I guess I talk about this a lot…my team and squad bring this topic up a lot…It is it greatest commanded in our Kingdom….yes...LOVE!
Matthew 22: 36-40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the Prophets hang on these two commandments"
- What is love?
- Is love a choice?
- Is love a feeling?
- How do I love better?
These are just a few questions that have been floating around in my head and talked about in team times about love. For if this is the greatest commandment of them all…I sure do want to dive deeper into it!
But see it is not just a commandment … it is POWERFUL. Last month in Thailand I got to experience something that changed my life forever. I was doing bar ministry and me and my team got really close to a woman in one of them. One day we went to lunch with her and got to hear her story…her dreams… and from that moment my heart was truly breaking like the Fathers…And as we where walking home the Spirit was tugging on my heart …saying " Travis she needs to hear more about Jesus tonight" ….and on a long road home I spent more time praying about it for I didn't want it to be my heart saying this…for I really wanted to be Spirit led…and I was suppose to have intercession that night…and intercession was such a huge part of our ministry last month …well God made it clear that it was His voice and He told me to go…so we headed back out to the bars that night….and I just simply shared Jesus' heart for her…the Gospel…and how He made her huge on my heart….. there was a lot of tears in this conversation…..long story short…she accepted Jesus Christ as the ONE TRUE GOD….but see this is what is amazing about that though…she told me "Travis I never had a man in my life…even a person in my life love and care for me like you do…" And she knew the love that I have for her comes from Jesus Christ….She simply accepted Christ…through HIS LOVE…She was in tears guys by the way Caitlin..Christiana …and I just simply cared about her…loved her as Jesus Christ loves His church!
This was really the first time in my life (besides the time I got saved) that I saw the power of God's love. It truly does change people….changes the Nations. It was such a huge moment in His Kingdom…and I am so humbled and blessed I got to be apart of it!
So what is love?
1 John 4:8 " Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love"
I mean that should be enough right? Sadly…it is not. For Christ love is so unnatural for us because of our flesh. So this where I can answer the questions " is love a feeling or is it a choice" ….I believe it is both, but more so choice…For love is truly hard…sometimes it just simply tears you apart..or it sometimes fills you up with joy…so it is defiantly something you feel in your heart….but…you have to CHOOSE to fight for it…. and sometimes…you have to choose to love people as well….for they might frustrate you….you might be completely different from them….or take it to the extreme…it might be someone who has done you wrong like and ex friend…or did someone else wrong…like a murderer… It is just simply both… a feeling…and a choice…for some people are just heavy on your heart…but some you just have to choose/fight to love them…it truly is a battlefield.
1 Peter 4:8 " Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins"
"We always say we are sons and daughters, but rarely look at the fact we are brothers and sisters"….So..guys… we are called to be a family…for we are family…we are blood… by the blood of Jesus Christ… so i am going to blunt..I really do not care what someone has done to you….if you get annoyed…..whatever the case is…you have to love them regardless…yes it is hard, but if you want to obey Your Father…you will love..for it is the greatest commandment…. and that is something we are all "called" to do.
Something else to about love…"love your neighbor as you love yourself" …if you do not love yourself…how in the world can you truly love anyone else? We have to accept His love for us first…before we start trying to change the world… His design is always perfect so in that He was perfect when He made you…"fearfully made" ..and Trust in His love for you…there is nothing you can do to gain or lose His love…It was the same yesterday..as it is today..and has it will be tomorrow…He just really loves you! All you have to do is accept it in your heart! Let His love be enough for you…
So how do we love better? How can we possibly love like He loves us? Seems impossible right? Good thing God is an awesome Father…for His Word is the Way to Truth …and He does provide us with an answer!
1 Corinthians 13 1 " I will show you the most excellent way"
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 " Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres" And goes on to say "love never fails" as well .
So ask yourself…am I these things? Do I do these things ect…then I want you to Put your name in there like this… "Travis is patient , I am kind. I do not envy ect" and then go live it out.
The bigger picture of love though is that love is a sacrifice …
John 3:16 " For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
And I mean come on the best love story ever told is the Gospel….that Jesus Christ loved us so much he took the mocking…the beating…the blood…the suffering…the shame…Jesus Christ died in naked shame on that cross for our sins…because He loves us so much! He took what we all deserved just out of love. So sometimes love "God" calls you to give up things…or whatever sacrifice looks like in that season in your life.
I am so blessed God refocused my eyes on this trip on His love…it has given me a deeper love for my own family…and for my squad as well.. but really it just made me dive deeper in His endless ocean of love that He has for me. So if you can take anything from this…take this… First seek His love…the rest will follow… His love is what changes all things…be a brother…a sister to everyone….go out and let your actions reflect His love…just simply love well guys. Do not be scared of refinement…for it is just allowing you to jump from glory to glory so He can mold you into the man/woman of God you are designed to be …
**E Squad I am so thankful to be on this journey with you…it is an honor to call you guys my brothers and sisters… I truly do love yall from deeps of my soul….let us continue to dive deeper into His love and truly walk as one…let us be a squad that truly walks in His love where ever we go…walk as a family…for I truly believe when we do so…we will be like Peter…and people will be healed by our shadows…things in the Nations will change,,,because we just simply love each other deeply…as He first loved us! If our squad wants to be anything…lets just be a squad of love! Love you guys! SO proud of yall! Keep pushing!
**To my family…I love yall sooooo much and miss yall like crazy! Thank yall for helping me reach my dream….thank yall for loving me unconditionally….for being there through the thick and thin….yall are a huge part of me…yall helped me become the man of God I am today….I am forever grateful for yall…. I am proud to be yalls son/brother/cousin!
