Love is Horizontal and Vertical
If we were to peek behind the drywall in this room and notice that all of the vertical studs had been removed, and there were only horizontal beams, we would leave the building as soon as possible. And likewise, if the building only had vertical studs and no horizontal beams, we would feel unsafe knowing that the building was not stable. We'd run for the exits!
Likewise, if we took a piece of fabric and pulled out all of the vertical or horizontal strands, we would be left with nothing but a handful of strands and dangling threads in either hand. The piece of fabric only exists because the strands run in different directions, giving body and support, and form to the cloth.
God's love is limitless in every direction (Eph. 3:18).
"And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is" (Ephesians 3:18, NLT).
God's love is not one dimensional. He instructs us and shows us to love one another, even as He has love us, because our love for Him and others originates from Him and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf (1 John 3:16; 4:7-10).
Jesus' death reveals us to be liars when we say things like, "I love God with all my heart, but I just can't get along with him/her." Or, "I get along with everyone, but I just don't have any time for God."
We fool ourselves when we say we love Him (vertical strands of faith), but do not love others (horizontal strands of faith). Or when we say we have love and care for our fellow man, but show no love or care for the God who created us all.
Like a poorly constructed building or poorly woven cloth, our love and relationships are flimsy at best and dangerous at worst, when they are not rooted and grounded in the multi-dimensional love of God.
What an opportunity to grow in our love for one another as we pursue a deeper relationship of love for God!
Sometimes Life Is Just This Random
Sometimes life is just so random. Take for example the “accidental” good fortune ($10 million worth!) of LaQuedra Edwards of SoCal, whose random collision with a stranger resulted in the haul of a lifetime.
As UPI reports:
Edwards had just put $40 into a lottery ticket vending machine at a supermarket in Los Angeles when "some rude person" bumped into her, causing her to accidentally push the wrong number on the machine.
"He just bumped into me, didn't say a thing and just walked out the door," Edwards said.
Edwards was quire resentful at first, because she had just put nearly all her cash into the machine, and was now committed to a lotto ticket that was not of her choosing.
She usually purchases cheaper tickets, but the accidental button push meant she'd bought a $30 200X Scratchers ticket.
Her annoyance and frustration was quickly turned to exuberant disbelief as she began scratching the ticket, only to find that she just won the $10 million jackpot!
Edwards said. "I pulled over, looked at it again and again, scanned it with my (California Lottery mobile) app, and I just kept thinking this can't be right."
The fact that such a thing could happen to one means that it could just as easily happen to anyone. God's love is indiscriminate and the random nature of life is meant to drive that point home.
Today it may rain on my field but tomorrow it may rain on yours. Either way, the message is the same. God loves us all indiscriminately.
"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Mattew 5:45b, NIV).
Every Soul Is Priceless
"A speaker started his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. 'Who would like this?' he asked. Hands went up throughout the audience. 'I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first let me do this.' He crumpled the bill. 'Who still wants it?' The same hands went up in the air. 'Well, ' he replied, 'what if I do this?' He dropped the twenty and started to grind it into the carpet with his shoe He picked it up, all wrinkled and dirty. 'Now who still wants it?' Again, hands went into the air. 'You have all learned a valuable lesson,' the speaker said 'No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.'"
Mr. Kays adds, "Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and grounded into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are priceless to Him."
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).