The Time Is Now - Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

When I was a freshman in college, some friends and I ministered weekly at a local mis­ sion, addressing the spiritual and physical needs of the homeless in downtown Portland. One of my friends took compassion on the homeless people as winter set in, and he came up with a plan to distribute gloves to as many as possible. He made arrangements with an army sur­ plus store for a shipment of one hundred pairs of gloves. To make things even bette1; the store decided to donate the gloves. Since we knew the news would cheer up the people coming to the mission, we announced ahead of time that the gloves were on their way. We would distribute them the week before Christmas. The day came to pick up the shipment. But when my friend went to the store, the man­ ager said, "I'm very sony, but the shipment didn't arrive. It's not going to work out after all." We were stunned. What would we tell all those hopeful people? We hastily pooled our own money and managed to buy a disparaging twelve pairs of gloves. Compared to the crowd that showed up on the appointed night, our dozen gifts seemed like almost nothing. We passed them out and apologized profusely for the disap­ pointment. That evening I found myself speaking with one of the older men who had come-an out­ spoken codger for whom I had become quite fond. I apologized to him again, but he stopped me in mid-sentence: "Hey, no problem." Then he made one of the wisest statements I've ever heard. "You can't give away what you don't got." The same is true with love. You can't give it if you haven't received God's love for you.And the more fully you comprehend God's love for you, the more you'll be free to give and receive love in your relationships with people. Love is like a special kind of energy that you can only get from God. But in order to engage in loving relationships with people, you must comjJrehend God's love with your mind and heart. God's love is infinite, and our capacity to receive and give His love is infinite. But if we don't accept and experience the love of God, then it will make little impact in our lives. I once heard about a village in China that depended on coal in the winter. One year the shipment of coal failed to arrive, and two-thirds of the people died. When the survivors started burying the bodies, they discovered great reserves of coal just two feet under the surface. The resources to save the village had been available all along, but because the people had not known about them, they did not benefit from them.

2. How does John describe the relatz'onshijJ between our lovefor others and God's love for us?