The Knot part 2
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hold on! That's the premise of this Rant series. But really, underneath the surface, the idea--the glorious immaculate truth--is that we THINK we're holding on to God, as we absolutely should be, but REALLY He's holding on to us and will never let us go. Look at Hebrews 13:5, "Let your convesation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." I like this verse, first and foremost, because of the promise there. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." If that doesn't make your faith in God explode, I don't know what will! What a promise. And, really, that's how I try to roll in my own life. That's why I tell people all the time, "I've got your back." That's important to me. That's WHAT'S important to me. And I really like the idea that is presented in Phillipians 2:4, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Take care of business, but don't get so self-centered to the point that you can't see past yourself. If I'm looking out for you, and you're looking out for me, neither one of us has to worry about ourselves. We're covered. I'm covering you, you're covering me, and that makes us both covered. It's the difference between being self-centered and being Christ-centered. To be Christ-centered is to be people-centered. Jesus said something along the lines of "Whatever you do to the least of them, you do to the King." How we treat people is how we treat God. Because God lives in people. So we need to understand the idea that love is giving. You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving. We need to understand that we love because He first loved us. You can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. He filled us up with Himself--His Son, His Spirit, His love--and all we do is fill ourselves up to overflowing (with what we've already been filled with) by knowing it and believing it. By receiving it and releasing it. By giving what we've got. Sharing what we've got. And that, friends, is how we tie a knot in the rope. That, friends, is how we come to understand that when God tied a knot in the rope--which is to say, He wrapped us all up in it so that HE is the One holding us--we came to a place of all being in this life together. We always want to draw lines in the sand. Or small exclusive circles. But God's arms were open wide on the cross. That, to me, is one of the best pictures I can give you. One of the reasons that Jesus hung on a cross. In His death, His arms were open wide. Drawing us all to (and into) Him. That's such an inviting pose. If someone needs a hug, you open your arms, right? Humanity needed a hug. And we got it on the cross. That was God reconciling us back to Himself. Bringing us back to where He always wanted us to be. That was God showing us what love is. That was God tying the knot--and there's a lot to say about the Bridegroom and His bride here too. We might get to that, or I might set it aside for another whole Rant series. For today I'm trying to make the point that we don't have to worry about getting to the end of our rope. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He's in it for the long haul. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. When you're talking about God's abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love... there is no end to it. How could there be? So when you're clinging to God for dear life--again, I think that's a smart place to be--don't worry about letting go. Because even if YOU do... He won't. He's the One who tied the knot around you--around all of us--and He's the One holding on!