Tuesday, January 22, 2013

a dollar well-spent

This song came on my iTunes tonight. There's a lyric half-way through that says, "love is a dollar that's already spent. love is a song that's been sung."

Depending on how you spin it, the lyric is either depressing or beautiful. Either it's a concession to regret or a valuation of commitment. Predictably, I choose the optimistic outlook.

I continue to see love as a choice. I continue to see love as a devoted and intentional series of actions. I continue to see love as well-informed sacrifice, aware of hardships and prepared for the unexpected. That's what makes it beautiful instead of depressing.

I've been learning about love my whole life.

So, if love is truly is a dollar already spent, I will continue to believe it was a dollar spent well. But love cannot be quantified within the metaphor of money. Love is significantly larger and more meaningful. I believe love to be timeless.

The ESV alone translates the phrase "steadfast love" 193 times. It's not the made-for-TV genre of love, either. No, it's the Rescuer love. I've been learning about love my whole life because God is good. Love exists because God exists. God makes love real.

Knowing God's love frees us to share His love. That love is beautiful. That love sits and rests, hopes and dreams, waits and restores. His love inspires us to love each other, beautifully instead of perfectly.

Love is the song I will sing loudest. Love is the dollar I will spend the most. Always

"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." 1 John 4:16

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Ephesians 5

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – and find out what pleases the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:

“Awake, O sleeper!

Rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you!”

Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

hey guys