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The Truth About Love We Don't Talk About · In the Stillness Podcast

• 0:00
  Hey, you guys, it's friendly. Welcome back to In the Stillness
• 0:04
  Happy April. Wow, I do not even know how
• 0:08
  we're already here, but I'm really expectant for what God
• 0:12
  wants to do in this new month and continue revealing to us.
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  We have been continuing in this deeper dive through first John,
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  and it has already been so refining for me.
• 0:25
  The past couple days have been really building on what it means
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  to truly know God. And today it gets super
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  practical because now John is shifting into if you know God,
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  how does that actually show up in the way that you love people?
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  So we're going to be in First John chapter 2, reading through
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  verses 9 through 11 today. Anyone who says I am in the
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  light while holding hatred in his heart toward a fellow
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  believer is still in the darkness.
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  But the one who truly loves a fellow believer lives in the
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  light, and there is nothing in him that will cause someone else
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  to stumble. But whoever hates a fellow
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  believer lives in the darkness, stumbling around in the dark
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  with no clue where he is going, for he is blinded by the
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  darkness. OK, this is one of those
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  passages that is very direct and it's pretty black or white.
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  John is specifically talking about the church, the family of
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  God. This is how we treat our fellow
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  brothers and sisters in Christ. And one of the biggest takeaways
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  that I wrote down is you cannot embody the love and light of
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  Christ if you are living in hate.
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  There is no in between here because love equals light and
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  hate equals darkness. And I think what's interesting
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  is how culture paints love so differently, even right now in
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  our modern age. There's literally a whole show
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  called Love is Blind, and while it sounds nice biblically, love
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  is not actually blind. Love is clear because it is in
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  the light. 1st Corinthians 13 talks all about love
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  specifically, but it says love is patient, love is kind.
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  It does not envy, it does not boast, it's not self seeking.
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  It keeps no record of wrongs. And I encourage you all to go
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  back and read that full chapter because there are so many great
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  qualities and descriptions for love.
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  But that is not vague, it's not blurry, and it's also not based
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  on feelings. It is so clearly defined.
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  It's visible. It's rooted here in the truth,
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  in Scripture. Love lives in the light.
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  So I just want to ask you guys, when you love people, is it
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  centered around you, what you can get out of it or how it
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  makes you feel? Or does it actually point back
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  to Jesus with the goal of reflecting Him?
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  Another thing that stood out to me is how the Bible warns us
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  about things like bitterness, envy, jealousy, and disunity.
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  Ephesians 4 verse 31 literally says to get rid of all
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  bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with
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  every form of malice. Malice is evil, so that language
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  is strong. It literally says get rid of it.
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  Because ultimately those things, however small they may seem in
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  the moment, they pull us Into Darkness.
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  And when I think about darkness, I just kept picturing this game
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  I used to play when I was little called Murder in the Dark.
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  And in that game, it's super fun, but it's so thrilling
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  because everything feels uncertain and you cannot see
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  clearly. All the lights are off, you're
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  anxious, I get kind of jumpy, and you're unsure of what's
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  around you, when something is going to grip you or a person's
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  going to find you hiding. And that is ultimately what
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  holding on to bitterness does. It creates this internal
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  environment where things feel tense and unpredictable and it's
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  like you're walking on egg shells.
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  But reality check, that is not how we are meant to live as
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  believers, especially in the church.
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  Instead, Scripture calls us higher.
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  Romans 12 verse 18 says if possible, as far as it depends
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  on you, live at peace with everyone.
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  Hebrews 12 verse 14, make every effort to live in peace with
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  everyone. Not just like peace, not just
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  hope for peace, but pursue it. And I think this is where we
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  sometimes can get it twisted because avoiding conflict is not
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  the same thing as pursuing peace.
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  It's not loving to just ignore tension or stay silent.
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  To not quote UN quote, ruffle feathers, we talked about this
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  yesterday, but real love is not passive.
