What does love look like?

When people ask me what does love really look like, I get a big smile on my face and I answer in one word: God! Most of the time they give me that look! You know that look don't you? " You know what I mean, what does it really look like?" I usually wait a little bit more, smile and say, "GOD!"

Then they say what does God look like? Most of the time they are waiting for a deep theological answer to come. So I get real serious looking and put that pondering face upon my look. LOL! Then with the most serious face I can and get ready to appear like a dissertation is coming forth, and then I smile and say, "LOVE!"

By now I have totally exasperated them into great frustration. So I very calmly speak God is Love! Then they usually ask, " but you can't see God, he is invisible." Then I reply, "then you will never be able to see or know what LOVE look likes!" I tell them, God and Love are one in the same. If you truly want to know what "real love" is, you must know who the "real" God is."
Isn't interesting we usually describe what we think love is or the actions of what love may look like, but we can't describe what LOVE really is, God Himself? I wonder why this is so! Most of preachers can sight John 3:16 and get people to pray the sinner's prayer, but why don't most people including Christians really know WHO and WHAT LOVE really is?

Why is there so much division and confusion in the church today in America? My very humble opinion is that we really don't know God as He really wants to be known, LOVE? We may preach about what He does, what He provides, and even what He wants us to do, but what about Who He is?

Isn't true that most of our ministry is trying to tell people that God loves them? Don't we try to do things to help people to show who God is? We even help people and tell them God loves them? But do they really know LOVE for themselves. The Love that will fill their heart to overflow.

Sadly to say, and with the greatest respect for us as church leaders, we have taught the Body of Christ to work very hard for God, but fallen short in revealing who God is by welcoming His presence in our midst, our hearts, and lives. We no longer cultivate the presence of the Lord, or wait upon Him for intimate fellowship with Him. We often expect people to find "real love in works, meetings, or in our gathering together. But have you noticed that over time love runs out there.

Someone gets mad at someone. The elders often rise up against the Pastor and create church splits. Or ministers who have such a need to prove their call and love for God, usurp His authority and hoard the sheep for their own need to be needed. This is false ministry idolatry which is based in our need to be needed. Often this type of ministry smothers the people and keeps them dependent upon them instead of God Himself.

A long time ago, the Lord told me that my work was to reach down and grab a persons hand, lift it up and place it into His hand. When they could hold onto the Lord for themselves, to let go and get out of the way! In this way, I would only be a tool to bring them to Him to see and experience love Himself. As Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 3, " to they get firmly rooted in love and experience love for themselves which far surpasses knowledge without experience." Amplified paraphrase.

We are to be rooted and grounded in love. Love is a person! When we get our roots down deep in Him, then we see Him as He really is. Then our eyes are opened and our hearts are filled with all the fullness of who God is in our hearts. Then we truly know what LOVE looks like and what it is.

Only a deep abiding in God, or in the vine can truly to allow you to know God. John chapter 17: 3 says, "And this is eternal life, that you may KNOW, the one TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ he sent." Eternal life is knowing what "True love look likes and what is."

Sadly, in Revelations chapter 2: Jesus says, "I have this one thing against you, you have deserted me, your first love!" At the end of the age, the church that was to be a reflection of that love, loses their first love. They lose it because Christianity has turned into being "work bond" relationships instead of "love bond" relationships. The first love bond must be between you and the Lord. This is the true meaning of covenant love. Covenant is not a dirty word! It is not an exchange or working for each other. It is an exchange of love to one another even to the giving up of your own life, and all that you have for the other. That is why people don't want to get married or stay married anymore. They don't understand the exchange of real love because that can only come from knowing God Himself!

The love bond of marriage is easily broken because of the losing of or never knowing our first love Jesus Christ. Thankfully the Lord is patiently waiting for us like a Prodigal Father for us to "return to our Father's house." This is our first love!. The Bible tells us that we love Him, because HE FIRST LOVES US!

My prayer for all of us in 2008 is that we won't try to see what love look likes by abiding in the branches. Yes, to much of our walk with God is dependant upon other Christians or even other people. Others praying for us, teaching us and leading us makes us depend upon them and never finding him ourselves. We need the 5 fold ministry, I am one of them. But effectuve fruit bearing ministry begins when we don't ever need to make people dependant upon us. This is usually how cults form and is very dangerous. Our responsiblity is to bring them to God to know Him as their God and true source of love.

Going to church alone can not be a substitute for a deep abiding relationship with God alone because you can never fully understand what love is just by going to service. The late Keith Green used to say, "going to church does not make you any more of a Christian than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger. Cute saying, but appropriate. If all you ever know of love is going to church Sunday and Wednesday and that is your experience alone with God you won't stay or last in the church anyway. We all fall very short of God's love to many times. None of us have enough love to complete another. That place God alone is to fill. He is very jealous over us! He won't allow a human being to take His place in our hearts above Him. He alone is Perfect LOVE! Plus, we have to much stuff still in us for them to abide in us. Also it is contrary to the word of God in John chapter 15.

I am going to close this little blog with the ONLY TRUE WAY TO KNOW GOD! THE ONLY TRUE WAY OF KNOWING WHO AND WHAT LOVE IS? Yes, the world will know that we are His disciples by the love we have one for another! However, without us abiding in the vine, and experiencing and living in that love daily, we can't give that real love to anyone. He said, "no greater love than this that a man lay down his life for his friends."

I encourage each of you to meditate and ponder on these scriptures and allow the lifting presence of the Lord to reveal the power and life in these words to your heart.

Joh 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Joh 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.

Joh 15:3 Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.

Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.

Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Joh 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Joh 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples.

Joh 15:9 Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love.

Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you.

Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you.

Joh 15:15 No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father, I have made known unto you.

Joh 15:16 Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Joh 15:17 These things I command you, that ye may love one another.