Above All part 5
I used to watch pro wrasslin with my dad every chance I got when I was a kid. And then I continued to watch it all the way up until I was a dad. Then I watched it with MY son. Which is pretty cool, I have to say, but isn't the point. The point is, there was a catch phrase that was pretty popular that went like this, "That's the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so!" So as far as I was concerned, the bottom line was the deal. But my son, Logan, disagreed. He said the TOP line was way more important because you put the best stuff first. And I gotta give him credit, when he's right... he's right. So in order to end this Rant series on a high note (see what I did there?) I want to stress the importance of love being first choice not last chance. I always use the picture of how we seem to think of God as a "break glass in case of emergency" type of God. We try to do it ourselves until we inevitably get in over our heads. And, listen, I'm not saying you shouldn't call on the name of the Lord in order to be saved. When you DO get in over your head, there's no better life line to grab onto. What I'm saying is, maybe if you didn't try to do it yourself in the first place you wouldn't have gotten into such a mess in the first place. In other words, "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5). Like I said, first choice. Not last chance. But, again, if it IS your last chance... give HIM a chance! Let me say it another way, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (Revelation 22:13). And do you see how good this is? He (LOVE) is the top line AND the bottom line! The most important thing... and the last Word on the subject! So when we're trying to figure it all out... look, when you don't know what to do, do what you know. And what you know is that God is love and He loves you. What you know is that you ARE loved, so you CAN love. When you don't know what to do... love people. That's the safest bet you can make. And, listen, people ARE worth it. But that doesn't mean they won't let you don't. That doesn't mean they won't sometimes even reject the love you're trying to give them. That's ok. Love is a gift given without expectation. Giving everything you have and everything you are no matter what happens next. Even though it seems like the more you love people, the less they love you. Even though a lot of the time poeple think you have an agenda. Or an ulterior motive. Guys... love doesn't HAVE a motive. Love IS the motive. Love is why we do what we do. Either in order to try to get it, or because we know we have it. So start with love. That's my point. Start with the foundation that won't be shaken--the Rock--and build from there. And if someone comes along and knocks over what you've been building... dust yourself off and start over. Because it's not the destination. Its the journey. The never ending, eternal-life long journey into the heart of the matter. And the heart of the matter is the heart. God's heart beating with love in our chests. That's where it starts and (if it does end, in one sense or another) that's where it ends. The top line. Above all else. And the bottom line. Where nothing else matters. Its love. Love, love, love. Its all about love!