Now What? part 1
We just finished a Rant series about how it is finished. And we ended it with the revelation that BECAUSE it is finished we are equipped and empowered to run the race that is set before us. We have been filled with the love of God. That's a done deal. And now we can fill ourselves to overflowing WITH that love and we can let it flow out of us. Which, to me, answers the question I'm posing for the title of this Rant series. What now? Now... love! Luke 3:10-11 says, "And the people asked him, saying, what shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." To me, it's always been that simple. See a need and meet it. Live out of your abundance. Because, if you notice, John didn't say, "Give your coat away and freeze to death." He said, "If you have two, and you see someone without one... give one of your two." Jesus came that we might have life, and that more abundantly. To live is to love. To love is to live. They aren't just connected, they are the same thing. So if you want to truly experience life... you have to love. You have to know that you ARE loved, and then you have to give that love that you have. Receive and release the gift you've been given. Let God love you and then love Him back by loving people. Because what makes life abundant? Love! God's love in and through and as us. God's love coming out of us with every breath we take and every move we make. That's what now. That's what we are called to do. That's what we are CREATED to do. God has blessed us to be a blessing. I always say it like this, "When you don't know what to do... do what you know." Let me say it another way: If you know it, throw it. But you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. That's why the Divine Order of things is knowing and believing. Receiving and releasing. You can't believing something that you don't know. And you can't release something you haven't received. I'm going to back up just a little bit. Because the Scripture we read asks the question, "What shall we do then?" So we need to see what came first. First-then, right? First something happened, then something else can happen. Luke 3:9, "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." This is the same idea as the mountain being cast into the sea. The mountain is the Law. The Old Covenant. The old which was passed away. This tree that doesn't bring forth good fruit is the tree of death, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The fig tree that Jesus cursed because it wouldn't bring forth ANY fruit at all. Nothing can come from the tree of death BUT death. Nothing can come from the Tree of Life BUT life. You are what you eat. What's inside--what you believe is inside--comes out. It has to. Because whatever it is, it's too big. That's why it's important to to know what's REALLY in there. The love of God. To know that He loves us--that He has given us everything He has and everything He is--is what equips and empowers us to be able to love Him back by loving each other. Give ourselves to each other. Laying your life down for your friend is the greatest expression of love that a man can have. Esteeming others higher than yourself. Not worrying about what you have (or don't have), and simply sharing what you do have. Giving what you've got. Not over-extending yourself, but living out of your abundance. Doing what you can do. Staying in your lane. Being who YOU are. Who God created you to be. Doing what YOU can do. To the people that God has put in YOUR path. You don't have to do everything. And that's good, because you can't do everything. All you can do is all you can do. Now what? See a need and meet it. Live out of your abundance. Love people!