The world demands love. Even when it does so by crying out. ESPECIALLY when it does so by crying out. I'm not trying to be mean when I say this, or put a negative connotation on things, but sometimes people act like babies when they don't know what else to do. All a baby knows is: "I'm hungry." Or, "I'm uncomfortable because I've soiled myself." And all they know how to do is cry. Not because they are "throwing a fit" but because that's all they've got. And, as always, you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. Hurting people hurt people. If you don't think you have something that you NEED... well... that's why we get into so much trouble looking for love in all the wrong places. That's why people act the way that they do. They feel like they're lacking something. And that was one of the favorite things that we used to say at my old church: "I have no lack because my God has no lack." Knowing what you have--knowing who you are--is what equips and empowers you to MEET that demand. Because what we have--who we are--is Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So when we get to the place where we can stop trying to GET something--because we know and believe that we are connected to the unlimited supply--we can begin to GIVE something. We can give what everybody needs. Because while hurting people hurt people... loved people love people. What's inside, or really I should say what you BELIEVE is inside, comes out. And it comes out naturally. By believing in it we fill ourselves to overflowing with what we've already been filled with. That's how important faith is. And faith works by love. Because love is what we have faith IN. Have faith in God, right? Well... God is love. Our faith is not about wishing and hoping that someday we would be worthy of love. Faith is not about GETTING anything. Faith is believing that we have what our heavenly Father says we have. What He gave us on the cross when He gave us His only begotten Son. So that whosoever BELIEVES in Him might NOT perish--you can be alive and still perish if you are the walking dead. If you aren't really LIVING. Because to live is to love and to love is to live--but have everlasting life. Abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life. Jesus' life. Because on the cross He didn't just give His life FOR us, He gave His life TO us. On the cross Jesus showed us what love really is. He didn't just tell us the New Commandment is to love one another. He told us the New Commandment is to love one another as He loved us. And He showed us HOW to love one another; by laying our lives down for each other. Just as He did for us (and as us) on the cross. He met that demand with His (again) limitless supply. So when the world cries out... we can answer. Because we HAVE the answer. Because we ARE the answer. A demand for love can only be met WITH love. And, one more time, that's what we have. That's who we are. That's who we are in Christ. Because that's who Christ is in us. The Word made flesh. Love in action. Charity. Meeting the demand with our supply. Giving people what they need because when we needed it God (in the form of someone close to us) gave it to us.

When the supply and the demand are the same thing, it is simple (notice I didn't say EASY) to meet the demand with your own supply. Confused? Let me say it like this: We all need love. Or, as the Beatles put it, love is all you need. So even though I believe we are completely controlled by Christ's love--either we think we don't have it and will do whatever we can think of to do to get it, or we know and believe we have it and we do whatever we do in order to give it away--even though love is the Alpha and Omega, its where we start and (if there is an) end... I believe we need to be sensitive of others. We need to have a little empathy. When people demand a lot... we need to remember that we have a lot to give. Is this making sense? I surely hope so. I feel like my preaching, or in this case Ranting, style is to wander around trying to make my point and then wondering after the fact if what I said got across in any meaningful way. What I'm trying to say is: It's never "too much" to love somebody. Now, let me say THIS on the heels of THAT, I don't believe you should ever put, or keep, yourself in a bad situation. Give someone everything you have and everything you are. And then, once you've given it all you've got... its either enough, or its not. And if its enough, then its not a bad situation. But if its not... "If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave" (Matthew 10:14 NLT). In the Message Bible it says, "“When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way." Don't make a scene. Don't condemn people just because they have the audacity to not be at the same level at the same time as you. Do your best and forget the rest. There's a demand there. Probably a big one. Try to meet it. Give away what Jesus has given you. And find that in the giving, you are actually receiving. And when the demand is small, when someone needs a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen to their problems, that small thing is really a big thing. The popular phrase says, "The devil is in the details." But really, God is in the small things. The random acts of kindness that can change someone's entire world. I've said many times, you don't have to change THE world, but you can easily change SOMEONE'S world. For the better, or, unfortunately, for the worse. Death AND life is in the power of the tongue, right? So when people demand more than you think you can give... be encouraged. You have exactly what they need. And if you don't--because not every person can reach every person--don't worry about it. Do what you can do. And don't worry about what you can't do. Give what you've got. And don't worry about what you haven't got. Because while we DO have all things that pertain to life and godliness, while we HAVE been given all things that pertain to life and godliness... while we've got what people want... all we can do is make it available to them. We can't force it on them. Some plant, some water, but it is God who makes it grow. The demand isn't too high, because its the same as the supply. But sometimes some people need a different... delivery system. If I can say it that way. And that's ok.

