Real Talk #4: Real Love.

"Love to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self."-Momma T.

Momma T had obviously been digging into God's Word when she wrote this...There is not one place in Scripture that says that love is easy. NO WHERE. It says that love means giving up your own wants, dying to self, leaving behind your family and friends, having compassion (literally feeling the pain and brokenness of others), living in obedience, and even dying.

God's love is not like the world's. The world says that you deserve love. Abba says, "You don't deserve love, but I give it freely out of My Grace." The world says that when someone hurts you, you should leave them behind and never forgive them. Abba says, "They hurt you? Love them with action and truth." HIS LOVE is REAL LOVE.

It cost us everything to love with the love that Abba calls us to. It WILL hurt. It WILL empty us of ourselves. Those are the signs of REAL LOVE.

Paul's love for Jesus and the Gospel took him to prison over and over and over.
Think about it. Precious Jesus' love for His Abba took Him to the cross to save a world that HATED Him.

The kind of love that Jesus calls us to live is a selfless love that is put to action through obedience.

When we love Jesus, we will follow Him...When we follow HIM, we leave our selfish desires behind. That hurts.

When we love Jesus, we have to love Him more than our family...Sometimes, we must leave our family...That seems like a high price.

When we love Jesus, we will love His Bride. Let's face it, His bride is sometimes a whore (selling itself to the things of this world). Straight-up. That takes real love.

When we love the widows and the orphans, we are going to be broken.

When we love our enemies, we are going to feel drained.

When you love with REAL love, there are going to be nights where you can't sleep b/c you are carrying someone else's burden because it was too heavy for them to carry alone.

REAL LOVE brings JOY and laughter and smiles...BUT it also has a cost...but the cost is worth it...

HIS LOVE is REAL LOVE.

Let Him pour His Love into you, then pour that REAL LOVE into others' lives...