Liberty part 2
When you understand freedom, true freedom, you have to understand that there ARE some people out there who will abuse it. And that's ok. You can't stop people from doing what they're going to do. Love is never about manipulation or control. People are going to be who they believe they are, and they're going to act accordingly. The best you can do is show them who they really are by showing them who YOU really are. By loving them no matter what. And that, as I hope we started to see yesterday, is what liberty is really all about. Its freedom FROM sin, yes. But its also freedom TO love. The freedom to love people no matter what. The freedom to let people be who they are, and do what they do, and love them anyway. And, look, I'm not talking about enabling people. You can't stop someone from drinking, for example. But you don't have to go to the bar with them. Or give them money for booze. But if they call you up, drunk as a skunk, because they need a ride and don't want to drive... You can always be kind. You can always help people--if it is really helping. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is... there is love. Love is what frees us from the bondage of sin. So don't use your freedom as an excuse TO sin. Use it as an opportunity to experience this abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love that we've been given. And we experience that life--Jesus' life--by letting Jesus live it in us, and through us, and as us. We experience what we've got by giving it away. By sharing it. What we have inside is exactly what everybody needs. Because what we have inside... is love. The desire of our hearts--everybody's heart--is love. That's the only thing the heart cares about. And when you think you don't have love, the only thing you can possibly care about is getting it. Its that important. But when you know you have love, when you know you are loved, when you know you are LOVE, the only thing that matters is sharing that love. Living from the inside out. Giving what you've got. Simply because it is what everybody else needs. It is more blessed to give than to receive. I've never felt joy in my life like when I made someone else's day. When I could meet a need that I saw in them. I can't tell you how powerful it is when you think something is impossible--its never gonna happen--and then someone steps in and makes it happen. That's a miracle. YOU are a miracle. And you don't have to be afraid to effect someone like that. There is no fear in love. Because perfect love casts out all fear. We don't have to be afraid to give what we've got. Where the Spirit of the Lord (LOVE) is, there is liberty. We are free to give what we've got, knowing that we are connected to the unlimited source. The more you love people, the more love you have. Its not about getting--because we already have it, God already gave it to us--its about giving. Receiving and releasing the love of God. Receiving it by releasing it. Releasing it by receiving it. Filling ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with by filling each other up with it!