Here's one of the areas in which we seem to get into trouble--and not only get into trouble, but STAY in trouble--we stretch ourselves too thin. And, listen, I'm definitely of the opinion that its better to burn out than rust out. Rest is not inactivity. It is Holy Spirit directed activity. And the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love, so it (HE) will only ever direct us to love. But love isn't running around like a chicken with your head cut off trying to get something. Love is giving. Giving everything you have and everything you are. Laying your life down for your friends. And (here's the tricky part) not expecting anything back. Love doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. Love doesn't keep a record of rights and wrongs. Basically, love doesn't care who you are or what you've done or what you're going to do. Love loves because it (HE) is love. Love is not just what God does. Love is who God is. Love is the very nature of God. And He has given us that same nature. We have been conformed to the image of God's only begotten Son, because God's only begotten Son lives in us, and through us, and as us. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. So what I'm trying to say today is... love everybody. All the time. But don't get burned out either. Because while there IS a lot to be said for ministering out of hurt--God turns messes into messages, right? When you have a phd, you physically have done something, you have a unique and powerful insight that you can use to help others as they go through that same thing--but when you're on an airplane they tell you to put your OWN oxygen mask on first before you try to help anybody else. Because you can't help anybody else if you're passed out on the floor. You have to recharge. And there's an awesome example of this in John chapter 4 where Jesus meets a woman at the well of Jacob. And the point I want to draw out of that story is, "Then Jesus explained: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work" (John 4:34 NLT). I believe we feel love the most when we are loving people. We receive it and release it. We receive it BY releasing it. Again, love is giving. So when you're giving, you're really, in a sense, getting. Its the idea of filling yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Another one of my favorite Bible verses: "David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God" (1 Samuel 30:6 NLT). Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. David found strength. Everything we need, its in Him. And He has already given it to us, because on the cross He gave HIMSELF to us. Everything He has and everything He is. So when we feel like we're stretched too thin, trying to do too much, letting people down because there's only one of us to go around... When the demand seems too high... dip into the supply. We're connected to the unlimited supply of love. Filled to overflowing with it (HIM). We don't need to look for love in all the wrong places, because we can just look inside. That's where God lives. That's where LOVE lives. When we need Him... He's right there!

