From time to time, I have the honor of giving the Bible study talk at our weekly Souper Tuesday event. On Valentine's day, I talked about love (go figure). I have decided to share my thoughts here... (and yes, I did use the opening clip from Love Actually)
Love actually. Is. All around.
In families, in relationships, in disasters, in friendships, in strangers. The Bible says that God IS love. And anyone who knows love knows God. God created all things and built love into the world because that is who he is: Love. To experience love is to experience a little piece of God-- a piece of himself that he chose to share with the world when he created it.
I believe, and the Bible teaches, that the beauty of Creation is an expression of God's love. It is like an artist's signature... the very quality of a piece of work reveals who created it. Beauty is Love. And Love is God's signature. And it is all around...
In the beauty of Thailand, in the smiles of Thailand, in waterfalls, in mountains, in trees, in deserts, in the sunrise, in the sunset, in the ocean, in flowers, in the stars, in animals, in people...
God loves this world. God is in this world. All around.
But the ultimate love of God-- where we see His Signature the most-- is in Jesus.
If all of creation is God's artwork, and love is His signature, Jesus is the masterpiece of all existence.
More than the beauty of relationships, more than the beauty of people, more than the animals, plants, stars, the earth...
Jesus is the greatest expression of beauty because Jesus expressed the greatest love: not that we loved God first, but that God sent his Son to die so that we may experience true life. The most beautiful life is life spent with God.
One way to spend life with God is to love other people. True love finds its blessedness in blessing others-- in honor and in love, no matter what. Is this not the same kind of love we see in mothers, lovers, volunteers, friends, givers?... All of these people are willing to sacrifice something for the good of another. All are willing to love like God, and in doing so, willing to experience God.
Another way to spend life with God is to meet Him in the beauty of his creation. Enter into awe of God's creation, enter into the Love of God.
Later in the week, we took 20 students on an overnight retreat to the beach. It was rainy on the first day when we arrived, but the skies cleared and most of the night and the next day were sunny. The theme of the retreat was essentially: once lost, now found. Via the analogy of Finding Nemo. It was good. Trust me.
And the photo of the week? It comes from the retreat. A snapshot of the Lord's beauty. A glimpse of God's great love-signature.
Yes. I do believe it is true...
Love actually. Is. All around
God actually. Is. All around.
No comments:
Post a Comment