I want to take a little bit of a different tact here. We've been talking about knitting ourselves together. And how that can really only happen when it is love binding us. How we are knit together with, and in, God (LOVE), and that is what equips and empowers us to be able to knit ourselves together with each other. Build those connections and relationships... through love. Today I want to show something that I think is important. Look at Genesis 22:6-8, "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." And really, the coolest part of this story is when Abraham says, "God will provide himself a lamb." Because Abraham wasn't saying God would provide a lamb FOR Himself. He was saying God is the Lamb that will be sacrificed. Type and shadow of the cross. But I want to focus on a word that repeats itself a couple times. Together. Abraham was told--and was willing--to sacrifice his son (again, pretty clear type and shadow of our heavenly Father so loving us that He gave us His only begotten Son). So they went... together. And then, after Isaac noticed that they had everything they needed for a sacrifice except for, you know, the sacrifice, his daddy told him what was up. And they went on... together. Sometimes it feels like we have this idea of Abraham kidnapping his kid and forcing him against his will. But in reality Isaac was almost 40 years old. He might not have understood exactly what was going on--though some believe that he did--but he was a willing participant. Abraham and Isaac were in it together. Daddy said, "Let's go," and his son went with him. They were knit together. They trusted each other. And if you take Abraham at his word, he fully expected God to provide Himself, instead of taking what Abraham loved most. God is not a taker. He is a giver. Because He is love. And love is giving. Ok. The point I'm trying to make is: When you knit yourself together with someone... that's the kind of bond that cannot be broken. No matter what comes your way. A threefold cord is stronger than any singular deal on its own. Would God have been able to show Himself in power and glory if Isaac had refused to go along? Well, yes, He could have. But it would have been in a different way and perhaps both Abraham AND Isaac would have missed out on it. I think a lot of times we miss out on what God has for us by trying to go our own way. By, like Jonah, running FROM God instead of to Him. And I think it's a trust issue. Knitting yourself together with someone means trusting them. And that only comes from trusting in the Lord. Working together with the people in your life for HIS plan in your life. Manifesting His plan--His love, His life--in your life by magnifying it in you life... by magnifying it in the lives of those people who you are knit together with!

Stop me if you've heard this before--actually, don't. Because you have heard this before. Just roll with it. Because this is one of my favorite passages from the Bible, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3). So much good stuff there. I've preached and Ranted many times--and probably will again--about walking worthy of your calling. Staying in your lane. Doing what you were created to do, and not over-extending yourself. Doing what you were created to do... by loving people. That's what you were created to do. Period. You were created to be loved by God and to love Him back by loving others with that love. That's our purpose. Our EPIC (Eternal Purpose In Christ) Destiny. That's what this life is for and that's what this life is all about. Here's the thing though: As simple as it is, it's not always easy. It takes longsuffering. Forbearing. Endeavoring. Love is not a feeling. It is a decision. A decision to lay your life down for your friends. To give everything you have and everything you are without worrying about what comes next. Just doing your part and letting that be enough. Loving people the best that you can and letting that be enough. Because the straight fact is: You're not going to get along with everybody that you come into contact with. Some people are just not going to pick up what you're laying down. And that's ok. You don't have to be for everybody. Just reach the people you can reach. That old saying by Mother Theresa, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." The people you are intimately connected with are the people you can affect the most. So pour yourself into those people. Keep the unity of the Spirit with those people. In the bond of peace. Knit yourself together with the people in your tribe. Strengthen those bonds by giving what you've got. Not by trying to get something. You already have everything you need. You're a prisoner of the Lord. That means He's responsible for you. He has to take care of you, if I can say it that way. And He WANTS to. Look at Luke 13:34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" He wants to cover us with His wings. Lead us, guide us, direct us, and protect us. He wants to take care of us. He wants us to feel safe with Him. To accept everything He has given us. We don't need to take care of ourselves when we understand that He is taking care of us! And don't get me wrong, we still need to take care of business. Hygene, bills, eating, drinking, all of that basic level stuff. But on a Spiritual level... all we need to do is let God do what He wants to do. What He IS doing. What He has already done. HE has knit us together with Himself. That's why (and how) we can knit ourselves together with each other. Love is the thread that ties us all together!