In economics, supply and demand have a very interesting relationship. If supply is high, demand is usually low. But if supply is low, that makes demand high. In the upside down backwards economy of the Kingdom its very interesting because the demand is high... everybody--EVERYBODY--wants, desires, needs love... and the supply is high... we are connected to the limitless source of love; the God who IS love. So instead of the market kind of trying to figure itself out... we can love without hesitation. We can love without trying to figure out if someone "deserves it." As it says in one of my favorite westerns, "Deserve's got nothing to do with it." For God so loved the WORLD, right? And God is no respecter of persons, right? Love doesn't keep a record of wrongs, right? So the demand, "Love me, love me, say that you love me," can be met by those of that know and believe we are loved. Because, as always, you can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. Hurting people hurt people. But loved people love people. What you believe is inside you comes out. Whether its bitterness, anger, sadness, fear... or forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love. And when you know that what you've received from your heavenly Father is more important (and more powerful) than what you get from whoever you come into contact with... that's when you can receive it AND release it. Receive it BY releasing it. The supply doesn't dictate the demand. People always have and always will want love more than anything else. It is the most basic human desire--the desire of our hearts. And I'm telling you, sometimes even when we are getting all the love we could ever need, sometimes it still feels like something is missing. We don't always appreciate what we've got. So the demand is ALWAYS there. And the supply is ALWAYS there. People will always need it. And we will always have it. So what we ought to do... let me quote a Bible verse today: "Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other" (1 John 4:11 NLT). To me, that's kind of the sum total of the whole thing. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth, tells us one thing in that still, small voice: God is love, and He loves you. So what everybody is looking for all the time--looking for love in all the wrong places--is really inside the whole time. Like Wizard of Oz. We go on this journey to "get" something only to find that we had it the whole time. Otherwise we couldn't have completed the journey in the first place. Its a journey of discovery. Self discovery. Finding out who we are in Christ by finding out who Christ is in us as He reveals Himself to us, and in us, and through us, and as us. We don't have to "figure God out." All we have to do is obey the New Commandment and love each other as Jesus loved us. Like it says in 1 John 4:11: He loved us, so we ought to love each other. Receive it and release it. Let the unlimited supply take care of the constant demand. People always have, and always will, need love. And they can only get it from those of us who know and believe that we have it. So don't be stingy with your love. Give it away. Share it. And in that way... experience it!

Let's keep going on this theme of the "bullets" in our "gun" when it comes to "Spiritual warfare." And by all of that I mean lets keep looking at the personality profile of Jesus. Lets keep looking at different aspects of love. Because when the only battle left, after Jesus went to the cross and won the war to end all wars, is the good fight of faith... and in order to win THAT war... we need faith. And faith works by love. Its all about love. So for the next few days I want to talk about 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT), "...It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." It, of course, is love. Or charity (love in action). And I titled this Rant Series "Supply and Demand" because while humanity demands love... it (HE, Jesus, God) is the desire of our heart... love doesn't demand anything. Ever. Love is patient and kind. Love endures. Love doesn't expect anything at all. Remember my definition of love? "I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me" (2 Corinthians 12:15 NLT). Giving someone everything you have and everything you are. Laying your life down for your friends (and knowing that you destroy your enemies by MAKING them your friends). EVEN THOUGH. I think that's so important. Even though it seems like the harder I try, the more rejected I get. And I have to tell you, when I reach out and get my hand slapped away... boy oh boy does that make me want to STOP reaching out. Until I read the last part of 1 Corinthians 13:5, "...it keeps no record of being wronged." And, listen, I'm not saying you should put--or keep--yourself in a bad situation. But lets say you reach out to someone and they reject what you're offering. In my opinion, you've done what you could do. But then lets say that person comes to you for help. You can either say, "Nope. I tried. You had your chance." OR you can be the bigger man. You can try to be understanding of WHY they rejected you in the first place. Or, if you can't get to that level... you can just let it go. You can not keep a record of being wronged. (And can I just throw this out here? If sinning, or "wronging God" is how you get to hell, but the God who is love doesn't keep a record of wrongs... I'll just leave that there.) So while love doesn't demand anything--much less His own way--and while humanity needs love to... live really (because to live is to love and to love is to live)... what I'm trying to say is: We have the supply. One of my favorite lines from one of my dad's favorite movies is, "Who run barter town?" Because in that movie the people who controlled the water were in control. I'm not saying we should use love in that way, but I AM saying we have what everyone needs. And its a limitless supply. We are connected to the source of love. And the more love we share... the more love, in a sense, we have. The more love we experience. We experience it BY giving it away. We receive it and release it. We receive it BY releasing it. Love doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. But love DOES demand to be used. To be shared. To be given to everyone and anyone. With no concept of "deserve." With no record of rights or wrongs. No rhyme or reason. Just love, love, love...!

