Love: A Commitment Forgotten

These are the words written upon my heart.

There is no greater an existence than that of Love; for God is Love. To testify to His faithfulness all of His creation radiates His majesty without end, His flawless plan is evident through His word and plays out daily, and His promises stand firm to comfort us if we choose to take hold of them. God's love for us is one that is ideal, perfect even.
There is much to be learned by studying God's love. God's love is even His very nature. Though, as sinful man, we can not achieve such a perfect nature we are meant to strive toward the example of love God has given us. The aspect of His love that has been on my heart and my lips for about a year now is that of commitment. It is the "big picture" throughout history, and it was meant to be the aspiration of our hearts. God has always been faithful. He has been faithful to to His creation and to His word.
This leads us to examine our own commitment, especially towards those things which we say we love or those things which we should, as directed by God's word, love. Of course, our commitment to God will never come close to that of His to us, but through examining our commitment we are able to find areas where we can make improvement. What is your commitment to God like? What about your commitment to your family, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, and those who have yet to hear the gospel? How many people do we come in contact with almost daily that we pay little notice of? These people, our neighbors, we are to love only second to God (if even "secondly" rather than "in addition to").
This seems like a lot. What a huge undertaking! How can one commit to so many people?? God gives us a starting place: to love Him with all of our being... with everything that we are. We start here without worrying of neglecting the rest because we can have faith that as we grow to love God, we will become more passionate about loving the rest of His creation. He creates in us the heart which is required to perform everything He asks of us including this huge undertaking of loving so many people. We can also prioritize by observing our situations. Are you married? Do you have children? Whether or not we acknowledge them as such, these people are responsibilities (and so much more). These relationships require MUCH commitment. This includes our time, loyalty, devotion, and passion as well as others. It is important to remember that the more our relationship with God grows, the more we will have a passion to love and serve these others so do not neglect your commitment to God for these others! In fact, it is God's design that we incorporate our commitment to Him in every aspect of our lives including sharing with others about it. This especially applies to family. One GREAT way to incorporate this into family life is to have a family devotion time. What a better way to commit to your family than to share with them concerning the words of LIFE we have been given by God, and to grow together in the very Love that IS God. There is NOTHING better to be imparted to anyone. There is no secret, no magic, no power, no hidden meaning, NOTHING better for anyone than the Word of God which brings us Life.
This is all said to help you remember that next time you say "I love you" or even hear it said, you remember what sort of commitment is involved with those words. I say this that you may know that there is not "falling out of..." commitment. It is no accident. Love is not a feeling you get. Listen to me when I say that you may love without having any feeling. I pray that in your love you are filled with marvelous feelings, and I know that God will certainly bless you in your love.
As pertaining to relationships in which love is involved, the world and it's culture has perverted and distorted, almost beyond recognition, what true love in most any relationship is to look like... is to be like. This note can not be long enough to accurately detail such things, and there is little point in even trying to do so as we are given all that we need concerning this matter in God's word. This is one of the many reasons it is so important for us to live in His Word daily. We can not trust what society portrays as truth or reality. Satan uses such things to distort the world we live in and rob us of many blessings God has in store for us. Don't be quick to judge the relationships of others. There are points when relationships go against the guidelines set up by God's word and need to be corrected (among brothers and sisters in Christ who have such a basis of faith for their lives), but it is also important not to let tradition impact us in such a way that we are led to condemn relationships and aspects thereof simply because of what is generally acknowledged in culture as okay or good. The other side of this being that we are not to go against God's Word or the laws established by our government unless conflicting with God's Word. It is important to remember to act in love- in this forementioned commitment, with respect and humility, in accordance with the truth that is God's word.

Don't feel obligated to read all of the references right now as there are many, but know that they are God's Word and we are assured that it will never come back void, and therefore we can know that reading them is beneficial.

1 Corinthians 13:13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Joshua 24:15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Mark 12:29-33 Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' 31 "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." 32 The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; 33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Matthew 5:43-46 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

John 14:24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

John 15:12-13 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

Romans 13:8-10 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

Ephesians 3:16-19 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

Ephesians 5:28-29 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

Philippians 1:9-10 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;

Colossians 3:14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Colossians 3:19-21 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them. 20 Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

2 Timothy 2:22-23 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.

Titus 2:2-8 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. 6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

1 John 2:5-6 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 4:10-11 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:18-21 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

2 Corinthians 13:14 T he grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

-Jim Pinckney

Using a vision from the past to come to understanding

When I held you in my arms I felt as though I was teaching you to fly; responsible if you fell and overwhelmed with joy if you flew. When my hand was on your shoulder I recalled all that I had taught you; every way which you had seen me live and manner of your being which I had instilled in you. When your face turned up toward mine I sensed every ounce of love I had poured out into your life. I knew that no trial was in vain. I saw my love in you and it flooded my soul with joy. With a single embrace we recounted the years, though not many, we spent clinging to each other. Nothing would take me away from you. Nothing would separate our hearts. The world will show you how to resist, but you will always remember.

Nothing can be taken from me which is of value to me. My hope is in Christ alone. I seek first the Kingdom of God and neither look to my left nor expect from my right. I know only the ending. I know that love counts, but fear the consequences of a love that lacks perfection. A love subject to loss. A love subject to separation. A love that lacks complete understanding. I enjoy not knowing how my provision will come, but only whom it will come from and that it will indeed arrive. There is no one dependent upon my provision and therefore no responsibility for me to explain how or where that will take place. How could I explain a system in which I believe and know only by faith and experience.

Philippians 3:8-11
I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

The first paragraph is what I felt in a dream I received about 4 years ago. In that dream I had three children. I believe I was given a glimpse of what it feels like to be a father. It was so amazing and so real. I told people about it for weeks, and I will never forget it. The responsibility and the attachment where so huge. It seems a world apart from where I am right now. I have a hard time rationalizing how my life can be both. I know there are still feelings and mentalities to be weeded out. Thinking on this makes me feel like a family is farther in my future that I care to admit or imagine. I long for a family, but even greater is my passion for fulfilling God's call on my life.

Lord, my God, show me my next step.