Real Love Never Ends!

"Love never ends..." (Corinthians 13:8)

Young people have enough trouble growing up without having to endure the heartache of multiple broken relationships. It seems that teens and young adults (as well as way too many older adults) today fall in and out of love as fast you can blink an eye. At least, they will tell you that they were in love. It would be helpful to avoid these heartaches when beginning a new relationship to ask whether it is love or lust. Lust goes away after a time; sometimes after one night. Love never ends.

I totally understand that many are seeking loving relationships because their family relationships are so dysfunctional that they need to have someone who will genuinely show care and concern for them. But, it breaks my heart to see so many young hearts broken because of the misperception that love and sex are the same thing. This is being subversively taught, not just by the media; but, by many adults who ought to know better as their own hearts have been broken many times by this mistaken line of thinking.

Love never ends. Even in many marriages that have ended up in divorce; the cause is not always that they fell out of love. They fell out of like. It is indeed possible to love someone even though you no longer like everything about the way someone has chosen to live. You may dislike (hate) the life that you have been caught up in so much that you see no other way to live except to separate. You may still love someone who uses and abuses you; but, you do not and should not love the abuse. It is possible to love the sinner and hate the sin. Real love never ends.

There is One who will not take His love from you. He will not use or abuse you. He will give His all to you. Turn to the Lord for His love is everlasting. He does hate the sin; but, He loves you enough to die for you.

Ask yourself the next time you think you're in love. Would I die for this person? Do they love me enough to die for me? If you would take the time to do this for yourself; you may find that your heart is broken less often.

"I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the wild does: do not stir up or awaken love until it is ready!" (Song of Solomon 2:7 NRSV)

Real love never ends.

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Peter 4 - Losing Friends For Living With Christ

1 Peter 4

Do good! Do what is right! "For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry." (vs 3) No, you won't be too popular if you leave behind those things; but, you will be much more at peace with yourself as you begin to live in Christ.

As a former substance abuse counselor, one of the toughest things to deal with is that when someone finally decides to trust their higher power (God) for their recovery they lose most, if not all, of their old friends. It can be a lonely time. It takes a bit of work to realize that the only reason they hung with you was because your substance abuse justified theirs. Once that is gone, they are out of there. "They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you." (vs 4)

But, new friends will come with time. Friends that will share in the joy of living as a member of the Body of Christ with you. In Christ you are a new creation. "So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good." (vs 19)

May the peace of the Lord be with you always! Live in his peace and ignore the drama this world would throw at you.

God's Peace - Pr. J

1 Cor 7 Marriage or Not?

1 Corinthians 7 NIV
To marry or not to marry, that is the question.

Paul's concern is that whatever it is that we choose that it does not hinder us from serving the Lord. The married person has a family to care for and sometimes that will be the priority. Sometimes, family can be a distraction. Fortunately, most of the time it seems to be a blessing. The unmarried person may be distracted from focusing on service to the Lord by lust or not even always lost; but, just the desire to have someone to share life with.

I have been married for 43 years. And... yes, sometimes my family has distracted me from the ministry to which I am called. But, I was married and had a family long before I accepted that call to serve God as a Pastor in His Church. Paul exhorts us, in such circumstances to remain as we are.

Fortunately, my husband does support me in my call as I try to support him in his call as an administrator at our adult foster care. The main thing is that we both try to be faithful to our call and to the One who calls us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Mark 6:14-29 Love Not Lust

Love or rather lust can really lead one astray. Have you ever promised someone that you thought you were in love with something and then found yourself backed in a corner having to do something you know you ought not be doing?

That's Herod's story. He married his brother's wife, which he ought not have done in the first place. That man, John, whom Herod understands to be a holy man, lets him know that he has done wrong. Herod's wife is embarrassed by John and wants his head. So, she tricks King Herod into promising to have John beheaded by having her daughter dance for him. Isn't there inherently something wrong with having your daughter dance for your husband to please him? But, King Herod is pleased and has put himself into the position of being embarrassed by John or embarrassed by his wife. He follows through with his promise to his wife. John is killed and his head served up on a platter.

True love would not call a man to do something that goes against his conscience. But, lust will. Lust for his brother's wife; lust for his brother's wife daughter; lust will get us into all kinds of predicaments that we would have preferred to avoid.

Another famous biblical character that got himself into a whole lot of trouble over lust for a woman was Samson. He was to be a savior for his people; but, driven by lust, he ended up betrayed by the woman he thought he loved and who he thought loved him.

There is a definite difference between love and lust. Love does no harm to others. It certainly does not end in the death of our loved one's enemies to satisfy our loved one's egos.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Song of Songs 7 - Love And Lust Not The Same Thing

Ahhh! Love! Or is it lust? Whatever, it is, they are filled with desire for one another. The woman responds to her love: "I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me." (Song of Songs 7:10 NIV)

The Church responds to our beloved, "LORD: I belong to you. I give myself completely to you." That is, the Church (the spouse) does this. But, not all of the church abandons its whole life to our beloved LORD. This gives me a good opportunity to attempt to explain, in a few words, the difference between church and Church. The Church is the Body of Christ, all who believe, in heaven and on earth. The church, with a little c, is the visible church on earth. Sadly, the church on earth includes many who do not believe, many who have not surrendered themselves to love of God and to loving the LORD, God above all others.

As in any relationship, if we truly love, then we will trust our very lives in the hands of the other. We are willing to give our all to be in that relationship. Total commitment....

I have said it before and I think it bears repeating. Love and lust are not the same thing.  Love is eternal. It does not end. Lust is fleeting. Lust will pass.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Solomon's Song of Songs 1 - God Is Sweeter Than Wine, More Fragrant Than Perfume

Song of Songs is a poem about love. It is a lot about the passion and love between a man and a woman. It's verses cycle from courtship through wedding to consummation. When I first read it so many years ago, it came across to me as a little racy. I wondered why it would even be included in the Holy Scriptures. The explanation I received was that it is an allegory of the love between God and His people, Christ and the Church, the Bride and the Bridegroom. It's been awhile since I've read it, so I will see what understanding I get from this reading.

It begins: "Solomon’s Song of Songs." (vs 1) The Song of Songs is attributed to Solomon and continues with the female oration:

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers." (Song of Songs 1:2-4 NIV)

Is this woman truly in love or is she merely desiring something or someone that other women love, just because he is desired by others. Is it merely a case of what others have, I want? I'm afraid, to me, this sounds more like a young woman or girl lusting rather than in love. Or, maybe that is what is just a part of the dance of love. Are desire and love the same thing? Maybe, it is that they are just so totally intertwined that you cannot have one without the other. It is up to the individual to be able to know the difference between pure lust and genuine love.

On the other hand if we look at it from the view that this is an allegory of Bride and the Bridegroom (Christ and the Church) would it not be wonderful if we could all be so excited about being loved by God? For me, this ends up being a very weak allegory. The love of God is way more pleasing than any wine or the fragrance of perfume!  It is difficult, for me, to equate the joy that comes with being in relationship with God to that of pursuing a man. Let us see, what the rest of the book has to say. Keep reading... See you tomorrow.

May the peace of the LORD be with you now and through all your tomorrows. Pr. J