It's about unity. It really is. About us working together. Because we're all in this together. That's what being knit together is all about. Because we aren't just knit together in any common cause. We are knit together in love. That's the key. To everything. Certainly to unity. To connection. To relationship. The strongest bond you can have is that threefold cord--you, me, and Jesus. A bond of love. Look at John 17:21. This is Jesus speaking. The red letters. "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." How will the world know that we are disciples of Jesus? By the love we show one to another. How will the world believe that the Father sent the Son? Because we are all one in Him. All one in love. When people see love they see God, whether they know it, or understand it, or not. Because God is love. Let's be clear on that. God IS love. That's not just what He does. That's who He is. That's His nature. That's His MO, or method of operation. Everything God has ever done or will ever do... He did out of love. Because of love. In love. With love. For love. I'm trying to say it's all about love. The only way we CAN truly be knit together is in love. That's the only bond that cannot be broken. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Nothing we do, and nothing anybody else does. God loves you right now as much as He ever has. And that has always been true. That will always be true. God's love doesn't change. It grows, in a sense, as we come into a deeper understanding of it. But that's all to the good. Because the more we understand that we ARE loved... the more we CAN love. Because you can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. The New Commandment is to love one another as Jesus has loved you. So in order for us to love big... He must first love us big. And that works out for everybody because He always has and always will love us as big as possible. The key to all of this is giving what we've got by knowing and believing that we've got it. Being one in Him by knowing that we ALL are one in Him. Different parts of the body, yes, but the same body. The body of Christ. The New Man. The New Creation. As He is, so are we in this world. And as He is (one more time) is love. So as we are... is love. WHO we are is love. What we are is love. We knit ourselves together with each other by loving each other. That's the only way it can work. That's the only true bond that exists. So that's the one we should put our three T's (Time, Talent, Treasure) into. When you get past all the noise you can hear a still, small voice saying, "I love you" with every beat of God's heart in our chests. We are knit together with Him. That's what I was planning to try to say today. And that's what allows us to be knit together with each other. It flows from the head down into the body. His love fills us up so that we can love Him back by loving each other. That's what this life is for and that's what it's all about!

This Rant series kind of dovetails off of the last one, and really just continues on with the theme that has been heavy on my heart. I say this at work all the time, "We're all on the same team, right?" It doesn't have to be us vs them. When we stop focusing on what separates us and start focusing on what brings us together. When we stop focusing on our differences and start focusing on our similarities. Majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors, as one of my old pastors used to say. So let me drop my key memory verse: Colossians 2:2-3, "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." There's a lot there. Which is why I want to spend the next few days unpacking it. In the last Rant series about being comforted we looked a little bit at our hearts being comforted. About God giving us what we need so that we can then give it to each other. Which, in a nutshell, is what being knit together in love is all about. Receiving and releasing the gift we've been giving. Sharing that gift of life with each other. Laying our lives down for our friends. Because we know that living and loving are not just connected... they are the same thing. And love is giving. So living is giving. Giving what you have. Who you are. Not trying to be someone you're not (in order to get something you think you haven't got), but simply being yourself. Giving yourself to the people in your life. Knitting yourself together with people in order to build those bonds and relationships. That's what this life is for. That's what this life is all about. It's a life of love. That's what Jesus was talking about when He said He had come that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Because love is what makes the abundant life abundant. Love is what makes the world go 'round. Love is what it's all about. Our hearts being comforted... as we knit ourselves together in love. That threefold cord that is hard to break. You... me... and Jesus. We're all in this together. None of us can do it alone. None of us are supposed to do it alone. We need each other. And that's not weakness, that's wisdom. Asking for help when you need it is about as wise as it gets. But it can also be a little bit scary. I get that. If you ask for help, the person you're asking can either say yes... or no. And if they say no, well, that's not a great place to find yourself. Needing help and not getting it. That's where a lot of bitterness and resentment can come from. I said "can." I didn't say "has to." Because sometimes people won't help you because they CAN'T help you. Sometimes people are barely hanging on, and they can't give something they don't have. That's when we need to have understanding, and compassion, even in the midst of our own need. That's when we really need to be TOGETHER, instead of just focused on ourselves. Relationships aren't just about getting what you want (or think you need). Love is giving. We knit ourselves together with each other by giving ourselves to each other. Not by taking from each other.

