Can We Really Love Others As Jesus Loved Us?

Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, Kate Su (Steward Obs., U. Arizona), et al.

John 15:12 NKJV
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Do you ever get stuck on one verse of Scripture? 

I do.  John 15:12 is one of my favorites, and no matter how many times I ponder it, I always get something new. 

Jack and I have a dear friend, Sharon Billins, an awesome woman of God who says, "Behind every verse of Scripture, there is an entire library in Heaven!"  I love that! She is so right.  

Today, as I did a little search, I learned that the words "have loved you" have a rich meaning through the tense of the original language.  In the Greek, the word is agapao. The tense of the verb is the aorist tense. According to Strong's Concordance this is the definition of it:

"The aorist tense is characterized by its emphasis on punctiliar action; that is, the concept of the verb is considered without regard for past, present, or future time. There is no direct or clear English equivalent for this tense, though it is generally rendered as a simple past tense in most translations."  (http://www.studylight.org/desk/interlinear.cgi?ref=42015012)

Jesus was not just the Son of Man, He was the Son of God. He always was, always is and always will be.  His loving us did not stop after His ascension. He is always with us, always loving us.  

So, I asked Him for more thoughts on the ways He loved, loves and continues to love us; and how do we do the same to one another?

Immediately, the passage from Mark 4:11 blared in my head! 

"To you (speaking to His disciples) it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God..." NKJV

As His disciples, we love others when we reveal the mystery of the kingdom of God to them.  How do we do this? 

We have to go deep! We have to stay over our heads in the River of God, receiving fresh revelation from Him every day. And we share the love as we live in Koinonia! That is the Greek word for fellowship, community, communion. It's Family!  God's Word is alive and active, because He is the Word. He is always with us, and is always revealing the mystery to us.  

Let me share an example of what I mean.  

Recently, the Lord gave me a revelation of the kingdom of God, the kingdom that we, as children of God live in, as the endless and ever-ascending spiral of God's glory in the universe!  I shared this with my friend, Terry Deckard.  She got so excited, because instantly she saw the DNA of God! It was her revelation that added depth to my revelation!  We wooped and hollared with joy!  And in that moment, we were loving one another as Jesus loved us! 

This Love cannot end, it cannot die, it cannot be broken.  God's DNA is perfect! And He gave it to us through Jesus! 

So my dear ones, I hope you are feeling loved right now!  

Blessings forever! Anna Marie

PS  And the love continues! I posted this blog piece on Facebook, and another good friend jumped into the Koinonia river!
Brad Witt added, "We are God's children with His DNA... DNA is a molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms... look at it as Dead Now Alive  :) "

Thanks Brad!! 

 

How Can We Love Others the Way Jesus Loved Us?

John 15:12 NKJV
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

I have been pondering some of the ways Jesus loved His disciples. (We are His disciples if we follow Him) 
How did He love us, and how can I walk this out daily? 

I want to spend some time meditating on this. Today's thoughts are these:

•  Jesus was completely submitted to Father God. He faithfully revealed the love of the Father in such a way that He equipped His disciples to continue His redeeming Kingdom life. His love brought them up to His level! 
•  His love was completely selfless. His yoke was connected to the Father. He offers His yoke to us! A yoke is only used for work. As we go, we are to demonstrate the love of the Father to those around us. If we are yoked to Him, He takes the lead and knows the intended "field" to plow. 

If we take His yoke upon us and bear it without resistance, the fruit of the Spirit would be ripe and plentiful in our going. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control would be available to those who are placed in our path. 

If we take His yoke upon us and bear it without resistance, the gifts of the Spirit would be manifest when needed. Words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues would be activated as needed to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth. 

Today I choose to bear His yoke without resistance. I want to reveal the love of the Father to those around me and in doing so, equip them to do the same. As He raises me up to His level, I want to raise others up to that level as well. 

Today I choose to let the Father take the lead for our path. As I am willing to go, He is willing to be revealed! 

Father, in Jesus' precious name I choose You and Your love. Teach me how to reveal You to those we meet! 

