When a seed falls into the ground, we all watch how beautiful it is – you plant it in the ground, put more soil on top, water it, and then sprouts appear from there, green and fresh; it made its way through the ground, and leaflets, flowers began to bloom. Indescribable beauty! But if you look underground, you will see that there is a decay process there: the seed begins to break up, rot and die. Death is everywhere – over the husk, over the seed itself, “good monsters” show up from somewhere – worms that help to breathe. The roots begin. Life begins – a sprout turns over the asphalt, tossing stones, life begins to “push”. Have you seen a soft sprout that can be broken, which breaks asphalt? How is it possible? This is all the power of life.
So it is with spiritual life in churches: if the pastor doesn’t “die”, workers don’t “die” – there will be no life. Christ said: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone.” That is, the seed remains, but if it doesn’t die underground, it will bring no fruit.
Therefore, all things come to the most important one.
A living Christian whose life is with God has signs. The first sign of life is the pulse, whether the heart is beating. And the second is breathing. A man breathes when he is alive.
These two signs a man of God has. When the heart is beating, it pumps blood – blood circulates. That’s life. There are substances in the blood, important elements that give strength. It carries the oxygen essential for the whole body, and also substances that cleanse and take away the negative.
This happens in the Gospel – the gospel cleanses, it cleanses man of unclean things, because the law of sin entered deep into our essence. And it also brings life and feeds us.
And breathing is the Holy Spirit. These signs of life in a man of God should be obvious. They are manifested in his desire to share the gospel news, in it being natural for him to talk about Christ, bring others to God, share life.
One of the bright signs is love to church. I don’t believe in lonely Christians who grow alone, because the church is “bad.” Stop this! Don’t get played over – this is serious. So far you hold on together with everyone, because of this you are alive. If you get “cut off” from everything, an end will come. This is the same as cutting off some member from the body, it immediately dies. The blood of Christ circulates and works in the mystical Body of Jesus Christ. Man won’t survive alone.
Also, without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to be holy, to fulfill the commandments, to be happy. It is impossible to comprehend the thoughts of God, neither His voice.
The relation to God, which the Lord expects from man, isn’t faith only – this is love. We believed in Christ, believed in the Lord. But we can’t stop at faith, we must develop into love. Many believe in God, but do not love Him. It sounds surprising.
After the pandemic, the Church got refocused to the wrong things. They switched to the “Internet church”, began to look for shepherds who would flatter their hearing. Many began to look for what would be good for them. By and large, love transferred into the Internet space. Many believers stopped giving their warmth to other people, stopped preaching the Gospel, stopped laying hands for prayer, stopped breaking the bread in the Body. Some moved into apartments, teaching themselves. But this is no perfect matter.
I’m not talking about the whole church. Everyone will give an account to God. But these are general trends.
Many settled on faith. They believe in Christ, believe strongly. But love is a different thing.
Once the Lord asked one man, after all his falls, renunciations and oaths, asked the most important thing, when he was broken, abandoned his calling, returned to his “business”, left everyone and just sat “black” having lost the light, smelling fish, and He asked him: “Do you love me? Do you love me?” He replied: “Yes, Lord!” I think sobbing burst out from his chest. With this most important the Lord hit through him, as always. He replied: “You know, Lord, how I love you!”
Do you love Him? I love you, Lord! This is most important.
There is such a topic as betrayal: when one person betrays another, he demonstrates infidelity to friendship, marriage or relationships in church. Today the age of betrayal has come. Apostle Paul said that in the latter days people will be traitors. This is “normal”, they “teach” it all over to betray. If to look at things taught from this point of view – an excuse for betrayal is happening. Everywhere: in marriage, in friendship, for money. Betrayal is becoming a norm. Soon you will cease to be surprised that betrayal will be in honor. That is, the treachery of man will be higher than the valor. We are already going to this, we are close. Something else is left, but we are almost there. A little while more…
And when things go like this, everything collapses, one question arises. A Man who wants to forgive, and God wants to forgive – for everything – He asks a question to a man who “smells” fish: “Do you love me?” And that’s it! This rushes through everything, rises above everything, accelerates everything – don’t have to go and chronologically “sort out” all crosswords – how it all happened. “Do you love Me?” – pierces and accelerates recovery. And he replies: “I love you, Lord!”
