What Is True Love?Sampel

Love Gets Twisted

Along with St. Augustine we can say that love is ultimate. But also with Augustine we can point out that the good that God gives gets twisted; that is the very definition of what evil is. So even love gets twisted and focused on self. As sinners we are so self-focused by nature, and we live in a self-focused world. As long as we are self-focused, we miss out on His love.

We don’t want to miss what is right in front of us because of fear or pride or unbelief. We don’t want to go through life going through all the gyrations only to get to the end and discover that we missed the point.

A proverb, having numerous variations over the centuries, warns us gently that seemingly insignificant omissions can have grave and unforeseen consequences.

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost,
For want of a horse, the rider was lost,
For want of a rider, the message was lost,
For want of a message, the battle was lost,
For want of a battle, the war was lost,
For want of a war, the kingdom was lost,

For want of a nail, the world was lost.

We may be saved and enter heaven only to discover we have not enjoyed the fullness of His love here on earth that He intended. Amy Carmichael shares: "Julian of Norwich [in the 1300’s] wrote: 'It is God’s will that we take His comfortings as largely and as mightily as we may take them, and also He willeth that we take our troubles as lightly as we may take them, and set them at nought. Yes, for "joy cometh in the morning."'”

Samuel Rutherford 300 years later wrote, “I cannot get the way of Christ’s love. Had I known what He was keeping for me, I should never have been so faint-hearted.”

Can you relate to these old saints? We often find it hard to fully receive this love, feeling unworthy, unlovable, or unacceptable. We have a deep sense in our soul that we might be missing the point. But if we miss this point we will miss many of the blessings and the opportunities He has for us, now and in the future.