Live to Love part 4
To live is to love. To love is to live. So living to love... is loving to live. I think we lose sight of that a lot of the time. We lose sight of the fact--the glorious truth--that life is supposed to be enjoyed. And, listen, that doesn't mean you should give in to every whim and impulse. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. As a preacher once said, "The Christian life is a life of restraint." Paul wrote, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Corinthians 6:12). And to me, that's the key. Not being brought under the power of anything. Not conforming to the world, but being transformed (into what we have already been transformed into) through the renewing of our mind. See, we think freedom is "freedom to sin." Or, freedom to do those things that we're not supposed to do. Which, I gotta say, is the exact wrong mindset. If you want to do the things you're not supposed to do... that's a problem in and of itself. You're under the power of that thing. Whatever it is. And letting something have power of you is bondage. Freedom is not freedom TO sin, it is freedom FROM sin. Freedom to experience our heart's desire in fulness and truth. Our heart's desire, by the way, is love. What else could it be? What else would the heart be concerned with? So freedom FROM sin is also freedom TO love. To do what we were created to do. To live the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of Love that is the gift of God by letting Jesus live His own life in us, and through us, and as us. Resting in the arms of our heavenly Father. And enjoying this ride that we're on. That's so key. Because... don't they say if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life? Doing what you love is a joy, not a job. When you're living to love people... you will begin to love living. Hoarding things, and working only for yourself, and trying to climb over people in order to get to the top is a miserable existence. Giving what you've got allows you to experience and enjoy it. Letting what's inside come out is how we experience and enjoy what's inside. Love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. Which means in order to live... you have to give. Stop thinking about yourself so much. Look past yourself so you can see others. Being humble doesn't mean thinking less of yourself. It means thinking of yourself less. Seeing a need in someone else and meeting it. Giving others what they need. Giving them what you have. And that, friends, is a life worth living. Connecting with people. Building those relationships. No man is an island and it is not good that man should be alone. We need each other. We're all in this together. So maybe we should act like it. Maybe we should stop building walls and start building bridges. Maybe we ought to start giving what we've got--what our heavenly Father has already given us--instead to trying to get what we think we haven't got. Living a purpose-filled, love-filled life is the only way to love the life you're living. And it starts with the God who is love. We love, because He first loved us. We give... because He gave us everything we need!