Blessings, Anna Marie

Is the Fruit of Our Lips Singing Praise?

Hebrews 13:15 NKJV

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

The birds are cooing loudly outside this morning.  Even though it seems a mournful tune, I always hear a song of praise calling out to Abba God. This morning, as I sat quietly listening to the dove choir, and thinking about prayer, a memory popped into my head:

It was a Saturday morning. I was 16 years old and vacuuming our living room for my mom.  Crash!  I spun around to see what had happened, and was dismayed to see one of my mother's most treasured porcelain figurines lying shattered on the floor.  The delicate little ballerina was destroyed.  The tiny pink and white treasure had been given to my mom as a young girl by someone she loved dearly.

I began to cry and my mom flew into the room to see what was happening.  She looked at the sight and her face showed a moment of pain, but she reached out to me and hugged me, and said,

"Anna Marie, it is only a thing.  You are more important to me than any thing.  Don't cry."

I pondered why that memory would surface in my time with the Lord.  I felt like He was reminding me of His love towards us, even when we mess things up.  Even when our messes lead to destruction of precious things, He never stops loving us, never stops cherishing us, and wipes away our tears.

As I remember all the messes I have made in my life,  what I really feel is the overwhelming love of my Heavenly Father as He has held me and comforted me and forgiven me.  It is a feeling like my heart must explode because it cannot contain all the gratitude and wonder from His heart to mine.

The birds are still cooing loudly outside...sounds like their hearts must explode, as well....

Are you Suffering?

Every generation has had its challenges and troubles.
Every person will meet with trials and sorrows. 
Sometimes, it can feel as if the pressure will crush the breath right out of you.
But God.

Recently, I had an encounter with Jesus.
My heart was bleeding and I felt as if nothing would ever be okay again.
Suddenly, I saw Him on the cross.
He was looking at me.

He reminded me of His words, "He who has been forgiven much loves much."
Somehow, as I focused on His eyes, I received the understanding that in the same way, "He who has suffered much loves much."

I saw Him as He took not only ALL my pain, but also the pain of everyone who ever has lived or will live. The sorrow He bore for us was unfathomable

He did this willingly, selflessly, eternally...

This Love will never let me go. This Love will never let you go.

I can breathe again.

Whispering Hope

The wind blows,
Your Spirit's in the wind.

The water laps and stirs,
Never still;
As Living Water,
Eternity washes over my weary soul.

There is a Peace
Moving in my heart;
Whispering Hope,
That I am truly whole.

Can I stay here?
Shutting out the world?
I want to know Your Presence,
Feel You near.

"Rest My child."
Love beckons and holds dear.
"This is Our time."

Do You Want More?

I Can only Imagine!

1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV:

 But as it is written:  

Eye has no seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

I have been meditating on this verse for the last few days.  Here are some of the thoughts I have had, breaking it down, phrase by phrase: 

1. Eye has not seen - No matter how much revelation I have been given, no matter how many healings and miracles I have seen, no matter how many God incidents I see - There is always more!  "You ain't seen nothing yet!"
2. Nor ear heard - It doesn't matter how many times or ways He says He loves me - There is more!  There is no end to our conversation.  His secrets that He wants to reveal to me are infinite! 
3. Nor entered into the heart of man - What grows in my heart?  Love, desire, purpose, mercy, kindness, goodness, faith, faithfulness, longing, joy, and yet, as wondrous as these are - There is more!  In my intimacy with God, it is like a Divine Rapture that sends me into  a realm of oneness, calm , total effortless peace; a place of total union with God...sublime!
4. The things which God has prepared for those who love Him - I can only imagine...Selah. (Pause and think about that) As I survey my life, I realize I could never have believed the mysteries I have experienced.  I could never have imagined that He would turn my tragedies into Triumphs.  But I can say, unequivocally, I love Him more today, than yesterday; and as my love grows, I know the revelation He gives will grow as well - There is more!

Be blessed today!  God has more in store for you!!

 

Is Anybody Out There Listening?

Proverbs 18:2

A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.

