Love Note Day: It's The Little Things (Repost)

Today is Love Note Day. So with that in mind, this is a repost from October 23, 2012 - a reminder of the little ways God says, "I love you."

It's The Little Things

Consider this: when you are in a relationship, what means more to you? Is it the occasional grand gesture of outward love; or is it the many little things that person does for you? Is it the big dinner on your wedding anniversary, or the notes left in your lunch sack, the text messages or emails just to say "hi," or the simple act of picking up the kitchen?

When it comes to God, we often look to the Grand Gestures as proof of His love: The crucifixion of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, the blessings of our families.

Yet,  His sacrifice and forgiveness aren't the sum total of His relationship with us. In fact, those things were necessary to begin the relationship. I have found, as I grow in this relationship with my Creator and Savior, that He also shows me He loves me in countless small ways. Little blessings. I'm beginning to learn that growing in this relationship means recognizing those small blessings for what they are, and thanking Him for them.

Sometimes,  it's a good cup of coffee at just the right time (I often joke about this, but think about it: who made the coffee bean, the water; who gave me the ability to afford a coffee maker?). Or He shows me a sunrise when I need to be reminded of His glory. Sometimes, it's the laughter of my children when I need to remember just how blessed I really am. God knows what I need, and when I need it. He knows how to tell me He loves me when I most need to hear it.

All of this leaves me asking two questions of myself: am I thanking Him for all those little ways He says He loves me? And how am I telling Him in return?

In The Beginning

In the beginning, God...

For me, these are four of the most important words in all of Scripture -- indeed, in all of language. Some of the great philosophical questions of man are answered in this single phrase.

In this one phrase, we learn God is eternal. At the beginning of time -- at least by our reckoning -- God already was. We learn where we came from. If God was, in the beginning, we know that everything that came after must have been made by Him. And indeed, the rest of Genesis 1 and 2 bear that out. We get the sense of our place. We are not the center of the Universe; He is.

He is the Will that set the Universe in motion; the Force that keeps it together. He is the Hand that guides it, the Eye that watches over it, the Lungs that give it life.

He exists outside the universe, and outside Time, voiced in Jesus words: Before Abraham was, I Am! (John 8:58)

In the beginning, God created...

There was no beginning before God acted to make it so. When God created, there was the beginning. Not before.

God is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End.  He is before Time and after. Before the Universe and After. Greater than the plans and wars of nations; greater than the motions of planets and suns. He is the Creator... but He is so much more.

So when you hear the words, "God loves you, and has a wonderful plan for your life," I want you to understand exactly what that means.

Only The Lonely

I can't speak for everyone, but it seems the darkest periods in my life were when I was at my loneliest. It's a
funny thing, loneliness. Okay, maybe not "ha ha" funny, but it's strange. You can be surrounded -- even by friends -- and still feel a deep longing and sadness. Nearly my entire Sophomore year in college was marked by this sort of inexplicable depression. I had friends -- great friends! I belonged. And yet, I was lonely.

I've looked back on this period in my life often, with great curiosity. It took me until years later to realize that the enemy -- Satan -- will use whatever arrows are in his quiver to keep you from doing as God desires. If you allow him, he will whisper in your ear tales of worthlessness and friendlessness, doubts about the friends you have, questions about your value to others. And when you listen, that loneliness creeps in, slowly at first, and building into something almost intolerable. It's broken many, and still more will walk with a spiritual limp as a reminder of the struggle.

By the grace of God, I remain unbroken, and most days the limp is barely noticeable. There are days, to be sure, when a shadow of doubt will still creep in. As my arthritic knees -- constant reminders of an injury in my youth -- will creak and ache on humid days, so my limping soul will under certain conditions begin to seize and groan with the memory of past hurt.

But we're not alone. No matter what the Devil is whispering in our ears, no matter how bleak our lives can look while we're in the midst of a sea of self-doubt, our God is standing with His hands reaching out. Just as He reached for Peter when his doubt caused him to sink in the raging waters, He grasps our hands and waits for us to refocus on Him and climb back to His level.

Psalm 34:18 reminds us "God is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Who is hurting in your life? Is there one who is lonely or brokenhearted? We -- you and I -- are the arms of Christ. The physical manifestation of His love for His children.

James 1:27 reminds us that the very essence of religion is ministry to the lonely.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

We are never alone. When we are at our loneliest, the enemy says nobody cares. But it's a lie.  You have value. You have value to God, and you have value to those around you. Don't believe the words of an enemy who wants to see you fall. Believe instead the words of the God who made you, who loves you, and who can't wait to have you by His side.

God Forgot

"Love is patient. Love is kind." You don't even have to be a biblical scholar to be familiar with the description in 1 Corinthians 13, of all the things love is. Chances are, if you've attended a wedding, pretty much ever, you've heard these words. "It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (vs.4)" But did you know love is also forgetful?

