Love...My Life Will Never Be The Same

August 27, 2017...1am...Colombia, South America...

This is the date, time, and place that has forever changed my life. 

I was in Colombia for a missions trip with my church. This particular late night, early morning, I was up because I wasn't feeling so good, and I was set to preach later that morning, so I was looking over my message. So with an upset stomach I began to read the Bible and the Holy Spirit lead me to my favorite Bible verse, 1 John 4:19. "We love Him because He first loved us." Now I have read this verse many times in my life. I can even quote it quite easily due to its small amount of words. But this time something was different. As I began to read the words and say them out loud, IT happened. I can only describe IT as a God ordained moment where a simple known truth became etched on my heart. 

"We love Him because He first loved us." As I kept reading those words I couldn't stop crying. I had come to a realization of this, I was incapable of knowing Love until God first showed it to me. As I began to grasp this concept, God started to put the students in my Youth Group, and my city into my mind. I began to visualize them. Words cannot express the brokenness I felt in that moment for those students and my city. Then God spoke to me, and my life has never been the same...

"As you were incapable of knowing Love until I showed you, they are incapable of knowing Love until you show them what you now know." 

What started as a mission to show Love, turned into a search of what Love is! I had to ask myself this question. "If I am to show them the same Love God showed me, what does that look like?" Over this past year and one month I have been studying to see what that Love looks like, and everyday it seems that God is revealing a new layer to me. Even as I type this out, I spent 30-45mins in prayer and reading God's Word and He began to open my eyes and reveal another aspect of his Love. 

So what does this Love look like? What Love did God show me, that He commanded me to show others? A year and one moths worth of revelations would take to long to type out. But I do want to share two stories that left a major impact on me. These two stories got me to begin to question certain thoughts and think more than what I have simply been told. 

The first story can be found in Luke 15:11-24

"11 Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’

20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry."

The story of the prodigal son is one that is well known. Even those who may have never heard this story, has heard of a prodigal returning home. Among the Church this story is loved! The best part to many is the moment that the son decides to return home. He feels shameful and guilty for what he has done, yet knows it was better back home. So as he returns expecting condemnation, his father sees him afar off and runs to him. He begins to cry and tells his servants to bring a robe and a ring. Kill the fatted calf, for his son who was once dead is alive again! Every time I picture this moment I get chill bumps thinking what it would of been like to witness this first hand. As great as that part of the story is, that wasn't what spoke to me. 

Many times it's forgotten that the prodigal son had an older brother. Verse 11 makes sure that we know, "A certain man had two sons."  

25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ”

We are quick to praise the prodigal, and then condemn the older brother. But what we fail to realize is this, they were both lost! The prodigal was lost in a far country, and the older son was lost in his own fathers house! As I mentioned earlier, we love the scene of the father running to the prodigal! Yet we fail to realize that the prodigal wasn't the only son the father sought out that day. The same Love that drove the father out to the prodigal is the same Love that drove the father out of the party to his older son. 

The next story can be found in John 8:1-11

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”

11 She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

This woman was caught in the very act of adultery. As verse 5 tells us, according to the law this woman should be stoned. Yet they ask what Jesus thinks should happen, wanting to test Him that they may accuse Him. At first Jesus says nothing, then He finally answers and says, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first." From that moment Jesus went back to writing on the ground, and everyone being convicted, left. When Jesus raises up, its just Him and the lady left. He asks her if any one has condemned her, she says no. Then Jesus says this, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." 

This woman was a sinner! She was caught in the very act of adultery! Yet the only person who was "without sin" and had every right to throw the first stone, was the only person to forgive her. 

These two stories have kept me up for countless hours thinking on the Love of God. A Love that would run to the prodigal and leave the party for the older son. A Love that would look at a sinner and, even being justified in condemning, forgives. I could type so many more thoughts on these two stories, but I purposely didn't. These stories got me to think, as I hope they will lead you to think too.

"As you were incapable of knowing Love until I showed you, they are incapable of knowing Love until you show them what you now know." 

And for a year and one month that is exactly what I have done. I have learned what God's Love is, and I have tried to the best of my abilities to show that Love to everyone I come into contact with. For me it looks like going to sporting events to show the youth students I care. At the same time that is speaking volumes to their parents, and to parents who don't even know me but recognize me their all the time. It looks like going out to eat with families and just talking about life. It looks like taking photos of athletes and giving them those photos for free that they can have something cool of them playing. In all of these moments me showing them love doesn't matter if they are prodigals or older sons. It doesn't even matter if they are sinners whose sin everyone knows. 

What matters is this...How are they ever going to know Love, God's Love, until it is first shown to them!