Once again, I am wrestling and grappling with understanding the deep love of the Creator for me. I guess before I can really begin to tackle God's love for me personally and the vastness of it (which frankly overwhelms me), I want to better understand it through the examples He left here. I talked in my last post about the blood bond in the body of Christ. This time, I want to talk about the love bond.
Have you ever pictured the body of Christ as this intricate, interwoven tapestry....maybe like Joseph's coat of many colors? Each thread serves a purpose. Each one is made a specific color with a specific weaving, a specific origin. It has to be fashioned out of something. Silk thread comes from a worm...what humble beginnings. But to get back on point...I was asked the question in a devotional I am going through on the Psalmist David that I will pose to you...
In thinking about your closest friendships, what would you say beyond preference or circumstance has drawn you together?
For me, the answer was simple: the Lord.
OK...so that begs the question: why is the Lord such an integral part of these friendships? How is it that a relationship with the Lord alone can push past preference, personality, different backgrounds, opinions, denominations, politics...all the things that divide us, to make us the best of friends?
This was a simple yet very profound question for me as I looked at my friendships and really began to evaluate the common thread that united us. It was easiest for me to look back at my friends from last summer and a couple other close relationships in my life, namely with my cousins and a couple friends I grew up with to see that the answer really boiled down to LOVE. Not an obligation to love them, but CHOOSING wholeheartedly to love them.
So what does this mean....well I looked at a few things in scripture that God calls believers to look like and act like:
-We are to be like-minded, having the same love, of one accord, one mind (Philippians 2:2)
-one in heart and soul (Acts 4:32)
-love neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)
-a friend loves at ALL times (Proverbs 17:17)
-love as own soul (1 Samuel 20:17)
That last one about loving one another as our own soul was something that Jonathan had for David. Notice that this commitment did not come as a result of any promises from David to love him back but came in spite of no promise to love him back. He loved David and cared about him as he loved the very core and eternal part of himself.
The Lord truly intended His body to become One in every aspect that would last. The Lord charges us to "Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, with all your SOUL, and with all your MIND." Notice the three amigos? We are to be like-minded, one in heart and soul! The same way we are to love Christ, we are to love one another and demonstrate that. Do you know how incredibly freeing that is? Do you realize this blessing?
It means distance and time are inconsequential...
We can be up front, blunt, and honest without fear of rejection...
We can be vulnerable, sharing our hearts because these people are safe....
You may be thinking, "Well I have been hurt worse by Christians than by those who aren't believers. These things can't and aren't true or realistic!" WRONG! This is what the Body is called to...and I am coming to you from a place where I can say that I have been hurt worse by my Christian friends than my non-Christian friends. But I also come to you from a point in my life where God is healing the hurt caused by those broken relationships, and where He has given me beautiful friends, though many are distant, as replacements. If Satan can attack relationships within the Body, He can minimize our understanding and even make us bitter towards the design and relationship God desires to demonstrate through His people. I am so thankful that love wins out in the end!
Do you see the heart of our God for us? He gave us the Body to show how much He loves us and how much we are to love Him. Yet it is just a taste of how huge His love actually is. Oh that we may understand it better and be secure and confidant in it. I pray that God shows you His love through the Body and I pray that you grow to see how important those relationships are. And I pray desperately that you know the deep, deep love He has for you. If you are all alone and do not believe in the God I speak of, know that He already loves you simply because He made you, and that He created you to have an intimate love relationship with Him. You don't have to be lonely anymore. The body is an interwoven tapestry full of people of every size, shape, color, personality, and preference and yet we complete a masterpiece woven by the Master Designer that showcases His great love for us.
Thankful and treasured,
Kar
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Life Blood
Have you ever heard the expression, "Blood is thicker than water?" For some reason this idea of blood has stuck with me the last couple of weeks. In my goal this year to better understand the deep love of Christ, I think it is necessary to look past simply who He is (although that is vitally important and I will be doing that as well) and seek to understand the symbols He put in place to indicate His great love for us. One of them is the bond of blood. Keep in mind when I talk about blood, I am talking about a unifying factor.
Before I left for Christmas break, I was sitting with my cousin, Jonathan, at a Christmas party. We were having a friendly disagreement about something, but I could tell we were both getting a little frustrated. I looked at him and said, "At the end of the day, we are still blood and you are stuck with me." No matter what the disagreement, at the end of the day, we were still family.
The Lynch side of my family also demonstrates this idea of blood. Over the years, I have watched some crazy and rough things happen that could and did tear at the fabric of our family. However, at the end of the day, usually no matter how bad the situation or act was, they still would accept and love one another. They were still blood and that overrode all the other stuff, even if harmony wasn't completely restored.
So this got me thinking. Because my closest friends are Christians, they are the ones that can hurt, frustrate, or make me laugh the most. But they are blood! Do you realize that? When Jesus died on the cross for us and said that anyone who calls on His name will be saved, and in coming to Him we are washed in His blood, purified, and cleansed from our sin...then all those who call on His name are washed and bonded by His blood. That blows my mind!
God created the church to be like-minded, one body, unified in spirit, to fellowship, learn, grow, comfort, support, and encourage one another. In other words, because you are the family of God...YOU ARE STUCK WITH ONE ANOTHER. And not even stuck...you get the privilege of knowing that these people, no matter where you go in life, are guaranteed to reenter it again, whether here or in eternity. How clever of the evil one to attack relationships and fellowship within the church. At the end of the day, no matter how much anger, disappointment, pain, frustration, or bitterness has been experienced YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY TOGETHER! There is no disowning, no escaping. As I told my cousin, you are stuck with one another because you are bonded by the blood of the Lamb. So it is time to start acting like family.
