November 12th, 20

Fully Formed

Today’s readings are Job 39-40 and I Corinthians 13-14.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

If we fail to have love, we fail.  We can pursue many things, but if we fail to pursue love in this life, we are lost.  Love is the foundation of our lives.  Love orders our lives and our communities.  The extent to which we love, is the extent that our lives will function as they ought,  having order and peace among ourselves and within ourselves. It all begins with love.  But here’s the kicker.  We can’t give what we don’t have.  And we can’t live a well-ordered life of love if we haven’t experienced love.  Love is the X-factor.

So let me ask you?.  Are you loved?  Have you felt it? Do you know it?  If not, I understand.  It can be hard to know and feel.  It takes a lot of us a long time to begin to experience love.  That’s why I come here to His Word everyday – for myself.  That’s why I try to apply the Gospel to my life each and every day.  

When we come to the Word everyday we’re able to see that God is orchestrating our lives and our days.  He’s conspiring to reveal to us the extent of His love.  The Word gives me perspective that allows me to see my life’s past and current circumstances through the lens of a loving God who is trying to reach me – to convince me that I am loved.  He desires that we experience His love.  His love transforms us from the inside out.  When we know His love our lives begin to take on a different kind of order and we experience this “ new creation” that Paul speaks about and that our heart desires.  Paul says, in Galatians 4:19:  

Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.

May Christ be formed in you – His love fully developed in your lives.  May you know His love and offer it to others.

You are loved!