In the pursuit of “real love” in my life, I’ve come across only one, truly reliable source. That source is Jesus, the lover of my soul. Many things fight for the attention of my mind and the affections of my heart; only Jesus fills me with what I so desperately need. He is honest, trustworthy, dependable, fulfilling, sustaining, intimate and complete love. I like this verse:
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” — 1 John 3:16
As a younger man, I did what I could to try to fabricate “real love” apart from Christ. I selfishly tried to fill my own love tank with what this world had to offer. You name it and I tried it: the outdoors, sports, food, thrill seeking, sex, drugs, and alcohol. I often fooled myself into thinking I had arrived at what I thought would make me happy. However, I constantly slipped back into the loneliness of me. I struggled to understand the intimacy of life because I did not have an intimate relationship with my Creator. As can be expected, in all the ways I tried to find “real love”, it was like receiving the disappointing “white elephant” gift no one really wants.
He Revealed Himself to Me
Finally, I hit a wall of doubt and confusion. I knew I couldn’t go on living the way I was. Thankfully, in His perfect timing, God revealed His grace-filled “real love” to me. Without a doubt, it was just what I needed.
Jesus’ sufficient, compelling, sacrificial, and all-encompassing love was enough. To put it simply, it was what I was searching for. His gospel call on my life opened my eyes and I surrendered myself to Him. I asked Him to forgive me and He came into my life.
I didn’t experience spiritual fireworks, speak in flaming tongues, or an elusive magic carpet ride. Simply put, I found my place in the arms of my perfect Creator. It started a “real love” relationship — unlike anything I had ever known before. It was a reassuring, all-knowing, confident, forgiven, intimate, and fulfilling new life in Christ.
As a child of God, I have found purpose and spiritual intimacy that I can only identify as the “real love” I was desperately seeking. Because of that, I have become capable of expressing that same type of extraordinary love to others. It has helped me live not only this life, but also for the eternal life Jesus has given me.
Experiencing “real love” with many of you,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor