Let me drop my memory verse and then we'll get into it. Because I think we have a very misguided notion of what it means. Ok. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that she he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). I think for the longest time we've always taken that to mean, "If we sin God will punish us." That's always been the "religious" concept of sowing and reaping. But here's the deal: God set up certain rules and principles when He created the world. (And before we go any further, I do want to say that God "breaks" His own rules whenever He feels like it. Multiplying the loaves and the fish, for example. Or walking on water. He's the boss. The Creator. He does what He wants.) But when we're talking about God not being mocked that doesn't mean, "God won't let you get away with anything. If you mess up He's going to get you." It means those principles He set forth are solid. What you sow is what you reap. Think about it. You can't plant an apple seed and expect an orange tree to sprout up. That's not the natural (or Divine) order of things. You can't mock what has been set forth. A seed produces after it's own kind. Now look at the very next verse, Galatians 6:8, "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." This isn't talking about God punishing people. It's talking about what you magnify in your life manifesting in your life. It's talking about the natural consequences of our actions. Like God told Adam, if you eat from the tree of death you will surely die. That's not God punishing anybody. That's common sense. What else could come from the tree of death BUT death? And, in the same manner, what else can come from the Tree of Life but life? If you life to people... sowing dishonesty and mistrust... you will reap what you sow. Not because God is throwing lightning bolts from some cloud somewhere. But because in this life you get what you pay for. For the most part. From people. If you lie to someone, chances are they won't trust you next time. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME. Once you've been burned you tend to stay away from the fire. And I say that that's what you get from people because even though we have this twisted idea of an angry God who only wants to punish us... in reality He always bends over backwards to spare us. Be it an entire system of animal sacrifice, or the culmination of that on the cross with the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. He has always been more interested in protecting us and helping us. Guiding us towards those good consequences that comes from charity--love in action. Shining the light of the world on us, and in us, and through us, and as us, so that we can see clearly and so that we can help others see clearly. Lighting our path so that we won't stumble or fall. And picking us back up if and when we do. Consequences are what happens whenever we do anything. Punishment isn't even in the equation. When God chastens and corrects us, that's not because He's mad. It's because He wants what's best for us. Because He loves us. So you reap what you sow. Always. But that doesn't have anything to do with God punishing anybody.

Yesterday we looked at good consequences that comes from acts of love. Charity. Love in action. Today I think we should look at the flip side of that. So let's start with Acts 7:42 in the Message Bible, "God wasn't at all pleased; but he let them do it their way, worship every new god that came down the pike--and live with the consequences, consequences described by the prophet Amos: Did you bring me offerings of animals and grains those forty years, O Israel?" And I've always said it like this: God is too much of a gentleman to force His will on you. He wants what's best for you. Has made a way where there is no way. Has prepared a table for you in the presence of your enemies. He has made what's best for you available to you. But even when it doesn't please Him... he let's you do it your way. It's that measure of freewill that we talk about. I believe that on the cross Jesus wasn't particularly worried about whether or not we wanted to be drawn into Him. And I think that in our heart of hearts there's nobody who wouldn't want to be drawn into the arms of a loving heavenly Father, whether they're willing to admit it or not. But that's not the point today. The point today is that God will let us do what we're of a mind to do. Very rarely does He pull a Jonah, where He REALLY kind of insists on things. Generally speaking God calls someone, they freak out and ask for a sign, He gives them a sign, and then they do what they're called to do. At least, you know, Biblically speaking. That's what was mostly recorded for us to see and use as an example. And I've heard my pastor say, "Some are called, and some are cornered." But that's more of an internal deal. Not necessarily a trip into a fish's belly. It's a conviction from the Holy Spirit. Which is why when people ask me, "Is such and such a sin?" Smoking, for example. Or drinking. "They drank wine in the Bible!" Listen, man, that's between you and God. If you can get it past the Holy Spirit you can get it past me. If you feel ok with it, and you're not hurting anybody... live your best life. But remember: There ARE consequences to every action. Newton's third law, right? For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. What you do matters. What you do affects things. But the point... man, I don't know if I'm making my point today. My point is that when you do something you shouldn't... and it manifests a consequence that you don't like... that's not God getting mad and throwing a fit and punishing you. That's just what happens. Like when God told Adam that if Adam ate from the tree of knowlege of good and evil he would surely die... that wasn't God threatening punishment. That was God warning Adam about the natural consequences of his actions. Eat from the tree of death...? Guess what: You're going to die. It has nothing to do with punishment. God doesn't punish us for sin. He saved us from sin. God is not in the punishment business. He is in the chastening and correcting business, but that's totally different. And, even when we do what He doesn't want us to do... and reap the consequences of those actions... He is STILL in the restoration business. He is ready, willing, and able to clean up our messes. Like my Bible case says, "God allows U-turns." And, in fact, I believe He encourages them!

