Cherish part 3
I think you have to be careful with the things that are important in your life. And I'm not talking about 1 Peter 5:7, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." I'm not talking about stress and worry. I'm not talking about Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." I'm not talking about stress and worry (I know I already said that, but it's important). Stress and worry are killers. They can literally make you physically sick. We shouldn't be careful (or full of cares) because we should cast all your cares upon the Lord. Remember that the Lord and the church is what this is all about. That relationship of love. I'm talking about 1 Corinthians 12:25, "That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another." I'm talking about TAKING care of one another. And I know I preach and Rant on this truth a lot but if I take care of you and you take care of me, neither one of us has to take care of ourselves. Because we're covered. Daddy's got our backs, and He does that by each of us having each other's backs. Unfortunately, it seems pretty rare to find someone who is willing to lay down their life for their friends. It seems rare to find that kind of agape love. That kind of love that doesn't want to GET anything, but simply wants to share what it's got. That kind of love that nourishes and cherishes. That bond that only love can make. All the same body. All the same brood. The warmth that comes from the loving embrace that Jesus wrapped the whole world in when His arms were spread wide on the cross! It's a rare and wonderful thing. What seems more common (to me at least) is that we will take advantage of someone if they show the least bit of love to us. And I don't think it's intentional. I think we're just so desperate to be loved that we pounce on it when we see it. I think that's why sometimes we confuse someone loving us with them being "in love" with us. It's not something we have a whole lot of experience with. Because usually there IS that schism in the body. Usually it's, "us vs them." Or, "every man for himself." So when somebody goes against the grain and shows us a more excellent way... it's like, "What are you up to?" It's hard to believe and hard to trust. Even while we grab it with both hands so it won't get away. But you know what happens when someone gives and gives and gives and never gets anything back? They start to feel empty. And, listen, the TRUTH is that we are connected to the unlimited source of love. The God who IS love. And we can't run out. He poured Himself into us, filled us to overflowing, and continues to do so. There's no such thing as giving love away to the point of not having it anymore. But it surely does FEEL like that sometimes. Which is why we need to be careful with people. Finding someone who loves you is rare. And even as they cherish you... they need to be cherished. Celebrated. Nourished. Remember, it's not just someone taking care of you and that's all. It's a two-way street. We take care of each other. We receive and release. And that's the key. If I'm releasing what I receive then I won't feel empty. Because I'm only giving what I've got. We love, because He first loved us. We don't love in order to get. We love because we've got!