True North

True North!

What an exhilarating journey is love! We are carefully woven into the Agape of Father's heart. Our attempts at love fall short, but His love in and through us is more than enough in every conceivable way! Live like you love-love and facilitate love's passion. He is totally into Agape! One has only to remember and know Calvary to progressively appreciate Papa’s love through Jesus, applied by their Holy Spirit. Following are a few of His thoughts concerning His kind of love.  

              
1 Corinthians 13:1 Speaking in tongues is not the point; love is. It is neither angelic eloquence, nor the mastery of human language that persuades. It doesn’t matter how poetic, prophetic, or profound I may sound; my conversation is reduced to the hollow noise of clanging brass cymbals if love’s echo is absent. (The Greek word for the love of God is agape from the word, agoo, meaning to lead like a shepherd guides his sheep, and pao, meaning to rest, i.e. “he leads me beside still waters.” By the waters of reflection my soul remembers who I am. [Ps 23]. God’s rest is established upon his image and likeness redeemed in us. Thus, to encounter agape is to remember who I am. Jesus the Savior of humankind rescued God’s image and likeness in human form. The grace of God shines as bright as day making the salvation of humankind undeniably visible [Titus 2:11].)
13:2 I could predict the future in detail and have a word of knowledge for everyone. I could possess amazing faith, and prove it by moving mountains! It doesn’t make me any more important than anyone else. Love is who you are! You are not defined by your gift or deeds. (Love gives context to faith. Moving mountains is not the point, love is.)
13:3 Love is not about defending a point of view; even if I am prepared to give away everything I have and die a martyr’s death; love does not have to prove itself by acts of supreme devotion or self sacrifice!
13:4 Love is large in being passionate about life and relentlessly patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others with kindness. Love is completely content and strives for nothing. Love has no desire to make others feel inferior and has no need to sing its own praises.
13:5 Love is predictable and does not behave out of character. Love is not ambitious. Love is not spiteful and gets no mileage out of another’s mistakes. (The word, paroxuno, translates as spiteful, it has no sharp edges.)
13:6 Love sees no joy in injustice. Love’s delight is in everything that truth celebrates.
13:7 Love is a fortress where everyone feels protected rather than exposed! Love’s persuasion is persistent! Love believes. Love never loses hope and always remains constant in contradiction. (Mirror Bible)

The Agape Road The perspective of Bob Mumford reveals what I feel is a key to allowing you to be overtaken by the Agape of Father’s Love. “During my years of illness, the Lord entrusted to me a precious, life-changing revelation of His agape nature and the self-referential nature of eros. Much of my illness was due to toxic levels of lead and mercury in my system. I began to see this as a prophetic sign of toxic eros (self-referential) in the Body of Christ! In the book I explain the difference between the four faces of love and how to get out of the eros prison. Most importantly, The Agape Road teaches us how to abide in our journey to intimacy with the Father. In our fifty years, Judith and I have never known such a freedom in the kingdom as we are now experiencing on the Agape Road!”

I too am on this journey from the self-referential prison I was in for much of my life to the Agape of intimacy enjoyed through/in Jesus’ gift of sharing His relationship with His Father. The well-spring of Agape is Father’s heart! But, you can’t get there through your efforts. Only Jesus can get us to the Glorious Passion and Intimacy of Father’s heart. Calvary is the evidence that Father’s love is the motive of their pursuit of mankind! Hear Matthews account of our struggle and ‘Their’ provision.

12 For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God's kingdom. 13 But if you read the books of the Prophets and God's Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. 14 Looked at in this way, John is the 'Elijah' you've all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah. 15 "Are you listening to me? Really listening? 16 "How can I account for this generation? The people have been like spoiled children whining to their parents, 17 'We wanted to skip rope, and you were always too tired; we wanted to talk, but you were always too busy.' 18 John came fasting and they called him crazy. 19 I came feasting and they called me a lush, a friend of the riff-raff. Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

20 Next Jesus let fly on the cities where he had worked the hardest but whose people had responded the least, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way. 21 "Doom to you, Chorazin! Doom, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen half of the powerful miracles you have seen, they would have been on their knees in a minute. 22 At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you. 23 And Capernaum! With all your peacock strutting, you are going to end up in the abyss. If the people of Sodom had had your chances, the city would still be around. 24 At Judgment Day they'll get off easy compared to you."

25 Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: "Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly too ordinary people. 26 Yes, Father, that's the way you like to work." 27 Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

28 "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

How about you? Are you ‘tired’ and ‘worn’ out be self-referential attempts to love and be loved? Again, it’s simple enough for a child-embrace where the love of Jesus will take you.

Ron Ross