In addition to
sharing God’s love with the world this year, I believe another major
reason God called me to this year of missions was to deepen my
relationship with Him to a sweet degree of intimacy that surpasses
even what a marriage can give. I have had a deep, growing walk with
the Lord for years and have experienced moments of such intimacy, but
I long for it on a more consistent basis. I have been asking the Lord
how to pursue such intimacy, and I believe this morning He revealed
the answer to me. My teammates and I attended another baptism service
this morning, this time with our friend Masha, followed by a picnic.
During the picnic, we sang a few worship songs in celebration of the
new lives given to Christ. There was a mix of Ukrainian and American
believers present, so we sang a few worship songs in Ukrainian and a
few in English. Towards the end, we sang “How He Loves� in
English…I closed my eyes as I sang, my face towards the sky, and my
heart was beaming. I believe worship is where our spirits connect
most intimately with the Lord. We were created as creatures of love,
a product of love from the Source of love, analogous to a child being
born as a product of love. When we worship, we are resting in His
presence, speaking the language of love, communing in love with Love
Himself, as we were created to do. This brings joy to God’s heart and
life to us. And given that worship is a lifestyle, connecting on this
deep level does not have to be limited to singing; it can be
maintained and pursued through our everyday activities if we make a
conscious effort to live a life dedicated to the Lord.
Furthermore, one
of my teammates and I were having a discussion about love in relation
to spiritual gifts as we were walking back to our apartment. She said
that her pastor at her church back home talked about how the mark of
a church that is alive in the Spirit is if there is an abundance of
love and forgiveness present. Spiritual gifts such as teaching,
evangelism, and prophecy exist and are evidence of the Spirit’s
presence, but the fruits of the Spirit, the first of which is love,
are also evidence of His presence.
So what is love?
Love is God and the manifestation of Him. And where the presence of
the Lord is, there is life, freedom, and indescribable beauty.
The
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
— 2 Corinthians 13:14
