The Greatest part 2
So many times in life we get caught up in things. Unfortunately, it's usually the wrong things. We end up running around like a chicken with it's head cut off instead of striving for greatness. Now let me explain what I mean by striving for greatness. We know that the greatest is love. And the greatest love you can have is laying your life down for your friends. Esteeming others better (or higher) than yourself. But here's the thing: In order to GIVE love we have to first RECEIVE love. We have to focus on how immaculately, unconditionally, and perfectly we ARE loved by the Father. And while that might seem selfish on the surface, it's really not. The only way that love can come out of us naturally--not "fake it til you make it" or "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine"--is if we fill ourselves to overflowing. Ephesians 3:19 says it like this, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Filled with the fulness. The greatest of the great. Sacrificial love that comes from inside. And here's the key: When you truly understand the nature of love... when you truly understand just how loved you are... the sacrifice doesn't FEEL like a sacrifice at all. In the Old Covenant King David said, "...I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing..." (2 Samuel 24:24 NLT). So don't get me wrong, love IS a sacrifice. Laying your life down for your friends is a big deal. But in the New Covenant it's not US who has the pay the price. Jesus paid it in full on the cross. He gave us His Spirit--the love receptor--so that we might know and believe (with that knowledge that passes knoweldge, heart knowledge instead of head knowledge) the love of God. So that we might fill ourselves with the fulness of God. Which is love. The fulness of God is love. What makes an abundant life abundant is love. It's all about love. So this gift that we give to each other--again, laying our lives down, or putting others first--doesn't really cost US anything. We were given the gift, and all we have to do is share it. That's the more excellent way. Not working for our bread by the sweat of our brow and then using it up and then it's gone. Jesus reversed the curse when He sweated great drops of blood. He moved us out of works and labor and into His rest. But look at what Hebrews 4:11 (NLT) says, "So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall." The English Standard version says, "strive to enter." Are we starting to get it? Striving to enter His rest is striving for greatness. And it doesn't come from what we DO, it comes from what we BELIEVE. When we know and believe that the work is finished, we'll stop laboring to finish it. We'll enter into that rest. We'll enter into the loving arms of our heavenly Father. We'll focus on His love for us and we'll see that it's too big to keep to ourselves. We'll see that it fills us to overflowing and comes out naturally! Striving for greatness is being loved, and loving with that same love. Sharing what we've got!