Rejoice for God is with Us!

The cost was counted twice over and the action began.

I choose a life of love and obedience. The questions that brought me to this point were recently raised by my love. I realized that my mind was split between obedience and love. I thought in order to obey the calling on my life I had to sacrifice investing in relationships. I also thought to a point that if I invested in too many relationships too much I'd be unable to obey the call on my life effectively. I went so long thinking this way I became callously miserable. I was busy counting the cost between two things that actually do not compete in the dichotomy I understood.

The answer to this mess I've made is quiet simple. The greatest commandment is to love God with all of who you are and love neighbor as yourself. In the Christian life loving God is as natural as breathing. This love for God has and will call you to obedience. Like Elisha you may be called to heal an enemy (2 Kings 5), maybe you will go before people you love and tell them of a coming calamity like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1), you could be called lead a numerous people like Moses or Joshua (Exodus 3, Deuteronomy 34), you may find yourself leading your family to the unknown like Abraham (Genesis 17) you may face giants like Joshua or David (Numbers 13, 1 Samuel 17), regardless of what you are specifically called to do at any given moment you are called to do this in love.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries, and all knowledge; and have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not love, it profits me nothing. ----1 Corinthians 13:1-3

All of the acts of faith that you or I could do in obedience amount to noise without love. You and I could have such a fearless faith that the mountains are removed leaving a gash deeper than the Grand Canyon, but if there is no love to and from us, we amount to nothing. I could sacrifice all of me, but without love the flames profit me nothing.  I could spend decades obeying God to the word but if I have not love it is all emptiness. A void of action. A black-hole faith that consumes me and all those around me until I collapse on myself.

It is shocking how quickly we can hurt one another if we do not love and obey God. All of our relationships and the actions therein can only be couched in God if we expect life out of them. To place myself outside of the love of God is to certainly die. To love God is to be found in hope. A sure hope.

Therefore being justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through who we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we  stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ----Romans 5:1-5 

Friends, we have been called to love. We have been called to love God. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We are patient because he first shows patience. We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Love and serve God and you will find yourself loving the work of Him who created. You will learn to love others as yourself.

We love, because He first loved us.

Blessings