Loving Like God

The following clip by Jay Ferris is from a conference Q&A, and is only about a minute long.  There are approximately 10 that will be released weekly.  You may listen to the audio here, or on your computer by right-clicking and downloading it.  Enjoy!

Track01

Written Version

One of the things that I think we struggle with is the need to use words.  When people are one, they don’t need words.  Our words are so fallen because of our past experience with the words that we and they have used.  So it’s the grace of God if a word gets from one heart to another, and in anything like the form it was designed for.  Isn’t it wonderful that one day we’ll get to a place where no words will be necessary? We’ll just know as we’re known.  –It’s kind of an oxymoron for me to even say anything about this because I’m using words.  But I’m continuing to hear words that have been problematic in the past, and I think they contain the seeds of infection or a contamination as we move into the future.  Like “building things”.  We’re still thinking in this, “wise master builder”.  I think that we need to step back from this because there’s too much presumption as we move forward. There’s some more validity than there really was in all the understandings that we’ve had in the past.  There’s a big difference between fathers and instructors.  “Building” is not part of it.  It’s blood.  It’s better blood.  And it’s based on better promises and it’s a new creation.   Not like the old one where it’s a matter of human decision or a husband’s will.  No, what goes on in the kingdom of God or in the new creation is of God. And so we should be very careful about talking about “building relationships”. It turns out too often it’s just, “Let’s make a deal.”. It’s just more merchandising of ourselves and of people. Something that hit me some years ago was… when a prostitute falls in love she’s out of business.

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For God So Loved The World that He Gave His Only begotten Son to Get You!

To be truly in love with someone is not a generous act, it is the most supremely selfish act.  It is about wanting the object of our affection with all of our heart, soul, body, and Spirit.  We don’t woo them for them, we woo them for us, because more than our own life, we want their life, and we want them in our life at any cost!  This is something about which Ayn Rand was correct. She called it the “Virtues of Selfishness.”  There were problems with her understanding of how it works, but she made a very important point.

The point here is that Jesus not only knows us as we are, but He knows us as we are going to be in the pure light of His love.  He is able to see us in that light now. About the best we can do for now is wander around in our failings, frustrations, weaknesses, selfishness, ugliness, flaws, meanness, nastiness, etc. – a lot of etc – all the stuff that defeats us in living out of our faith every day.  This is all the stuff that drives us to the cross, every day and all day long.

While Jesus already knows all about all this garbage, it fades into insignificance in the light of the rest of how He sees us. To him we are altogether beautiful – we are HOT – divinely HOT in the highest and best sense of the expression.  He can’t help Himself, He is just head over heels in love with us to the point of His own destruction, Isaiah 52:14.  This is how He wants us to know how love is, and this is the love He wants us to know that He has for us.  It is a REVELATION!  It is a revelation that we cannot refuse. It is living in this revelation that grows the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.  It is because He wants us that much!!!  Faith in it’s highest form and power agrees with His assessment!  Jesus is not a squanderer.  He was the only SEED his Father had, and that Seed was meant to be spent on purchasing the only thing His Father was and is hoping for: You and me.  We simply cannot refuse!  We simply can’t fritter away His Love for us. This is not about Jesus’ generosity, It is about Jesus and His Father getting what they are after: You!

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  Php 2:8 

The following song by Frank Sinatra was one of Jay’s many favorites.   It was precious to listen to it recently in conjunction with the recent quote on the Loving Like God Facebook Community Page:

“Merchants will go only just so far, but lovers will go all the way. Jesus went all the way. As I understand it, He fixed it so that we could go all the way too.” ~ Jay Ferris

Here is the song, followed by the lyrics.  Please feel free to share what you hear in the song!

All The Way

When somebody loves you
It’s no good unless He loves you all the way
Happy to be near you
When you need someone to cheer you all the way

Taller than the tallest tree is
That’s how it’s got to feel
Deeper than the deep blue sea is
That’s how deep it goes if it’s real

When somebody needs you
It’s no good unless He needs you all the way
Through the good or lean years
And for all the in-between years come what may

Who knows where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if you’ll let Me love you
It’s for sure I’m gonna love you all the way
…all the way