Steadfast part 5
We can be steadfast because God is steadfast. In us, and through us, and as us. Look at Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." Be strong in the Lord. The only way to do that is to know and believe that He is strong in you. Our strength IS the Lord. Our strength is love. But, like I always say, you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. So you have to know what you do have. You can't give people love unless you know that you have love. We love because He first loved us. That's what it's all about. It's all about love. God has filled us up with His love. And now we love Him back by loving each other. We fill ourselves to overflowing with what God has already filled us wtih. We don't have to fight and kick and scratch and claw to be loved or to love each other. We simply have to let it flow into us and out of us. By keeping our hearts open. By trusting in the love of our heavenly Father. Faith comes from hearing, right? And hearing from the Word (which is Jesus, which is love) of God. He fills us up and we let it out. Receive it and release it. That's the Divine Order of things. Breathe it in... breathe it out. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of HIS might. Let HIS love lead you and guide you, direct you and protect you. Let love light your path. Follow your heart. Don't try to fit into any certain box. Don't think love has to look like any one certain thing. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. Being steadfast doesn't necessarily mean doing the same thing the same way every single time to every single person. Because not everybody expresses love in the same way and not everybody receives love in the same way. We need to learn how to love each other. Make connections. Build relationships. Being steadfast means standing by people. Standing with them. And I know you know how I feel about toxic people and bad situations so I'm not going to belabor it here. Sometimes you have to love people from a distance. I'll just leave it at that. You can stand though. That's my point. Against anything. Against everything. You can stand... because Jesus is holding you up. Because LOVE is holding you up! And love is steadfast. So love will never let you down. Love never fails. Because love endures. Love doesn't give up. On anybody. Ever. So if you think you've gone too far... you haven't. God is a stalker, as one preacher puts it. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is the very definion of being steadfast. And all we have to do is let Him be who He is (one more time) in us, and through us, and as us. All we have to do is let HIS joy be our strength. All we have to do is be strong in HIM and in the power of HIS might. His steadfastness is our steadfastness. His light is our light. His life is our life. His love is our love. We don't need to try to get anything, or be anybody. We can be who we really are. Who we are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in us. We can stand strong because HE is strong. In us. And through us. And as us!