This is my confession

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MaryJane May 28, 2013

True and enduring love is not the romantic fluff the world pushes at us in stories, movies, music, or entertainment. Its not the kind of love that’s here today but gone tomorrow. Its not the kind of love where your always getting what you want or being adored every moment of the day. Its most certainly not about making self feel “good” or ego and vanity being feed. True and enduring love is one can only find when you turn to Jesus and die to self, only in dying to self can we truly let the love of Christ shine in our hearts and share that with others. True and enduring love is faithful, forgiving, and fearless. Its the kind of love that is faithful, its strong and holds on even when the world comes crashing in. Its the kind of love that doesn't focus on the circumstance or become bitter by life journey. It stands firm in the face of struggle and looks to Christ in times of darkness. It trusts that in HIM there is hope and the knowledge that somehow you will come through. Its the kind of love that trusts, but not because of who you are, but rather because of who Christ is in you. True and enduring love is forgiving, it does not hold onto past hurts, instead it mends them and turns the pain and sorrow into comfort and peace. Its the kind of love that says I am weak, but knows in that weakness Jesus is so very strong. True and enduring love is fearless, it looks always to the other persons needs and never at self. It finds courage in the knowledge that no matter what the cost, the reward is always greater in Him! True and enduring love is never selfishly held on to or hidden away, its given freely, selflessly for another's benefit. True and enduring love is so much better then any kind of love mans heart could ever dream up or imagine... it is the kind of love that goes on forever, with out ceasing and with out limitations! True and enduring love can not be found in men, or things, times or places, it can only be found in HIM and can only be lived while one remains in HIM!

sermonindex May 28, 2013

Amen sister. Love is an encounter. Growing up, many of us were exposed to varying degrees of love. And depending upon the love we encountered as children then this will be the measure of how we can love as adults. One cannot give what one has not received. This is the beauty of of encountering perfect love. For if love could be measured on a scale of one to ten, perfect love being a ten, then when one encounters God then one has endless possibilities for love.

I think, if we bear in mind the scale of one to ten we can better understand why love is so misunderstood. Say, for instance, you grew up and you received two on the love scale, but you marry someone who received a four. Now the "two" could legitimately be loving " with all of their heart," yet obviously fall short of the " four." The problem with love is that you cannot produce it. If I give you ten bars of gold, then you have ten bars of gold. It can never become eleven bars of Gold.

Now here is the exciting part. When we encounter God, perfect love, then we have now been exposed and been the recipient of " ten." And because of this, we have the potential to love others with the love that we ourselves have received. Notice that it is just the " potential," for we must still be yielded and obedient and walk in surrender to our source of perfect love, Jesus. It is sad, watching people who have never encountered God, and here is this dirty word for many, "experienced" God, trying to manufacture love based upon what they know they should do...........bro Frank

sermonindex May 28, 2013

amen. I love that...that was a good word, May God serve as your Refuge forever! amen. neil

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MaryJane May 29, 2013

Greetings Frank and Neil
Thank you both for sharing with me. As I sat down yesterday morning and began seeking the LORD, HE quickened to my heart the things I shared here. As I typed each word I saw how much my view of love had grown and changed. I thought much about how blessed I have been over the years and how mighty the work the LORD has done in my life and in my marriage. When I was first married almost twenty eight years ago I was a very selfish young girl of eighteen who wanted everything her way. I spent many years seeking to find the kind of love the world attempts to seduce us with. My poor husband was for ever failing in my eyes because he could not live up to the "ideal" I had set for him. As I think back to the very dreadful, controlling and nagging wife I was I am amazed at the patient and long suffering heart my husband endured while the LORD worked in my life. For years I attempted to change my husband, to make him into the person I thought he should be...how foolish and conceited I was. Praise God HE showed me my sinful part in my marriage and allowed me time to repent to my husband. As JESUS worked in both our hearts I was overcome with a renewed love for my husband unlike anything I had ever felt for him before. It was not the silly stuff of worldly fantasy it was stronger, so much stronger. I was not the same person and instead of wanting to "take or control" it became my true desire to give and support. I found as I repented to my husband my heart was softened more and more so that all that remained was love for him. Gone were years of past hurts and bitterness I had held onto, gone were accusations and selfish expectations. JESUS had replaced those deadly seeds that had been planted in the garden of my heart. HE uprooted them and worked daily in me until my heart was ready to receive from HIM new seeds. Seeds of love, patients, kindness, understanding, willingness, desire to listen and most of all a heart that prays. I found as I grew in JESUS my love and desire for my husband grew all the more. I saw the work in his life as well as mine and realized we were no longer those selfish worldly teenagers that got married, we were now both new creations in HIM and nothing the world could throw at us could rip that apart as long as we kept our hearts and eyes focused on HIM. As I typed up the things the LORD placed on my heart yesterday I was overcome with such thankfulness, such praise to HIM, to my JESUS for all that HE has done and for all that HE is. In HIM I have found what true and enduring love really is and I am very blessed to have received this understanding. I pray as time continues to march on I will remain always in HIM and never loose sight of this wonderful truth HE has so generously shown me!

God bless
maryjane