Years ago, one of the desires of my heart was to learn to be a really good listener.  It is not an easy task.  We in our humanness  have a desire to be known, to share our heart, our thoughts and opinions about the particular topic at hand. 

Have you ever been with people in a conversation and not been able to get a word in edgewise?  How does it make you feel? 

It makes me feel invisible, discounted, unloved.

I wanted to become a good listener because of those bad feelings I experienced by not being listened to myself.  But today, as I was reading this proverb, the word fool jumped out at me.  I hear the heart of my Father telling me that unless I truly delight to understand my brother or sister's heart in my listening, I am a fool.

To be a fool is a terrible thing.  To be a fool does not just mean your are doltish or stupid or idiotic, but it is used of one who mocks God.

Wow.  I have really been given a depth of desire to be an even better listener.  Abba Daddy is showing me that when we do not listen to another, to have an understanding of them, of their heart, of their desires, we are actually mocking our maker.  When we discount our brother, we are discounting the One who made them.

Today, I want to listen more than I speak.  Who is with me?

Blessings, Anna Marie

Noah's Ark, It is Still Afloat!

I was reading one of my favorite, new blogs this morning.  These words arrested my heart!

"Noah, our eldest, asked a few months ago, “Would you have still wanted me had you known I’d get cancer?”  That’s an astonishing question to cross a nine-year old’s lips.  Obviously the weight of the disease and the stress of the treatments prompted him to take a look at life from a much more adult perspective.  And of course we responded, “Absolutely, we would have still wanted you.”" ~ Bryan, read his blog:

http://brvan.com/?p=1438#comment-730

As I read this profound question from this man's young son, my eyes filled to overflowing with tears.  Even now, I am still having trouble seeing my keyboard.  My husband and I are praying for this young man's complete recovery. I hope many will join us.  Jesus never refused to heal someone who came to Him, so we can pray believing the same for this young man.  

His question gave me a new understanding of Father God's heart towards us.  I have asked Him, essentially, the same question before, but could never feel his heart until now. Until Noah.

"God if You knew we were going to choose sin and death over this life You planned for us, why would You still have wanted us?" 

Our sin, our evil, our brokenness is our cancer.  I feel His heart so strong for me and you.  His answer is in the Love.  Even knowing the horrible sacrifice He would suffer for us, His answer is an unequivocal, resounding,"Yes!"  He cannot imagine this Life without us!  So, He willingly paid the price, suffered the horrendous beating, the agonizing death on the cross, overcame the relentless grave so we could be healed spirit, soul and body; never to be separated from Him again!

Lord, thank You for Noah.  Thank You for using him in my life, today, for letting him be the vessel to open my heart to receive Your breathtaking Love!  Pour back into him 1,000-fold return, for what he has given me this day.

Thank you, Noah! You provided me an ark today!

Eyes of Love

This morning as I was thinking of the day ahead, and feeling a heaviness of loss in my chest, the Lord sent a memory into my mind.

It was the day my mom died and we received a phone call from our son's fiancée that  they had been in a car wreck.  I rushed to the hospital and when I saw my son lying on the gurney, I was entranced with what I observed:  There he was, with a neck brace, gazing with intense love into his beloved's eyes, while she stroked his hair.  What a picture of love and peace.  Immediately, the Lord Jesus spoke to my heart, "Keep your eyes on me, adore me, let me adore you, and you not be consumed with pain."

I turn my eyes upon You this morning, Lord.  I love You, and adore You.  Help me love You more!

Just You!

You woke me up this morning, Lord, and I realized You are all I want.  Nothing matters but You.

The enemy of my soul would love to shut me up, shut me down and bury me.  He never learned his lesson.  I have your resurrection power in me, so I'll rise again!

Thank You, Jesus!

Today, I just want You!

Still waiting for the baby!! I would say he is definetly on his own time schedule. He will probably have a mind of his own.

We went to a party tonight celebrating a birthday and a birthday. A friend turned 41 and her friend has a new baby. It was sweet.

I don't really have much to say....just want to connect with the universe. God bless each one who reads this and know that He loves you and cares deeply for you.