guess what I'm trying to say today is, "If you're going through hell... keep on going." God has made the Way. It is straight and narrow. He brought every mountain low and every valley high. He is able to keep us from falling. And when He presents us faultless to Himself... others begin to see us that way too. When we see everything under our feet--so the weight and sin that so easily trips us up... can't trip us up anymore--that's when we can give a hand to our brothers and sisters. Raise them up above whatever it is that's trying to trip THEM up. We can help people, quite literally, get over it. Because we are over it. You don't overcome by thinking "If I try really hard I'll be able to overcome." We are overcomers because Jesus already overcame. It's a past tense deal. We are overcomers because, in Him, we have already overcome! And because we've already done it, we can help other people do it. We can receive it and release it! We can let what's inside of us--the love of God that's inside of us--come out. We can give what we've got. We can love... because we are loved!

I know I claim a lot of verses in the Bible as my favorite. I can't help it. I think the Bible is great. Anyway... here's another of my favorites: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us srip off every weight that slows us down, especialy the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us" (Hebrews 12:1 NLT). I think a lot of the time we struggle with things that we need not struggle with. A lot of the time we make mountains out of molehills. We give power to things that have no power. We stumble when we don't have to... or shouldn't. I know I've been focusing on us not putting stumbling blocks in front of each other. Living in a way that helps and doesn't hurt others. But at the same time, it's important for us to make sure there are no stumbling blocks in our own road. To know that everything is under our feet. And I always kind of liken that idea to Jesus walking on the water. Which, to me, never seemed like a big deal to Him. The quickest and most efficient way to get where He was going--out to the boat the disciples were on--was just to walk out there. To Jesus it didn't seem to matter if it was dry ground, or water, or what. And I think that's a good mindset to have. I think we psyche ourselves out a lot of the time. We get stressed out about things that might or might not happen. We get all worked up about things that really don't even matter. When what we ought to do is strip off every weight that slows us down. The KVJ says lay aside every weight. We always want to fight, when a lot of the time we should just lay is aside. Don't even bother with it. What you feed--whether positively or negatively--is what will grow. If you don't want something (or someone) in your life... starve it. Don't give it (or them) any of your three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure). When you engage, that's when you empower. Especially if that's what they want. A lot of times people are just looking for that reaction. A lot of times people just want you to give them what they're looking for. So if you don't react, you are setting clear, healthy boundaries. In some cases, the only way to win is to not play. The only way not to stumble when there's a block in your road... is to know that it's under your feet. And the best part about that revelation is that even though we don't always see all things under our feet... we see Jesus. We are overcomers because HE overcame. You don't have to try to overcome in order to succeed. You have to know that--in Him--you already have. Jesus fought, and won, the war to end all wars. Which means there are no more wars left to fight. He brought the valleys high and the mountains low. Which means the road--the Way--that we are on is straight and narrow. And it leads to LIFE. The abundant life of love that Jesus came for us to have. What I'm saying is, we can run the race with endurance. Even when it seems like a long and winding road. Even when it seems like there are twists and turns and life keeps throwing us curveballs. We can stay the course. We don't have to let every bump in the road wreck us. We can check ourselves before we wreck ourselves. We can keep on keeping on knowing that it is God who holds us up and keeps us from falling. He can, in fact and in truth, keep us from stumbling at all. When we invite Him into every situation and circumstance. His Word (which is Jesus, which is love) is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Showing us not only where to go, but how to get there!

It's really just about putting others first. And by "it" I mean "love." Love is never about getting. Because love is giving. Giving everything you have and everything you are. Esteeming others higher than yourself. And I know this is something of a lost art these days. Because we seem to have adopted the mindset of "I've got to do what I've got to do for me... even if it is at your expense." The Bible, however, tells a different tale. "We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fauilt with our ministry" (2 Corinthians 6:3 NLT). But I do need to point something out--you've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything. And as soon as you stand for something, SOMEONE will find fault with it. That's why Romans 12:18 is so important, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Or, in the NLT, "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone." Talking about majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors. Talking about not making others stumble. If what you're doing--even though it makes YOU happy--hurts someone else... maybe don't do it. Or, at the very least, don't do it around them? If you're hurting someone, that's not love. Period. Love is not about getting what you want. It is about giving others what they need. We've gotten so used to having our needs met that we have started to focus almost soley and completely on our wants. But let's put that in context too. "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires" (Psalm 37:4 NLT). Which, by the way, is NOT an "if-then" statement. It's not IF you delight yourself in the Lord THEN He will give you what you desire. Because, think about it: The desire of your heart. What could that be? I'll tell you. In a Word, it is love. Your heart desires love. The only thing your heart is truly concerned with is love. And GOD is love! So delighting yourself in the Lord IS delighting yourself in love... which is the desire of your heart! This isn't telling us WHAT to do, it's telling us HOW to do it! I'm telling you, when the Bible says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)... that's the real deal. The happiest times I've ever had in my life were when I was making someone else happy. We don't believe it, because we find it so hard to look past ourselves most of the time, but we really were created as givers. Created in the image and likeness of our heavenly Father. The God who so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son. And I'll say this about it to, the times I've been given something in my life pale in comparision to the times I've given something. I remember the reaction to a gift of love so much better than how I reacted to be given that gift. It's receiving and releasing. And, listen, you have to receive before you can release. You have to have something to give before you can give it. But we receive SO THAT we can release. We know and believe that God has given us the gift of His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love... and we experience that gift that we've been given by giving it away. We live our lives in a way that we don't cause others to stumble... because we are invested in them. Because we don't WANT them to stumble. We want to make sure people are ok. And that, in reality, is how we make sure WE'RE ok. Because we're all in this together. Because the tides raises all ships. When I love you, you experience love... and so do I! It's a perfect situation, and it is life as it is supposed to be!

