Love is a light in the darkness of life
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
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... the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already
shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in
darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and
there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is
in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going,
because the darkness has blinded his eyes. - 1 John 2:8-11
The only thing that will touch people in a world blinded by sin is
evidence of what they want most: love. Where people see love's vitality,
worth, and attractiveness, they will inquire into the Truth that
produces it. We will not win the world by persuading people how pure and
holy we are but by how loving we are. By being the incarnation of the
goodness of Jesus, and showing them love as He did, people will be drawn
to Christ.
Twenty centuries after the words of First John 2 were written, one
might ask: "How is it that the darkness was passing away then, but today
the darkness seems to be intensifying?" Scripture is not talking about
the quantity of darkness but rather the darkness of the human heart and
the erosion taking place in the lives of people as a result of it.
People are aware, if they are honest with themselves, that this darkness
is taking something away from them and leading to a dead-end. Though
unbelievers are not our brother or sister in Christ, the Bible refers to
God as the Father of all spirits; we are connected to all in the body
of humanity. When Jesus was asked, "Who is my neighbor?" He could
equally have been asked, "Who is my brother?" Yet many of us who come
from a church background don't feel the need to show unbelievers any
love-just preach the Gospel to them, and they can come in on our terms.
God's heart breaks over human bondage, just as His Son's body was
broken to provide redemption and deliverance from it. God's "wrath" is
His fury against the self-destructive things done by His children that
hinder Him from fulfilling the good He intends for them. When the spear
was thrust into Jesus' heart, blood and water came forth-the medical
sign of a broken pericardium. It is literally God's broken heart that
provides salvation to mankind-the same heart breaking in frustration
over those who insist on their own self-imposed program of death. We
have not been made agents of our Heavenly Father's anger but of the love
behind it.
Further, in those of us who've come to Him, there is something of the
recovery of what God has in mind for all of humanity. God intends that
recovery be manifest in us so others will desire it. The light of Jesus'
righteousness enables us to examine our own lives and to attract others
to Him by warming them with His love. We are not called to shine it as a
searchlight in their faces, telling them to measure up. When we grasp
this, something different will take place in the Church today. We are
called to holiness, but we are not called to apply that measure to the
world. It's a measure we're called to require of ourselves as we grow in
the life of Christ. The ultimate measure will always be how the love of
God is manifest in us. This is the love that will reach out to the
world with tenderness and power-not mandating repentance, but offering a
people glimpse of God's mindset toward fulfillment and purpose for
their lives.
Begin with your own family by cultivating a climate rich in the
resources of spiritual discernment and loving discipline (1 John 2).
Teach morality on the basis of its promise and hope...not as a system of
fear and taboos. "Speak truth in love." Then, shine as light in a
"crooked and perverse world" (Phil. 2). Watch for people who manifest a
hunger for understanding and a longing for spiritual reality. There are
always God-seekers among the lost.
You and I have no power in spiritual warfare if we don't love what or who we're praying for.
The raw power of prayer and ministry in the Spirit have to do with
authority born of loving that comes from the transformation of your
heart-first toward the Lord, then toward those around you. The flow of
power in our lives is directly proportionate to the flow of love, and
the call of Scripture is always redemptive. God demonstrated His own
love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
(Romans 5:8). God so unconditionally loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son (John 3:16). Jesus did not come executing judgment; He
came reaching in love. This doesn't mean He had no discernment about
people or that He was indiscriminate in His conduct. It means Jesus was
not here to raise up a standard for people to rise to, but that He came
to reach with the long, loving arms of God to draw people in.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/helenkelle101301.html
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/helenkelle101301.html
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/helenkelle101301.html
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/helenkelle101301.html
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