Stelle,
With boundless joy, by mercy you will love. This is true and right as our Lord loved neighbor and glorified God. Jesus loved when he wept and on the day he turned the tables at the temple. Strive as you will to discern this love, to give more than measured unto you.
George MacDonald wrote, “For He regards men not merely as they are, but as they shall be; and not merely as they shall be, but as they are growing, or capable of growing, towards that image after which He made them that they might grow to it. Therefore a thousand stages, each in itself all but valueless, are of inestimable worth as the necessary gradations of an infinite progress. A condition which, resulting from moral decline, would indicate a devil, may of growth indicate a saint.” Every moment presents choice. Strive to will toward God, to love the last and the first and all between with good measure.
In faith, in love, this is all there is. You will encounter resistance to this love by form and word, by person and public, by euphemism and pretense. Wolves wearing wool will seek to elicit the least in you, will tempt you to self, to glorify an earthly kingdom rather than a heavenly one. Will to love. Euphemisms are but whispers in the wind, rustling the leaves on the tree of your life. You can will nothing to overcome God’s love for you. In every gradation, seek His will. I have failed in my journey. You will, too. For you, I pray less. God shall be your strength and portion as He has been mine.
As you see wrong in others, see, also, the wrong in you. Pray God will show it to you. Make every effort to correct the wrong within first. Love demands this effort. George MacDonald also wrote, “Oh the folly of any mind that would explain God before obeying Him! That would map out the character of God instead of crying, Lord, what wouldst thou have me do?”
Every what wouldst thou have me do, every gradation of joy through obedience, every struggle in life brings you closer to God, to what you shall be, to what He wills you to be. Be watchful in your walk. Look to God with intent as a Moravian brother did when praying these words— “Of each weight still more divested, freed from every earthly view, be our purpose, unmolested, our high calling to pursue.”
These lessons can only find meaning in the action of your life, who you are, who God wants you to be. Do not rest on any plateau for long. Keep seeking, keep loving God and neighbor. This will not always be your highest desire. When it is not, return to God. Keep walking. From His abundance, God provides. Do your best to bring your neighbor with you, to bring light into darkness, to be light as God is light in you.
Be careful of the word “ought” in your walk.
Love,
Deacon