all you need is love... love is all you need...

A lot is made about the Scripture that says, "God is love"... in fact it happens twice in the 1 John, once at 4:8 and again at 4:16. But it got me thinking about what that really means. I mean, Christians should be aware that there is more to God than love, right? There's holiness, rightousness, justice, omnipotence, mercy, grace, majesty, and a host of other things that would take paragraphs to write and still wouldn't scratch the surface of completion.

So why this special designation about love? Well, if you ask the Beatles, "Love is all ya need..." and in some respects I think that is kinda sorta what God is saying here... before people accuse me of something let me explain.

Many of God's traits can be tied directly to his love... i.e. mercy, grace, etc. But even when God demonstrates his justice or holiness, he does so out of love. Now here's the trick: sometimes God acts out of love for his own glory and own name... in fact, if you read John Piper and the majority of stuff he has written, he points out that is the sole reason God does anything: to demonstrate his glory. While that is a huge topic unto itself, the fact that God always acts in love is really something to consider. That may mean that we have to shift around our definition of love, but not all that much. Think about this: when a parent disciplines their children they do it out of love (Proverbs 13:24). Does the child understand that kind of love? Of course not, but that doesn't make it any less love. When a family member lays down an ultimatum to an alcoholic relative they do so out of love... sometimes out of love for that person and sometimes out of a self-protecting love... but still love. The fact is God IS perfect and infinite and we are sinful and finite, so we may not understand the ways by which God demonstrates love, but John says it... God is love.

looking to the future

You always hear the saying, "The future is bright!" In fact, what was that song in the 80's "Future's so bright I gotta wear shades..." (thanks to Timbuk Three) Okay... really cheesy, but the fact is that when you hear people talk about the future with one another it is almost always in a positive light. Maybe that is a good thing, but is it really true? More often than not, in my experience, the future can best be described as... well... scary. Even with the best prospects before us, the future is uncertain, and so scary. But there is a hope, and that is our Father God, and our relationship to him through Jesus Christ.

I remember when I was a kid I would have terrible anxiety attacks... I mean really bad ones. There would be times where I would not sleep for literally days... as a THIRD GRADER! But then one day, I began to realize something; no amount of worrying, or stressing, or not sleeping was going to change things, and really what is the worse thing that can happen! Back then the worse thing that could happen was I would get in trouble with my parents or at school, or something like that, but was that something I couldn't survive?

These days worries can be bigger, consequences more severe, but that is why a relationship to something immovable is so vital. Jesus said, "Cast all your cares upon me and I will give you rest." He also challenges us to look at the fields and see how the Father cares for the birds and the flowers, and to ask will God not care for his children all the more. That doesn't mean there will not be difficulty, but it does mean that, quite literally, our future is bright, and we have nothing to fear in our Father's arms.

I may not always feel like that is the case. But sometimes I need my head to inform my heart that feelings can be deceiving, but the promises of God are not.