I started this Rant wondering why people are against a good, happy, comforting gospel. The gospel is the good news, right? The good news about Jesus? The ultimate truth of the universe that God is love and He loves you. That's good... and happy... and comforting. What's wrong with that? Why would someone have a problem with that? And all I can really come up with is the old idea that you can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. Those that only want that angry, vindictive God who sends sinners to hell... those that only relate to an angry God... are angry people. People who have been hurt. Hurting people hurt people. Basically, the people who are against the idea of comfort... are those who need it but don't have it. Bitter people. "Nobody comforted me when I needed it!" And that's sad. Tragic. Because when you need it... you REALLY need it. And if you don't get it... of course that would affect you in an extremely negative way. But here's the deal: Those of us who have it really ought to give it. If you know it, throw it. Receive it... and release it. Because whether someone claims that a comforting gospel is nonsense or what... we all want to be comforted. That's something that is true from the very beginning of our lives. Babies clinging to their parents. And, to me, that's what being childlike is all about: Clinging to our heavenly Father. Letting HIM fight our battles for us. Letting HIM carry us when we're too weak to stand. Not trying to follow in His foot steps, but letting God (letting LOVE) make His own foot steps in our feet. It's the flip side of the "No one comforted me, so I'm against the whole idea of it!" coin. You HAVE been comforted. Jesus sent His Spirit as the Comforter to dwell in us even as we dwell in Him. And because we have been comforted... we can comfort others. You can't give what you don't have. But you should give what you do have. Let what's inside come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. Isaiah 40:1 says it better than I can: "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God." It's a part of loving people. And that's our ultimate goal in this life, right? To let God love us and to love Him back by loving each other. You can't love someone without comforting them. Because love is comforting. I know there's such a thing as tough love--refusing to enable someone in order to truly help them. I get that. At the same time, sometimes all a person needs is a safe place to go. Somewhere where they can let their guard down. Somewhere they can feel safe. We can be that for people. We can comfort instead of condemning. We can give instead of taking. We can let people be who they are instead of trying to change them. We have been comforted. The Comforter lives inside us. And because of that we can be comforting. We can comfort others. We can give what we've got--which is what they need. We can live a life of love... because we are loved. We can live a good, happy, comfortable (and comforting) life, because of the One who is living His own abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life in us, and through us, and as us!

Weakness isn't weakness. If that makes any sense. Because weakness is an opportunity. Both for someone else to help you, and for you to LET someone else help you. Not being able to do something yourself is ok. You're not supposed to do everything yourself. At the very least you're supposed to rely on your heavenly Father. We aren't supposed to follow in His foot steps. We are supposed to let Him make His own foot steps with our feet. We aren't supposed to try to live Jesus's life. We're supposed to let Jesus live His own abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life in us, and through us, and as us. We are supposed to experience and enjoy His life as He lives it. Because nobody can live Jesus's life except Jesus. Nobody is supposed to. Remember when we talked about one accord? Unity? How we're all in this together? Well, if I'm living Jesus's life, by letting Him live it in me, and you're living Jesus's life, by letting Him live it in you, then we'll be able to comfort each other. Help each other. Forgive each other. Coexist with each other. Live with each other. LOVE each other. And that's the whole point of the whole thing. We were created to be loved, and to love. To receive and release the love of God. To let it in and out with every breath we take and every move we make. So when you see someone who looks "weak," don't condemn them. That's your time to shine. I always say we should never look down on someone unless we are reaching down to help them up. And if you're the one feeling weak... don't see that as a failure. See that as an opportunity to let someone else shine in your life. To let someone else pick up the slack. It's more blessed to give than to receive, right? So if we always think we can do it all ourselves, we're not letting anybody else give in our lives. It's kind of like the idea of how the saddest people try the hardest to make people happy--because they know, intimately, what it feels like to be sad, and they don't want anybody else to experience that. If we spend all of our time helping people (and I'm not saying we shouldn't do that) we are, in a sense, robbing people from the chance to help us. "I can do it myself!" Maybe you can, and maybe you can't. But you don't have to. And you shouldn't. Things work out better when we work together. We're all in this together. And, in a very real way, I'm comforted WHEN I comfort you. If you want to feel love... love somebody. If you want to feel forgiveness... forgive someone. It's not about what you get, but what you give. It's not about getting something you think you haven't got, it's about giving what you have got. So if you encounter weakness--in yourself or someone else--don't look at it as weakness. Look at it as an opportunity. When you help someone, or when someone helps you, that creates or strengthens the bond. The relationship. The love!

