LOVE

With February being a time known as the month of love, I got thinking about this subject. I don’t know about you but while I love the feeling (or whatever it is), it is also one of the most difficult things to do I think. I ask myself, to what extent do I really love in the way God wants us to? Because in its true form, it really means one must truly be selfless. We know that the ultimate act of selflessness and sacrifice was made for humanity by Jesus Christ, to truly demonstrate His love for us. God gave His only son for us as a symbol of the extent to which He would go because of His love for us. Yet, I don’t think I truly fathom the extent to which this love goes. I am a student of His love for me everyday. There are some days when it feels a lot more intense than others. There are days when I can feel a tangible sense of God and sometimes not. Yet I know that in those times when I don’t necessarily feel His love, that He does truly love me.

In John 13:35, Jesus commanded us to “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” It has been said that love is a decision. Love is verb, so it is a doing word. That of course does not make it an easy thing to do but it is a decision, which means it can be done. It can’t have been easy for Jesus to love us, but He does anyway. When I think of my imperfections, I am truly humbled at the depth of His love for me. I am mesmerised at all forms of blessings He has showered me with throughout my life though I haven’t necessarily deserved them. When I look at the life of Jesus, how he interacted with the lowly and cast down as much as He did setting the example for the upright, I am challenged.

That is one of the reasons I serve in my local church. Firstly out of love for my Daddy, secondly to glorify Him and also to have a hand in changing the lives of the many people that walk through our church doors. It is out of obedience to the commandment that “by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” It is my desire to be as the bride Paul talks about, who will have her arms wide open for the lost and hungry by partaking in what the church is doing. If you go to church and are not involved in anyway I encourage you to not only be a spectator but to also get involved in the life of the church. The harvest is plenty yet the hands are few; Matt 9:35 - 38. Help the church to reach the many lives in the way your leaders have been mandated.

It is a daily walk as one strive to get closer to Him and grow in communion with Him. Our hearts then break for the things that breaks His and when we honor Him by serving in whatever area He has called us, He is glorified and he truly does step in to do what He does best.

So love, the most enigmatic yet powerful sense in humanity. Whether or not one has been exposed to it, it remains one of the most inherent super needs of every human being. And what better way to learn how to love than from the Master Himself. So when we experience His love for us, we are able to then also give it in a way that truly honors Him. 1 Corinthians 13 is a popular scripture in the bible on the picture of love and while i think we attempt to love in the way this piece of scripture describes, i believe it is truly a work in progress everyday. By the grace of God we will get it right cause as Paul says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Miracles do happen

“Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles.” George Bernard Shaw

It began as an ordinary day with a few meetings she had to attend to in the morning before she set out to address a gathering about her political party’s campaign. All went smoothly, everyone in the office is doing exactly what they need to do. All that she needs is prepared for her to get ready for the campaign. Before she leaves the office, she looks herself in the mirror, excitement mirrors the tinge of nervousness about her upcoming speech. She quickly fixes her make-up and rehearses her speech one last time then heads out to the centre.

Then off she goes to her meeting, one of her many public addresses. She is not nervous because of the crowd, but because she takes her work seriously and she wants people to support her party’s vision. “It’s serious business to win people over and truly live what we say,” she thinks to herself while on her way. And so the gathering begins with the spot light on her. She engages with the crowd as she normally would, her charm in full swing until a gunshot puts a stop to it. She is on the floor, she had been shot to the head, and other people are caught in the crossfire too. Before anyone could make sense of what just happened, there is panic with everyone running for cover, desperate to save themselves. Sadly some of them didn’t make it. Medics on the scene, she is rushed to hospital – no hope for her as she had been shot on the head. Doctors reluctantly treat her – they conduct an emergency operation while they themselves were not hoping for a recovery. Based on the severity of her gun wound, she is not going to be breathing for much longer, or so everyone thought.

Until a few weeks go by and there are signs of progress with Gabrielle Giffords, the American congress woman recently shot during a public gathering in Tucson, Arizona. Many of you would have seen this story in the news in the past weeks. The first sign of her miracle was that she survived the gunshot to her head. Then following the surgery, she started trying to communicate by squeezing the hands of her loved ones to show response. After sometime, she made more progress, now able to sit and breathe on her own. Though still in hospital as we speak and making daily progress, her story testifies of the magnificence of God who can be glorified for such miracles that are beyond human understanding. What struck me was a statement made by one of the doctors during a television interview. He said “We (the doctors) would be wise to accept that miracles happen. A lot of times there are conditions where medicine alone doesn’t heal”. Profound statement which I believe is testimony that God is in control in all situations (Matt 15:29 -31; Rev 3: 7-8).

There have been many other miracles taking place all around the world in our time, such as the old lady who was saved from the rubble in the Haitian earthquake last year. With praises to God, she came out singing and thanking the Lord for saving her. I am sure there are many other miraculous testimonies that came out of Haiti’s earthquake. I also think about the 33 Chilean miners rescued after being trapped underground for over nine weeks. They proclaimed that there was a 34^th person in their midst, God, who kept them safe and comforted the entire time.

However small or large, miracles still happen in our time. We just need to take time to see them and see God in them. No matter how big or small the miracles might be, God displays His glory in our everyday moments (Ps 19:1-3). All we need is to acknowledge Him in everything, remain in God’s presence, fellowship with him and see His name glorified. He is always talking (Rev 3: 20 – 21). Is your spiritual ear inclined to Him?