So what does this have to do with love? We are called as the body of Christ to love one another. We are also the bride of Christ and there is no greater love than Christ laying down His life for us. He desires the love within the Body to represent the love He has for us. Our relationships are meant to be just a tiny glimpse of the fellowship and love we will experience in eternity.
If you don't know the Lord, I pray desperately that you will know His deep love for you. If you are alone...please recognize and allow the Body to love on you. They are your family...you are bonded by blood. Now is a great time to get a jump start on eternity and learning to love one another..
"This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12
Growing in His love,
Kar
Before I left for Christmas break, I was sitting with my cousin, Jonathan, at a Christmas party. We were having a friendly disagreement about something, but I could tell we were both getting a little frustrated. I looked at him and said, "At the end of the day, we are still blood and you are stuck with me." No matter what the disagreement, at the end of the day, we were still family.
The Lynch side of my family also demonstrates this idea of blood. Over the years, I have watched some crazy and rough things happen that could and did tear at the fabric of our family. However, at the end of the day, usually no matter how bad the situation or act was, they still would accept and love one another. They were still blood and that overrode all the other stuff, even if harmony wasn't completely restored.
So this got me thinking. Because my closest friends are Christians, they are the ones that can hurt, frustrate, or make me laugh the most. But they are blood! Do you realize that? When Jesus died on the cross for us and said that anyone who calls on His name will be saved, and in coming to Him we are washed in His blood, purified, and cleansed from our sin...then all those who call on His name are washed and bonded by His blood. That blows my mind!
God created the church to be like-minded, one body, unified in spirit, to fellowship, learn, grow, comfort, support, and encourage one another. In other words, because you are the family of God...YOU ARE STUCK WITH ONE ANOTHER. And not even stuck...you get the privilege of knowing that these people, no matter where you go in life, are guaranteed to reenter it again, whether here or in eternity. How clever of the evil one to attack relationships and fellowship within the church. At the end of the day, no matter how much anger, disappointment, pain, frustration, or bitterness has been experienced YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY TOGETHER! There is no disowning, no escaping. As I told my cousin, you are stuck with one another because you are bonded by the blood of the Lamb. So it is time to start acting like family.
So what does this have to do with love? We are called as the body of Christ to love one another. We are also the bride of Christ and there is no greater love than Christ laying down His life for us. He desires the love within the Body to represent the love He has for us. Our relationships are meant to be just a tiny glimpse of the fellowship and love we will experience in eternity.
If you don't know the Lord, I pray desperately that you will know His deep love for you. If you are alone...please recognize and allow the Body to love on you. They are your family...you are bonded by blood. Now is a great time to get a jump start on eternity and learning to love one another..
"This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12
Growing in His love,
Kar
Friday, January 1, 2010
How Deep
Hello and Happy New Years from, well, somewhere in Eastern Arkansas. I am back and reunited with my amazing family from last summer. Somehow it seems appropriate to bring in the new year with a group of people that walked through the highs and lows of God breaking me and teaching me surrender. Not easy and I am so much more grateful for them for sticking through it. But enough on that.
2009 was a rough year. Definitely a year of learning brokenness and surrender and seeing the beauty that comes out of chaos. So much of this year I would never wish to redo. God took me through the mountains and the desert and though I have grown and my heart has been softened, I would never wish to redo it. Needless to say, I have looked forward to this day with a lot of anticipation. A new start, new possibilities, and new adventures just waiting to be pursued one day at a time.
As I have started this new year and even for the last few weeks, the Lord has been teaching me the gentleness of His love. God is described in Hebrews 12:29 as "an all-consuming fire." Can you imagine that? His love for you is so amazing that He is described as fire. Now there is a guy that is hot! Ha bad joke but still. So this year, my desire is to understand the gentleness, intimacy, and all-consuming, all-encompassing love of the God who created me uniquely. I believe when we understand that, then fear, insecurity, and complacency flee. It is amazing to me that I find in the Lord everything I crave in human companionship, and it makes me wonder why I would ever seek anything else.
So as I meditate on His amazing love these lyrics have been on my heart. I pray that as you read them, you will see the sweet love that your Savior has for you and that if you don't know Him, you will understand that He came to seek and save and loves you because He created you so uniquely!
"How deep the Father's love for us,
how vast beyond all measure
that He should give His only Son
to make a wretch His treasure."
You are His treasure! And I pray that you curl up in His arms this year and accept and acknowledge the depth of His love for you!
Loving His love,
Kar
2009 was a rough year. Definitely a year of learning brokenness and surrender and seeing the beauty that comes out of chaos. So much of this year I would never wish to redo. God took me through the mountains and the desert and though I have grown and my heart has been softened, I would never wish to redo it. Needless to say, I have looked forward to this day with a lot of anticipation. A new start, new possibilities, and new adventures just waiting to be pursued one day at a time.
As I have started this new year and even for the last few weeks, the Lord has been teaching me the gentleness of His love. God is described in Hebrews 12:29 as "an all-consuming fire." Can you imagine that? His love for you is so amazing that He is described as fire. Now there is a guy that is hot! Ha bad joke but still. So this year, my desire is to understand the gentleness, intimacy, and all-consuming, all-encompassing love of the God who created me uniquely. I believe when we understand that, then fear, insecurity, and complacency flee. It is amazing to me that I find in the Lord everything I crave in human companionship, and it makes me wonder why I would ever seek anything else.
So as I meditate on His amazing love these lyrics have been on my heart. I pray that as you read them, you will see the sweet love that your Savior has for you and that if you don't know Him, you will understand that He came to seek and save and loves you because He created you so uniquely!
"How deep the Father's love for us,
how vast beyond all measure
that He should give His only Son
to make a wretch His treasure."
You are His treasure! And I pray that you curl up in His arms this year and accept and acknowledge the depth of His love for you!
Loving His love,
Kar
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