I formerly wrote to you, “The Presence of the Holy Spirit is the true essential to life. He has an active desire to connect with each person in the now moments of life. The Holy Spirit’s life is so big that He builds His worlds around each individual person through a love connection. That connection is called a covenant.” {see Covenant – Connect}
I understand that this statement seems irrational to the person who only wants to know about God – how He works with humanity and what He wants humankind to do for Him. However, the theology of man has the possibility of tremendous disappointment and a falling away.
What good is theology if it is only a study about God and not a study of Who He is and what His great heart is like. What does His great heart actually desire?
For millennia, many are the names of theologians who have spent their lives knowing about God. In their variety of ways, they can tell us what to do and how to act. They write volumes and fill libraries with their opinionated studies while their dogmas expect us to behave the way they tell us. From all of their studies about God we are to believe in Him.
Most missionary endeavors of the past have been worldview, cultural change of whole societies that have been delivered in God’s name. Heaven would have laughed if this hadn’t produced such horrifying results.
For some, it seems dangerous to know God, and the alternative is to know about Him. Yochanan (John), the apostle of Yeshua, who lovingly laid his head upon the breast of Christ, later in life, wrote:
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” – 1 John 4:8
According to a traditional story that I have been told, the Nez Perce Indian tribe of the Idaho/Washington region received a visitation. It was said that pale-faced men would come from the east bearing leaves of gold with the words of heavens on them. (There are variations in this statement that are told, but that is the gist.) There is a tremendous amount of very sad history concerning the Nez Perce and what came of their search for the “words of heaven,” but there is little doubt that they wanted to know the God of heaven and not the theology of the conquering Europeans. What they were given was pale-faced culture and missionary zeal to teach them about God.
The Hebrew commentary of Shir haShirim, Song of Songs, gives and view of the great heart of God that is known in part by a poor Jewish widow who’s story corrects the course of the revered theologian.
“The Chofetz Chaim, in eulogizing his departed son, told a heartbreaking yet inspiring tale about how even ordinary people were capable of keeping God uppermost in their minds in every possible experience.
During the gruesome pogroms and bloodletting of the vicious Bogdan Chmielnicki and his barbarous Cossack hordes, a Jewish boy was murdered. He was the only child of his widowed mother. She knelt over his dead body, all alone in the world, and then looked up and spoke: “Master of the universe, until now half of my love went to You and half went to my son. Now that my son is dead, I give all my love to You.”
The Chofetz Chaim concluded his tearful eulogy saying, “I try to serve God, but I am only a human being. No matter how much I love God, some of the love in my heart belongs to my children. Now my son is gone, and, like that Jewish mother, I will take that love and give it all to God.”
That story displays a degree of greatness and single-minded devotion to God that is almost beyond comprehension. We might expect it from the saintly Chofetz Chaim, but surely not from an unlettered Polish widow. Truly did Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz say, “We are in the habit of saying that we cannot Conceive of the spiritual loftiness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That statement is mistaken. We cannot even conceive of the spiritual greatness of our grandmothers.”
The word ‘love’ has become cheapened and degraded in today’s common parlance. Today it is used as a synonym for gratification of the senses, but it means something else entirely.
One of the masters of Mussar said,” When a person says he loves chicken, he doesn’t love the chicken, he loves himself. If he loved the chicken, he wouldn’t slaughter it and eat it.” (( Shir haShirim; Song of Songs, The Artscroll Tanach Series; pp. lii-liii; by Mwesorah Publications, © 1977-1996; https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9780899060088.html ))
I don’t want to know about God. I want to to be captivated by my love for Him. I want to be constantly aware of His love for me. Then, I want to journey in oneness with Him to love those whom He loves. Each step is – cool.
Captivated!
A word defined by more than its context – its surrounding circumstances. It could literally mean imprisonment. But poets and song writers have also defined a highly focused love attentiveness and assigned this word, captivated. Yet, there are those who believe that they are captivated by their circumstances – imprisoned and locked into their house with no social connection.
Peter was imprisoned. An angel came in the night and struck him to awaken him, saying, “Get up and put your shoes on. We are getting outta this prison.” {Acts 5:17-20 & Acts 12:6-17} Note that in the first of these scriptures, Peter and John go directly to the house of Yehovah and in the second, Peter goes directly to the house of Miriam. In the house is not imprisonment, it is freedom.
Captive? Maybe.
Imprisoned? Not at all.
In His grasp? Absolutely.
Captivated!
It is written that the fruit of the Spirit is love. One of the attributes of this magnificent Love is the Greek word is enkratia, a compound word it means to “contained within a hold or grasp”; or figuratively, “in dominion.” The fruit of the Holy Spirit has an ability to grasp us in His mighty hand and hold us – keep us – in His love. I think this is captivating.
“In My Father’s house are many abiding places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” – John 14:2-3
We need to find our way to the Father’s house and remain there because we are captivated by our love for Him – He is captivated by His love for us.
Passover tells us of what Yeshua would build-prepare for us. Israel was to stay in their home. It’s a type and shadow of heaven – the new Jerusalem – the true house of God and the Lamb.
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” – Revelation 22:1
Then begins the “journey” for the Lamb is the Way – the journey.
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” – Jesus – John 14:6
The way to Him should not be to try and know about Him. The way to Him is to know Him and be captivated by your hearts love for Him.