It is, I would say, impossible to love someone without endurance and patience. Because love is not about being nice to someone when they are easy to be nice to. Anybody can do that. And love is a sacrifice. Giving everything you are and everything you have to someone no matter how they respond to it. Even though many times it seems like the more you love people, the less they love you. And I think--I'm not certain, because I can generally only speak for myself--but I think the reason love is often rejected (at least initially) is because it seems like its too good to be true. We don't believe it. We look at ourselves and we think, "What's going on here? Why would this person be nice to me? What's their real motive?" When the truth of the matter is: Love doesn't HAVE a motive, love IS the motive. Laying your life down--again, giving everything you are and everything you have--is the action that is motivated by love. And the only reason we can even THINK about doing that is because that's exactly what Jesus did for us. What Jesus did for us AND as us. He equipped and empowered us to do all of the deeds He did and greater deeds... by filling us up with His Spirit. With Himself. With His love. And watch this: "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8 NLT). While we were still sinners. When we had nothing to offer God. When we were stumbling around in the dark doing the best we could with what we had (or what we thought we had, which was nothing, which basically allowed us to DO nothing), that's when God died for us. When we had nothing... that's when God gave us everything. And He didn't do it so that He could get anything out of it. He did it because He wanted US to get something out of it. He wanted us to get HIM out of it. He wanted us to get LOVE out of it. And kind of my point for today is that God patiently endured all the way from "In the beginning" to the cross. The cry of His heart was for us to be His people, and for Him to be our God. But it wasn't until He filled us to overflowing with His Spirit that we could KNOW that He is our God (our heavenly Father) and that we are His people (His only begotten Son in whom He is well pleased). He let humanity try to find their own way. For a long time. He let us make mistakes. And then, at the appointed time, He shined the light of the world on us (and in us) so that we might see a more excellent way. So that we might see that the thing we were looking for was inside of us all along. And then, when we were able to stop looking for love in all the wrong places, we were able to simply receive it and release it. Fill ourselves to overflowing with what God had already filled us with. We were able--because God patiently endured us--to begin to patiently endure each other. To love each other as Jesus loved (LOVES) us. Again: To receive it and release it. To let God's love flow into us, through us, out of us, and onto each other. The only reason we CAN love is because we ARE loved. You can't give what you don't have. And you can only give what you do have. So when you're dealing with people... endure. Be patient. Don't let them dictate to you on their terms. The people who are the hardest to love need love the most. And we've got it... so we're the ones who can give it to them!

We all have baggage. I think that's a big part of what I'm trying to say in this Rant series. And because we all have baggage, we all need to give each other a break. We need to stop putting our own ideas of how other people should act (or react) to things out there. And we should focus on how WE act (or react) to things. We need to start patiently enduring each other. Giving each other--and ourselves--room to grow. Space and opportunity to be who we are. Because behavior modification does not work. Not in any real, lasting way. If you apply enough pressure, you might have some limited results. But real, true, lasting change comes from within. It comes from the heart. And I think the best way to bring that out of people is by watering the seed that has already been planted within them. Train up a child in the way he SHOULD go. Stop telling people what's wrong with them and start telling people what's right with them! The part about all that that can be frustrating (if we forget about the being patient part) is that you can tell someone the truth--the freedom bringing, life giving truth that God is love and He loves them--and they can completely ignore you. They can keep looking for love in all the wrong places. They can keep being who they think they are instead of who they really are. But let me try to encourage you: Its not your job to change people. Its your job to love people. Look at 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT), "I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow." You might not see those immediate results that you're looking for. But how foolish would it be for a farmer to plant a seed and then immediately dig it up and then hollar at it because it didn't bring forth fruit yet? Good things take time. Even baby steps forward are important because that's how you make progress sometimes. And sometimes you have to take two steps forward and one step back. But in the grand scheme of things you're still a step forward. You're learning and growing. That's what endurance and patience are all about: Learning and growing. Doing the learning and the growing ourselves AND letting others learn and grow. Letting people be who they are even as they find out who they are. I think we put way too much pressure on people sometimes to be who we think they should be. And I think that's why so many people are unhappy. They feel like they're out of place... because they ARE out of place. Almost every autobiography I've read that was written by somebody successful had two things that were very important: 1. The person was given (or took) the opportunity to follow their dreams. 2. They had a lot of help along the way. Remember we've been talking about whether what you're doing is helping or hurting? Sometimes the biggest help you can give someone is to just get out of their way. Let them be who they are. Endure the things you don't necessarily like... be patient when things don't go the way you think they should... and love the hell out of people regardless. You don't always have to help someone unpack their baggage. But just acknowledging it and being sensitive and compassionate about it goes a long, long way. Give people a chance and they just might surprise you.

