Mine part 5
I started this Rant series talking about a special kind of love. The love between a father and his son. And that kind of love is special because when I'm thinking about my son... he's MINE. Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. He looks like me. Walks like me. Talks like me. I see myself in him. And that makes me a proud Poppa. So when we see a verse like 1 John 4:17, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world," we understand that this is how our heavenly Father sees us! God looks at you and sees Jesus. He looks at Jesus and sees you. There is no difference. No separation. As He is, so are we in this world. He's our true identity. The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. And when we know (and believe) that He's in there... that's when He is no longer hidden. Song of Solomon 4:12 in the Message Bible says, "Dear lover and friend, you're a secret garden, a private and pure fountain." But then a few verses later (4:16), "Wake up, North Wind, get moving, South Wind! Breathe on my garden, fill the air with spice fragrance. Oh, let my lover enter his garden. Yes, let him eat the fine, ripe fruits." When the wind (of the Holy Spirit) blows... we are no longer a SECRET garden. Guys... the secret's out! Christ in you the hope of glory is the hope of REVEALED glory. When you know what's inside it comes out. Naturally. That's why Jesus shined the light of the world on us; to show us that we ARE the light of the world! That's why Jesus showed us the Father; to show us that we are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. We were trapped in the hampster wheel of relgion. Trying really hard but never getting anywhere. Because that's all the Law can do--it demands perfection without being able to produce perfection. Our perfection doesn't come from an external source. It is a perfect LOVE. And love comes from the heart. God's heart beating with love in our chest. It's His heart. His blood flowing through our veins. It's not what we do that makes us His... it's who WE are, and who HE is. I am His and He is mine. He poured out His Spirit on all flesh. Not so that He could love us--He always has and always will love us--but so that we might be able to RECEIVE His love. Because that's what the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of truth--is. It's our love receptor. It's that still, small voice deep inside whispering, "Daddy loves you." The Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all truth by testifying of Jesus. By testifying of our true identity. Telling us who we are by telling us who God is. God is love. We are loved. We are love. God is Father. We are Son. And that means we are His. Not in the sense of He's our boss and we have to do whatever He says or else. But in the sense of we belong to Him. We are His special possession. The apple of His eye. We are His favorite. And He's responsible for us. Just as any good parent takes care of his child... our heavenly Father takes care of us. Because He loves us. God was literally willing to die rather than be without us. Willing to give His life for us and give His life to us. So that we could have what was His. So that we could experience His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us! It's this love connection that makes living--truly living, which is loving--possible!