When you need it the most... that's when you need it the most. I know that seems to be common sense. Pretty obvious. But for some reason we don't seem to really be able to make that manifest. Sometimes it seems like it's easier to kick people when they're down, rather than reaching down to help them up. And to me, that's kind of tragic. Like if someone is flailing around, and they hit us... our immediate instinct is to hit back. An eye for an eye. Even though it's very probable that the person who hit us wasn't trying to. Didn't mean to. Was simply trying to survive, and we got caught in the crossfire. Collateral damage. Like if someone is crying out for help and we yell at them to be quiet. I think sometimes people kick and scream and yell in order to be heard. Because they think that's the only way to do it. Almost like a baby. Before a baby learns to talk, all it can do is cry. And some parents can get to the point where they're like, "Oh, that's his hungry cry." Or, "She's crying because she needs a diaper change." Even in the cry a loving, caring parent can tell what is needed. Now, having said all that, it's not ok to hit someone. Even on accident. Because you can hurt others in your effort to survive. A drug addict who steals from a loved one in order to get a fix... is still stealing. We can't condone or enable people to continue to hurt themselves or others. That's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm trying to say is: We need to have compassion for people no matter what... while still ACTUALLY helping them. Because excusing behavior, "That's just the way he is," is not ok. And enabling people is NOT helping them. Buying alcohol for an alcoholic is hurting and not helping. So we need to be able to use some wisdom when we're dealing with people. There are a lot of Bible verses, especially in the book of Psalms, about God comforting us. I like Psalm 119:50, "This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me." Because God's Word is Jesus. God's Word is love. Love comforts us and quickens us. Brings us to life. Gives us what we need... right when we need it the most. Because the straight truth of it is: Everybody needs love. Especially those who are hard to love. In fact, those that are hard to love probably need it the most. Because they are hard to love. So they aren't getting it anywhere else. Those people--and yes, they are probably hard to love because they are lashing out--those people are probably lashing out because they don't feel loved. See what a vicious cycle it is? "I don't feel loved, so I'm going to be mean because noobody loves me... but nobody loves me because I'm being mean because I don't feel loved." Those people need comfort. They need someone to stop telling them what's wrong with them and start telling them what's right with them. They need acceptance. They need to be brought into the circle, if I can say it that way. You need light most when it is darkest. You need strength most when you are weak. You need comfort most when you feel like you don't have it. So when you know you have it... don't be stingy with it. Give it away. Give what you've got. Do what you can do. Be who you really are and love the people that God puts in your path!

I believe in a good, happy God. I'm sorry. I just do. God is love. And love isn't always easy, but it (HE) always believes for the best. Works for the best. All things work together for our good, right? So why do we have this "I was made to suffer on this earth but maybe, some day, pie in the sky, things will be ok" attitude? Revelation 5:10 tells us that Jesus, "...hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." Jesus said that He came for us to have LIFE, and that more abundantly. We put so much emphasis on the afterlife that we seem to take the life we've got for granted. Like we're trying so hard to make sure we have a good afterlife that we make our life miserable. And here's the deal: Even in that case--ESPECIALLY in that case--we need a Comforter. I always say the people who are the hardest to love need love the most, right? Because they aren't getting it anywhere. Because they're hard to love. That's why I look for misfits. And I try to embrace them. Sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes people don't pick up what I'm laying down. And that's ok. Because I tried. And once you give something all you've got either it's enough... or it isn't. And either way you've done what you could do. When we see someone who is miserable, that's when we need to press in. But we need to do it in a way that they CAN pick up what we're laying down. You can't just smother someone and expect that to work miracles. Because people love in different ways, and people receive love in different ways. That's where wisdom, and understanding, and connection, and relationship comes into play. If I'm having a bad day and you give me some chocolate... that might go a long way towards cheering me up. But not everybody works like that. So we need to know who we're dealing with. We need to know HOW to love people. And here, of course, is the Divine Order of things: God has comforted us. That's how (and why) we can comfort each other. All good and perfect gifts come from Him. We have what we need to not just survive in this life, but to thrive. And we thrive... by loving people. By helping people. By giving what we've got to people. Sharing that gift that we've been given. Receiving and releasing the love of God. The forgiveness of God. The mercy of God. The grace of God. The comfort of God. So my good, happy God loves me and comforts me. And that equips and empowers me to love and comfort you. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus, right? So why do we go around condeming ourselves and each other? Why aren't we filling ourselves to overflowing with what God has filled us with so that we can give it back to Him by giving it to each other? And this isn't me condemning you. It's me trying to edify you. To pump you up. To give you the ball so you can run with it. I'm here to try to let you know who you really are and what you're really capable of. I believe that we are Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in our flesh. Love in our body. So if He is good and happy... we can be too. We can rule and reign right here and now. We can give all those things that He has given to us. We can comfort others because He has comforted us!

