Comprehension part 2
The other day I was talking to my five year old son, Logan. And I was giving him this whole big speech, and he was nodding along. So when I finished I said, "Got it, bub?" And he said, "Yep!" But then he turned his head and looked me dead in the eye and said, "Wait. What did I just agree to?" Because while he might have heard me... he didn't HEAR me. And there's a big difference. Jesus spoke about it in the parable of the sower and the seed. Mark 4:5-6, "And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away." That's how it is sometimes. Something goes in one ear and out the other without taking up root. That's why it's so important--remember our key passage for this Rant?--to be rooted and grounded in love. And guess what, the seed is the Word. The Word is love. It's all about love. Knowing that we are loved is what allows us to love. And since to live is to love and to love is to live... knowing that we are loved is what equips and empowers us to live! And since this life--Jesus' life--is abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life that means it is a never ending life-long journey into the heart of the matter. Which, of course, is the heart. God's heart beating with love in our chests. See, the immutable (unchangeable) truth is that God loves us. He always has and He always will. The problem is that we don't necessarily know (or believe) this truth. And while the truth sets (and makes) you free... the truth you KNOW is what really matters. The truth you know with a knowledge that passes knowledge. Heart knowledge, not head knowledge. Look at James 1:21, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." It's an engrafted word. It's already in there. You have to comprehend love with your heart, because love lives in your heart. But you also have to RECEIVE the engrafted word. Because, again, if you don't know the truth it doesn't help you very much. And if you "know" it, but you don't KNOW it then it's not real to you. It's like the seed sown on the stony ground. It's someone telling you they love you and you rolling your eyes. Because you don't believe it. Can't believe it. They can't possibly love me... I'm not good enough. That's the lie that Eve swallowed in the garden of Eden. Because she didn't comprehend the love of Christ. Couldn't, without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our love receptor. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth that leads and guides us into all truth. Jesus is the One who proved His love for us by laying down His life for us. Giving His life FOR us, and giving His life TO us. Giving His heart to us. Giving His Spirit to us. Filling us with faith (which works by love) by proving Himself faithful. Allowing us to comprehend His love for us--His love IN us--by revealing Himself to us, and in us, and through us. We make things way too hard sometimes. There's a simplicity in Christ that is really easy to understand. The Father loveth the Son. God loves you. It's all about love!