The Guide part 4
This might seem like a little bit of a departure from where we've been in this Rant series, but stick with me. I don't believe in "falling in love." I believe in the One who keeps us from falling. I believe in RISING in love! Which is exactly where the Spirit leads and guides us as He beckons us to, "...Come up hither..." (Revelation 4:1, 11:12). See, Paul spoke of meeting people right where they're at, being all things to all people. And I can't stress how important that is. If you can make a connection with someone then you can really affect them. But the effect that we're going for is lifting people up on the wings of love. Showing people a more excellent way. And the only way you can show something to someone is if you already know it. And the only way you can know it is if someone (Jesus, the Holy Spirit) has already shown it to you. Did you ever notice that the best sermons have an element of the preacher's experience in them? When the preacher has a PHD (personally has done it) then he KNOWS what he's talking about. And a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. Which is how we started this series--with the truth that a guide is better than a map! A map can be outdated--and, listen, I'm not saying the Bible is outdated. I love the Bible. But if you don't know the author, the book can do more harm than good--but you can ALWAYS trust a guide. When He reaches His hand out and says, "Come up here with me," you can rest assured that that's the place to be. Because He's been there. He IS there. It feels, in a sense, like He's taking us somewhere, but really He's just showing us where we already are. The race is over. It is finished. We have arrived. We are complete in Him. So any time it feels like we're "changing" what's really happening is Jesus--the light of the world--is simply revealing the change that took place on the cross. He shines His light and we can see things clearly. But back to my original point: If you have to "fall" in order to do something, it's probably not something you should be doing in the first place. ESPECIALLY love. Isn't it funny that when we talk about Adam messing up we call it "the fall"? And isn't it funny that most people have a fear of heights--which is really a fear of falling? But when it comes to love we think falling is the be-all end-all. Maybe "funny" isn't the right word. But I hope I'm getting my point across. Love isn't about falling. It's about rising. The Holy Spirit leads us always upwards. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to love by teaching us how we ARE loved by the God who IS love. Heaven is above the earth right? The mind leads the body? If we stop trying to fall and just begin to rise... that's when TRUE love--sacrificial, agape love--overflows out of our innermost being. That's when we rise. And that's when we elevate those around us. Condemnation puts people down. Affirmation lifts people up. The Holy Spirit--our love receptor--calls us up and fills us up and lifts us up. And when we know what we've got we can share what we've got. When we know we're accepted and loved, we can accept and love each other. You can't give what you don't have, and you can only give what you do have. When you know you have love... you can love!