The Season of God’s Perfect Love

Back-to-back travel has prevented me from working on my blog this past month, which, quite honestly, is not a good thing for me. The things I write in this blog cause me to dig deep into the Word of God; not writing means I am not spending as much time in the Word as I am accustomed to doing. And not spending much time in the Word is a recipe for danger – spiritual danger.

The Word guards our heart. Without the Word in our lives daily, the enemy can sneak in and wreak havoc…in our lives, and through us, in the lives of others. That's just how it works.

Demons of fear, anxiety, stress, anger, pride, arrogance, jealousy, strife, division….all of these lurk around us at all times, seeking a way in…IF we let our guard down. And once they pounce on us, it gets more and more difficult to reach for the Word at all. The demonic whirlwind that we inadvertently invited in, swirls around us keeping us from seeing clearly, until the dust eventually settles and we can see once more.

That's when our eyes are opened and we see how naked we are. That's when we see clearly how the devil was able to use us, diverting us from our course, preventing us from accomplishing something great for the kingdom….perhaps preventing us from bringing some ONE into the kingdom, perhaps even a lost loved one.

That's when the cock crows for us three times, just like it did for Peter. And that's when we raise our voices in wails of shame and remorse for what was lost and for what can never be undone; a lost opportunity that can never be regained. Certainly, there will be other opportunities, but not THAT one. Never that one again.

We allowed busy-ness to take center stage, displacing Jesus Christ…for just one very important moment.

Well, the cock has crowed for me this time. And as I look back, I can see just exactly how it happened. And it all began when I stopped sitting down to focus on the WORD.

So, here I am, finally, blogging again; writing about God's Perfect Love shown to us through the precious gift of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly gave His own life to save us from the punishment of our sins; sins of commission and sins of omission (such as neglecting to be a witness of God's love to others when the demons of busy-ness invade.)

For it is Perfect Love that draws me back to Him, time and time again, when I seem to lose my way for just a moment. And when I am saddened by my own actions, it is Perfect Love that reminds me that He loved me (and still does love me) enough to have died for me. And when I cry out in repentance asking for forgiveness for stumbling yet again, it is Perfect Love that forgives me much more than seven times or even seventy times seven.

It is Perfect Love that renews me and gives me strength to carry on in the midst of a world that is abounding in iniquity as the time grows shorter before His soon return.

A lost and dying world cannot comprehend this Perfect Love. And so we are sent to exhibit this Perfect Love to those who are blind and naked, as we once were.

It is the one I just experienced, that loves me even when I am at my worst, that forgives me when I don't deserve to be forgiven for I have done that same thing time and time again; yet Perfect Love continues to love me and Perfect Love continues to hope all things for me. Perfect Love causes me to hope.

That is how we show Perfect Love to the world…by loving and hoping…even when it seems impossible to continue to do so…still we do. First we learn to love ourselves, because He first loved us and showed us how to love ourselves properly rather than selfishly, and then we love others as ourselves. Oddly, it is not a self-centered thing; for when we see what we are worth in His eyes, we see others as worth that much as well. Thus, they, and we, are worth loving and worth hoping for, not because of anything we have done or could ever do, but because He loves us. It is all about Him: Perfect Love.

And it is Perfect Love that this holiday season is all about: Jesus Christ – God's Perfect Love towards us.

Thank you, Father, for the gift of all gifts. Help us to set aside worldly gifts for the privilege of sharing YOUR Gift to the world this Christmas. Help us to grow in Perfect Love.

AMEN.