The Lord was drinking some water out of a glass. There was nothing wrong with the glass, but the water tasted terrible. This was in a white building on a vast wasteland. The engineers within wore white uniforms and bootees on their shoes and gloves on their hands. The water had traveled many hundreds of miles through wide pipes to be there.
What have you done to my water? The Lord asked. My living water…
Oh, they said, we thought that was a metaphor. (*(©2016, Joy Williams)
Love can conquer fear and hate if we allow ourselves to love.
At the same time, love will cost us something.
Agápē love is the highest form of love. It is the kind of unconditional love which comes from God –a love that transcends behavior or circumstance.
It is the love the apostle Paul described in his first letter to the Corinthians. He urged them to use their Spiritual gifts from this place of agápē love, and explained to them if they did not, their gifts would be useless and bankrupt.
Love is patient; love is kind. There is no arrogance in love. It’s never rude or crude; its not self-absorbed, easily upset or keep score of wrongs. Love doesn’t celebrate injustice, but truth is love’s delight. Love never gives up, never looks back and never loses faith. Love is always hopeful endures all things through every circumstance. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
As my focus becomes more about following Christ and pointing to him as a loving, compassionate and inclusive God, some of my own brothers and sisters in Christ have denounced me for this focus and said, “You are not my sister.” Some have even defended Christ, saying, “Jesus wasn’t a weakling!”
On the contrary, our God is powerful; Jesus is powerful and does not need defending. Agápē love is powerful. Agápē love is courageous. Agápē love is dangerous.
You cannot be a weakling or timid or a coward to love like that. It takes being filled with strength, fearlessness and sacredness to bestow agápē love.
Conversely, if you are unwilling or unable to love like God, you have not let go of powerless, fear and disapproval. You have not yet allowed the fullness of agápē love to replace those other things that choke out the love of God.
God is love is not a metaphor.
Love God is not a metaphor.
Love your neighbor is not a metaphor.
Love each other is not a metaphor.
They will know you are My disciples by your love is not a metaphor.
Love your enemy is not a metaphor.
Perfect love casts out fear is not a metaphor.
I am thankful today for my Father’s love, for the love of Jesus Christ. I will be thankful tomorrow for the fullness of His unconditional love, grace and forgiveness. I am thankful He has taught me how to give agápē love.
I pray this day that tomorrow you pray a humble and sincere prayer of thanksgiving and choose agápē love.
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. (Proverbs 18:21, The Msg)
Church Set Free 
“Some have even defended Christ, saying, “Jesus wasn’t a weakling!””
You cannot be a weakling or timid or a coward to love like that. It takes being filled with strength, fearlessness and sacredness to bestow agápē love.
Amen Susan. Keep preaching it! What you’re finding out from those responses is that following Jesus is not always the same thing as being a “Christian.” Historically, this “Constantinian” Christianity gave us the Crusades, the Inquisition, burning heretics at the stake (or drowning them), justification of slavery, pogroms, religious wars, etc. Following Jesus is about actually taking His teachings of other-centered love seriously.
Strength in the early church looked like being slaughtered without cause, being fed to the lions by the Romans, In Jesus, it’s looks like dying on the cross in the hands of hateful people who think they’re doing God a service.
I’m thankful for followers of Jesus like you, Susan, who are waving the banner of love courageously. Who demonstrate that perfect love does cast out fear.
Blessings to you, sister! Happy Thanksgiving.
LikeLike
“Following Jesus is about actually taking His teachings of other-centered love seriously.”
Thank you so very much, Mel. You are one of those friends – one of those true Church members – who continues to uplift me and remind me we are His Church.
Bless you, Maureen and your family, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] https://churchsetfree.com/2016/11/23/love-is-not-a-metaphor/ […]
LikeLike