The first drop of rain

Parched. Dry. Desolute.

Imagine a desert. No sight of any rain. No sight of any moisture. The sun high and beating its ray down unrelentless.

None of us perhaps can imagine that to its fullest extent except you walked through the desert. No rest from comfort.

One quote I read this week from John Owen, "Be killing sin or sin will kill you." I felt this quote very very insightful. Very needful.

For weeks now, I have been thinking, what is the singlest most common struggle we all face? Holy living - yes. But I feel the most definitive description really is not holy living. Neither faithless living or hopeless living. Paul says in the book of Corinthians, in constrast to faith love and hope, he says the greatest of these is love. Jesus says it aptly in Matthew 22 that Loving God and loving your neighbour is the whole summation of the law.

So love is the highest, most noblest motivation. But it is the love of God that sets a man apart. Paul made a plead in Romans 12:1 by saying, "I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God.." The mercies of God. What caused God to have mercy? I believe it is love. God's attribute of love. God has the greatest and perfect dignity. The prodigal son's father raise up his robe to run to his son. To embrace him. The perfect dignified high standing father, embraced by society, embraced with status would not assume his reputation except his zeal and love for his son.

Somehow, I felt when I read Philippians this week, God has revealed afresh and anew, the heart of Paul again. He prayed that love abounding in the Philippians. I realise that Paul really pray the prayer of our Saviour to our Heavenly Father where in John 17, Jesus prayed that believers may know the love between the Father and the son. If God is the most dignified being in the universe, that expressed love of God towards us, is the highest and most deserving that we love God, we love Jesus, we love Him with all our heart soul and strength.

Isn't the lack of love for God, the most obnoxious and revolting sin? Thanklessness that is. Romans 1 made is so clear. I can understand now why in not loving Christ, it is the most obnovious sin.

The taste of mercy drops. Moses has been called a man of faith and he lived a life forsaking the riches of Eygpt in exchange for the promises of God. God is love and he demonstrate it by forsaking His son. We have the Saviour but what would we exchange to affirm our love for Christ?

Paul pray that the love of the Philippians will abound more and more in real knowledge and discernment. Love God comes with knowing God. The singular authority that affirms and reveals God is the word of God. Our knowledge of God is regulated by Scriptures. It has to be. Love is not a emotive expression or adultery would be right. Love is divine for God is the author and is love. Knowledge, discernment and love comes hand in hand. Knowledge without love puffs up and love without knowledge will lead to sin and lostness. Paul says that His own people, the Jews have zeal but without knowledge. They may say they love God but without the way through Christ, zealousness doesn't do anything.

Lets build our love towards Christ and that all man may know the love of God is in our actions and our relationship with one another.

We are desperately in need to know this. To love Christ.

Only then with every drop of rain in our parched soul that we taste the sweetness of a fountain that flows from Emmanuel's vein. The love of Christ so rich and free.

How matchless worth is my Saviour? A resolved heart must come with a conviction of Christ's love. How would I live my life? That love may abound more and more. This is essential, the most essential towards a Godward life.

Thank God.