In Plain Sight

In the latest movie version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Walter (played by Ben Stiller) sets out to find a photographer (Sean Penn) in an effort to recover a missing photograph ("The Quintessence of Life"). This decision by the main character turns into an adventurous pursuit, only to discover that what he was looking for was near him all the time. A great reminder for each of us. How easy it is to miss what is hiding in plain sight.

A.W. Tozer once said, "Every age has its own characteristics, right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us." It is my opinion that religion has taken something that should be as natural as breathing, and turned it into an exercise in futility. As more and more people leave the church, we must begin to understand what is taking place. Many of these people are NOT rejecting Christ, they simply don't agree with our version of life in Him.

I want you to consider for a moment how religion has affected our faith. This is what people tend to hear:
Have to...
Must do...
Should have...
Don't do...

This, of course, is radically different from the words of Jesus:
Come to Me...
Learn of Me...
Walk with Me...
Abide in Me...

The point that I'm trying to make is that Jesus operated on a much simpler platform than the religious leaders of His day. Could it be that He operates much different from ours today?

Grab hold of this:
Jesus said that LOVE fulfilled all the commandments.
Paul taught that love was/is a better way.
The Apostle John talked about God's love being perfected among us.
Leave it to the Father to give us something so simple that we would underestimate its value. Leave it to the Abba of Jesus to hide something in plain sight. These words (and this mandate of love) have been around for centuries, and we have yet to see the impact they could have in the world.

The more I mature in my faith, the more I realize that love is the greatest agent of change in the Earth. Love is the greatest form of discipleship, the greatest means of evangelism, and the truest form of holiness. The Bible tells us that God is LOVE. Therefore, LOVE is the likeness that we carry. It's this likeness that we should be growing into. This likeness that will ultimately conform us into the image of the Son. This likeness that carries with it the abundant life that Jesus promised. It may sound crazy, but growing in the love of God produces the greatest results in our lives.

I have discovered that the more I'm aware of God's love for me, the more aware I become of God's love for others. The more I can see myself as someone who is loved outrageously, the more aware I sense this love the Father has for the rest of His creation. If the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus point to anything, it's this: Humanity is completely loved by God.

Let the naysayers begin:
Love is to simplistic to be that effective.
Love is just an emotion.
If we just love everybody then nobody will change.
Really? Do we honestly believe that love is that weak? Do we really believe that love is impotent? What changed your life if it wasn't the love of God?

You see...that's where we miss it. We forget that it was the love of God for us that got our attention. The goodness of God that leads to repentance has been replaced by the judgement of God that leads to a fear filled Christianity. We speak so much on the "things of God" that we assume, rather than focus on the nature of God that we know. The Father believed that it was His love for humanity that would make a difference. Jesus embodied that belief. The Father demonstrated His love so perfectly that even when we failed to believe Christ died for us. Even when the masses rejected Him, the Father did not reject us.

Love - hiding in plain sight - hidden within earthen vessels - can truly make a difference. May it be said of the Church, that the world has experienced the love of God because they experienced us.