Love lifts us up, where we belong...

While celebrating my sister’s birthday on Wednesday, “Love lifts us up where we belong” played on the screen, with Joe Crocker and Jennifer Warnes beautifully expressing the heartfelt lyrics.

You can hear the song here.

It made me smile, as I sat there reflecting upon the lyrics…as Yes, God is love, and He does lift us up to where we belong - which we cannot do ourselves!  For He restores us to a reconciled relationship with Him, as His children, through Jesus Christ…

The lyrics of this song offer a beautiful chance for reflection upon life.

It does seem in our world, few hearts survive…and when we’ve been reborn by the blessed Holy Spirit and have new eyes to see, we realise this is due to our rebellion.

Yes, the road is long and there are many mountains in our way…the enemy does try to destroy us…but when we belong to God, no matter what we face, He enables us to endure the long journey, never forsaking us, enabling us to rise and soar like eagles with Him!  There are times when He also will level a mountain, for His will to be done in our lives.

When we take time out with God, He does lift us up, far above this world, where His clear winds blow and we can more clearly hear His voice.  

While many people choose to clutch onto their sinful lives and remain broken by their past, we live in the here and now in freedom from our sin, and in His light which we shine out to others!  

Love has lifted us up to where we belong, so how could we not want this for others?

Living in Christ’s light is truly liberating and the way for peace and joy, regardless of what the world throws at us.

I have been blessed to reconnect with an old school acquaintance this week via Facebook.  They commented on how the last time they saw me, we were both in our early 20’s.  They called out to me, but was unsure if I saw them or not.  This person remarked how I was in a popular area of Melbourne, renowned for its night spots, and I was sporting a small black skirt in very cold weather!

It made me think about how much of my life before I was born again, I spent wearing black and remember of how after my re-birth, I actually felt drawn to colour.

It may not seem important to you, but it was a significant change I noticed occur inside of me.

There is still so much colour in my wardrobe these days!

I remember how I wore black all the time…I thought it was slimming and chic…and of how colour just felt wrong when I put it on…

I now understand how symbolic this was of my life back then…for I truly loved the darkness, I was stuck, a slave to my evil deeds, and was in rebellion to Christ…but when I confessed my rebellion, seeking The Lord’s forgiveness and experienced liberation and peace, I became drawn to the light.  Now, just as I love to wear colour, I love my deeds to glorify The Lord and to live in His glorious light.  Just as the following scripture says:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.  “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”  

(John 3:16-21 NRSV)

Yes, Love lifts us up to where we belong…to reconciliation to God as His children, living in the light of Christ…Oh, praise The Lord!

In His love, Melanie.