God loves us with his love languages. This is the last one -- physical touch. Those whose primary love language is physical touch often speak of “feeling the presence,” or the touch, of God. Evidence that God speaks to us through the love language of physical touch is seen in both the Old and New Testament. Genesis 32 records the account of Jacob wrestling with God—a stranger perceived to be a messenger of God. Moses encountered God in a way that affected his body. Scripture says, Moses “was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD” (Ex. 34:29).
An eyewitness tells of a young child who fell off a chair in a restaurant. Clearly hurt, the little girl began crying. Her father never got up to help. He seemed more worried about other people watching. He made a comment to her that she should have watched what she was doing. He never hugged or comforted her. By withholding touch and compassion no doubt, he made her little soul-hole a bit bigger.
In the New Testament we see Jesus often use the language of physical touch. “Laying his hands on each one, he [Jesus] healed them” (Luke 4:40). “He touched her hand and the fever left her…” (Matt. 8:15). “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man” (Matt. 8:3).
Why didn’t Jesus speak a word or heal the whole crowd in one prayer? Because touch is one of our most basic needs. As early as the seventh week of pregnancy a baby reacts to touch. Studies show that people develop very slowly and even die if they are denied touch. Conversely, if a person is touched in a bad way it can traumatize their soul.
Touch is the earliest sense to develop and the last one to leave at the end of life. Our body and mind craves touch. It’s the way God created us. The Greeks believed touch to be the most basic and most reliable of the senses. Touch tranquilizes the nervous system by increasing endorphins.
Scripture says, “People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them…” (Mark 10:13). Children who are touched and exposed to hugs are often very expressive and warm, while those who aren’t hugged very much or shown affection by their family typically grow up putting a wall between themselves and other people. They often seek intimacy elsewhere—in the wrong places.
Hug often. It is a gesture of affirmation and approval. For example, a child who is hugged often feels worthy and valuable, whereas a child who is hug-starved or doesn’t receive any other form of affirmation will start asking, “Am I loved?” Hugging fosters self-acceptance and also boosts our immune system.
Many who followed Jesus got to touch him. Can you imagine being touched by the Son of God! Think about this: each person Jesus touched, he created (John 1:3; Psalm 139:13). When he looked into each set of eyes, he saw their very soul. He had shaped each mind intricately and differently. He sculpted each face and every feature perfectly. Long before their birth he knew them individually, cell by cell. The Bible says, “You [God] saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!” (Psalm 139:16, TLB)
There is something wonderful about having some else wash or brush your hair, or give you pedicure or a massage. Jesus washed his disciple’s feet (john 13:1-4). No doubt they felt refreshed and restored. When you have faced a difficult time, what helped you most? A hug, an arm around your shoulder, a hand laid delicately on top of yours? Whatever gesture, no doubt, it was authentic and meant so much. This unnamed woman in Matthew 9/Mark 5 sought Jesus’s touch: “A woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him [Jesus] and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed," and she was (Matt. 9:20-21).
Followers of Jesus Christ have for centuries been serving and touching others in his name. They have been spiritually touched by him. Saul of Tarsus certainly was and changed forever (read Acts 9:4-9).The book of Acts is the history of what God did through those early believers as they continued the serving, touching and healing ministry of Jesus.
Have you ever felt “touched” by God? When? what did it feel like?
Teens today live in a more dangerous, sexualized, oppressive, and media-saturated world. They face more pressures and are coerced into imitating celebrities, starving themselves, undergoing unnecessary plastic surgery procedures, hooking up, and using substances, issues addressed in this blog.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
God’s Love Language: Acts of Service
When I think of a person whose primary love language was acts of service I think of Mother Teresa (1910-1997). She became well-known internationally for her humanitarian work and advocacy for the rights of the poor and helpless, particularly in Calcutta, India. Serving people equals loving God.
Mother Teresa’s acts of service were spiritual in nature. She said, “To me, Jesus is the Life I want to live, the Light I want to reflect, the Way to the Father, the Love I want to express, the Joy I want to share, the Peace I want to sow around me.” She loved God by serving people and sacrificing her own life. She also said, “We have the specific task of giving material and spiritual help to the poorest of the poor, not only the ones in the slums but those who live in any corner of the world as well…”
God expressed an act of service [and more] by sending his Son Jesus, who in turn expressed his love by performing the ultimate act of service—giving his life for our sins. His own death was an act of service. It was the supreme act of showing his love for us.
For examples of God’s acts of service all we have to do is look at the life of Jesus. His three year ministry was filled with acts of service. The shortest route to knowing God the Father is to know his Son. Jesus Christ, in the flesh, came down to earth as the mirror image of the invisible Father: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3, NIV).
It sounds like an impossible task—to imitate the acts of service of the Jesus Christ. Let’s also be realistic. Our flesh and human sinfulness make imitating Christ tough, especially in this culture, particularly for adolescents. It is unattainable in our own strength. It is only possible when we receive God’s grace. God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). The best artist isn’t discouraged. She may not be a Van Gogh—and knows she’s not a Van Gogh—but she does her very best to paint a picture of excellence. Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
If we let him reign in us—change the way we think, see, hear, feel, speak and serve, we can live a purpose-filled authentic life. Jesus can change us to such an extent that even a man who once loathed lepers went out of his way to embrace and kiss one. Jesus showed us that no one is unimportant in God’s eyes. He always had time for people. He searched for those who were lost. He healed those who were broken.
The gospel beckons us to die to ourselves and to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, trusting in his power alone. We are not simply to admire Christ, but rather become “Christified.” It’s not easy but Jesus and Paul spoke of thousands of people who were radically invaded by God and became world changers.
