S - 1 John 5:1, 11-12, 20-21 (NLT): "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. … And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. … And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we are in God because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts."
O - Loving the Father's children has only one starting place, Jesus … the only true son. It starts there because he is God and he is eternal life. However, loving the Father's children does not end where it begins. Jesus insists that we love all who have been adopted into the Father's family by faith in him. But wait, there's more! Jesus also insists that we love all … even our enemies. This is formidable on a good day and all but impossible on a less than good day - and could this be the point? Could it be that just as real life, eternal life, requires Jesus so does real love? Is it that we are to turn into Jesus to be able love all as intentionally as we turn into Jesus for eternal life? Can it be that love engages a daily or a circumstance by circumstance turning-in and never a 'once for all'? Confidence in eternal life in Jesus inspires and requires us to confidently, intentionally and consistently turn into him so that we may love all with the love we are being loved with.
A - My assignment as an adopted son and brother is to love. Like life, this love has its origin and first object in Jesus. Jesus then turns my attention to all other children and inhabitants of planet earth. This personal connection with Jesus and with the Father require consistent and intentional interface so that the intended fullness of life will be flowing into all who are his and through all who are his to the world which belongs to him by right and has been purchased by grace. The greatest commandments are all about this love and upon them hang all Scripture and eternal life. I am not sure how this all plays out in a life as flawed and distracted as mine, but I am sure I must engage. Faith, Hope and Love remain … and the greatest of these is love.
P - Lord who is God, Friend, Father, Brother and Hope,
This day dawns and offers to me the opportunity to love you back, to turn-in, to engage you so that as a recipient of your irrepressible life I would be a fountain of your love flowing out toward all. Lord, I am not sure how all this works but I am sure you want me to turn in and believe. Help me do the work of God in believing today while it is called today. Lord, let and cause your life and love to flow into and out of me in ways known and unknown, by my intentional acts and by your awesome acts in and through me … even when I'm unaware. Lord you are the source and you determine the flow rate; all I can do is throw open my heart/life and rely on you to cause the living water to flow. I choose to do this kata; kariv~!Steve
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