I Am The Love

Love is not merely about mercy and peace; it is a harmonious blend of mercy and truth, justice and peace. True love seeks not only to comfort but also to uphold what is right and true. It extends kindness while remaining rooted in honesty, and it offers compassion while ensuring fairness. Love is the balance of grace and integrity, advocating for peace while standing firm in justice.

Freedom that comes at the cost of disregarding justice and truth is not true freedom; it is a descent into lawlessness and an abuse of the very laws that were meant to uphold order and fairness. Such a distorted concept of mercy or peace, stripped of accountability and truth, becomes a mere facade, a mask that hides chaos and deception.

True freedom is grounded in righteousness, where justice and truth walk hand in hand with mercy and peace. Without this balance, what appears to be freedom is little more than an illusion, leading to instability and undermining the moral foundations of society. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10

"So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22.

DragonFox91 said:

Yeah, at least in regards to the Lord, that’s why Satan lies & other religions & worldviews are created, so who he really is is distorted. We can’t love who we don’t know!

One thing I’ve really been learning about love is it’s self-sacrifice, but I’m not sure I even like the term ‘sacrifice.’ That implies you’re losing, or being taken advantage of, or you’re weak somehow b/c you’ve written your own life off . But that’s not right, you’re acting the way you are b/c you want to, they become your life.

The other thing I’ve learned about love is not just romantic love or family love. The phrase you hear normally is ‘brotherly love.’ But that can be just as powerful & sadly is pushed to the side in favor of romantic love & family love.

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The modern world has tragically misunderstood and distorted the love of Christ. Many call for mercy and peace, seeking comfort and blessings, yet fail to embody those very virtues in their actions toward others. Instead of extending grace and compassion, they often act in ways that oppose the teachings of Christ, even going so far as to persecute Him through their rejection of His principles.

This distortion creates a shallow view of Christ's love, a love that is not only merciful but also grounded in justice and truth. True forgiveness, as offered through the sacrifice on the cross, is not without condition or substance. It requires a deep acknowledgment of one’s own need for grace and a commitment to live according to the truth Christ embodied.

If we wish to partake in the forgiveness of the cross, we must first accept the full picture of what it represents: not just its mercy, but its call to repentance and its affirmation of divine justice. The cross stands as both an invitation to peace and a challenge to live in truth. To desire the blessings of forgiveness without embracing the responsibility that comes with it is to misunderstand the transformative power of Christ's love.

All sin will be accounted for on the Day of Passover and the Day of the Lord. No one will escape the righteous judgment of God, for His holiness demands that every transgression be brought to light. On that day, you must come prepared with the provision God Himself has made, the Lamb, spotless and without blemish, the ultimate sacrifice that stands in your place.

This choice mirrors the first Passover in Egypt when the angel of death moved through the land, striking down the firstborn of every household that was not marked by the blood of the lamb on its doorposts. In the same way, the Day of the Lord will come with a demand for accountability. The question will not be whether sin is judged but how it is atoned for.

You will either bring the Lamb that God has graciously provided, Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses and protects, or the judgment will fall on what is most precious within your house. Just as the firstborn in Egypt was taken by the angel of death, so too will unatoned sin lead to destruction. It is not God's desire for anyone to perish, but for all to accept the provision He has made and live.

The message is clear: the choice is before us. Will we trust in the sacrifice God has given, or will we bear the weight of sin alone? The Lamb is God’s invitation, His mercy extended, but it is also a warning that sin must not remain unaddressed. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 11:27

If you have not extended to others the same mercy and peace that I have so graciously offered to you, then the grace I have given will no longer cover you, and the blessings I have poured into your life will be retracted. In the same way you have withheld kindness, forgiveness, and compassion, you too will be faced with the consequences of your actions.

The weight of your own misdeeds will now rest upon your shoulders, and you will be held accountable for the debts you owe, for each unkind word and act, and for every opportunity you missed to show the love I showed you. What you withheld from others will be demanded of you, and in that day, you will stand before the truth of your actions, having no defense, with no place to hide.

It will be clear that the path of peace, forgiveness, and mercy you were called to walk was forsaken, and you will be judged according to the measure with which you judged others. This is not a punishment but a warning, a call to reflect, to mend, and to begin again, choosing mercy and peace as your way of life before it is too late.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Matthew 18.

They say it’s just one.
One voice crying out in the dark.
But Heaven says- that one is worth it all.
Does He not rise against ten thousand
Does He not draw His sword
when the enemy comes to steal and kill?
For the Shepherd fights for one.
The thief comes for your peace,
your joy, your purpose,
but the Shepherd came for your life.
He does not flinch.
He does not retreat.
He goes to war for your soul.
With nail-pierced hands
and eyes of fire,
He calls you back.
You are not forgotten.
You are not forsaken.
You are the one.
And He is the Shepherd who fights.

He sees the mother’s tears.
The father’s silent grief.
The friend’s helpless vigil by the bedside.
The midnight prayers that groan too deep for words.
And He weeps not in despair, but in love that never fails.
Because He has been there.
And He is here.
Not just watching, but suffering with us.
Holding every sorrow in nail-scarred hands.

O Lord, You have written love into our hearts,
A flame both fierce and tender.

In joy, we taste its sweetness;
In sorrow, we drink its depth.

When love lifts us high, You are there;
When it breaks us low, still You remain.

The ache of parting is but the echo
Of Eden lost and Heaven promised.

You teach us through each season:
The kiss, the silence, the longing, the embrace.

For all of it leads to You, O Christ,
The Bridegroom who redeems every tale.

Shape us through our loving and our tears,
Till we bear Your likeness in full.

For love is the shadow of Your cross
And the seed of our resurrection.

Blessed are those who weep and still worship,
For they shall see the face of Love Himself.

Great is the mystery, and greater still,
The mercy that meets us in it.

GospelS said:

O Lord, You have written love into our hearts,
A flame both fierce and tender.

In joy, we taste its sweetness;
In sorrow, we drink its depth.

When love lifts us high, You are there;
When it breaks us low, still You remain.

The ache of parting is but the echo
Of Eden lost and Heaven promised.

You teach us through each season:
The kiss, the silence, the longing, the embrace.

For all of it leads to You, O Christ,
The Bridegroom who redeems every tale.

Shape us through our loving and our tears,
Till we bear Your likeness in full.

For love is the shadow of Your cross
And the seed of our resurrection.

Blessed are those who weep and still worship,
For they shall see the face of Love Himself.

Great is the mystery, and greater still,
The mercy that meets us in it.

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This-
A Psalm of Love and Longing
From a Daughter of David, of the Tribe of Judah
To My Father in Heaven
For My Father in Heaven
By the Spirit, unto My Father in Heaven

This I know, and He knows me.
In this knowing, I find my rest.
In this knowing, I find my forever.
And in this knowing, I make my boast.

I foresaw the LORD always before my face,
For He is at my right hand,
that I may not be shaken.

One thing I have desired of the LORD,
this only will I seek:
That I may dwell in His house all the days of my life,
To gaze upon the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in His temple.

As for me,
I will behold Your face in righteousness.
When I awake,
I will be satisfied with Your likeness.