Dr. René Girard’s theory, that our desires are inspired by the desires of another, helps us understand why teens pattern themselves after the wrong model. Instead of surrendering to the pop culture, we must guide them to faith in Jesus Christ.
Like a hand fit into a glove, believers are supposed to be the glove. Jesus is the hand. People see us. They see our fingers and hand move. They observe our impact. When they shake our gloved hand, they feel the warmth of the hand, of Jesus. The only way they can see Jesus is through the glove. This is one of the ways he makes himself visible to many who would never pick up a Bible or go to church.
Through the acts of service and example of Jesus Christ, God gives us what we need to express this love language in our particular areas of life. Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit to help us see, think, talk and act like him. He promises to instruct, counsel and teach us, all the while watching over us (Psalm 32:8).
The purpose of getting to know Jesus intimately is not merely to model his behaviors. We want to experience Jesus—his love, his touch, his joy—and then release it! Then we live life freely and fully—authentically.
In the Rospigliosi Palace in Rome is Guido Reni's famous mural, The Aurora, a work unequalled in that period for nobility of line and poetry of color. It is painted on a lofty ceiling, and as you stand on the pavement and look up at it, your neck stiffens, your head grows dizzy, and the figures become hazy and indistinct. So the owner of the palace placed a broad mirror near the floor. In it the picture is reflected, and you can sit down comfortably and study the wonderful work.
God is not so far removed from the human race as many believe. Most religions require the believer to look up. God comes down to the Christian. Everyone approaches God with a set of preconceptions collected from many sources: church, Sunday school, movies, television evangelists, and books. Many see God as someone to cower before, not as someone like Jesus, worthy of our love and trust. I am asking you to open your mind, to perhaps, a new view of God.
Think of Jesus as a streaming beaming light who came into the world straight from God Almighty as the only true self-expression of God. Pray as Paul did that “the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him [Jesus] better” (Ephesians 1:17, NIV).
Mother Teresa’s acts of service were spiritual in nature. She said, “To me, Jesus is the Life I want to live, the Light I want to reflect, the Way to the Father, the Love I want to express, the Joy I want to share, the Peace I want to sow around me.” She loved God by serving people and sacrificing her own life. She also said, “We have the specific task of giving material and spiritual help to the poorest of the poor, not only the ones in the slums but those who live in any corner of the world as well…”
God expressed an act of service [and more] by sending his Son Jesus, who in turn expressed his love by performing the ultimate act of service—giving his life for our sins. His own death was an act of service. It was the supreme act of showing his love for us.
For examples of God’s acts of service all we have to do is look at the life of Jesus. His three year ministry was filled with acts of service. The shortest route to knowing God the Father is to know his Son. Jesus Christ, in the flesh, came down to earth as the mirror image of the invisible Father: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3, NIV).
It sounds like an impossible task—to imitate the acts of service of the Jesus Christ. Let’s also be realistic. Our flesh and human sinfulness make imitating Christ tough, especially in this culture, particularly for adolescents. It is unattainable in our own strength. It is only possible when we receive God’s grace. God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). The best artist isn’t discouraged. She may not be a Van Gogh—and knows she’s not a Van Gogh—but she does her very best to paint a picture of excellence. Nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).
If we let him reign in us—change the way we think, see, hear, feel, speak and serve, we can live a purpose-filled authentic life. Jesus can change us to such an extent that even a man who once loathed lepers went out of his way to embrace and kiss one. Jesus showed us that no one is unimportant in God’s eyes. He always had time for people. He searched for those who were lost. He healed those who were broken.
The gospel beckons us to die to ourselves and to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, trusting in his power alone. We are not simply to admire Christ, but rather become “Christified.” It’s not easy but Jesus and Paul spoke of thousands of people who were radically invaded by God and became world changers.
Dr. René Girard’s theory, that our desires are inspired by the desires of another, helps us understand why teens pattern themselves after the wrong model. Instead of surrendering to the pop culture, we must guide them to faith in Jesus Christ.
Like a hand fit into a glove, believers are supposed to be the glove. Jesus is the hand. People see us. They see our fingers and hand move. They observe our impact. When they shake our gloved hand, they feel the warmth of the hand, of Jesus. The only way they can see Jesus is through the glove. This is one of the ways he makes himself visible to many who would never pick up a Bible or go to church.
Through the acts of service and example of Jesus Christ, God gives us what we need to express this love language in our particular areas of life. Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit to help us see, think, talk and act like him. He promises to instruct, counsel and teach us, all the while watching over us (Psalm 32:8).
The purpose of getting to know Jesus intimately is not merely to model his behaviors. We want to experience Jesus—his love, his touch, his joy—and then release it! Then we live life freely and fully—authentically.
In the Rospigliosi Palace in Rome is Guido Reni's famous mural, The Aurora, a work unequalled in that period for nobility of line and poetry of color. It is painted on a lofty ceiling, and as you stand on the pavement and look up at it, your neck stiffens, your head grows dizzy, and the figures become hazy and indistinct. So the owner of the palace placed a broad mirror near the floor. In it the picture is reflected, and you can sit down comfortably and study the wonderful work.
God is not so far removed from the human race as many believe. Most religions require the believer to look up. God comes down to the Christian. Everyone approaches God with a set of preconceptions collected from many sources: church, Sunday school, movies, television evangelists, and books. Many see God as someone to cower before, not as someone like Jesus, worthy of our love and trust. I am asking you to open your mind, to perhaps, a new view of God.
Think of Jesus as a streaming beaming light who came into the world straight from God Almighty as the only true self-expression of God. Pray as Paul did that “the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him [Jesus] better” (Ephesians 1:17, NIV).
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