This or That

Dear Beloved, 

I’m going to give you a challenge. (It’s an easy one so don’t stress.) Hold something in each hand. (This works best with food!) Then hold out your hands in front of somebody. What was their immediate reaction? 

I'm going to take a guess and say that they started to look between the two things as though they had to choose between the two. Maybe they even took some. Now, I want you to give them both. You were offering them both of the blessings. Not just one. 

The purpose of that was to show you how we look when God blesses us. Often time we don't know how to react when we are given something we feel was undeserved.  Something that we didn't work for. The nature of the world doesn't give handouts. It doesn't provide in a time of despair. 

We are taught from early on that when things like love, forgiveness, and affection are given... It is more than often a double-edged sword. For example, if a child runs to their mother and says something along lines of, "Momma you look so pretty! Have I told you that I love you today?" It is a well-known fact that the next words spoken are going to be, "What do you want?" 

The world tells us that affection is given to sway the use of your power/ position. If I tell my mom I love her, I'm expecting her to let me go out. If I hug my dad, I'm expecting him to buy me food. The same goes for friends, co-workers, and pastors. That's not being affectionate and showing our love for that person. It's manipulation, intentionally or not. 

Now let me tell you this. When God sent His one and only son to be brutally murdered for us... He didn't expect anything from us. He did it because He loved us. I'm not saying that we can live our lives however we want because 'God loves us.' The reality of that is, once we truly understand the depth and the purity of God's love for us, we won't be able to stay to same. It's like nothing we've ever experienced. 

There is no catch. There are no hidden agendas or targeted manipulation. It's just love. When we learn more about God's love, we love Him. We learn to serve Him out of pure love. We listen to what he says and follow the direction of His heart. With God, there is no "This or That." It's simply Love.