2021-05-28
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Normally, I don’t mention the date I’m writing, because it is my hope that the content of these devotions is timeless (applies in past, present, and future). However, I’m writing to you after watching the funeral from Windsor Castle in England of Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh. For 73 years, he walked two steps behind his wife, Queen Elisabeth II, without complaint, and was the acting head of her family in private, as she attended to the business of state. There were times when this man seemed to shoot off his mouth, but all in all he was a true husband and father, who carved out an important role for his life. With the complication of England’s Covid lockdown in place, he asked for a funeral without frills, fancy eulogies, and a minimum of pomp. The queen sat alone with dignity, across from their family in the chapel. The words of God were spoken and sung, and everyone wore face masks (again in keeping with Covid restrictions). We all know about the many heart-wrenching crises that occurred in those 73 years, as the queen and Phillip stood by and supported each other. I write these things, because this is the kind of love that is an example of the first gift of the Holy Spirit.
It’s only fitting that I should begin this message with a reiteration of GA 5: 22-23, the foundational Scripture of this entire series (“The Spirit Speaks”). “But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.” These gifts are often referred to as the “fruits of the Spirit.” What is meant by this is that they have supernatural outcomes possibly only because a person is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. These outcomes are living proof that the Spirit is real and dwells within the souls of believers in the members of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one Being with three personalities). Obviously, there are several kinds of love. Agape (in Greek and “Aw-hab” in Hebrew) love is the love the Lord has for us and the love we, as believers, have for Him. It is the impetus for those supernatural outcomes that are seen. The basis for our love and faith in Jesus Christ can be seen in GA 3: 13, “But by becoming a curse for us, Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the Scripture [DT 21: 23] says, ‘Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God’s curse.’”
The word for love that comes from one’s partner in life is Eros. Its origin is from one human to another and often contains a sexual element. It, like humans, is self-centered and is founded in the question, ‘What is in this for me?’ Acted upon with the lifetime commitment of marriage, it can be coupled with being ordained by God. GN 2: 23b-24 describes how God forms a woman from Adam, and what the relationships should be between man and women. God-ordained love is constructive, but without God, is destructive. “Bone taken from bone, and flesh from my flesh. ‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.” However nowadays there are many ephemeral expressions of eros without a commitment-- fornication or adultery. This leads to lack of self-respect, unwanted children, social disease transmission, and other hurtful and unethical problems. The book of the OT called The Song of Solomon or Song of Songs is a series of love songs, some sung by the woman to the man, others sung by the man to the woman. It is often taken not only in its narrative form, but also metaphotically, as a picture of the relationship between God and His people or the church and Christ. Even the issue of racial prejudice is given reference in Song 1’s SOS 1: 5-6, “Women of Jerusalem, I am dark but beautiful, dark as the desert tents of Kedar, but beautiful as the draperies in Solomon’s palace. Don’t look down on me because of my color because the sun as tanned me.” MLK’s words, “Do not judge people by the color of their skin; judge them by the content of their character,” come to mind. Inherent racism has led to horrific shootings by police against dark-skinned people in our own country. All of which must be stopped, as we have been on a slippery slope of hatred for so very long. Only turning to God can heal our deeply split country. Space considerations force me to stop here, but we will continue looking at these issues and definitions of types of love next week.
PRAYER: O Lord, were it not for You in the personality of Your Son, Jesus, we would not know what love is. He modeled it for us, and the Holy Spirit urged us to live with love at the foreground of our lives. It is He Who gave us the will to ask for understanding of what it is and how to demonstrate it. PS 51: 6, “Sincerity and truth are what You require; fill my mind with wisdom. PS 119: 125, “I am Your servant, give me understanding, so that I may know Your teaching.” These prayers for wisdom and discernment are critical to gaining knowledge of the Father’s teaching and how to live it in everything aspect of our daily lives. I have seen the outcome of doing this in the reactions to it from those who receive the love we have to give. Everything that is good comes from You. There are times when we err, which is quite human, and You allow trouble to come our way, so that we will learn Your will for us in working through it. In Your infinite wisdom, You know this is the only way we will learn. There are other times when You lead us on a path that avoids negative consequences of wrongful decisions. You know best, and our help comes from turning first to You in prayer. You love us enough to listen to every prayer we send up and always give us wisest advice, even though it isn’t always easy for us to hear. We send thanks and praise for the enduring and constant love You show us, in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: As promised above, I will begin by discussing Philadelphia, the brotherly love which leads us to loyalty to our country, the causes of our brothers and sisters, and trying to take action to bring about a better society. We are the family of God, and we are a part of a nuclear family, as well. The latter is our parents, siblings, in-laws, aunts and uncles, and the pets who live in our household. When dire emergencies happen, our family loyalty leads us to help out, if we can, and be there for family. My husband and I watch “Blue Bloods” on TV, a show about a family of police force members and prosecuting attorney with a long history of faith in God and service to their community. This family is an ideal that many families fit in different real contexts. Of course, there are families that are neurotic, dysfunctional, and judgmental in real life. When the Holy Spirit dwells in the souls of only some members of such families, they will allow the Spirit to take leadership in how they react to the less-than-ideal behavior with which they are faced. There is no question that family dynamics in real life get complicated. I have yet to meet a family without at least one black sheep. I can’t help but think of IS 53: 5-6, “But because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered; made whole by the blows He received. All of us were like sheep that were lost, each one going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on Him, the punishment all of us deserved.” If that doesn’t demonstrate His unparalleled love, nothing does! Consider what a gift that is and let’s offer Him praise and love in return.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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