God doesn't punish us for sin. He saved us from sin. I really don't like the "religion" that we've created that is basically, "Be good or else." Get right or get left. God only loves people who don't mess up. Because, in my humble opinion, all of that is nonsense. God loves us. Period. Always has, always will. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Not what we do (or don't do) or what anybody else says or does. God created us in order to love us. He IS love. That's not just what He does. That's who He is. That's His very nature. Which makes it OUR very nature. Point being--He's not concerned with anything but love. And here's the deal--sin DID (in a sense) "separate" us from God. Because when Adam and Eve sinned they hid from the presence of God. Now hear this: God was still there. He swore He would never leave us nor forsake us. He was still there. But man was hiding from Him. Running from Him. Fleeing Him. Because man thought He was mad about the sin. Well, as far as I'm concerned, sin is unbelief. Believing anything other than the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) of God. Believing the lie that the serpent hissed into our ear way back in the misty garden of Eden that says you have to do in order to be. Again--the LIE. But when you know the truth you can ignore the lie. When you know you are loved by your heavenly Father at ALL times... you don't have to try to work for it. You can simply receive it and release it. Receive it by releasing it. Release it by receiving it. You can let what's inside come out. And since we're talking about consequences, we need to understand that loving people has a consequence too. When you love someone, lots of good things happen. I always say, "If you want to feel love... love someone." Because love is giving. Giving everything you've got. Laying your life down. But you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. So you have to know what you have. You have to let God love you. And the consequence of letting God love you... is that you'll love Him back by loving people. You'll be able to fill yourself to overflowing with His love, because you'll be able to know and believe that you're already filled with it. And love feeds on itself (Himself) and grows and grows. The consequence of love... is love. A Holy Ghost wildfire that starts with one small spark. One small act of love that builds and builds, and grows and grows. The pay it forward deal. When you do something for someone, you are equipping and empowering them to do something for someone else. When you see a need and meet it you are taking that person out of a position of lack, or need, and into a posture of abundance. Those are good consequences to acts of love. Charity--love in action. Like Mother Theresa said, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." Pour yourself into those that God has connected you to. Give what you've got. Stop trying to get what you think you haven't got. That's where, and when, and how, we get into trouble a lot of times. Focusing on what we don't have instead of what we do have. Just give what you've got--the love that you've got--and see some amazing consequences follow!

I think this is one of my themes. When it comes to ministry AND when it comes to life. Actions have consequences. A long time ago my grandpa told me, "You can do anything you want... as long as you're willing to pay the consequences." Which is not a threat. But is more of a warning. Not of an angry God who is sitting on a cloud, holding a lightning bolt, waiting for us to mess up so He can get us. That kind of god might exist in Greek or Norse mythology. But that is not the God who is love. God's not trying to get us. For one thing, He already got us. On and through the cross. In the best way possible. We got us... as His own. We are His people. He is our God. But let me say what I'm trying to say. I read this on Facebook the other day: "God does not punish us for sin. He saves us from sin." Think about that. Really think about it. And add this to that, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Also Hebrews 9:26, "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Sin. Jesus took it away and put it away. Kind of a done deal, in my opinion. The problem that we find is not God's punishment... but our own sin consciousness. WE get so focused on "getting the sin out of the camp" that we don't get to experience and enjoy the truth that God already did that. We're always on sin hunt. And just like those times when we need to go to the bathroom, and we're focusing so hard on NOT needing to go that we almost mess our pants (because even focusing on not doing it is still focusing on it), the more we're focused on sin (even on not doing it) the more it manifests in our lives. What you magnify in your life WILL manifest in your life. And I'm not even getting into what I believe sin is in this Rant series. To me, sin is unbelief. Period. Believing anything other than the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) of God. And acting out of that belief. All I want to focus on in this Rant series is that you CAN do whatever you want... but you can't do ANYTHING without consequences. I heard a preacher say it like this, "If you cheat on your spouse, God won't punish you. But you better believe your spouse will." So I guess my point is that we need to stop fearing God. We need to get to a place where we're doing what we're doing because it's in our hearts to do it. Not because we're afraid that God will throw that lightning bolt at us. We shouldn't do things because we think we can get away with them. Or not do things because we're afraid of "getting in trouble." There's a more excellent way. And it comes from counting the cost. (I'll probably quote the memory verse where Jesus talks about that tomorrow.) It comes from understanding that consequences aren't always bad. Some actions have bad consequences. Som have good consequences. But ALL actions have consequences. So the question to ask yourself is: "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" Is what I'm doing going to get me the consequences I want? Again, counting the cost. Not just doing whatever you feel like doing, or doing things on a whim. Thinking things through. Making sure what we do is worth doing. Which, of course, is where love comes in. Because love is ALWAYS worth doing!

