Apples and Trees part 4
Its not until we know who God is that we will truly know who we are. Because we were made in His image and likeness in the beginning. And we were conformed to the image of His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased on the cross. So its no wonder that Adam and Eve hid from the presence of God when they thought they were in trouble. They didn't know who He really was. They couldn't see clearly because the light of the world wasn't yet shining (on them or out of them). Look at what Jesus told Philip, "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14:9). The disciples, Jesus' hand picked guys, walked and talked and ate with Him all day every day and still had no idea who He was or what He was talking about. Because without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to comprehend the love of God. John describes Jesus in this way, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:4-5). And, listen, you are NOT darkness. But there was a time (before the cross) when we are all IN darkness. But even then, the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the face of the deep. And catch this: Just because you don't know something is true... that doesn't mean it ISN'T true. Not knowing (or believing) the love of God doesn't mean He doesn't love you. Being IN the dark doesn't mean you ARE dark. God is light and there is no darkness IN Him at all. And as He is, so are we in this world. So there is no darkness in US at all. Darkness is not who we are, or where. Darkness IS, in a sense, where we came from. Because in the beginning God created the heaven and earth--the mind and the body... you--and it was dark and void and without form. Again, that doesn't mean you yourself were dark. It simply means you couldn't see things as they really were. Not only God spoke and said, "Let there be light." Not until God gave us His only begotten Son. And He did that because He so loved us. Loved us so much that He would literally rather die than be without us. That's the story of the Gospel--I love you, I love you, I can't stop loving you! Can't stop, won't stop. That's the Word (Jesus, love) of God. THAT'S where we came from. Nothing that was made wasn't made by Him. By love. For Him. For love. Our roots... are love. We were created because the God who IS love wanted to express Himself. To us, and in us, and through us. That's how we experience this everlasting, eternal, abundant, Resurrection Life of God... we, throught the Holy Spirit, receive and release the love of God. Because the Holy Spirit is our love receptor. The Holy Spirit testifies of our true identity by testifying of Jesus. Jesus came to show us the Father. And He did that by showing us Himself. A human being who knew (and believed) that He was loved, and loved other human beings with that same love. Like Father, like Son. Jesus showed us the Father, and showed us that we ARE the Son. And Jesus is a chip off the old block. Which means YOU are a chip off the old block. The apple truly didn't fall very far from the tree!