Access

Love gives access. In many ways it is access. At the same time access isn't necessarily love. I am seeing this theme everywhere in life and in the scriptures.

It isn't the people who say they love you that really love you. It is the people who invite you into their lives that love you. It is the people who share their time, space and inner thoughts who are the 'loving' people.

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." - John 14:1-3 ESV

Love is rare. 

I don't want to focus on those who don't love me. I want to cherish those who do and be a loving person in practical ways.

God loves you.

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." - John 14:1-3 ESV

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," - Ephesians 2:4-6 ESV

The gospel is the good news that Jesus has taken care of everything that would bar us from God's presence. He makes us holy when we believe and restores the access that Adam lost so long ago.

Access requires trust doesn't it. I hesitate to let untrustworthy people into my home but God lets us into His home and that is amazing. It speaks about the quality of His Love.

A passage in the last chapter of the Bible says this...

"The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." - Revelation 22:17 ESV

That is love.

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Quick To Hear And Slow To Respond

 "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:19-22 ESV

Grace, mercy, love... unsentimental love... put away the 'filthiness' and be slow to anger. We remember that people are not a project for you to fix. 

I see the plural nature of 'which is able to save your souls' as referring to us and the people we are listening to. Perhaps what they are saying might be prone to make us angry but are we hearing their point of view? Are we referencing the 'implanted word' in our mind as they are speaking so that we have a life-giving reply ready as the Holy Spirit manifests the risen Christ through us?

Part of 'doing' here is not fighting fire with fire and burning the relationship down. Doing might be a 'kind answer' that has clarity and eternal content. We can know about grace but not give it. That is one option. We can also listen and respond instead of react. We can be slow to react and then respond with love because we are listening to the person but looking at Heaven's heart.

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