Experiencing and Sharing God's Love

Country and Western music has it's own unique way of saying things. Take a look at some of these song titles and you'll see what I mean:

* I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well
* Thank God And Greyhound She's Gone
* I'm So Miserable Without You, It's Like Having You Here
* You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly

Inside each title you can hear the howl of a broken heart! How, in a world so broken, can we experience and share the real love of God? Is it even possible? Absolutely! One of Jesus' students was severely challenged in this call to love like He does. Nicknamed the "son of thunder", his explosive temper was infamous; but soon gave way to a redeemed nickname- "the apostle of love".

In 1Jo 4:12 this apostle of love writes, "No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." Later on in the same chapter John explains how it is that he is able live such a life of love. He says in 1Jo 4:19, "We love because he first loved us." This is why Blackaby spends so much time encouraging us to understand that God is always pursuing us in love. If we don't work from that place, we are left feeling abandoned and alone. Hardly the kind of strength and resources we need to overcome the struggles of our "country and western" world!

My encouragement to you is to "keep yourself in the love of God". This is the work of faith (see Gal. 5.6). When apparent failure strikes...His love remains. When disappointment appears to have won...his love overcomes. When your day appears darkest...the light of His love seeks to break through. As 1 Cor. 13 declares..."love never fails". Determine, as we continue on this adventure of experiencing God to "love as He loves us". For as the apostle of love says, "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 Jn. 5.4b