Today I thought what I could quickly pray for? And I said: “I love you!” Speak to the Lord the words of love. Speak more than you ask. This prayer takes so far away! I want to cry and break myself. What fuss are all other things compared to You and I having this love! “Let us run away from everyone and we will jump and roll over”! The bride says: “Let us run away!” The groom replies: “Let us run away!”
And so Jesus sits next to Peter. Peter has his beard wet with tears, he again feels that something big and inevitable is approaching him. Something is rolling on him and asking him a most scary question in the world: “Do you love Me?” And every time I see how Peter weeps this out, a big child, with a rough, male voice: “Yes, Lord!” And breaks into “dust”.
Because this is the most important thing – whether our faith has outgrown into love? You may say that the one who fulfills the commandments loves. Stop, leave this “mathematics”. With the Lord, there is no “mathematics.” All the best goes for the Lord! The Lord has the best than a wife or a husband, than parents, than children! The best is for the Lord! That’s what it means, do you love me!
In marriage, in friendship – when there is a violation, betrayal – then another one, who wants to forgive, and the greatest heart is one of the Lord, asks: “Do you love me?” Peter swore that he didn’t know Jesus … This is a disgusting picture. And Satan “shows” Jesus this “video recording”. Jesus comes to Peter, looks in his heart and asks. “Tell yourself. You must speak this. Answer.” And Peter releases birthing. He bears it. The Lord sends him a new man, Cephas.
Something happens to us when we go through things like that. We go through a new cut. Sometimes we don’t understand the things that are going on. It often happens so. When we break the cyclicity, we tear out this “black” day of our fall from the calendar, and begin to assess it, we go crazy. But when we understand that this is the process of cleansing going on and, in general, we keep standing not by faith, but by love; we continue to love God with all our hearts so that we die for Him, continue to hold on with all our strength to love for Him – not His love for us, but our love for him – we will endure everything, this kind of man is invincible!
I think about this. Those who love shall overcome. And those who love will come to the end, not those who believe. Because love is more than faith. Faith won’t be needed in heaven, it will not be there, hope will dissolve like fog, but love will remain. Love never ceases. And in this love today we must take root. Let your root go into love!
This kind of church is most beautiful. When messengers from all over the world gathered the beauties for Ahasuerus, these brides were beautiful. The best were taken in chariots to the throne city. And so the king sits on the throne. I can imagine what kind of streaks there were taken to bewitch the king. Esther stepped forth, they asked her what she would ask from the king, and she answered: “Nothing!” It wasn’t a trick, it was Esther. It’s not written she was beautiful. There was a glow of eternity in her. There was an inner kingdom, which harmoniously settled and reigned in her. She was “of the kind” in the kingdom. Esther was the niece of a poor man, Mordecai. But the king’s heart trembled and he spoke to her and realized that this was his wife, and not a concubine. She helped the king to be king. She was wise. She established him in his reign. When she did her work with Israel’s enemies, she brought the God of Israel closer to Ahasuerus. Everything she did was profitable for the kingdom, profitable for its treasury, profitable for everything. She didn’t destroy, but reinforced his kingdom. At the deepest level, to have the God of Israel whom she served in her home. This is love!
Therefore, love is not a feeling when you feel good and uplifted. This is bigger.
There is such a thing as labor of love. We have to work on our love. No need to evaluate it or put the final mark. Love is a river, it simply flows. Times of flood come, times of drought come, but the river must flow. Therefore, love, work on your love. Work hard on love, because love is work. Love is a verb.
This short prayer touched me. This is a way of thinking. You are in His arms and play with His curls, as it is written in the Song of Songs.
Eternal life, which casts out death, eternal life, which brings the highest pleasure. The Song of Songs is not a book about discerning its symbols, it is about what lives in the heart – it is the nectar of the Spirit, the marrow of bones. It should make up our whole faith and life of relationship with God. In our faith, in the very essence, in the juices, the Song of Songs must dwell.
