Wednesday, September 3, 2008

How Do They Know?

My family really enjoyed the movie Enchanted. Fabulous, really. The one thing I DIDN't like (other than the princess's cleavage) was one of the songs got so stuck in my head that I couldn't get it out. I liked the Broadwayesque song, just not that the tune was swirlin' around in my head for DAYS. In the song, Giselle is trying to explain to Robert how a girl knows when a guy really, truly loves her. She runs through parks and down streets getting people to join her in the singing answer to the question.

The songwriters (Alan Irwin Menken, Stephen Schwartz) have a point, you know. People do, for the most part, know that we love them by our actions. Someone can tell us all day long, but if their actions don't match up, we're not really buyin' it, are we?

All throughout Scripture, we as Christians are called to a "showing" kind of love...toward our Savior, toward our brothers and sisters in the faith, toward those who are unlovable. God, in the form of the Trinity, is the noun "love." And we are asked to carry it in verb form. Here are just a handful of hundreds of Scriptures (taken from the NIV) on this subject:

John 5:20
"For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all he does. Yes, to your amazement He will show him even greater things than these."

John 13:1
"It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love."

1 John 4:9
"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him."

1 Peter 1:22
"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the Truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."

John 21:17
"The third time He said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love Me?' Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love Me?' He said, 'Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.' Jesus said, 'Feed My sheep.'"

1 John 3:16
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

1 John 5:2
"This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands."

To love this way, we must go to the One who is perfect love and who loves perfectly. Surely, you also know that it is possible for someone to be loving and do great things without Jesus being the provider of it. That kind of love will eventually fall short, but that's the subject of a whole other blog. But with Him at the center, us loving Him first and foremost, we can love with the fruit of His Spirit spilling out of us. I am challenged with the "How Do You KNow" song still running through my head, to do just that. I pray those reading will do the same.

If you have not seen this movie or scene from "Enchanted," please take the time. It is incredibly entertaining. But be forewarned, it may be stuck in your head for awhile:



In the Key of HE,

13 friends shared a comment:

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

Yup. That and the happy working song that I posted are the 2 that got stuck in my head lol. I love the way you tie it into scripture. You are good!
Oh and yes we've tried SSS by Avon and citronella and I have gone to my health food store and asked lol. These are some tough mosquitoes.
Oh by the way. I mailed your bag yesterday! It will probably be really wrinkly by the time it gets there lol.
Blessings my friend.

Anonymous said...

Great post and after hearing the song I pray it doesnt get stuck in my head also. ha ha you got a wonderful blog going on here and I am glad I stumbled across it.

Jeannie

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/RusticWheelAcres/

Yvonne Blake said...

I haven't seen the movie, but I agree with your message. I also think that love is a matter of the will. We can show love, even when we don't have the fuzzy warm emotion...that comes and goes, but love is deeper...like joy compared to happiness.

Anonymous said...

So true! I loved this movie up until the dragon part. That was a little too "Sleeping Beauty" for me. But, it was a hit with our girls, and daddy too, which is often hard to do!

I think I saw an article by you in Just Between Us, yes???

Kathy C. said...

Very nice comparison to scripture using that song. We are to let all see the love of Christ and the love we have for others through our actions each day. :)
As for the movie and the songs, I like that movie so much that I put it in while I'm doing housework just so I can sing along to the songs, lol. :)

LauraLee Shaw said...

Oh, great point, Yvonne. Just as Jesus obeyed the will of the Father, it is by aligning our will with His that we can love.

LauraLee Shaw said...

Yes, heartreflections, I was published in Just Between Us for Fall 2008 in the "What's my story?" section. Thanks for asking.

Ooooo, and yeah, the dragon part was freaky, especially with Susan Sarandon as the dragon's head. Waaay freaky. ;)

Tracy said...

Hey there, Miss LauraLee! Thanks for the warm welcome back! This is a great post on "Love", with so many wonderderful Scriptures attached to it. I haven't seen the moive, but it is on my list. :) Blessings!

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

For the past few years, I've been intentionally praying for more of Christ's love to be in me. On my best day, it's usually all about me and my love falls way short. I know that agapao is only birthed through the power of God's Spirit within.

I am continually in need and in want of more of it. He's showing himself faithful in this request, but I still have so far to go.

Loved the movie too!

peace~elaine

Sunny Shell said...

So true, so true so true.

We're always telling that to our kids and to ourselves as well. If we love one another, it will be with more than just flighty words...our actions will prove it as well.

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." ~ 1 John 3:18

Love your post sister! Thank you for the wonderful reminder!

Much love in Christ,
Sunny

lori said...

I've had that SAME tune stuck in my head...the only thing worse is one of those High School Musical tunes!!

Wonderful post LauraLee...great reminders for today!!

always a blessing!!
peace,
lori

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reminder to look at what we are doing so that our words indeed match our actions.

LauraLee Shaw said...

Sunny, that is a perfect verse for this post! I may have to edit it in!!! Thank you! ;)