The Secret part 5
This is so amazing to me. Our key verse for this Rant series is Psalm 25:14, "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant." The word, "secret," is number 5475 in Strong's Hebrew Concordance and it means, "a session, that is, company of persons (in close deliberation); by implication intimacy, consulation, a secret: - assembly, counsel, inward." The secret of life is the intimate relationship between our heavenly Father and His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased! This is what it's all about. It's not about religion... it's about relationship. It's not about servitude, it's about fellowship. It's not about the Old Covenant, it's about the New Covenant. And this is what He SHEWS us. As in, Isaiah 43:21, "This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise." The "natural order of things" goes like this: What's in you comes out of you. And the secret is what's in you! It is the mystery that was kept secret since the world began. The mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. And now the secret is out! Now the secret is shown TO us, and shews forth out of us! We are the spout where the glory comes out. Because when you know that secret--that Daddy loves you--then you know what's inside you. And when you know (and believe) what's inside you... it comes out of you. And you don't have to force it out either. It comes out naturally. The nature of the Old Man was the beast nature. It was selfish and self-centered. Our new nature (as new creations) is the love nature. It is selfless and Christ-centered. And by "Christ-centered" I don't mean we ignore people in order to focus on God. Because God is focused on people. His mind is full of us. We are the apple of His eye. So truly being Christ-centered means we love one another with the love that He loves us with. We are God's love letter to the world... and that's how the secret GETS out. The Word (Jesus, love) is made flesh when WE manifest HIM. When the love that He IS comes out of us. That's the secret (and I think I'm going to really expand on this concept in the next Rant series: It's better to give than to receive. But you can't give UNTIL you receive. You can't give what you don't have. So until you hear the Holy Spirit whispering the secret (in a still, small voice) in your heart... the best you'll be able to do is, "fake it 'til you make it." And that's not love. Love isn't, "Love or else." Love is, "Love because you ARE loved." Love isn't, "Love in order to get something." Love is, "Love because you HAVE something." Because love is giving. God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son. And by giving us His Son, He conformed us into that same image. We were created in His image, but we didn't know it. We needed to be CONFORMED into His image. And that's what the cross accomplished. That's what the Holy Spirit does as He leads and guides us into all truth; as He reveals the secret to us. As He brings us into that intimate relationship of unconditional love between a Father and His Son.