REAL Relationship In/With GOD

(REAL – Relentless Eternal Authentic Love)

I've been reading in the book of Matthew this morning. The latter chapters in which Yeshua is teaching the multitudes. Chapter 22 (vs.34-40) is the portion in which the Pharisaic Lawyers ask Him to define the greatest commandment. He replies that the FIRST and greatest commandment is to...”LOVE YeHoVaH your GOD, with ALL your heart, soul, mind and strength!” He then added that the second is very similar, “You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself....”. He said that upon these two commandments rested ALL the LAW & The Prophets!

In other words, He was saying that without keeping these two commandments, the observing of the rest of the Law is

1. impossible, and 2. rather pointless!

This guy didn't mince words! He was considered then, and would be considered now, by the religious community, as “harsh”.

Though He, the epitome of LOVE, was considered to be unloving simply because He spoke TRUTH, to religious flesh. This is odd, because TRUTH is that which is designed to make us free! Setting people free from that which has chained them to death is a very loving thing to do! But religious deception has never seen it that way! 

Here is where the confusion lies, Truth IS death - to the flesh! BUT, what we must realize and accept is that the flesh is counterproductive to any kind of real life. So, starving, denying, or crucifying the flesh, in order to free the captive spirit man inside, is THE point of real love. Real life is not found in the temporary fleshly existence. Real Love is found ONLY in God, and THIS is WHY Yeshua made that very real distinction! 

Love is an eternal, God-inspired, entity, which is not possible in the human realm. The human kind of “love” only gives to get something. It is not, as God's love is, self-sacrificing, for the good of others!

But here is the astounding mystery of how God's stuff works! When we set ourselves to do good to others first, then WE get blessed beyond all measure!

We must get hold of the reality that GOD is not going to be outdone. When it comes to goodness, not only is He the source, HE can produce nothing evil! So when we set the good-cycle in motion, He will multiply it back to us! That is simply how He works! We can not, will never, ever out-give GOD!

Just as the conduit through which oil flows is well greased, so, also, it is true that the vessels through which God's blessings flow to others will be extremely blessed! It is just how it works!!!

But I digress. That is all true, and worthy of our time, concentration and observation!  However, the point I wanted to get down to is that what Yeshua was saying is that we must be REAL.

Religion just isn't what God is after. He wants RELATIONSHIP. He will settle for nothing less! He abhors hypocrisy, double-mindedness and fearful self-protection! He demands our trust, and our open, honest, pouring out of ourselves to Him and to those to whom He sends us!

He doesn't want secrets, shadows, and shame! He wants our devoted surrender to HIS WILL, so that HIS KINGDOM can be set up on this planet once again! He wants the undivided attention, devotion and dedication that the first couple had before they took the bait of satan! He wants back that unquestioning trust, and undivided devotion to Himself, His plan and His work!

But in giving themselves that way, THEY prospered. They were clothed in glory, they were in constant contact with God, and in charge of the whole place! I bet their physical intimacy was amazing! And I am sure that childbirth would have been only a miraculous blessing, not the drudgery and death defying struggle it has become on our watch!

Why would anyone want to give that up for one forbidden fruit? That is the challenge of free will. So why would even God allow/invent free will?

Free will is what enabled “Lucifer”, the angel of light, to rebel and seek God's power, over his own, already enviable position as worship leader for the TOP BRASS? Because of one deep desire that God has, one that has been instilled into each of His human creations, the desire to be pursued, trusted, wanted and esteemed above all others!

We humans don't need or desire that from everyone we meet, but there are those few closest humans that we'd give anything to have that kind of relationship with. Instead though, partly because WE don't even love ourselves very well, because we've bought into the shame of our perceived failures (real or imagined), and partly because we're too busy judging everyone else for theirs, we keep missing the mark! We will often sell real relationships for the thrill of fame, temporary glory, applause, accolades, grades or monetary rewards! We want ease above all else. If it's going to cost us too much, forget about it. We talk a lot of junk about how much we value the health of our planet, we throw around words like “Green” and “Recycle” - but most won't even consider reusing stuff to relieve the landfills! Others hoard worthless junk, making their homes a secondary landfill, out of some sense of desperation or obligation, or insecurity, or just plain insanity. But we've been given some pretty awesome promises by God in exchange for our attention, and devotion! I don't get what all the resistance is about. It is, like the first couple experienced, just the deceptive skills of God's determined enemy.

The only real question I've ever had about that deal is why did he even make it out of heaven? If God was going to end him in a great and eternal fury, why did He drag this mess out? But, of course, The Creator of the universe, Who Is also the Creator and sustainer of me, does not owe me an answer! He has His reasons. Who am I to even question? But He made us to think, reason, struggle and win. He has ASKED that we find HIS WAYS of doing those things. That we THINK on the things that HE recommends, that we accept the reasons He does give us, that we Struggle in HIS strength – and that we count on Him for the big win at the end, and the little wins along the way!

The reason for the insanity in our government, the reason for the divorce rates, the reason relationships just don't work anymore, is clearly (to me, after decades of observation on this planet) that we have, again, forsaken the source of good, the source of love, the source of truth, sanity and reason, and have, again, fallen for the cons of the enemy of God – who is also the extreme hater of all God creates and stands for. Therefore we are targets of his revenge. We are quite the fool to ever buy any of his crap. He is always lying. It is his job description. Why would we choose to trust a liar over The One Who exemplifies TRUTH? The flesh is born broken, fallen and deceived. That is why we need to hear the Truth of God's Word preached. It why we need to see His people LIVE in HIS LIGHT, so that our darkness can be noticed and dispelled. Our mission, once we accept Christ – The ANOINTED ONE – is to walk – live – breathe – love – excel – in that Anointing until He comes! Our blessed existence is supposed to make the fallen world thirsty for Him, the living water! Our Joy is supposed to be contagious!

It is time the people of God – those who call themselves by that moniker – align themselves with HIM, in a REAL, AUTHENTIC, ORGANIC way – decide to walk the walk not just talk the talk – and become who HE has paid the price for us to be. It is time WE become broken bread and poured out wine, as HE did, to feed the hungry and heal the downtrodden! It is time WE took on HIS mantle of authority by yoking ourselves to HIM, in an inseparable way. It is time that we came down off the fence of religious pretense, and made a firm commitment to follow HIM. There is coming a day when the choice will no longer be available. There is coming a day when He will appear, take those who have fully committed to a loving, trusting, all-in, relationship with Him to His side, and those playing on the fence will find themselves inside it. Trapped. Eternally separated from Him. TODAY is the day of Salvation – which – by the way – is what YESHUA means. Today is the day of Yeshua. Choose Life. CHOOSE HIM.

Selah....

SCD

1.16.23