Your Love Encounter with God (Part 2)
/In
of this 2-part series “Your Love Encounter with God”, I focused solely on You and God, in God’s Love, highlighting that it is only when we know and understand what a Love Encounter with God looks like, that we can share it with others. That that is what draws people to God – His Love. After reading that, I hope you are in a better position to share God from a place of overflowing Love, in Part 2.
Love First, Not the Word First, Calls People
If you didn't read it yet, I mentioned in
that I'm doing the
Leadership Development Program, Level 1 (LDP1)
developed and delivered in Christ by the
Bethel Church in Redding California
., and that I was listening to Chris Gore's session,
"Today is a Great Day
for a Miracle
"
.
Chris’ message truly brought confirmation, for me, on what God has been saying to me recently. We hear and say all the time that
"It is God's
Love
that draws people into relationship with Him"
,
yet time and time again we introduce people to
God's
Word
before we share God's Love
. We also forget that
we
are the vessels of that
Love
;
that people go to the Word of God
after
they've encountered God's
Love
.
It is only
then
that they start wanting to learn more about
this God
that
loves them
so intently, so completely.
Source:
http://lovecoversall-godislove.blogspot.ca/2014/05/your-love-encounter-with-god-part-2.html
Once God Has Your Heart...
Our God wants us to
go back to basics,
so that we
learn to rest in Him.
It is in the simple rest of Loving God and being Loved by God, that we truly
get food, Love, to share.
Chris shared an experience where he didn't see someone (close to death) whom he'd prayed for get healed – daunting. Later, she did get healed! She told him that she'd never heard of God's Love as a Father – that she'd never had a father's love, when Chris said
"Daddy, please take this thing from her",
it shook her.
That
changed her world!
He couldn't do it without first making time to grow in His own knowledge of God's Love.
God wants first our hearts,
then time and a deep love relationship with us, then complete surrender of every area of our lives – so that we can be further filled with His love, then
when filled to overflow,
we walk out and love others because
we simply can’t help it.
All because we have a simple but deep Love Relationship with God.
Love is our action, our task that yields results.
Love is what we're called to, the Love of God. That love drives action - a free action that flows out of us, from the peace of God and the certainty that God will act (not 'me', but God).
Only God's Love – Not Our Works
Once we start striving, we're on shaky ground.
When we start arguing, taking offence, being afraid for/of anyone or anything, plotting to persuade, then we know that
we have missed it.
When we "drop a word" on someone and walk away with
no regard for how they receive it,
we have missed it. We're not responsible for making sure people feel what we intended, but we are to check our hearts to
ensure that we Loved.
We will not be perfect in this journey
– no one is – but
we can be transparent and loving when we're secure in God's Love for us.
This is why it's so important for us to
go to God,
not just with our plans, our ministries, our calling/purpose, but
simply with ourselves, for some Love!
We have to have down time with God, just laughing at nonsense, being in His presence and
basking in His Love,
to be able to share that complete Love with others.
Evangelism, the great commission,
our call as Christians – is that – sharing the Love of God. Those we share simple, true love with, will pursue Him after.
My Prayer for You
In the name of our Loving God, our Father, in Christ Jesus, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I lift up your hearts – our hearts – and ask for the slate to be cleared, of all woes, responsibilities and fears for a moment. I declare, now, that God will teach us to guard our time with Him jealously, and that we don't use that time for works, but for Love Relationship. I stand in faith on the knowledge that
it is finished,
and that His Love will overflow from us wherever we go, in all that we do. That people will see a "new glow" about us, and want it. I believe that You, God, will use our tongues, hands, our entire beings, to
pour forth Your Love,
so that others will draw near You – not just us – in pursuit of More. Amen!
I hope that this 2-part series has rejuvenated you, in some way! Bless you! (
)