Affection isn't just us liking the people we like. That's easy. And while it's important, it's a very different thing than what we've been talking about. Liking people that you might not necessarily get along with, naturally, is the true measure and test of love. Because it's not, "I love you (because I "love" everybody) but I don't like you." It's, "I like you because I love you!" Love IS affection. Love is a love feast. A meal that is shared. Look at 2 Corinthians 6:13 (MSG), "I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!" If you're living openly, sharing your life, you can also let the other people IN your life live openly. When you rain on someone's parade it makes them want to stop marching. If you slap someone's hand, it makes them want to stop reaching out. If you shut someone down it makes them want to stop opening up. But if you, instead, celebrate people... encourage them to be who they are... LET people be who they are... then you can build that bond and that connection and that relationship. It only works if you're being real. And if you're letting people be real. You don't have to like everything about everybody. And that's good. Because you won't. You can't. It's impossible. But you can like people whether you agree with them at all times or not. And you can like people because you love them. It starts (and ends) with love. Love is the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. It starts with love and it ends with love. Not that it ever really ends. How could everlasting, eternal, abundant, Resurrection Life ever really end? It can't. But that's not my point for today. My point for today, to end this Rant series, is simply letting people be who they are and loving them as they are. And finding that when you truly love someone... it's impossible not to like them. When you're living openly, giving someone else the room and the space and the grace to be who they are... and when you're open with who YOU are... that's when a REAL connection can happen. When the walls come down and you stop trying to be someone you're not--or make people think you're someone you're not--and when you stop trying to change people into who THEY are not... that's when true relationships can form. And that's the only way this life really works. We were created for love. To be loved by God and to love Him back by loving each other with that same love. To receive and release the love of God. To love one another as Jesus loves us. To live and love. Which are not just connected, but are the same things. To live IS to love and to love is to live. You can't have one without the other and you can't do one without the other. And love is giving. So living is giving. Giving yourself. Living openly. Laying your life down for your friends. Gladly spending everything you have and everything you are in order to enrich the lives of the people in your life. Sharing your life. Sharing yourself. Loving people, and finding that in loving them... it's impossible not to like them!

It's not "I love you, but that doesn't mean I like you." It's, "I like you... because I love you!" Love is affection. Love is a love feast. A meal to be shared. And think about it. Because that's what I've been trying to make happen in this Rant series. Really think about it. Think about laying your life down for someone. You can't do that and still think badly about them. Because laying your life down for someone is about seeing a need and meeting it. And when you look at someone's... call them what you want. Bad qualities? Lack? Differences? If you look at those things with the mindset of picking up the slack instead of kicking someone when they're down... that's love. When you look at someone and are able to celebrate their differences instead of attacking them... that's love. And that's what it's all about. Guys: We're supposed to be different. The body needs all of it's different parts. Each part has a unique function. There are some things that I can't do, that you were made to do. So if I try to do everything, not only am I going to fail miserably... but I'm going to rob you of your chance to do that thing that you were created to do. But if we work together... everything will get done. And the more we work together, the stronger that bond becomes. If somone is relying on you, or if you are relying on someone... that's powerful. Trust. And I think--especially when it comes to our relationship with God, but even with each other--obedience is a trust issue. If you trust that your heavenly Father has your best interests at heart, you won't have a problem obeying Him. If you trust that the people in your life care about you, you'll be able to drop your guard. You won't always be looking for things to get offended or upset about. You'll be able to enjoy people even if they aren't exactly the same as you. Variety is the spice of life, right? If you open your mind to people, you can learn from different points of view, different backgrounds and different experiences. And you can embrace those differences instead of fighting against them. Even, like in the case that always bring up about the people at work who get all fired up (in a good way) about their music. It's not my music. I'm not interested in it. I don't like it. Don't want to listen to it. But I CAN (and will, and have) listened to THEM be excited and happy about it. Because I love THEM. You don't have to love everything someone loves in order to love them. You can just be cool with it and not worry about it. As long as it's not hurting anybody... all is well. And by letting them be who they are, with you, instead of raining on their parade, you're building that bond and that relationship. You're liking people--not necessarily because you have things in common, or because you agree with them on every single thing--because you love them. If it starts with love everything else falls into place. That's the foundation that we build on. And when we build on that foundation, everything else is strong. Don't just love the people you like. Love everybody. And then see if you don't end up liking everybody too!

