H-ear-t part 5
When you listen with you heart--when you have an ear to hear what the Spirit is speaking--you can receive and release the love of God. Because that's what the Spirit is speaking! The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And when you hear that invitation, you can extend that invitation. You can say, "Come." You can enjoy the love feast that Jesus has prepared for you in the presence of your enemies, and you can share that love feast with others. But here's what I want to say today: The Spirit and the bride doesn't say, "Come... or else." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come and get it!" It's an invitation. The ringing of a dinner bell. It is love making itself (HIMSELF) available to us. Jesus said, "...Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). If something is at hand, that means it is within your reach. All you have to do is reach out and grab it. All you have to do is repent. Which means "think different in light of new information." We don't have to be stuck in our old ways of thinking. We can let the mind of Christ--that's already in us--BE in us. We can USE the mind of Christ to understand, and think, the thoughts of God. Which we know are thoughts of peace and not of evil to bring us to His expected end. He knows the end from the beginning. Where to go and how to get there. And that's why we can let our heart be our guide. That's why we can let His Word (which is Jesus, which is love) be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We can trust in God--who is love--because He has, and is, and will, always prove Himself trustworthy. We can put our faith in Him because He is faithful. When we listen with our heart we hear that still, small voice deep inside saying, "I love you, I love you, I love you" with every beat of HIS heart in our chests. We can think differently (about God, ourselves, each other, and everything else) in light of the information that is the ultimate truth of the universe--which is simply that God is love and He loves you. When you know that truth (that has already set you free and made you free) you can experience that freedom. When you hear what the Spirit is speaking you can receive it and release it. You can let God love the hell out of you and you can love Him back by loving the people you come into contact with. You can share what you've been given. You can experience it by giving it away. Because what you've been given is love. And love is giving. You are blessed to be a blessing. You have been given love so that you can give love. And all it takes is a change of mindset. Instead of trying to be someone you're not in order to get what you think you haven't got, you can embrace who you are. You can BE who you are, by giving what you have got. By knowing and believing that you have it. By hearing what the Spirit is speaking. Getting to the heart of the matter--which is the heart. And the center of the heart is the ear. Faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. Faith works by love because love IS the Word of God. When you hear that love, and see that love, and experience that love... that's when you can be a witness to that love and you can give that love to everybody who crosses your path. And that, friends, is what life is all about. Being loved by God and loving Him back by loving people!