It always kind of blows my mind (and not in a good way) that people have a negative reaction to a positive gospel. Like there could be anything BUT a positive gospel. The word "gospel" means "good news." So let's get real. We have a happy God. And He wants His children to be happy. What father wouldn't? And, in fact, there is (in my opinion) ample Scripture to back this up. Let me link two memory verses together to try to illustrate my point. "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ" (Colossians 2:2), and John 14:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The Comforter. The Holy Ghost. Because your heavenly Father wants to comfort you. He wants your heart to be comforted. That's why the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth--knits us together in love. Love is the ultimate truth of the universe. God is love and He loves you. If we know that, we know everything. And, listen, that doesn't necesarily mean we understand everything we know. The heart of the matter is the heart. And this everlasting, eternal, never-ending life-long journey is just that: a journey into the heart of the matter. And in this case, it's the not the destination. It's the journey. God's love is so big, and so powerful, and so good, that we could test the height, and length, and breadth, and width of it for the rest of our lives and barely even scratch the surface of it. And, in fact, that's what God wants us to do. He wants us to live a life of love. He doesn't want us to always struggle. He doesn't want us to just survive. He wants us to thrive! How many times in the Bible did He bless His chosen people--and I'm strictly talking about financially in this case. So many times. He wants to lavish us with everything He has and everything He is. He wants us to enjoy the gift we've been given. But having said all that, I want to break it way down for this Rant series. And I want to talk about what those (honestly) miserable people who rail against a happy gospel really need. Comfort. We know that everything is under our feet. But we don't see everything as being under our feet. And that's why we get ourselves into so many undesireable situations so often. We get wrapped up in things that don't matter. We give power to things that have none. But here's the key--when we do that, God doesn't get mad at us. He doesn't give up on us. Even when I make my own mess... God still wants to comfort me. Let me end with this, which I think says it better than I could: "If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there" (Psalms 139:8). Wherever we go, whatever we do, no matter if we make our own mess or if someone else negatively affects us... God is there. Ready, willing, and able to comfort us with His love. To fill us up with Himself, so that we can get through whatever we need to go through. So we can come out stronger on the other side. And so that we can then take that comfort and give it to others who need it!

Let's end this Rant series where we started it. Philippians 2:2, "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of on accord, of one mind." One mind. One accord. One love. The SAME love. The love of Christ. Filling ourselves (and each other) to overflowing with what we've been filled with. Letting what's inside come out. Letting the LOVE that's inside come out. Because that, in a Word, is what God has filled us with. That is what we have. Which means that is what we have to give. And when we do that--when we share the gift of God that we've been given--we fulfil God's joy. We manifest His joy. We bring His joy out of the realm of just an idea and into the realm of reality. I know that sometimes it can feel like love is hard. Sometimes we feel like we are loving, and loving, and loving... giving everything we have without getting anything back. Shouting into the void. Or pouring ourselves into a black hole. Whatever picture works best for you. But the thing of it is... love is giving. It's not getting. If you're trying to get something, you're not loving. Period. We don't give in order to get. We give because of what we have. We literally give what we have. The Divine Order of things is God filling us up with His love--His Spirit, His Son, Himself--and then us giving Him back His love by giving it to each other. Receiving and releasing His love. Obeying the New Commandment. Which says, "Love one another as Jesus has loved you." Let Him love you--let Him give you something--and then give what you've got. That's how we experience this abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love--we share the gift we've been given. That's how we line up with each other: I line up with God (with love), and you line up with God (with love), and then we automatically line up with each other. And, in truth, that's really the only way we can line up with each other. Because we all have differences. Nobody is exactly like anybody else. And that's ok. That's what makes things interesting. Variety is the spice of life. In order for very different people (or even similar people) to be likeminded means we all have to let the mind of Christ (that's already in us) BE in us. We have to use the mind of Christ that we've been given. We have to know the thoughts that God thinks of us so that we can think those thoughts of each other. We need to know how God sees us, so we can see each other. When God looks at us He sees Jesus. And when God looks at Jesus He sees us. So when we look at God we should see Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in our flesh. Love in our body. And when we look at each other we should see Jesus. The light in my should be able to link up with the light in you. Because that's where the conneciton takes place. That's how we build those relationships. That's how we fulil His joy, be likeminded, and experience this life of love! It's all about love. Breathing it in and breathing it out. Letting God love the hell out of us and loving Him back by loving each other. Making that strong threefold cord that is not easily broken--you, me, and Jesus!