Devotional: When You are in Love…

When you are madly in love you do crazy, wild, impractical things. Even if you haven’t experienced this in real life it is the stuff movies are made of. It is the man who swims the farthest sea and climbs the highest mountain (or dies trying) Why? We are created for relationship: To give our self away and to be lost in ‘other’.   We are designed for fascination and belonging. Rules, schedules, and routines; even good ones, can only get us so far. But many people, movies, and songs stop at the human level. They don’t understand that what they call the height and depth of the human experience is only the shadow. Can another human ever be fully inside of your spirit and soul (heart and mind)? We are the dim reflection to one another of our eternal husband Jesus. This is part of the reason I believe Christian marriage partners have a deeper level of fellowship. Their spirits are intertwined with Jesus and they fellowship with Him in their union.

Let me speak to those of you who lead spiritually disciplined lives. For years you have had your set aside prayer times, Bible study reading plans, fasting days, and have been faithful to give tithes and offerings. These disciplines have carved out time and space for you to build your relationship with the Lord. Now He is calling you higher. Your schedule and routines have served their purpose just like Galations 3:24, 25 says, “The law was your schoolmaster to bring you to God, but faith has come and you no longer need to be under a school master.” I am not saying that you should give up these practices but I am saying that loving relationships are not meant to exist only within tidy time frames and habits. Go back to the picture of Christ and the Church in the earthly relationship: What if a husband only showed affection to his wife on their Friday night date night? What if he clocked in and clocked out with his wife the way he does at work? Healthy marriages give loving affection with moments of appreciation and thoughtfulness throughout the day, every day. Should we give any less to our Heavenly Husband? Think of times when you have felt most loved and cherished: That unexpected act of kindness, surprise gift, or text. I want to encourage you to expand your relationship with your Lord outside of rituals until your love for each other pervades your day.

Why did the disciples fast? Was it because they were commanded to? In Matthew 9:15 it says it was because their bridegroom was taken away. They longed for and mourned for Jesus after his ascension. Why did Mary pour her expensive perfume on Jesus feet? Was it because she was long overdue for giving her tithe? No, it was her expression of extravagant love for Jesus.

Jesus showed us the ultimate expression of love when He died for us. He also calls us to take up our cross and follow him. One author called it, “A thousand deaths of the soul”. It happens when know you are not your own anymore, that you belong, that you were bought with a price. Fulfillment in Christ doesn’t cause you to love your fellow man less, it frees you to love him more. You no longer look to a person as your source but you overflow with an inner river. You value your human companion because Jesus gave His life to purchase that person. You see His glory, no matter how dimly, reflected in each person you come into contact with.

As you begin to expand your relationship with the Lord outside of your routines ponder what love is and what it is not. Love is mysterious, mystical, invisible, intangible yet at the same time earthly, practical, visible, tangible. It is the depth of emotion in the heart; it is serving a cold cup of water. It is the way Jesus felt about you before Creation and it is what He did for you on the cross. Love is not chemistry, cosmetics, or chance. Love is a choice: One that was made and one that we continue to make. Aren’t you glad that He chose you and that He continues to choose you in spite of your weaknesses and flaws?

Loving Jesus in the tangible way looks like extending our arms to other people. For me that is sitting with orphans and widows in South Sudan. It is a constant challenge against my selfishness and some days I pour myself out more than others. My Iris director regularly reminds us that we are not here to have a job (clock in/clock out) but to be in a family. The words of Mother Teresa are always echoing in my mind that, “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”

I want to say thank you to those of you who are loving Jesus by supporting me to be here. Your donations express love that is very practical and visible. Though you can’t be here physically you are reaching the people of this nation through me. Jesus also says thank you.