Taste and See part 5
The biggest thing about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good, is that once you know what you've got--and you know how good it really is--you can share it. You can be the branches that bear the fruit to those who need it. Which, by the way, is everybody. Everybody needs what you have. And when you share it, when you give it away, that's how you experience it. Letting what's inside come out is how you experience and enjoy what's inside. Because what's inside is love. And love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. And when you give what you've got--which, again, is what everybody needs--that's how you show people who God is. Because God is love. Shoving religion down someone's throat doesn't help them. In fact, that will just make them choke. And probably throw up. Shoving your beliefs down someone's throat is an almost surefire way to turn them off of what you believe. To ensure that they run FROM God instead of running TO God. Because when we do that we make Him seem very unattractive. We don't show the goodness of God. We only show the scariness of the God we've created. And it is ont the scariness of God that leads men to repentance, it is the goodness of God! When people see something better than what they have--what they have settled for--that's when they can choose a more excellent way. I'm telling you, if the only motivation is to "not get in trouble" that doesn't bring any kind of real, lasting change. Strict parents produce sneaky kids. We don't need behavior modification. We need the heart of God. And we have that heart! His heart beats with love in our chests. He has given us everything we need. He reconciled us to HImself, and gave us that word, or that ministry, of reconciliation. So now we can reconcile others to God in the same way that we were reconciled--pulled in by His unconditional love. When you know that you have somewhere safe you can go, even when you mess up (especially when you mess up!), that's so powerful. Because then you don't have to run from Him. Ever. For any reason. Then you can run to Him. Every time. And, really, you don't have to keep running to Him, because you can simply STAY with Him. Seated at the right had of the Father. Safe and sound at home sweet home. You can rest. You can be still and know that HE is God. You can let God do what He's of a mind to do by letting the mind of Christ (that's already in you) BE in you. By letting the love that's already inside you come out. And we do that by knowing and believing that it's in there. By tasting it and seeing it. By letting God love us and then loving Him back by loving each other. It's all about the heart. (And I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to Rant about next, starting tomorrow.) The issue of life--which is love--flows from the heart. We live from the inside out. Whatever we believe is inside WILL come out. It has to. Because whatever it is, it is too big and too powerful to stay locked up inside. Hurting people hurt people. But loved people love people. So the key is knowing and believing. Receiving and releasing. Tasting and seeing. Seeing the Kingdom. Not in the sense that we need to find, or get, something we don't have. But in the sense of exploring what we do have. God gave us the fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. And when we taste it we can't help but say, "Hey, give this a try" and let the people we come into contact with taste it too. Sharing is caring. Giving what you've got is how you experience what you've got. And the tide raises all ships. You experience it and THEY experience it. You taste it and see it and THEY taste it and see it. And then we all experience the love of God together. And that's what life is all about!