Success! part 5
True success--and the reason that love never fails--is not about what you get. It's about what you give. If you give love, you've succeeded. Just as the Word itself (Himself) prospered in what it (He) set out to do. Which was to prosper you! To give you the Kingdom. And that's what we do when we love each other with the love that we are loved with; we spread the gospel of the Kingdom. We increase the ever increasing Kingdom. See the difference? We're not trying to build our own kingdom. We're simply sharing what we've got. We're simply exposing others TO the Kingdom, so that they can enjoy it too. Jesus established it. God gave it to us. Free of charge. Because it was His good pleasure. Because He loves us. He succeeded. All throughout the Old Testament God told the people what the cry of His heart was. He wanted to be their God and He wanted them to be His people. But it wasn't until the cross that the work was finished. It isn't until we get to the book of Revelation--which, in my opinion, is an in-depth look at the cross--that we see this, " I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God" (Revelation 21:3 MSG). Finally, He made His home with us. He made His home IN us! Not just "God with us" but God WITHIN us! The circumcision made without hands cut away the flesh of human effort from our hearts. It cut away the lie that we have to do in order to be. It cut away man-centered, performance based religion. And it revealed God's heart in our chest. Beating with love. God succeeded in what He set out to do. He reconciled us back to Himself. He became flesh and dwelt among us, then He was lifted up on the cross and drew us all into Himself. And planted Himself in us. So that three days after the seed died, it brought forth a great harvest. Remember, sometimes all YOU need to do is plant a seed. Or water a seed. Because it is GOD that makes it grow. He is the light of the world. Plants grow in soil, with water and sunlight (Sonlight) right? It's not us trying to be someone we're not, or get something we haven't got. It's God showing us who we really are, and what we have been freely given, by revealing Himself to us, and in us, and through us, and as us! It's about receiving and releasing. Loving others as Daddy loves us. Living for others instead of living selfishly is a successful life. Just as a life filled to overflowing with love is an abundant life. An everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life! That's what Jesus came to give us. Because He loves us. He didn't just give His life FOR us, He also gave His life TO us. So that we could experience it as He lives it in us. So that we could experience it by sharing it with others. So that we could love as we are loved. So that we could truly live. Not by getting, but by giving (or sharing) what we've got! There's no greater success than that!