Love exposes all that isn’t Love. Love is unregulated and dangerous. When you enter into the untamed waters of the heart and love with God’s Love, all that’s in you which isn’t Love, erupts and comes to the surface. Straight up, you can’t manage Love. I always think that Love should be clean, but it isn’t. By its very nature, Love attacks and assaults all that would stand in Love’s way, both in the giver and the receiver.
I’ve asked God many times, “Why can’t Your Love just be clean? Why God, can’t it just be crisp, neat and tidy? Shouldn’t it be like the pictures where it’s just rows of orderly people sitting in pews?!” Nope! Love is so holy that it finds all that is unholy and exposes it to make way for Love’s procession.
Love’s Procession
God has not chosen to use my human heart, that filthy, desperately wicked vehicle, to bring forth His Love. That heart is unworthy of His pure Love. He removed that stone-cold heart and gave His children a new heart that beats with His pulse and flows with His passion.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26 HCSB
I thought, “And why not the mind?” The brain is not up to the task; it would reason everything out. In the logical mind, I would choose where His Love flowed and just how much would be delivered. I’d mark boundaries, limit borders, control and restrict it for fear of being excessive. I’d say, “Ooo, that’s messy! I think that’s over-the-top.” The brain is unreliable as a measuring gauge for any reality of His Love.*
God chose to make a newly created heart! Why the heart? God uses the new heart because it engages my full person and faculties, and requires the most dependence on Him. Yes, my heart reveals all that’s in me, while including all that is me.
The Presence of LOVE
I’m indicted by the presence of Love, challenged by its flow, and rendered hopelessly vulnerable as Love passes through my heart. I can tell you that in being a vessel of His Love, I’ve had to commit my Yes to Him over and over again. I need His Love so badly – as well as His keeping of me in it. Without love I wouldn’t have any Life, and certainly my deepest self wouldn’t be challenged. Love is cleansing, purifying, and radically changes everyone involved—the giver and the recipient.
This major force of our universe, one that we sing about, write stories and movies about and celebrate – why is it one of the most feared forces known to man? Because it’s unpredictable and unmanageable! And of all loves, we fear His love the most because it takes us over and out.
So when is Love too much? Do I need to stop loving when jealousy arises? How about sexual vice? What about obsession? Shouldn’t I put a quietus on it when my dirty flesh muddies the waters? No, in these and the countless other offenses of the flesh, we are called to Love more, not less! This is what it looks like to have genuine Love flow from your heart. Love cleanses the vessel to make way for Love’s parade. Like I said, Love will force out and bring to the surface all that is not Love. When flesh raises its ugly head, you’re called to beg for an increase of His divine Love – not to retreat from loving.
To you whom I love I say, let us go on loving one another, for love comes from God. Every man who truly loves is God’s son and has some knowledge of Him. But the man who does not love cannot know Him at all, for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8 PHILLIPS
That deep love that is God’s Love leaves a wake in my heart as it’s pouring through. It rushes & washes & finds & fills. He sets His focus to Love & unleashes its power…a vessel surrendered receives the flow of His Love. A vessel is a vessel, it doesn’t fill itself. It’s owned, cleaned, filled & spilled. A beating heart vessel, vulnerable to Loves filling & flowing, to know the One Who is Love. Yes, Lord…”to make way for Loves procession “. Couldn’t we say again & again, we are surprised by Love; it changes everything by heart. Thank… Read more »
I’ve discovered the Lord knows how to set us free from all that competes against the flow of His intense, & intent, Love. How can this be? this deep rest…with loose ends everywhere? My ‘what is this?’ became relinquished question, with knowing God’s Love in it. I couldn’t co-operate, or agree, or see…only let it be & wait in trust. Grace came with courage, though I couldn’t say for what…just for being, in my ‘unknowing’, but with Him. He disentangled & melted my heart. The things I’ve ‘connected’ to love, or not love, were gone. He reduced me…to Love. There… Read more »
That deep love that is God’s Love, leaves a wake in my heart as it’s pouring through. It rushes & washes & finds & fills. HE sets His focus to Love, unleashes its power & my not so hidden ‘considerations’ & those terrible ‘justified’ withholdings of heart know the waves of His relentless Love. Yes, Lord… “to make way for Love’s procession”, oh, don’t we know it! Couldn’t we say, again & again, we are surprised by Love; it changes everything by heart. Thank you John for this beautiful clarity…vessels…of Love.
[…] requires faith in His keeping power. It’s impossible to manage Love. Love relies on trusting Him who is Love and who shepherds our […]
Love …requires the most dependence on Him. Yep. That’s the Lover I know. Getting close to REAL LOVE and “I” am undone.
I LOVE YOU MY DELICIOUS BROTHER. I ADORE THIS WRITTING
, PRAISE GOD FOR THE GIFT OF WRITTING THE LORD HAS BLESSED YOU WITH.I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR “THE MIND BOWED”BLESSINGS IN JESUS NAME.
I would also like to hear ” The Mind Bowed”. Could you send it to me also?? Thank you.
The Lord is exposing some ugly things in my heart as I seek to allow His Love to reign in me for other people. In my judgmental, religious mind I find I hate those that are not up to my “standard” of what I see they should be:( It’s where my brain is getting in the way as logically thinking I dont have to consider these people. People who have let me down and hurt me so I resent them instead of Love as Jesus did. He loved others unconditionally. His example is exploding Love into me by exposing how… Read more »
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for giving John the words for Your movement. ‘Neat and tidy’ is what we want in this generation–preferably encased in a glass screen of some kind! Following sophistication instead of the unfathomable, outrageous Love of God. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord!
The Lord is teaching me about the difference between my mind and my heart (spirit?) and I would be very grateful to hear The Mind Bowed. Thank you John.
A few days ago Martha shared this quote from “Chariot of Fire” in the devotional “Lost Way”: “The meaning of the universe, the purpose of the whole creation…is Love. And the assault of it’s opposition: Hate…’Hate’ is moving to destroy your Love for Him.” Hate would have us “stop loving” whenever love is not “clean…crisp, neat and tidy[.]” When Love willingly hung on a cross that should have been mine it was anything other than “clean…crisp, neat and tidy…” Suppose Love had said, “NO!”? Hate can only destroy my love if I choose to let him. These things of the… Read more »
Please John, send it to me?!
Thank you for the reminder Sandy…me too please!
I to need to hear “The Mind Bowed”. Could you send it to me too, please.