Eye has not seen, nor ear heard

.... Nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Though ultimately this saying will be most fully fulfilled in heaven, yet the context shows Paul is really speaking about the here and now. In verses 3 and 4, Paul tells that he came to the Corinthians in weakness, and that his preaching was not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. In the last couple of days, the Lord has demonstrated something of His power. Yesterday as we prayed for a young woman on her way to Teen Challenge, the Spirt came on us in a powerful and tangible way, the previous day the Lord had instantaneously healed a grossly swollen arm of a little baby, and the swelling had “deflated” in front of the doctors eyes. Praise the Lord!

There are three different words in the original Greek of the New Testament that are translated “love” in our English Bibles. Perhaps a little over simplistically,  the first is eros, from which we get the word erotic, so as I say a bit simplistically this is sexual love. The world tends to think this is love period. The second is “philoe,” it is affectionate friendship love, Philadelphia  means the city of brotherly love (delphos is the Greek word for brother). My name Philip is philoe- hupos,  lover of horses! Finally there is agape, agape is the love with which God so loved the word that, at incredible cost of suffering and death He gave His only Son so that  whosoever believes in His should not perish but have everlasting life  (John 3:16).  It is this last word for love that is used in this morning's verse. It is this same word that Jesus used when He said “If you love me, obey my commandments (John 14:15).

There is a sense in which it is right to be content, not lusting after things of the world, not being envious of what others have etc. (1 Timothy 6:6). But there is another sense in which it keeps us in mediocrity.  We can be lukewarm in the Faith, neither hot nor cold (Revelation 3:16), and likely we have all been there at times. It is one of the reasons I love being around new converts, not yet ruined by “normal” church! And I put normal in inverted commas here, because, at least in the West, what seems to be normal is far, far below what is available, what is prepared for,  and is available for,  those who agape Him. Deeply chastened after the three denials, when Jesus asked Peter if he agaped Him, Peter could only answer that he philieod Him. In this exchange, Jesus recommissioned him and Peter went on in that commissioning to agape Him.

Father, You are telling us again this morning that there is so much more. Lord I repent for myself and others,  for those times we (I)  lost our passion, lost our first love. Lord please help us to buy gold from You that we may be refined in the fire (Revelation 3:18, 19). Lord let us not be content with anything less than all You have prepared for us.  Lord, we choose again this morning to love (agape) You with all our heart, mind,  soul and strength, no matter what the cost. We need Your help Lord,  and we're asking for it,  in Jesus Name Amen