The Three L's part 5
I preach and teach and Rant about this idea a lot, but that's not going to stop me from doing it again today: God is love. As seen in 1 John 4:16, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." That word "love" is number 26 in Strong's Greek Concordance and means, "love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity, dear, love." God is a love feast. Which makes the idea of "you are what you eat" pretty amazing. Look at Matthew 26:26, "As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body." Partaking of the love feast. Dwelling in God by injesting Him. Getting Him inside you. So that you can know what's inside you. So that what's inside you can come out of you. Filling yourself to overflowing with what God has already filled you with. Experiencing what you've got by giving it away. By sharing it. Because love is giving. A feast is for more than just you. "And the Spirit the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). I've long said that I believe God is too much of a gentleman to force His will upon us. But at the same time, He does ring the dinner bell. The Spirit and the Bride doesn't say, "Come... or else." The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come and get it!" It's available to us. Jesus has prepared a table for us in the presence of our enemies. A six-course meal that is the Six Steps to the Throne (Jesus being Crucified, Died, Buried, Quickened, Raised, and Seated. See my book "Six Steps to the Throne" for more details). But here's the point: A feast is a shared meal. Jesus was eating with His disciples. Love is inclusive. We have more than enough to share. WE can ring the dinner bell. WE can compel people to come in out of the highways and byways. We can make what WE have available. Receive it... and release it. Live out of our abundance. Because we are blessed... to be a blessing. Because we have what we need. God invited us to the table, now we can invite others. That's the Divine Order of things. That's how we experience and enjoy the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of God--His life of love. We simply let Him live His own life in us, and through us, and as us. We simply let what's inside come out by knowing and believing that it's in there. This life, with God as the central theme, can get easy. It doesn't have to be a struggle. We can be still and know that He is God. We can begin to understand the Light, the Life, and the Love of God. Which, by the way, is Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Way to the Father, the Truth about the Father, and the Life of the Father! And He lives in us. Whatever we need... He has given us. Our heavenly Father--the provider. Whatever He wants us to have, or use, or experience, He has given to us. JESUS prepared the table. And the Spirit and the Bride say, "Come and get it!" It's a love feast. That's what love is. That's who God is. Take, eat. Taste and see that the Lord is good. And then, when you see how good it is... share it. Give it away. Invite others in the same way that you've been invited. Give what you've got, by knowing what you've got. Fill yourself to overflowing with what God has already filled you with and let the love that's inside come out!