But the Greatest of These is Love

Some of you may see this on the board it was originally posted on. But for those who might not, I'll post it here.

The following appears on Dragonsinourmidst.com/forums::

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I just came out of a time quite a bit like what you just described. I did a discipleship program with my youth group, and it was absolutely awesome, but at its end, I felt...empty. Stagnant. I was sick and tired of all the protocol, and I wanted something fresh. I had done it all, had been doing it all, and there was nothing.

So, I decided to rebel against religion. No, not against God; two different things. But against religion. Against the stuffy dos and don'ts. Against the box that religion pushes us into. I'm a Romantic; I like doing things the unconventional way. And I want to literally fall head over heels in love with God. One of the reasons why I love the Circle Trilogy so much is because they let me glimpse that Love. That perfect, ever fulfilling Love.

Finally, after two weeks, I picked back up my Bible; actually, I lifted the brand new one I had received just that day after it was presented to me in church, for completing the discipleship course. And I went to where I had last stopped reading in the Old Testament, and just started to read.

My goal? To read out of the Bible, for the first time, the indescribable Love and Beauty that I know is there. God wrote it; how can it not be there?

And I've found it. And I've never been so excited about reading the Word.

I was feeling hypocritical too. I had just finished a discipleship course, for goodness sake. And now I'm feeling like this?

But that emptiness, that lack of peace; it's gone. Because I've found Love. And man, it's good, baby. Because only God is good.

My advice? Don't try to fit a mold. Make it your own. We don't experience friendship in the same way as everyone else. Why do we seem to think if we do this, this, and that, we'll experience God in a fresh way? We won't. All we'll get is lukewarm water, and I want it hot.

Seek Love, and seek God. Everything else springs from there.

Now, when I say do away with the mold, I'm not talking about dispensing with the Law, which is good when used properly. I'm talking about not trying to do as the Pharisees did it, but rather as the Rich Man who approached the wall and gave a simple, genuine prayer.

Love, baby. That's what matters.

"And the world will know you are my disciples if you Love one another."

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Right now I'm reading 1 Kings. Before, when I read the OT, God had always seemed aloof. Which didn't make any sense, because he's God. He's the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever, and God is a God of Love, of Grace, of Justice and of Truth. He's the God of Mercy. The God of Hope.

And, honestly, that wasn't what I was seeing.

But now I get it. It's like Proverbs 3 says, "The LORD corrects the one whom He loves, as a father the son he delights in."

Why did God punish David for his sin with Bathsheba and the following murder? Because he loved him. God's our father; he won't let us get away with doing wrong for the very reason that he Loves us.

That's why the Israelites were oppressed, time and time again. Because of Love.

And it was because of Love for his people that God saw fit to remove those who would be bad examples. Just as earthly parents keep you from hangin' with those who would have a negative influence.

Love.

Elyon's Strength, et Deus paxque vobiscum.