True story. Listen to verse 5: "It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

If there's a better description of forgiveness, I don't know what it is. It's not a mere matter of accepting an apology. Love eliminates the wrongdoing from the dynamic of the relationship.  

Now, we know from 1 John 4:8 that God, Himself, is Love. It's not just that he loves us, it's that Love is who He is. It's his very essence and nature. This means that, when we read 1 Corinthians 13 -- the Love Chapter -- what we're really getting is a crash course in the personhood of our Heavenly Father. God is patient and kind. And God keeps no record of wrongs. 

This means that, once we recognize the sin in our lives, recognize God for who He is, accept our blame for what we've done and the Grace of Christ who died as a final sacrifice, we are reconciled with God, and our past is gone. In our humanity, to be sure, we still deal with the consequences of what we've done... but as far as our relationship with God is concerned, our past sin is simply no longer a part of the equation. 

Now here's a mystery: we know from Scripture that God is omniscient -- that is, all-knowing. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 10 and Luke 12 that even the hairs on our heads are numbered. Yet, He does not remember our sin. How is this possible? How is it possible that a God who knows everything has separated us from our misdeeds "as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12)," and remembers them no more (Isaiah 43:25)? 

Put simply: Because, by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the grace of the Almighty, those sins no longer exist.

Hey, Guess What?

Hey, guess what? God loves you.

The creator of the Universe, who set the stars and planets in motion; who set nine rocks around one star, chose one the perfect distance from that star so He could put people on it, and then made it habitable; who populated the waters of the planet with creatures we've only begun to discover, and the earth with creatures who move in such a relationship with each other as to keep the whole system moving and vibrant; who created man in His own image and breathed a living Spirit into him -- that God loves you.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
(Psalm 8: 3-5)

What, indeed, is man, that God is mindful of him? And yet, He loves you. He loves you so much, He sent His only Son -- indeed an aspect of Himself -- to become one of us, to be beaten, to be mocked, and to be murdered. He sent Jesus Christ to become a final sacrifice, a door and a bridge back to Himself, even while humanity reveled in its own sin and greed and pride, and walked further away. Even while we were born unable to shake the mire in which humanity is soaked, and so stuck that we couldn't walk to Him, He came to us (Romans 5:8).

Whatever you have going on; whatever other people think about you, or what you think others think; whatever you think about yourself -- God loves you. 

Earth Day!

Have you ever thought about the care with which God created our home? Consider: Earth is the only known planet to have lakes and oceans of liquid water. The only planet known with the ability to support life. We have plants which aid the oxygen supply and keep us breathing -- and we in turn exhale carbon dioxide, which those plants use for growth. Our water is cycled through evaporation and precipitation, keeping a balance of water and enabling plant growth without saturating the ground and drowning the life below. The planet spins on an axis, working its elliptical path around the sun, giving us daylight to work and make our living, night to cut distractions and allow our bodies and minds to rest; seasons to allow the earth to rest, reset and regenerate. We are close enough to the sun for warmth and light; far enough to avoid overheating and fiery destruction. The spin of the planet, too, and its proximity to the sun and moon, give us gravity -- a force that keeps us grounded (literally!), and holds back the oceans, giving us a separation between the water that makes up the majority of the planet, and the small amount of dry land on which we live.

It was only after God did all this -- and saw that it was good -- that He began populating it with creatures. And finally, the geological, meteorological, and biological parameters set, He created Man and gave him dominion over it.

And so, as the rest of the world celebrates Earth Day -- worshiping the planet as fountain and source of all life -- we can look in awe and renewed wonder at the beauty of the Creation, and worship the Creator who set it all in motion.

Christians often don't like to celebrate Earth Day. The decidedly pagan -- or at least humanist -- overtones of the day make us uncomfortable. I would like to suggest, though, that Earth Day is a wonderful reminder of a careful and loving God -- a God who first created a perfect home, and then gave it to us, a people created in His own image. And, too, it can be a reminder that God put us in charge. This is a perfect home, built by a perfect creator. We would do well to cherish it.

Looking Back, Taking Stock

My wife and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary yesterday. I love celebrating my anniversary with my wife, because it is a great moment for reflection and recommitment. I look back on the years, and on the good and bad events in our life together, and consider how they have molded us into the couple, the parents, the people we are today. I look back on how I have done by her, and renew my commitment to be her rock and partner, and to never let a day go by where I don't let her know in some way how much I love her. 

These moments of reflection are important to life in general as well: to look back on how God has moved in your life; on those events, positive and negative, which have helped to make you the person you are now.

Romans 8:28 - For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

God uses circumstances to bring us closer to Him. Not only the bad circumstances, but even the good things that happen in our lives are made better when they help us grow in Jesus Christ.

