New Beginning part 3
The best thing about the New Beginning that the cross brought about is that it wasn't just Jesus pressing a reset button for us so that we could try again; it was much more than that. Much better than that. Because we didn't just get another chance at life as we knew it. We got HIS life. Jesus gave His life for us, and He gave His life TO us. His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life. A life of love. Being loved, and loving with that same love. And this is so powerful because that's all we've ever really wanted. In the beginning, when it was dark, we stumbled around looking for love in all the wrong places. We wanted it so badly... but couldn't believe that we were worthy of it. We couldn't believe that it could ever really be ours. We tried so hard to grab that elusive carrot, but the stick kept moving it just out of reach. We were literally void (as Genesis 1:2 tells us. We had a God-shaped (love-shaped) void. And we tried anything and everything to fill it. We were more than willing to try to earn something that can't be earned, because we wanted it SO BAD. That's why it was so easy for Eve to swallow the serpent's lie. "Do in order to be? Well, clearly I'm not good enough as is, so, yeah... that makes perfect sense." And to the carnal mind that DOES make perfect sense. But watch this: "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires" Psalm 37:4 (NLT). One of my favorite verses. But don't think this is a formula. Don't think this is an "If Then" statement. That's not how God works. You don't earn the desire of your heart by delighting yourself in the Lord. The Lord IS the desire of your heart. Because God is love. And what else could the heart desire BUT love? Remember when I Ranted about what the heart knows? It (HE) knows love. Pure and simple. So the beginning was seeking that desire. And the New Beginning is finding it. When you guard your heart (by keeping it open to love) that's when--and how--you delight yourself in the Lord. When you let God love you, that's when you CAN love others. That's what the Holy Spirit is all about. He is the Spirit of Truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The truth that God is love, and He loves you. That's the ultimate truth of the universe. That's what we see when the light of the world shines. We see it when God shines His love on us, and we see it almost even more powerfully when it shines OUT of us! We ARE that light of the world. Jesus gave His life to us so that we could have it. So that we could know the Father, and know ourselves as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. So we could see that things ARE in Divine Order. We don't need to PUT things in Divine Order. We don't need to earn God's love (or anything else). Because He has already given us everything. He didn't say, "Try again. Good luck." He said, "I'm going to give you my life... and I'm going to live it in you!" That way we are sure to get what He gave us. Know it and believe it. Receive it and release it. Stop trying to earn something that can't be earned. Something that you already have! Stand up (in a posture of rest) and walk by faith. Not by sight. Walk in newness of life. Enjoy the gift that you've been given by giving it away. By sharing it. Love IS giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. That's what the New Beginning is all about. Trading your sorrowful, hard, exhausting life of labor for the freedom of a life filled with love. Being loved and loving others with that same love!