I tried pretty much all day today before writing this Rant to think of a situation in my life where I made a rash decision and it made things better. But I couldn't do it. And, listen, some things are no brainers. If someone needs help... you help them. But that's not what I mean by rash. I mean a snap, emotional response. Because most of the time our first reaction is defensive. Fight or flight, right? Something happens and we either flee, or lash out. And that usually makes things worse. Which is why I've adopted the practice of giving immediate second chances. This works pretty well with my son, but it can certainly annoy people too. He'll do something and I'll say, "Wait. Try again." Or, "Think again." "Start over." Because I think that initial response sometimes needs a minute to turn into a rational response. So what I'm trying to do is be patient, and not respond to that first response. I'm trying to endure that initial reaction, and then redirect the situation into something more positive. Something that will help instead of hurting. And believe me, that can be hard. Enduring that initial reponse... we get hit and we want to either flee or hit back. Turning the other cheek is not what we think of as the "natural reaction." But here's where I want to get to in this Rant Series: Our natural reaction comes from our nature. And we have a new nature. So we have a new "natural reaction." Not "an eye for an eye." Not, "he hit me so I'm going to hit him back." Our new nature is the love nature. So our TRUE natural reaction is to love people no matter what. To endure what they're doing. To be patient with them. And to love them BY enduring and being patient. Those are two of love's (in my opinion) best qualities. Now look at Hebrews 10:36 (NLT), "Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." And notice that this is not a works and labor statement. This is not, "If you patiently endure, and continue to do God's will, then you will get all the he has promised you." Because the verse doesn't SAY "get." It says "RECEIVE." And its not telling us "do this then this will happen." It is telling us HOW to RECEIVE what was promised. We've already been given what was promised. We don't need to--and can't--earn it. But we must receive it. By doing God's will. Because God's will is for us to love each other. And we can't love each other without patiently enduring each other. And, by the way, "all that he has promised you" is His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life. A life of love. Living BY loving. Because that's what life is. That's what LOVE is. Living and loving aren't just connected. They are the same thing. Life changes on a moment to moment basis. So love needs to be flexible. Two of those building blocks are... endurance and patience. Love doesn't just TAKE endurance and patience. Love IS endurance and patience. Not that first blush, emotional response. (And I'm not saying emotions are bad. I always say, "Feel what you feel. Just don't let it control you.) But that kind, gentle love that helps instead of hurting!

