Love Suffers Long

Last couple of days, the words "Love people to wholeness" have just been circling and circling in my head. It got me really thinking. Especially of a really friend of mine, due to tragedy who lost someone very dear. "Love her to wholeness". She is really suffering right now, due to the loss.

Suffering is a very unique term. Especially in the life of a Christian. To some extent it is even unavoidable and as Christians, we are asked to take pleasure in it.

Phillipians 3:10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

2 Corinthians 1:5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

1 Peter 3:14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats

Lol, it almost seems that the Christian life is pretty masochistic. That if is that you suffer for Christ.

Suffering for Christ is not Cancer for Jesus Society, or Poverty for Jesus, or suffering from mental illness, depression and emotional distraught.

Why isn't that suffering for Christ? Jesus healed the sick, you should not be sick, cancer for Jesus is a lie, Jesus was never sick, Jesus fed the hungry, you should never go hungry because of poverty, Jesus raised the dead, your child should not die, nor should you lose your love ones early. Jesus cast the demons out of people, he set those who are in bondage free, all those who lose their mind became whole. All were made well.

A lot of Christians tend to suffer from Christian schizophrenia. To non-Christians, we say "Come to Jesus and all your sins will be forgiven". And then when we become Christians, we warn people "Beware of Sin~! After God curses you". That does not honour the blood of Jesus. Jesus blood is so powerful it has wiped out ALL sins. Past, present, future.

Galatians 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.

Knock off the stupid stuff, live a righteous life following after the Spirit, and Live. God has so much more in store for you, more than what the world can offer. Hence, the Word of who you are in Christ, what God has in store for you, and our mission is so important.

Jesus said Matthew 6:10 - "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." There is no sickness, poverty, death or mental psychosis in heaven. Heaven is the model. You are supposed to pull it down to earth. Jesus is the perfect representation of every Christian. We impersonate Christ, it is impossible with our own strength, but we have the Holy Spirit. All things are possible in Christ.

So what is suffering for Christ? Carrying up your cross. Bearing the burden. What did Jesus suffer on earth? Persecution and Loving people.

I like what Kris Vallotton says "You can be in pain and not love, but you cannot love and not be open to pain". The door that opens up to love opens up the opportunity for pain. When you love someone, I'm not talking about BGR, but love, truly love someone, you invest your time, emotion, and even who you are on them. You are not only just being there for them, speaking words, but giving your life, piece by piece to them to build them up. Hence, you open up yourself to hurt, because you are giving yourself to them, and people sometimes do reject that, and it is rejecting you. Or even despising what you give them.

Yeah, even as Christians we hurt each other. But learn to love each other. Because although we are humans and make mistakes that unintentionally hurt each other, 1 Peter 4:8 - "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins".

Why is loving people suffering?

Life isn't about suffering. It's about Joy. But there are times that things do "happen" in our life, or in the life of those whom we love. Like my friend, who lost her loved one. Or times of trials and tribulation, when things in life just doesn't go right.

The question is not to ask God "Why", but rather "What". The attitude in life that you adopt would set course your destiny. The difference between a David and a Saul. I don't know why things happen. Even Job asked so many questions. It's becoming one of my favorite study books because he asks all the deep crying questions of our heart but he never got any answers to them. Not because God wasn't answering His questions. Actually God was. It's simply this "I see All". Not just our current, but what is coming. He See's All. All possible alternate timeline, all possible futures, all possibilities.

One revelation I felt, is that everytime we hurt. God is hurt with us. Jesus cried when he saw Lazarus. Why do bad things happen? I don't know. But we're not there Yet. We live in a world of conflict, and if Jesus was Here, it wouldn't happen. Hence, Jesus is coming back AGAIN!!!

So why does loving others hurt? It's because not only we open up ourselves to hurt. Be we share their hurts. Phillipians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings. Fellowship, being in life with people as we are in life with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 12:26 - And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

We suffer, because we care. To a brother or sister who has suffered loss, we as a body suffers not because the part of the body is now only dysfunctional. But we support the part, nursing it back to health, and drag it along in this world until it has been healed, pushing on for the Kingdom.

The cross is not just heaven to earth, up down, but left right, us to men. Reaching out to others, caring, loving others as Jesus love us. Getting in Fellowship with each other, carrying each others pains and burdens, and giving them up to the Lord, sharing in each others lives. The Pharisee's asked Jesus which is the GREATEST OF ALL COMMANDMENTS. Jesus gave them 1 commandment. Love God, Love men. It's not 2 commandments. It's one. When you love God, you will automatically love men.

Hence, Urban Life. It's not just a bible-study. But doing life together, sharing life in health and sickness. Praying for one another, building each other up with the Word of God, and truly being there for one another. The devil comes like a roaring Lion. And how Lions attack and kill, is by singling out their prey, and going for the kill.

To love someone who is suffering is to be really there for them. And it is and can be absolutely draining, especially if it doesn't seem to go anywhere. They can be like a black-hole, sucking, consuming everything in, just going into the "pity-me" state. Like a pauper "feed-me" mentality, hence the children of Israel went round and round in the desert for 40 years, and only 2 people out of that generation made it into the Promise Land.

Hence, repentance is a beautiful thing. And we are called to "Love people into wholeness". Love people, inspire, encourage.. for your dark night of the soul shall only last for a night. But Joy comes in the morning. To love someone into wholeness is not just simply loving people when they are down. But also to rely on the strength, wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit.

I can only impart what I have. If I do not sit at Jesus feet, I am like the dried up old wine-skin, being squeezed for the single last drop to thirsty people and squeezed out like Martha. Or I could sit at Jesus's feet and receive New Wine. You cannot bear other peoples burdens forever. But you can out of love help carry theirs, until they are ready to give it to Jesus and see the restoration flow. Like Job's 3 friends, who sat beside Job after he suffered such loss. Bearing one anothers sufferings, getting down with people, being with them in their life.

Love people into wholeness. That is your call. That is your burden. To Love like Jesus.