Today, as we near the Advent Season and the end of another year, I want to encourage you to take a look at the past year in your own life. What has happened, good or bad, and how have you handled it? Have you come nearer to His presence in those situations? Maybe, God was teaching you something, and you didn't even notice.

Or maybe, it was just another opportunity for Him to let you how much He loves you.

The Law of the Lord is to Love

The one thing Christians seem to have a hard time with, when it comes to the "religion" aspect of our Faith is how easy it really is to become a follower of Christ. On many levels, this really makes a lot of sense. After all, noting worth having is simply given away, right? You work for it; you fight for it; you grab hold and never let go.

Fair enough.

Then you have that whole Law and Prophets -- more or less everything before Jesus came to the Earth. Ancient Israel certainly had to do more than just sit back and accept a free gift. Certainly, that doesn't just disappear, right?

Strangely, though Jesus Himself shows and tells us how to follow Him, it's still so easy to get caught up in "being religious."

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

He gives further explanation in Matthew 22. 

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
 
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (34-40)

So, when it comes to following Jesus, the daily question I ask myself is this: why is it so much easier to try to obey "the law" -- that is, to be religious -- than it is to simply love? We're so caught up in "do"s and "don't"s that it becomes easy to judge others rather than love them.

The truth is, sometimes, Jesus is asking a lot when he asks us to love our neighbors. Other people can be rude, obnoxious, or otherwise just plain unlikeable. It's so much easier, sometimes, to cling to our religiosity and to look down our noses at all those sinners out there, and to believe ourselves to be "good people."

It's easier to forget that we, too, are fallen and that, if it weren't for the Love of Christ and the indwelling of His spirit, we, too, are just a bunch of sinful people who need a little Grace. And a whole lot of love.

Love Wins

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:7-9)

It seems like God can be pretty hard to figure out. It can be hard to understand why the righteous suffer while the unjust prosper, or why God allows some things to happen to some, but not to others. It can be just as difficult to comprehend why a God who is so hard on Sin can show so much grace as to send Jesus to die, be resurrected, and cleanse that sin away, and without demanding anything from us but acceptance. 

It's so tough to figure out, in fact, that we in our humanness can often be tempted to ignore the more difficult parts of Scripture. Like all the "Hell" stuff. Or that "I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life" rhetoric attributed to Jesus.  If we focus on the "Love" aspect, we figure, that'll be okay. After all, God is Love, right? Everything else is just man-made, we reason. 

Never mind that the "God is Love" stuff is part of the same Bible we want to mostly toss out. And, I hate to say it, but if you toss out all the "sin" stuff and the "Hell" stuff, the "Salvation" and "Love" stuff is pretty much meaningless. 

Confusing, isn't it? Well, after all, 1 Corinthians 1:25 does remind us that "the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of Man." And indeed, just a few verses ahead, verse 18, says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

Could it be that, when it comes to what Love actually means, we in our humanity simply don't get it? When we say "God is Love," what we're really describing is God's entire character. If God is love, then everything God does is love. Even the stuff we don't like. 

Maybe we really don't understand Love that much at all. 

Actually, the fact that we are sinners -- the fact that we have fallen short of God's glory -- is proof that He acted out of nothing but love when He sent His son. The law -- and the sin of disobeying it -- serves to highlight the difference between us and God. It shows us that by ourselves we could never be good enough to enter the Holiness that is God, but that, because He loves us, He created a way to bring us into His presence.

Love -- God -- built a bridge. All we need to do is cross.

It's The Little Things

Consider this: when you are in a relationship, what means more to you? Is it the occasional grand gesture of outward love; or is it the many little things that person does for you? Is it the big dinner on your wedding anniversary, or the notes left in your lunch sack, the text messages or emails just to say "hi," or the simple act of picking up the kitchen?

When it comes to God, we often look to the Grand Gestures as proof of His love: The crucifixion of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, the blessings of our families.

Yet,  His sacrifice and forgiveness aren't the sum total of His relationship with us. In fact, those things were necessary to begin the relationship. I have found, as I grow in this relationship with my Creator and Savior, that He also shows me He loves me in countless small ways. Little blessings. I'm beginning to learn that growing in this relationship means recognizing those small blessings for what they are, and thanking Him for them.

Sometimes,  it's a good cup of coffee at just the right time (I often joke about this, but think about it: who made the coffee bean, the water; who gave me the ability to afford a coffee maker?). Or He shows me a sunrise when I need to be reminded of His glory. Sometimes, it's the laughter of my children when I need to remember just how blessed I really am. God knows what I need, and when I need it. He knows how to tell me He loves me when I most need to hear it.

All of this leaves me asking two questions of myself: am I thanking Him for all those little ways He says He loves me? And how am I telling Him in return?