Before God made cows, He made grass. Because He always provides what is needed before it is needed. The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. Before there was ever a sinner, there was a Savior. So when God provides us with endurance and patience... its safe to say that we are going to need endurance and patience. And the reason we need those two things (not above all, but pretty high on the list) is because people can be exasperating. I know I'm a little bit odd in this way, but I like to be quiet. So when people talk to me... a lot of times that wears me out. So in order to interact with people... yeah. I need endurance and patience. Because I can't exactly tell people, "Stop talking to me or my head is going to explode!" I need to be able to say, "Yep, I hear ya." Things of that nature. I need to be able to function in society, regardless of my own character traits (quirks?). And while that describes ME pretty well, we all have "things." We all have unique ways of doing things. Some things bother us a lot. Some things don't bother us at all. But what bothers you might not bother me. So if I do that thing--because it doesn't bother me--and it does bother you... endurance and patience. We need to be able to let each other BE each other. I've found that the thing that I get most disappointed about is when I put expectations on things. Or, worse yet, people. Because, like I was trying to say yesterday, people rarely do what THEY want to do. Much less what WE want them to do. So if I'm basing how I feel on what you do--expecting you to act one way or another--I'm setting myself up for a fall. I can't express how important--and, really, how freeing--it is to just let people be who they are. But, again, it can also be exasperating. It can be challenging. Because people WILL let you down. A pastor friend of mine is known for saying, "If you've never been hurt by someone in your church... give it time." We bump into each other. Step on each other's toes. Crash into each other. And a lot of time its not personal. I think people are much more self-centered than we give them credit for. And that might sound strange, but let me explain. I think people are FOR themselves a lot more often than they are AGAINST us. Sometimes it comes off as an attack, when its really a preemptive defense. When you've been burned, you'll do just about anything to avoid the fire. So its important that we, what's the old saying? Walk a mile in the other person's shoes. Look at things from THEIR point of view. I think one of the biggest signs of maturity is when someone hurts us, and we look for the reason WHY they hurt us (spoiler alert: Because they are hurting), and then we try to help them. We don't have to settle for an eye for an eye anymore. We can turn the other cheek. We can be patient. Let things play out instead of reacting (overreacting?) and blowing things up (or out of proportion). We have been strengthed by love in order to be able to endure what's happening. To be patient in the face of undesirable circumstances. To break the cycle and not just give back what someone gives us, but give them what WE'VE got. Show them a more excellent way. Love them no matter what. Let what's inside US come out, by filling OURSELVES to overflowing with what we've already been filled with!

I'm still kind of on this idea of what "Spiritual warfare" is really supposed to be. Because I DO not like the idea of fighting against sin. I don't think we're supposed to fight AGAINST anything. And, listen, I'm not saying you should be ok with everything. If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything. And that's actually my point. We should stand FOR things. We should fight FOR things. The good fight of faith is laying hold of eternal life. Its not about getting rid of something. Its about receiving what we have already been given. Receiving it and releasing it. Receiving it BY releasing it. I think--if we're going to stick to this "Spritual warfare" theme--we need some different bullets in our gun. And for this Rant series I want to focus on what I consider to be two very powerful bullets: Endurance and patience. And my key verse is, "We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy" (Colossians 1:11). And here's my thought for today: If Paul wrote "all the endurance and patience you need" chances are you're going to need some endurance and patience! Because dealing with people is hard. People are messy. I said this (I think) yesterday and I want to expand on it a little bit today: People rarely do what THEY want to do. Much less what YOU want them to do. So for my Bible on this thought I want to quote Romans 7:15 (NLT). But before I do I want to remind us that this passage, in context, is about a man struggling under the Law. This is not the New Man. The New Man isn't about trying to be someone He's not, or do something other than what comes naturally to Him. Ok. The verse goes like this, "I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate." I think that's where a whole lot of people live. I remember one time last year in junior kindergarten Logan had two AWFUL days at school. He was telling people how much he doesn't like school, and trying to get other kids to agree with him. So I sat down with him and we talked it out and then he was fine. Nothing like that has happened since. Anyway, a few days afterwards Logan took my hand and said, "Dad... I don't even know why I was acting like that." And I said, "I know it, little buddy. I'm just glad you're not doing it anymore." I chalked it up to people having bad days. That happens. We're all going through things all of the time. Different, but similar things. Because the human experience is very unique, but it is also very universal. We all crave love, bottom line. Love controls us. Either we think we don't have it, so we do what we do (even if we hate it) in order to get love. Or we know we have it and we do what we do in order to share it. But the key is to not let others dictate to us. To be strengthened by God's glorious power (which is love, by the way) in order to be patient with people. In order to endure. That's what love does. Love endures. That's why love never fails. Because it (HE) endures. Because it (HE) is patient, and kind, and longsuffering. And as He is, so are we in this world!