His Love Endures

“O give thanks to the God of Heaven, His love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:26 NIV).

Many times people think they know all there is to love–even though they are often confusing love with lust–and wonder how we end up with songs like, “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” by popular artists.

I was listening to a television show a few days ago and my thoughts were arrested by something a character said. She said, “A person can be in love with as many people as they want to love at any moment in time regardless of gender.” This was said to justify her attraction to both males and females. My immediate reaction to that statement was to reflect upon the difference between love and lust. One of the tools Satan is using to confuse people is the misunderstanding about these two issues. In a later episode of the show, “Bones” she breaks up with the woman or rather the female breaks up with her and she marries a male character–supposedly in love.

Lust is a matter of attraction that appeals to and engages the flesh–purely sexual in nature and is all about satisfying an immediate desire, usually in the lower regions of the body.

Love is a matter  of emotional engagement when the heart is engaged–the upper regions of the body, not the lower. A person can love without physical involvement of a sexual nature, but lust demands satisfaction at any cost.

But when we really understand God’s love–the love that endures forever–we can know love and understand that “real love” has little to do with fleshly desire of any kind.

Real love seeks to serve, comfort, protect, direct, guide, and correct the object of one’s affection. Parents (good ones) love their children enough to provide for them, teach them, correct and model a loving relationship that endures–no matter what. Are there perfect children? No, there are no perfect children because there are no perfect people, but we keep trying.

Real love in a relationship exists whether sexual involvement exists or not. If that were not so, then every time spouses are separated for any period of time, they would be subjected to “not loving” until they were able to satisfy their urges.

An urge, a tickling, a feeling–lasts but for a moment, but love lasts beyond the moment. Until we can convince kids–those actively involved in sexual activity–that what they feel is lust and not love, we lose entire generations to the depraved influence of Satan who could care less about misuse of bodies, or diseases and deaths caused by sexual promiscuity. And this is why many kids and adults feel that “urge” can be satisfied by anyone, indiscriminately.

We, who are in relationship with God and understand how He wants us to live, need to use every available avenue to encourage others to live a life that is pleasing to Him–with lifetime benefits–rather than giving into urges for momentary pleasure. God is love and He has provided for us the platform for engaging in sexual activity within the institution of marriage. If love exists in the relationship–lust will not be an issue, but will be satisfied as God intended.

Like so many other people, I’ve often thought I was “in love” with others, but now I know the difference and can say it was “in lust” not love. I do know love and that love includes the love for my husband, my children, family and friends–the love that lasts a lifetime.

Encourage someone today to know God’s love and allow His love to lead them to enduring happiness, that will last for more than a moment. His love endures forever!

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Warning, Warning!

“He’s hot, she’s hot,”

Everybody’s hot

But love, they ain’t got

For self or you

So, don’t consider who

They are over who you are

Let ’em slide on by,

With their slick-willy self

Lying, whining, pretending

To care, but really just using

Anyone they can, used to abusing

All who are desperate for love,

When all they have is lust,

They hit it and quit it and think it’s just

To pass you on to another when

They’ve had enough–of you.

 

Don’t fall into the trap of letting

Anyone use and abuse you to soothe

Themselves out of anger, mischief,

Or just being a jerk, you are more

Precious than that and you need to see

You as God sees you–not a doormat

Or depository for their maleness–they’re not men,

And it’s time your eyes were opened,

And your ears cleaned to hear how they

Talk behind your back, treating you like dirt,

They think it’s cute to use you, not minding the hurt

You feel when they leave you wet, busted, and disgusted

With yourself because you let it happen,

When you defeated self with desperation and self-loathing,

How could you? Why would you–let anyone take from you

All the good that God poured into you

So you could do the things He wanted for you,

But now you have to think about–is there anything left

Of you to be used to His glory

And not those who use you to pacify themselves?

 

Wake up and smell the air that surrounds you,

Make sure the stench doesn’t bind and trap you,

Into a slavery of another kind, created in the minds

Of those who love to use those who are weak

And unsure of self, needing love, but getting lust

Stirred in mind and body and then promoting you as the biggest

Loser because you were lost in them and not in One who

Loves you the most and will never leave you hanging out to dry.

 

So, now it’s time to try Him for yourself-

And see that some males and females

Are just out to get what they want and never

Care about you as a person or worthy of love,

Save yourself–your virtue–your mind and body

For the One who truly loves, from above.

Walk In The Light

“The Lord will guard the feet of His faithful servants…” (I Samuel 2:9).

If we are truly children of the Most High God and want to see His very best for us come to pass in our lives, we should watch where we go.

We should not be found in those places where the rest of this passage of scripture says, “the wicked in dark places shall be silenced.” Where are the dark places? Any place where we “think” we should hide or be “undercover agents” is a dark place and that is not just to be taken literally. No, we should not be hanging out at the bars, the dope houses or the whore houses or anywhere else where our beliefs come under question. We cannot “say”, “I’m a blood-bought, bible-toting, tongue-talking, holy ghost-filled Christian, and then “do” everything that every one else is doing (in the dark). “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the good and the evil.”

When we are where we are supposed to be, God has our backs. When we dare to dwell in dark places–and that includes dark places in our thought life–we are on our own and the “works of darkness,” set us up for judgment and for God to silence us!

My brothers and sisters, walk in the light, and be assured of God’s protection!