Thursday, April 1, 2010

Created in Love

"No, in all things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 37-39 (NIV)

Well, Paul pretty much covered it and I don't think there is a whole lot to add to it. But as you meditate on this as I did, I hope you notice a very important key word; "love." This is a love that has been with us since the dawn of time ("him who loved us") and it is a love that exists even now ("from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord"). It is through this divine characteristic that we are able to conquer anything that comes our way.

God is the purest form of love and if we are created in his image then it is fair to say that we too can achieve this very pure form of love; after all, we were reconciled to God so that we can reclaim our rightful place on this earth as beings made in his divine image. We do not conquer the adversity that comes into our lives by brunt force alone (or at all in most cases), but by having a spirit of love.

Now, before you go stick a flower in your hair and go dancing in a poppy field, we need to recognize there are huge differences between God's love and what we perceive through our modern lenses as love. Media tells us that love often time hurts ("He hurts me because he loves me."). Love may exist in a tense situation, but if love is exhibited in a manner that hurts you and/or the recipient of your love, then it turns into something that can be destructive, cold, and angry, and make you feel isolated from God and the rest of the world, and therefore no longer love. The bible describes love this way:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perservers. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Notice how powerful love sounds? Not weak, not inconsistent, not afraid. With God's love in your heart you can do amazing things because the love inside you will resonate out to the world and with it the ability to change any situation for good. When you love this way, this is when you are closest to God because then you are most like him. When there is love between the creator and the creation, then nothing can tear that a part and there is nothing that you can't overcome.

I encourage you today to love. Love God, love yourself, love the people around you (even the ones you're having difficulty liking), love your crappy job, and love the neighbors' loud dog. Basically love life; there is more power in that than hating it.