If you were to lose yourself in your talk, then you would have to talk Song of Songs. Here is the beauty. Something most deep.
Everything is there – “we will run”, “we will run away”, “bed is green”, “walls of cedars, cypresses”, “leopard mountains” – secrets, “snowy peaks” – a place for walking, “the speed of the gazelle”, “the speed of the stag’s legs “.
Think – Who is the Lord for you, whom you love? What do you say to Him when you pray? Here we come to the Lord. He is the most emotional Personality in the world, the most sensitive, the most attentive and delicate. Our emotions are so rough compared to Him. He is the most perfect and penetrating Being – you don’t know yet what you will speak, but He knows your words completely. Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Loving, Who Himself is Love. You come to Him. Don’t be in a hurry to mutter your words. Speak to Him. Do not rush to say: “I love you, love you, love you!” You don’t say that when you love. Even Peter answered beautifully: “You know, Lord!” He involved the Lord in his relationship.
This is the most complex, broad, bottomless topic – love. Poets write about it. Even maniacs become kinder when they hear about love.
But the church is losing love. When there are squabbles, conflicts, unforgiveness in it, we lose the most important thing, on which light is based, life is based. Life is love. Juice, breath is love. Life without love is misfortune, it is torment, it is torment, it is hell. There’s no point in living if you’ve never known what love is.
Not all people can experience climax of emotions. Not everyone is happy in marriage. Take your time. No rush to cut the flower. And now, everything is not as you dreamed. But one should abide in the Divine sources. You didn’t understand anything. Perhaps you never encountered the Lord as the Bridegroom. Not as the Giver or the Redeemer – but as the Lord. Perhaps you’ve never known this revelation if you are unhappy.
Paul knew it, and he abandoned earthly happiness, because it would prevent him from being at the level of happiness and bliss at which he remained. He didn’t want to share it with anyone. In this regard, selfishness is allowed. He did not want to share his love with anyone. He wanted to give all his love only to God.
Start a spring season in your life. Call it “season of love”. Start seeking the Lord as Beloved. You will experience a new wave and a surge of bliss. This is the part of the saints. This is what God promised them – blessedness to those who love Him. Not believers, but lovers!
Today I was touched by this – how I cut through the entire ball with acceleration, a huge planet of works, duties, responsibilities – just with a short Word that crushed my spirit and immediately transferred me to the Throne, I immediately found myself at the feet of the Lord and cried: “I love You!” This is the most important thing – that I still love Him, through the years of faith. It would all be in vain if I turned into a “professor” of gifts, church planters, prophetic prophets – it is all worth “a penny”, if I couldn’t say these words to Him. I don’t want to change it, I’d rather be a beggar, but with this. I choose poverty with love than riches.
Perhaps you would like to receive keys to evangelism today. But I tell you that maybe you are “black and white” and you need to “colorize”. Maybe your flower no longer smells? And everything that concerns color, music and smells is all love. Because life without love is a black and white movie. It doesn’t make any sense if a man is on his death bed, respected, famous, but he never loved anyone.
If to choose between being loved and loving I would choose the latter. It’s a tricky business if everyone loves you. This could be a curse. They deceive you. They love themselves in you. Even Jesus was killed. There is no being so unloved as God. And if God Who is Love is not loved, then what can be said about me? It would be better if no one loved me, but I would love. This is happiness – when you love.
Many today seek to be loved. Chasing likes. For what sake? Because it hurts you. What if you give up on this goal? In general, leave it as insignificant. And focus on one thing – learn to love. And that’s all.
This is probably the most difficult thing that can be in a person’s life, but also the sweetest. Jesus lived such a life. He wasn’t looking for love. He didn’t make Himself loved. He didn’t need it. He came as Love Itself and gave it out to people.
This is it – to learn to love – this is strength, this is power! Love God and man. But the price is to stop loving yourself. Change. Sell love for yourself and exchange it for love for another. This is my dream. I would like to leave this life and know that I have learned to love. This is my righteousness