There’s are lighthouses up the coast of Lake Michigan that stand out on the ends of the piers. The spring storms come and the winds blow and the massive waves crash over them. Every winter, the waves come in and they often become completely encrusted with ice. Yet throughout all the extreme weather, the lighthouse remains firm. It is firmly anchored to the concrete pier and is unmoved by the force of the water and the wind. It’s anchored. Jesus speaks to Simon and changes his name from Simon (stone) to Peter (rock) and says, “Upon this rock (Christ) I will build my church and death and hell will not be able to move it.” In Ephesians 3:17, St. Paul also speaks about being “rooted and grounded in love,” so that our faith will not waver in the day of shaking. There’s a massive tree that stands at the edge of a field, and for year after year, it has taken the brunt of the winds and the rains yet continues to stand and thrive. With a trunk like an iron beam, it has withstood the tests of the weather. Its roots have gone deep — sometimes the root system of a tree below the ground are as extensive as the branch system above the ground!
When things get difficult, when the waves crash and the winds blow, are we anchored in a place of love? Do we stand like that tree at the edge of a field or that lighthouse on Lake Michigan at the end of the pier? Firm. Resolute. Unbowed. Unbroken.
In Matthew 22, we read the words of Jesus — that you would “love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength.” In order to be so anchored, it is critical that we become wholehearted lovers of God. Meaning, it is something we have to intentionally seek to do. Being wholehearted is to give yourself to a cause. Fully. No holds barred. So the Holy Spirit has been given to those who believe to help reveal the heart of the Father to us. As we study the scriptures, meditate, pray, worship, have conversations, experience the beauty of creation, and engage with the teaching of the Word, the Holy Spirit uses those opportunities to guide us into truth and deeper levels of spirituality. The more intimate we become with the Father (meaning an intentional life of searching out wisdom and knowledge) the greater levels of love and character He reveals – about Himself. Then we find out more about ourselves – lies are revealed; wounds are healed; destiny and direction are given.
I become an unmovable beacon of light — cutting through the fog and pointing the way to Christ; for it is His light that shines through me.
What’s incredible about the love of God is this: The same love that the Father has for His son, Jesus Christ, He has for us (John 15:9). What a staggering thought! To us that is a radical statement. For Him it is a undeniable certainty. Because He loved us so fiercely and deeply, He sent a part of Himself to become us, experience us, and die for us – experiencing all the pain of sin and death. This, truly, is one of the few cases when we can say, “mind blown.” Because it is incomprehensible to a finite human to the lengths that an infinite God, creator / sustainer of all there is, would go to express His love for me. And for you.
To be anchored in such a love means that I live without offense. I respond in kindness instead of sarcasm. I give instead of take. I practice mercy and give grace rather than operate in a vindictive and mean spirit. I bless instead of curse. Love causes me to live the opposite way — as Jesus speaks of in Matthew 5-6-7. When I do this, the roots push down, deeper and deeper into the soil of the character of God. I become an unmovable beacon of light — cutting through the fog and pointing the way to Christ; for it is His light that shines through me.
So today, on Valentine’s Day, when we celebrate love, may you embrace the reality of His fierce love for you. May all the clutter around your mind be stilled in the face of His great love, and may you know today that you are deeply, deeply loved.