When you're loving someone, you're laying your life down for them. You're not worried about you. You're seeing a need in THEM and meeting it. Giving THEM what you've got. You're not worried about getting anything from them. You're focused on taking care of them. And that can be tricky. It really can. Because sometimes people get stuck on what they WANT, to the detriment of what they NEED. Let me say it as clearly as I can: What you need is more important than what you want. Sometimes what you want isn't good for you. At all. And that's why when you're growing up it's your parents' job to regulate. "Can I have more?" No, you've had an appropriate amount. Too much is too much. But the point I'm trying to make today is that when you take yourself out of the equation it's easy (easier?) to see that love and affection are the same thing. The reason we don't like people is usually because we don't get what we want from them. They slight us in some way (intentional or unintentional), or they are different than we are. There's a lack of understanding. A miscommunication. We build walls instead of bridges. We want to get in where we fit in, and we think the best (only?) way to do that is by getting rid of everybody who DOESN'T fit into our box. Or our circle. Our tribe. Whatever you want to call it. What it comes down to is, who are you looking at? Who are you paying attention to? Them... or yourself? And, listen, I'm a big believer in self-love. Self care. Making sure you don't burn yourself out. My son, Logan, always tells me I need to do more stuff for myself, because I'm always wearing myself out giving everything I've got to others. I've mentioned this before, but for me that usually means eating chocolate and watching scary movies. That's how I relax. That's how I recharge. But at the same time, Jesus taught us that His meat (His sustenance) was to do the will of His Father. He was hungry... and then He ministered to someone... and then He wasn't hungry anymore. There's a lot to be said about ministering out of your weakness. Being vulnerable with people. Being real with people. And I'm telling you, when you're real with people... that's where the relationship comes from. The connection. The bond of love. That's when you start to like people. When you see them as a person instead of an action. "Well, he lied to me." And then we see them as only that: A liar. But maybe he did lie... and maybe he didn't. Maybe it was a miscommunication, or a misunderstanding. And even if it wasn't, our actions don't define us. Our heavenly Father defines us. Jesus defines us. We are the righteousness of God in Christ... even when we mess up. Nothing can change who you really are, because nothing can separate you from the love of Christ... and that's who you are. Love is not just what we do. Love is who we are. Even when we mess up. What I'm trying to say today is that when we start to see each other as God sees us... that's when we can get past "faking it 'til we make it" and that's when we can really begin to enjoy each other. Whether we have differences or not. In fact, we can enjoy each other BECAUSE of our differences!

Let me try to spell it out for you: "But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into your lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments" (Galatians 5:22 MSG). Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, right? So when fruit appears in the orchard, it appears in us. Fruit comes from the branches. We bear the fruit by giving it to the people we come into contact with. And look at that fruit: Affection for others. When you are filled to overflowing with love... it manifests in affection towards each other. We find ourselves in loyal commitments. Relationships that last. Bonds that have deep roots. I wanted to say, "Close your eyes," at this point, but don't do that. Keep them open and keep reading. But think about that person in your life that you're not especially fond of. That person that kind of makes you roll your eyes when you think about them. The person you might want to cross the street to avoid. Now think about pouring yourself into that person. Loving that person, not in spite of those things you don't like about them... but because of them. Loving that person for who THEY are, not who YOU wish they were. And I'm not saying you have to be in any kind of romantic relationship with them. Sometimes people mistake nice (or even polite) with romantic intent. This isn't that. But just imagine how different your relationship with that person would be if you DIDN'T cross the street when you saw them coming. If, instead, you took yourself out of the equation and just gave THEM what THEY needed. I've spoken a bit about some of the people at work that I endeavor to get along with. And, in all honesty, I just like everybody because it's easier that way. I don't need people to agree with me. Or think like I think. Or like what I like. Because I know that it's not all about me. I can laugh with those who are laughing and I can weep with those who are weeping. If someone gets excited about something that I couldn't care less about... I can let them be excited. I can share their excitment. And in that way I can strengthen that bond with them. That loyal commitment. When you share your life with someone, or let them share their life with you, it's hard not to find affection for them. When you make what they want, or need, more important to you than what you want... that's love, man. That's sacrificial, agape, God love. That's the love feast. And the thing about a feast is, you CAN eat it all by yourself... but it's so much better when you share it. A feast means there is more than enough for just you. It is a shared meal. Because things work out better when we work together. Shared experiences are better (for the most part) than individual experiences. Sometimes being alone is ok. But love takes two to tango. And you can love anybody. You can love everybody. Because you have been filled with love. You can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. You have been filled with the love of God. So you can fill yourself to overflowing with what you've been filled with and let it out onto any and every body!

