The Measure part 2
THE measure of faith. In capitals letters. That's what we've been given. In other words, everything we need is what we've been given. "You gotta have more faith!" How? Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for. The EVIDENCE of things not seen. If God doesn't give it to us, we don't have it. But now, in the good news column, watch this: John 3:34, "For whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." Let's look at in the Message Bible, because I think its plainer. "The One that God sent speaks God's words. And don't think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces." So, to be clear, the One (capital letters again) is Jesus. Jesus speaks the Word of God because Jesus IS the Word of God. But the part that is germaine to our discussion is the part about Him not rationing out His Spirit. Love is giving. Giving everything you are and everything you have. That's what God gave us when He gave us His only begotten Son. He wanted the best for us so He gave the best to us. He gave it ALL to us. It was the fullness of the sacrifice Abraham was willing to make when God asked for Isaac. And if you read that story you'll see that a ram--a male lamb--was the ultimate sacrifice. God gave HIMSELF in that case too. In every case. He always gives Himself. Because He is love. And love is giving. God doesn't ration Himself out. He gave all of Himself to us on the cross. Laying His very life down. Giving His life for us, yes. But also giving His life TO us. So that we could have it. So that we could experience it as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. And, listen, we DO learn and grow step by step. Here a little and there a little. Line upon line. Precept upon precept. But we start with the whole deal. We aren't changed from crap to glory when we look in the mirror and see Jesus. We are changed from glory to glory. We start at glory. We were created in the image of God. What the cross did was it CONFORMED us to the image we had already been CREATED in. It SHOWED us who we are. That's what that mirror does. It shows us what's inside. Shows us who we really are by showing us who Jesus really is. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. Let me say it like this, because this is really where I think I want to go for the rest of this Rant series: The measure of a man is who he is. What he does. How he treats people. And what you do flows from what you believe. God gave us THE mesaure of faith. He gave us all the faith we would ever need. By being faithful. By saying, "Have faith in God," and then doing what we needed Him to do. For us. In us. Through us. As us. He wanted us to be able to believe right, so (again) He gave us something to believe in. He gave us someONE to believe in. Himself. His love. And when we believe in Him, we've got it. His love in us coming out of us. That's what its all about. We believe we are loved, and then we can love. Receiving it and releasing it. The measure of a man is the love that he gives. And that comes from the faith that he has IN love. Loved people love people. We have it all. We can (and ought to) give it all!