I want to spend the next few days talking about something that really doesn't seem to be very popular these days--putting others first. Because it seems like in this age of "enlightenment" we had come to the conclusion that in order to live our best lives... we can't concern ourselves with the collateral damage that is other people. If I'm doing what I gotta do, and you happen to get pulled under in my wake, that's not my problem. Or so the theory seems to be. Let's look at some Bible to see another point of view. "But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge of eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:9-13 NKJV). The context here is that "offering meat to idols" doesn't really mean anything, because they are false idols--and if you understand that, there's no problem. But if someone who doesn't understand that sees you do it... they might think it's ok for them to do it, under the idea that it DOES mean something to offer it to an idol. But the bigger picture, to me, is the first part and the last part. If my liberty is a stumbling block for someone else... it's not really liberty at all. If I'm doing something that hurts someone else... I probably shouldn't be doing it. To me it goes hand in hand with the idea we find in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (NLT), "You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is beneficial." Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. Especially--and, again, this is the part that seems to be lost these days--if it hurts someone else. And while Paul took it to the extreme here, "If food makes my brother stumble, I'll never eat meat again," is that really such a huge sacrifice? We don't seem to see people in the way that Paul sees them. "For whom Christ died." That was one of his big ideas. One of the things he really liked to key in on. "How should I treat someone that Christ died for?" That was his mentality. The mentality I see these days is, "Treat yourself!" Live your best life. Don't worry about anybody else. If you're in a relationship it's ok to disrespect your partner, as long as your doing what's best for you. If you're a parent, it's ok to walk out on your child, as long as your doing what's best for you. Guys. I wholeheartedly disagree with all of that. If you're willing to disrespect your partner... you shouldn't be in a relationship. Period. If you're willing to walk away from your child, you're not really a parent at all. Life come with responsibilities. We owe a debt to each other--but only one. And it is love. "Owe nothing to anyone--except for you obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law" (Romans 13:8 NLT). If you love someone, you won't want to see them stumble. You won't put a stumbling block in front of them, and furthermore, you'll go out of your way to get rid of any stumbling blocks that may or may not show up in their road. Just like Jesus did--He brough the mountains low and the valleys high so that we could walk a straight and narrow path that leads unto life! We can, and should, do that for each other. We are loved, we ought to love!

Let's come at this another way to close this Rant series. We're talking about recovering our lives, right? Getting back to basics? Back to good? Back to where God always wanted us to be from the very beginning? And we've seen that the way to do that is to get away with Him. Learn from Him what it means to take a real rest. Walk with Him and work with Him. Now watch this: "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it" (Matthew 10:39 NLT). So often in life we miss out on what's available to us because we are too busy looking for it in all the wrong places. We rob ourselves of the gift we've been given by trying to earn something that can't be earned. A gift--especially the gift of God that is His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love--is freely given and must simply be received. Received and released. And here's the key to that: You receive it BY releasing it, and you release it BY receiving it! You fill yourself to overflowing with what God has already filled you with by knowing and believing that He has filled you with it! You let Him love you, and then you love Him back by loving people. That's what life is all about. That's what life is! But, again, we miss out on HIS life a lot of times because we are clinging to our OWN lives. What's that old saying? Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it. My Bible case says, "God allows U-turns." And, in fact, I think He encourages them. God will never leave us nor forsake us. He is with us through thick and thin. He knows the way home because He IS the Way, and He IS our home! That's what I want to keep focusing on. When Jesus says, "Walk with me and work with me," we have to understand that HE is ALWAYS walking with US and working with US. When we think we need to hold on to Him (and I'm not saying that's a bad thing, you should hold on to God... to Jesus... to love...) we need to understand that HE is holding on to us and will never let us go! What we need to do... is let go. Let go of some of that stuff that we've collected in our lives that we don't really need. Some of that stuff that is just bogging us down. Holding us back. Tripping us up. It's easy to walk without stumbling when you know that all things are under your feet. The problem is that we don't always see everything under our feet. We see mountains. And we see valleys. We don't always see the straight and narrow way that leads to life. We cling to our preconceptions (misconceptions) and our own way of doing things. The way that seems right to a man, but the end of which is death. We lean on our own understanding many times, and that gets us into trouble. That gets to a place where we NEED to recover. Luckily, that also gets us to a place where God can step in. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we can't... He can, and will. When we give God the opportunity to move in our lives, He does. But when we try to do it ourselves, I believe God will let us (at least to a certain degree). I'm just saying, there's a way that seems right to a man... and there's a more excellent Way (and Truth and Life) that is Jesus. When we lose our lives, we receive HIS life. When we try to do it ourselves we get into trouble. When we let Jesus do it in us, and through us, and as us... that's when we experience life to the fullest. That's when we experience LOVE to the fullest. That's when we are truly alive. And that's when we recover our true lives!