Living Loved, Listening, Saturated and Surrendered--in Community

     Wayne Jacobsen writes often about "living loved," and I believe that living loved is one of the best summarizing statements of what our journey with God is all about. But as is often the case, I can't help tinkering with things that other folks write, so I have expanded Wayne's "summary" of the Christian life to what you read in the title of today's blog: Living loved, listening, saturated and surrendered in community with others who are doing the same. Today's blog will be an elaboration on some of what I think this means.
     Living Loved.  I am not sure how Wayne would fully describe this phrase (read his books and see what you think!), but for me, living loved means living in an increasing, and increasingly complete, awareness of Father God’s love and grace. Here are a few things I have been learning about living loved.
     I have learned that God's love for me/us is far more than a feeling. Yes, God does "feel" affection and passion for you and me, but His love for us is far more than emotion. It is most of all His endless commitment to do what’s best for you/me, from an eternal perspective, no matter what it costs Him. He has, as you know, already paid an infinite cost because of His love, demonstrating it through the cross (Romans 5:8), and now He continually works this priceless love into the fabric of our individual lives. 
     So living loved means that I am becoming more and more aware of the evidence of His working all things out for what's best for me. But I may miss this evidence (in spite of the constant reminder of the cross of Jesus) if I forget that God, as the One who is love ,is also the One who defines what love looks like! His love is expressed from His eternal, all-knowing perspective so that He is always doing what is best for me from that perspective, and that often doesn’t look quite like what I think is best in the moment! My limited perspective often defines “best” in terms of what feels good or seems right rather than what is best over the long haul. (Of course none of you ever do that, right? :-)).

     On the other hand, living loved does also mean that we become increasingly aware of His affection and passion for us. None of us would appreciate a love that doesn't include passion and feeling. So it is that Holy Spirit pours a genuine (and felt) awareness of God's love into our hearts as Paul says in Romans 5:5. And if you've never "felt" God's love, I am quite convinced that you can do so if you will but ask Him. Just be aware that feelings by themselves encompass only a very small part of God's love for you.
      Living loved also includes our getting healed up: emotionally, spiritually, relationally. Many people grow up in environments almost completely devoid of love; environments that are instead filled with anger, rejection, hatred, violence, etc. Someone who has experienced things like this cannot possibly grasp God's love apart from lots of inner healing in the context of a loving community. But it is God's love, of course, that draws us wounded folks deeper and deeper into His healing and into His community. I trust that's been your experience and pray that if it isn't that God will lead you into that kind of healing community.
     Living loved also means getting an increasingly better handle on God's grace, and it’s this that leads to deepening trust (faith). I am discovering that many believers don't really "get grace" and therefore think of their lives in terms of behavior rather than heart, and in terms of performance rather than expressions of who they are. I don't have time to elaborate on "getting grace" today, but grab a copy of The Cure or He Loves Me if you still struggle to understand grace. Remember, dear ones: you don't "work up" faith. Rather it expands and deepens in response to your understanding (from the heart) of God's love and grace!
     Wow! I have only written about the first of these, and I have already written a lot. And I could write much, much more. But let me cover the others at least briefly.

     Living Listening. I can't tell you how important I think this is! Hearing and heeding God's voice, in my opinion, is absolutely essential to living the abundant life that Jesus promises to His followers. My life with Jesus is one of constant conversation with Him, with me doing a lot of listening! In John 10:27 Jesus says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." I can't think of a better summary of what listening means.  The word "listen" here can be translated as "hear," "recognize" and/or "listen," and in the context of this verse it means all three: God's people are able to hear, able to recognize and encouraged to listen (and follow). I have written previously about this, though, so I reluctantly leave this subject for now, pausing only to remind you that inner stillness, fed by ongoing surrender (which we will talk about in a minute), is the foundation for hearing God well. 

     Living Saturated. I haven't written as much about this topic, and I can't write much today, but I have grown increasingly convinced that Paul had good reason to tell the Ephesians to “Be being filled with the Spirit." Inviting the Holy Spirit to come and saturate, permeate and overwhelm me as often as needed is one of the ways that I am learning to be able to "practice the presence of God" and live in the place of peace that enables me to hear Papa's voice and respond from His heart rather than react from mine (not that I do that 100% of the time!). Why not take time right now to pause and invite Holy Spirit to come, fill and refresh you? You will be pleasantly surprised to discover that, as you allow your heart to "go soft" before Him and invite Holy Spirit to fill you afresh, He will indeed make His presence known!

     Living Surrendered. I trust that this one is rather obvious. We can’t be led unless we are willing to follow, so surrender is a huge key to living loved, getting healed up, hearing God's voice (why would He talk to someone who didn't respond?), etc. I wonder if surrender isn't rather scary for most people, though. Maybe it will help, if you are one of those, to remind yourself that you are surrendering to a loving Father, not a harsh and cruel master. Remember, too, that we are not surrendering to an idea, a principle or even a way of life. We are surrendering to a Lover who never coerces but always knows what's best. Renewing our surrender often (I tend to take it back at times!) is an essential part of the living loved life, as I trust you can see.

     All of these work in concert with one another, and none of them are optional. Love is the foundation, but unless you surrender to the One who is Love He cannot lead you into wholeness and your destiny. Indeed, surrender to His love, even when you don’t feel it, is one of the ways that your knowledge of His love grows! And unless His Spirit saturates you in ways that overrule your flesh life, you won't fully experience the flow of His life in you and through you to others. And He cannot lead you anywhere if you cannot hear His voice! 
     There's much more I could write, but maybe later.... And I haven't even really touched on how this all happens in the context of community! Suffice it to say that you cannot live loved and listening in isolation. Father's love is primarily expressed to us through others, and neither can we learn to hear Him apart from others. And Ephesians 5:18 (be being filled with the Spirit) is also in the context of community (check it out!). Maybe at a later time I can elaborate further on these, eh? For now, I am...
     Increasingly aware of His love,

Tom, one of Abba's dearly loved children