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  It's active. It's in actions that we see true
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  love. Sometimes love has to tell the
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  truth. You have to have that hard
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  conversation. It steps into discomfort for the
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  sake of preserving unity and harmony, avoidance.
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  It might feel easier in the moment, sure, but it doesn't
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  actually bring real peace. It's only delaying it.
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  So here's something that I was reflecting on that I'm going to
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  bring to y'all. Am I avoiding conflict to stay
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  comfortable? Or am I willing to pursue peace
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  even when it's costly, even when it's uncomfortable?
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  All of this ties back to the heart of the gospel.
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  As always, the gospel is a message of reconciliation. 2nd
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  Corinthians 5 says we have been reconciled to God, so now we
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  carry that same ministry into our relationships in our
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  everyday lives. So the way that we live out our
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  faith is seen in how we love people.
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  Your Christian love is a choice, It's not a feeling.
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  If we're honest, there will be people that we don't just
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  naturally connect with. There's going to be some people
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  who frustrate us or hurt us. But love is not based on whether
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  it feels easy, whether it's simple, whether it just clicks.
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  Think back to Jesus. Do you think that he felt like
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  forgiving the people who were mocking him, rejecting him, who
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  put him on that cross? Yet He chose to love anyway.
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  So ask yourself, am I waiting until it feels natural to love
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  someone? Or am I choosing it because I'm
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  a follower of Jesus? Because that is what He has
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  called me to. And I loved this perspective
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  shift. You may not always want to love
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  someone in your human nature, but you get to love them because
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  it's in those moments that you reflect Jesus the most clearly.
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  Galatians 2 verse 20 says it is no longer I who live, but Christ
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  who lives in me. So when we choose to love, even
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  when it's so hard, it's not just us trying harder, it's actually
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  Jesus working within us, through us by his Spirit.
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  And instead of thinking I have to love this person, what if we
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  reframe that question as I actually get to love this
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  person? What if we viewed it as an
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  opportunity to reflect Jesus, to walk forward into the light, to
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  be a part of the ministry of reconciliation?
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  Practically, that might look like choosing respect, choosing
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  patience, choosing to show up with kindness and sacrifice even
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  when the feeling is not always there.
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  But love is not just emotional, it's intentional.
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  Scripture even says Ephesians 4, verse 26, do not let the sun go
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  down while you are still angry. That is a command.
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  So we don't let things just sit and simmer or not to let
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  bitterness grow. We deal with it with God and
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  when needed, with the people around us.
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  So as you go about your day, I just want to challenge you to
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  ask yourself, who is God inviting me to love differently
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  and radically today? Because it's not based on your
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  feelings and it's not based on convenience.
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  It's based on our love for Jesus and Our Calling.
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  So let's go ahead and closeout in prayer.
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  Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be the
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  perfect example of your love, your steady love, your selfless
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  love. Would you help us to love in a
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  way that really does show you to others?
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  It's not focused on ourselves, on what we need or what's
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  comfortable in the moment, but how we can reflect You.
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  Would You give us the courage to step into those hard
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  conversations? Would You clothe us in humility
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  so that we can forgive and give us the grace to let go of what
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  we were never meant to carry on our own?
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  Father, teach us how to pursue peace with sincere hearts and
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  how to show up with hearts that are willing, even if it's
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  uncomfortable. I pray that you would shape the
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  way that we see people. Let us see others through your
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  lens, God, so that our love can point back to You in everything
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  we do. I pray that you would lead us in
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  this. We need your help, God.
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  We don't want to rely on our own strength or ability, but on Your
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  power through Your Spirit. I pray this on your name, Jesus.
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  Amen. OK y'all.
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  Well, that's today's episode. Praying that you'll have a great
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  rest of your Wednesday and a wonderful start to April.
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  I cannot get over that, but it is going to be a solid month and
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  I'm so looking forward to all that's in store.
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  I'll see you on the next episode.