Love’s Prepared Response
2 Corinthians 2:8 MKJV
(8) So I beseech you to confirm your love toward him.
It’s bad enough having to get up in front of a room full of people to sing or play something for their listening enjoyment. For some reason these butterflies take flight down in the stomach, and there is this overwhelming notion to join them in flight to somewhere far away. What makes this even more daunting, though, is when very little preparation has gone into the performance; the notes and lyrics aren’t really very secure because no practice has taken place. Not only will there be uneasiness from just being in the performance position, but there is a very good chance that everything will come out wrong, causing further confirmation that this just isn’t your gift. Really, though, there may be a great performance experience inside just waiting for the necessary preparation.
There is a natural response we’ve developed over time where we perform for people on a regular basis based upon how they look and act. The problem is that without any preparation our performance can often be a real mess, sometimes without even knowing that it was. It’s easy to just be put off with the people themselves, while at the same time feeling that this response you are giving is just the way you are and this is just how you act when around this kind of person. For the one, though, who has experienced forgiveness in God’s love and resulting new life in Him, who they are has changed, as they’ve been given the ability to perform in the way of God’s love instead of that old ‘natural’ way. All it takes is preparation, where the new nature in Christ is allowed to be developed. Discovering the characteristics of His love response and letting them occupy thoughts and words will prepare for that moment when the heart of God needs to be seen most. Meditating on the way He’s given us to live in Him will transform the old ’natural’ responses to God responses of love and peace. His love inside will have a confirming response.
