Knoweth part 3
If you know it, throw it. That's how ministry works. That's what being a witness is all about. That's what I mean when I preach and Rant (all the time) about receiving and releasing. But that first part is so vitally important. Because you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. You can't believe something that you don't know. And you can't share something unless you believe you have it. Unless you KNOW that you have it. I was preaching last night about how "comprehending" the height, and length, and depth, and breadth of God's love is exactly the same thing as "laying hold of" eternal life (by fighing the good fight of faith." They both mean to take, or to seize. God gave us a gift--eternal life, which is knowing the Father and the One that He sent... knowing that He is OUR Father and we are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased--and He wants us to experience it. To enjoy it. To share it. But how do we experience the gift of eternal life? By living life to the fullest. And since to live is to love and to love is to live that means giving love to the fullest. We comprehend the height, and length, and depth, and breadth of God's love... by loving each other as high, and deep, and big, and strong as we can. We experience God's love by giving it away. By loving others as we are loved. But, again, it comes from KNOWING that we are loved. It comes from within. It's not something you can "get" because it's something you've always had. You just didn't necessarily know it. That's where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. Remember, we have an unction from the Holy One and we know all things. But we don't yet understand everything we know. It takes time to learn and grow. It takes baby steps sometimes. It's like the Bible telling you that Jesus loves you--"Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so"--and that's a good place to start. But knowing ABOUT God's love is not the same thing as KNOWING God's love. It's the knowledge that passes knowledge. It's heart knowledge, which is deeper and more real than head knowledge. It's experiencing the love of God because He first gave it to you, and then you received. You know it... and then you believe it. Let me quote 1 John 4:16 again, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." Known and believed. That's the Divine Order of things. Now look at it in the NLT, "We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them." We can trust His love for us, because we know how much He loves us. He gave us THE measure of faith by proving Himself faithful. By telling us what love is--laying your life down for your friends--and then going to the cross to do that very thing. He put His money where His mouth was, if I can say it that way. He gave us something--someONE, Himself, love--to believe it. We know what love is because we know who Jesus is. Who WE are. We are loved. And because we are loved we CAN love. Because we are loved we ARE love!