love love love

to love
and be loved

…that is the plan of God for each one of us. as we turn over each stone in the road that we walk in life, examining each stone for value, detail, purpose, direction… love remains the one reason to continue on this journey. you know, hell hates our love- that powerful, unseen hope embodied in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. the schemes of satan rail against our walking on, against our prayers which are the fragrance of heaven, the rich smell of ancient burial oil wiped on holy feet by a lowly woman’s hair… if only i could be like her, on the floor, pouring out my tears and the treasure of my life, unashamed, onto the feet that were pierced. for she shows me that even if i end up with nothing left, i have everything! “… then mary took about a pint of pure nard…and the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” john 12

to love
and be loved

…with so many attacks, that come from within and without; all saying, “you are not loved,” and, “you’re alone,” all reminding us of old lies and old sin and dead ways, how we need to hear about His Love for us! those lies quietly intertwine into our perceptions, even distorting how we hear other people speaking to us, and how we see ourselves in the mirror in the mornings. lies that ride on the backs of jokes and songs and commercials for products, enticements from the world to sell out… twisting memories, twisting passion, twisting the way we were created. all lies, bent on deflecting the one and only lifeline we have:

“no, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that i came from God.” John 16

“though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘peace be with you!’ then he said to thomas, ‘put your finger here; see my hands. reach out your hand and put it into my side. stop doubting and believe.’ thomas said to him, ‘my Lord and my God!’ then Jesus told him, ‘because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have believed.’ John 20

FRIENDS: there is no prayer simpler or nearer to God than the cry for Jesus. this morning, before the cobalt sky brightens into yet another day, i pray for love. i simply say his name, Jesus. to love and be loved, it is the thing we journey onward for, the design of our lives. i pray for each one of us, and ask that the barriers that keep us from knowing how much he loves us will be wiped away like tears. i pray that whatever keeps each one of us from letting go of the lies and even of our treasures… that love would pry apart our hands, filling even the emptiness where we cannot believe. Jesus loves you and me and he holds us in his grasp. “God is love. whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him. in this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him. there is no fear in love. but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. the one who fears is not made perfect in love. we love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4.

Father in heaven, i need your love. bless my friends- as they are dry, weary, afraid. heal them.