Back in the day there was a wrestler, well, a manager, named Brother Love. And his catchphrase was, "I LOOOOOVVVVEEE YOU!" But another thing he would say is, "I love you, but that doesn't mean I like you." Which stuck with me, obviously, because I still remember it to this day. I always thought that was interesting. The separation between love and like. As if they were two different thinigs. Because here's the thing: You can't really love someone without liking them. Look at one of my favorite Bible verses, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16). Love being number 26 in Strong's Greek Concordance and meaning, "affection or benevolence; specifically a love feast: - (feast of) charity, dear, love." And, according to dictionary.com, "affection" means, "fond attachment, devotion, or love." Pretty much, to me, affection means "I like you." I'm very fond of you. I'm devoted to you. I care about you, and your welfare, and your well being. Which is what love is all about. It's not about getting--because we have already known and believed the love of God... we already have it--it's about giving what we've got. It's about letting what's inside come out by knowing and believing it's in there. And that, by the way, is the Divine Order of things. You can't believe something that you don't know. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) of God. God reveals Himself--His love--to us, and then we are able to love Him back by loving each other. But for the next few days I really want to get into this idea that loving someone and liking them are NOT two different things. And here's how it works, "For scarely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die" (Romans 5:7). Let's try that in the Message Bible for some clarity. "We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice." Talking about our limited "natural" understanding. Judging by appearance instead of judging righteous judgment. Not trying to figure out if someone "deserves" your love or not. Because deserve has nothing to do with it. We might lay our lives down for a good man. A man worth dying for. But here's the deal: Jesus thought we were ALL worth dying for. When He was lifted up from the earth on the cross He drew all men into Himself. ALL men. All of us. Everybody who had ever lived or would ever live. One for all. Jesus thought each and every one of us deserved it. He thought each and every one of us was worth dying for. Why? Because He loves us. It's that simple. And when you love someone--truly love them with that sacrificial, agape, God love--you can't help but like them. Because when you're loving someone you're not condemning them. You're simply letting them be who they are and loving them for who they are. Here's my point, and the thrust of this Rant series: The more you love someone, the more affection for them you will have. Not, "I love you, but that doesn't mean I like you." But instead, "I like you... because I love you!"

Here it is: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" (Ephesians 1:17). A Spirit of wisdom and revelation. In the knowledge of Him. We really are kind of like my mom's favorite t-shirt sometimes. It says, "I don't think I have ADD--squirrel!" Like we get so distracted so easily. We give power to things that don't have any. We give power to things that SHOULDN'T have any. Let me say it like this: What you magnify in your life is what will manifest in your life. What you allow is what will continue. What you focus on is what you will experience. That's why it's so important to set your affection. And to set it on things above, not on things on the earth. God has given us what we need. That spirit of wisdom and revelation... in the knowledge of Him. The more we know of Him, the more we know of ourselves. Because as He is, so are we in this world. Because we have been created in His image, and conformed to the image of His Son. The problem man had in the beginning is that we didn't know who we were. Because we didn't know who HE was. Not until He shined the light. So that we could see clearly. We, by the way, ARE that light. He didn't just shine ON us, He shines THROUGH us. God is described as the Father of lights because we are His children and we are the light of the world just as Jesus was (and is) the light of the world. What I'm trying to say today, to end this Rant series, is that the revelation that we need IS the knowledge of Him. When we're talking about Revelation it's not about bugs the size of cars, or whatever else people are able to pull out of the last book in the Bible. It's about Jesus. It's about the cross. It's about love. And that's all it's about. Love is the thing we need to give our power to. Because God is all-powerful, right? Which means love is all-powerful. And that doesn't mean MOST powerful. It means God (LOVE) has ALL of the power. Which means nothing else has any power. No weapon formed against me shall prosper, right? Because they are powerless. So we don't need to fight them. We can just focus on the positive. Focus on loving people and let everything else work itself out. Don't get distracted by every squirrel that runs past. Don't get knocked around by every wind of doctrine. Know what you know and live out of that. And then when you learn more, when you know better, you can do better. But it's the knowledge of God. The knowledge of love. We learn how to love by learning how we are loved. We learn who we are by learning who Jesus is. Who God is. Who love is. And here's the best part: We don't have to "figure it out." We simply have to receive what He is giving us. Because He is constantly and always revealing Himself. To us. And in us. And through us. And as us. He is showing us who we are by showing us who He is. He has given us the spirit of wisdom and relevation. We have that. And it comes from the knowledge--heart knowledge, not head knowledge--experiential knowlege of Him. It comes from Him revealing Himself to us... by loving us!