There are things that belong to me by right and are always available at any time—air, water, sunlight, and warmth. I do not need to beg for them. These are things that belong to me by right of creation and sustain my life.
There are things that I choose for myself according to my taste—food, clothing, a place to live, and a place to work. There are exceptions when I may be given something I do not want, but sometimes there is simply no other choice, and I have against my will something other than what I want.
There are also things that I may have, but I can live without them—a life companion, children, a means of transportation, things for a comfortable life, surplus finances, and means of communication. I can choose and regulate my attitude toward them.
All of this fills my physical life, and I become accustomed to it and arrange my comfort.
But I am not only a physical being; I have a soul and a spirit that need spiritual nourishment and satisfaction. They are not satisfied by the possession of things and comforts; they need spiritual bread that satisfies spiritual needs. Some replace this need with poison for the body—coffee, black tea, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, pornography, and other things—defiling their minds and souls and killing themselves. Some seek comfort in music, entertainment, tourism, travel, philosophy, hobbies, and religion, and find what satisfies them.
Not every religion benefits a person, but nevertheless, it contains elements of truth and goodness, comfort, and the satisfaction of spiritual needs.
The soul seeks God; it cannot live without Him. It was created for fellowship with the Creator, and until it finds this way, it will long, wander restlessly, and ache. It needs God—the true God, not a counterfeit.
And God gives us the opportunity to know Him, and He reveals Himself to everyone who finds Him, filling life with meaning. But even in this knowledge there are things that belong to me by right and are added automatically, while there are also things that are not available to me just like that, but that must be requested and received under certain conditions. And there are also things for which one must plead, applying one’s whole human being and having a genuine thirst to know and receive them. There are gifts and talents that God gives at His discretion for service in the church. And there is also something for which one must convince God that one truly needs it and does not intend to go on living without it.
Not everything is given so easily to a believer, although there are no limits to God’s goodness.
Love is something familiar to every person, and everyone has at some time experienced its influence, but at the same time does not possess enough of it to give it continually or to live in it without encountering resistance.
Agape love is probably what God most wants to give His people, but what they least want to possess or receive.
When I set out on the path of life with God, I am given God’s protection, God’s blessing for each day, God’s safeguarding from evil, gifts for service, revelations and wisdom for knowing the truth, and a great deal more, freely, because God loves me very much. But there is something I must ask for. These are special blessings, special revelations, special miracles in my life and in the lives of my neighbors, special wisdom, and special strength. And He gives these things to me only in answer to prayer and because of His love for me.
But God’s greatest dream is to give Himself and a special relationship with Himself. And He clothed this dream in agape and offers it in the form of symbols. Never before in the history of Christianity has God been as near and accessible as He is in our days, during the Laodicean period. He knows that no one will stand without Him, yet He modestly waits for thirsty souls who are genuinely interested in Him and in a special relationship with His Son Jesus. God waits for those who thirst for fellowship and upon whom He can pour out His Spirit. God is alive, and He wants to be my Friend and to have a deep relationship with me, but this also requires my participation. And not merely my invitation, but my sincere interest in Him.
Jesus comes to everyone and responds to every invitation. Then, after spending time in fellowship, He rises and leaves. Not because He wants to leave me, but because He cannot remain where He is not needed. And in order for Him to stay, He must be convinced of it. This may sound funny, but God understands us very well and respects our freedom. He is not offended when He sees that He is not needed, but He waits for the next invitation so that He may enter again and spend time in fellowship. Then He rises and leaves again, and He does so reluctantly. But there is no other way.
Agape is what reveals to me the beauty of God’s character and binds me so closely to Him that I cannot live without Him. I need Him always—not as a Guest, but as a Friend, as Lord, as the One Who has become part of my life, as my Spouse. This is a special relationship, but it is also conditional. And it is conditioned by my daily choice. But love binds us together so firmly that I simply cannot imagine life without it. And it draws me into a special relationship with my neighbors. Sometimes I fall so deeply in love with those who are near and visible that I become afraid that perhaps I have lost God in this and have begun to love Him even less. But He dispels my fears and convinces me that it is not I, but He within me Who loves my friends and teaches me the right relationship with them and toward them. And I rejoice and give thanks. But even in my relationship with those whom I love, I cannot be intrusive. I rise and leave, longing very much to stay, but respecting the freedom and choice of my friends. Although, in a human way, I always make it clear that I am available and not very far away.
But I am human; I may be busy, or I may be only with my wife and not go or travel anywhere. And I hope for understanding. But God is always available. He is never so busy that He cannot spend time with me. Although at times He must be convinced that I need His special love and desire to possess it, even this is His will for me. He does not give the most precious things just like that, but He joyfully gives them freely and in immense abundance to those who seek, ask, and thirst.
I began asking for love simply so that I would not perish in the bustle of life and could survive, but He gave it to me so that I might always overcome and win every battle. I thought that with this gift I would only be able to endure my neighbors, but I began to admire and delight in them. I thought I would remain unnoticed, but the Lord places me on the top of a mountain to be a light. He sends me to Nineveh, but I run to Tarshish; then He sends a storm and swallows me into darkness. I repent and go where I must go.
Miracles of grace are taking place all around me, but I become accustomed to them and no longer know any other life.
How interesting and wonderful it is to live in love, to possess it, and to have access to the unlimited arsenal of this power of God. I am friends with the One Who is above all. And this is the very best thing one could wish for everyone.
To love is to live with meaning. It is a connection to the Heavenly source of energy that begins to act when I press the “Start” button.
Dear friend, fill your life with meaning as well. Jesus is alive, and He is near to adorn your life also with something beautiful and joyful. And He loves you very much, respects your choice, and waits—He has already been waiting for a very long time.
Homework 216
In the light of our lesson, please read Luke 11:9; Hebrews 4:15–16; Luke 10:2–3; John 16:24, 26–27; James 4:2–3; Jeremiah 29:12–13; 2 Chronicles 7:14; John 7:37–38; Luke 26:16; 2 Chronicles 15:15; and Romans 12:11. Why does the human soul need God? What does life with God give you? What gift has the Lord prepared for you? What does the Lord expect from you? Name the advantages of those who are friends with God. Why does God not want to share His love within us with anyone?