I was listening to the Lord this afternoon and He told me that 2023 would be the year for Kingdom relationships, as well as Kingdom businesses, and Kingdom Church plants.
I wasn't searching for a word for this upcoming New Year, but it must have been on His heart to give me one just the same. So, let's talk about this. Let's talk about love. But first...
"Kingdom" is key here. It's not just about good theology, sound teachings, and definitely not legalistic rules, but it's about coming back to the simple, Gospel message. This Kingdom reality of what Jesus did is enough. Hear me, true theology is good and sound messages are too, but we must not get so caught up in words and the law that we miss the whole point of it.
The entire point of it all is that LOVE is still the point. Love IS God and love IS the Greatest Commandment. Faith, hope, and love will be all that remain but the greatest is love, the Bible says. Everything else will pass away. Love covers a multitude of sins and love doesn't fail.
It never fails. It conquers all. God is the embodiment of Love itself. Therefore, if our doctrine is anything other than the love of Christ, we've already messed up. So, then the question becomes, what is love? What does love look like and what does love actually DO?
Well, love doesn't stay quiet and sit back and do nothing. Love doesn't hide in the shadows and cower in fear. Love doesn't run away and love doesn't give up. Love isn't selfish or prideful. Love is not self-serving and arrogant. But love is compassion and service. Love is generosity and a heart full of giving. Love is kindness. Love is mercy. Love is grace and good.
Love is good. It doesn't delight in evil. It forgives. It forgets the wrongdoing. It is SO patient. It is who He is. But it is ALSO who we are commanded to imitate. Be imitators of Christ, Scripture tells us, so then we MUST imitate the example of love. For, Love is all of the above and love is big and beautiful and bold. It wins. It overcomes. It is steadfast, faithful and true.
It endures all things, believes the best, keeps fighting, helps, assists, and sees hope amidst chaos. It never quits. It holds on to truth, despite rocky circumstances and shaky situations. Love presses in and it isn't scared to get close. Love lowers walls of fear and insecurity. Love is the only thing that should be allowed to enter in our hearts. So, guard your heart against anger and fear but never love. Love should be the heartbeat of every choice we make.
Now of course don't just go and get into intimate relationships with anyone. That's not what I'm suggesting here. That would be unwise. Use discernment and ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS be led by the Holy Spirit, but still choose love. Choose to demonstrate love by following our greatest role model of all time: Jesus. His example of love was healing the sick, setting people free of torment, giving them good news, and bringing resurrection, saving power into hurt, lost and broken lives. This IS love, my friends. This IS what love does!
So, are we being the hands and feet of Christ, actually being His ambassadors here on Earth? Are we praying His KINGDOM come, His will be done, HERE like in Heaven? In Heaven, there is no sickness and brokenness, and Jesus instructed us in the Great Commission to do what He did. He modeled it for 3 and a half years of His ministry actually, instead of just dying on the cross in a quick instant. He could've just came and sacrificed His life real quick but instead, He taught and demonstrated His people HOW to love, how to live...
Love is therefore, how we should live. We should live to help the hurting. Cast out devils, heal the broken-hearted, preach the saving Gospel, baptize folks in power and new life, lift up love songs of worship to our King.. There are so many verses and examples in Scripture that back all of this up. It's not hard to find, if you're really looking with an open heart and mind for this sound reality: that Love is, always has been, and always will be the most IMPORTANT thing.
Faith is good. Hope is good. Joy is good. Peace too, but without love, it all means nothing. No matter what we even do, if love is not in our hearts and our top priority, we've done nothing, according to 1 Corinthians 13. Love must possess us. We must be so obsessed with love that we look so Christlike that people can't help but notice that something is different about us!
We should walk, talk, and breathe the love of God. Our hearts should be so tender, sensitive, and pure and kind that people can't help but feel it when they're around us. Now, that doesn't mean we let people walk all over us or take us for granted, but surely we do MINISTER to the lost with this pure, undefiled, sincere love without wanting anything in return. Our love must be from Heaven and it must be genuine because people know when we're being insincere or wanting something in return. And the only way we can get filled with real love is from God!
Sometimes, that means we spend hours in His presence, soaking in worship, lamenting in prayer, or just waiting to hear His still, small voice. Do whatever you have to do to get into His presence and feel His closeness with you, until He transforms your heart to be more like His. For if your heart doesn't break for what breaks His, then we have a problem. Our hearts should be so Christlike that we can literally feel God's heart for those around us.
And like I mentioned, the only way to have the heart of God, and thereby, pure true love, is by allowing Him to touch your heart and make it more sensitive. Give your heart to God, cry out to love people the way He loves them, and I promise you, beloved, He WILL answer that prayer. Without Him, we cannot truly love the way we were intended to and that my friends, should ALWAYS be our top priority, and as such, also going into the New Year with this truth.
The truth being that Kingdom connections, through Godly relationships and healthy soul-ties will be a reality in 2023. He is building His Church, a Kingdom that cannot be shaken. He will purify and revive His Body, His people, His bride, so that we can be a pure and spotless Bride when He returns again, like the Bible promises. So that means the church is getting a wake-up call in 2023, once again, but ultimately to lead to non-toxic, mature, strong and Holy people of God that love the way we were meant to. We were created for love, and that is it.
Our purpose here on Earth is to love like Jesus, to love Him and to love one another. Proper, Godly love will lead them to Christ. The Bible says that nonbelievers will know that we are His by the LOVE that we have for one another. It's not selfish, fleshly, lustful, prideful counterfeits of love though. Remember this. But it's selfless, pure, Holy, and humble. It's a Heavenly love that doesn't desire personal gain, but simply to truly partner with Christ to save lives.
We must get our hearts to that place of this type of TRUE love with God's help. All other ideas of "love" aren't real. They are copycats, usually demonic, from Hell. A love that only wants something from someone else is not love at all. Love seeks to give, not to take. Love is all about the other person, not about you. So with this sobering reality, beloved friends, continue to press in until you can love people like this, like God intended it to be.
Let's focus on this in 2023. And I believe everything else will fall into place. Selah.
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