Rise part 4
We don't have to "fall" in love. Jesus keeps us from falling. We don't have to look for love in all the wrong places. We can go straight to the source. And when we know that we are loved... when we know that the glory of God HAS risen upon us... that's when WE arise and shine! See, it's not about "getting" the light. It's about letting the light that we already have shine! And listen, you don't let the light shine by trying to force it to shine. You LET it shine... by knowing and believing that it is ALREADY shining within you. Because what's in you comes out of you naturally. Or rather, what you believe is in you comes out of you naturally. That's why it's so important to understand your true identity--Jesus, God in the flesh, love in a body... God in YOUR flesh, love in YOUR body. That's who we really are. Not a selfish, soulish, beast nature, but a love nature. And, one more time, the love nature is not about GETTING. It's about GIVING. For God so loved the world He GAVE His only begotten Son. The love nature is about understanding that we already have everything we need--we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings, and we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. Jesus did it all so we could get it all. The "all" that He did was the cross. And the "all" that we got was His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our love receptor. He is what equips and empowers us to love by leading and guiding us into the truth that we ARE loved! And because we ARE loved we don't need to GET love. We don't need to settle for whatever the best is that we think we can get for ourselves. We don't need to "fall" in love. We can rise in love. And when we rise in love we bring those around us up with us. When we shine--by believing that Jesus is shining in us and through us and as us--we don't just light up OUR lives, we light up everything and everybody around us. I preached a message a couple of years ago called, "Contagious." And the point was that we think God is, like, allergic to sin or something. That sin makes Him run and hide. When really the opposite is true. Sin is what brought God down to us. Sin is what Jesus came to save us from. Jesus healed the sick. He touched people. He touched LEPERS. He wasn't afraid of catching what they had. Because He knew the fire in Him--and remember, fire burns UP not down--was hotter than the fire He was in. So what I said in that sermon was, "It's not sin that's contagious. It's love!" It's the deal behind, "Pay it Forward." Or, in a sense, what the Beatles were saying when they said, "The love you take is equal to the love you make." What you believe defines your reality. If you receive love (from the Father) and release it (to those around you), then you have a life that's full of love. And that's what REAL life--abundant, eternal, everlasting, Resurrection Life--is all about. To live is to love and to love is to live. A life without love is no life at all. So don't fall for the lie that you have to do in order to be. That you have to earn what is freely given. Arise, shine, for your light IS come. The glory of the Lord HAS risen upon you. Daddy loves you and because of that you can love Him by loving people!