The Greatest part 5
Love is the greatest thing in the universe. And laying down your life for your friend is the greatest expression of love you can have. The greatest of the greatest. Let me say it another way, "But he that is the greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). So here's how I want to end this Rant series: A life is rest is not a life of inactivity. It is a life of service. A life of Holy Spirit-driven activity. A life of edifying others and esteeming them better (higher) than yourself. A life... of love. I get so frustrated sometimes with our selfish, self-centered idea of love. We think love is all about getting something. And it's not. Love is never about getting. Because love IS giving. For God so loved the world He GAVE His only begotten Son. And then His only begotten Son GAVE His life both for us and to us. And now that we've received it, we can release it. We can give what we've got. Share what we've got. We can stop looking for love in all the wrong places and we can look for it at the source. Every day my four year old son Logan and I say this, "Who is God? Love. What's His name? Jesus. Where does He live? In your heart." That's the basics that I'm teaching him. Because out of the heart flows the issues of life. Because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. It's all about the heart because it's all about love. And when we understand that we have love--that we are loved--then we can share it. We can love one another as Jesus loves us only when we know and believe that He loves us! So first we receive it, and then we release it. But, again, there's a difference between getting something you don't have, and receiving something you've already been given. We sometimes put way too much pressure on our idea of love. "I love you, so you have to [fill in the blank]." That's not how love works. Not real, true, agape, sacrificial love. Not the laying your life down for your friends love. That kind of love--the greatest of the greatest--gives without a thought of getting back. That kind of love doesn't demand it's own way. It doesn't expect anything. And, as hard as this is sometimes, it usually doesn't get anything. I've found that the more you love people, the more they look at you funny. They look at you like you have an ulterior motive. Guys... love doesn't HAVE a motive, love IS the motive. But even if it's met with skepticism... do it anyway. Because it's not about what you get. It's about what you've already got. If you love someone and they don't receive it... if you love someone and they don't return it... that's ok. Because you're not losing anything by sharing what you've got. Remember Jesus and the woman at the well? He was sustained by ministering to her. His food was to do the will of His Father. And you can't feel more loved than when you're loving someone. Regardless of how it's accepted, or whether or not it's appreciated. Don't look for the result. Don't get your hopes up. Faith, hope, and love remain. But the greatest is love. And I'm convinced that love never fails. It might not get you exactly the response you're looking for... but that's ok. Because by putting it out there, by laying your life down, by serving others and meeting their needs, you're putting God on display. You're showing a more excellent way. And people WILL be attracted to that. Because it's not the way of the world. It's different. And they might be skeptical at first--thinking it's too good to be true--but eventually they'll know it's so good it has to be true. They'll know it's the best, the greatest, thing going!