His Heart, My Home

Let’s start with a riddle:

“It” grew for almost 1,000 years, until “it” was more than 175 miles long.

“It” created many temporary, and at least 4 large permanent lakes as “it” expanded.

“It” took tons and tons of gun-powder, dynamite, and nitroglycerin, and roughly 3,000,000 man-hours to finally destroy “it”.

WHAT WAS “IT”?

If you guessed the “Great Red River Raft”…
congratulations! You win our “Devoted History Nerd Award”!

The “Raft” was actually a massive logjam that clogged the Red River in Texas and Louisiana, making it impassible until it was cleared in 1839.

The Red River is 1,320 miles long, flowing through 5 states). Such a major river would normally be very swift and powerful. But the clogged river’s pre-clearance speed was measured at only one-fourth of a mile per hour… in other words, barely moving.

Over almost ten centuries, a mat of tangled trees and vegetation had accumulated in the river. In some places the logjam was more than twelve feet thick, with mature trees growing on top of it. This colossal clog was only cut through at great expense and effort, using explosives and massive ship-mounted saws. The 160 men, on four boats, worked day and night for almost six years before the river was cleared.

Read this fascinating, but little-known story here: Clearing the Red – 64 Parishes https://share.google/eenUQPJsF6KrXrZwo

The reason I brought the topic up is because Holy Spirit did. While studying Romans 5:5, where I have been “camped out” for several weeks, I sensed Holy Spirit gently urging me to consider this question:

“Since the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by Holy Spirit Himself, the very Source of Love, why do we often experience such a small trickle of God’s love in our lives individually, and in the Church corporately? Why a trickle, rather than a cascading flood?”

That’s when I remembered the story of the Great Red River Raft. (* Yes, I am a bit of a history nerd, but also I was born and raised in Shreveport, named for Captain Henry Miller Shreve, who led the expedition to open up the river. That’s why I know a little about this story.)

Here’s what Holy Spirit showed me. The Greek word for “poured” in Romans 5:5 is “ekcheo”. It can describe “a massive outflow, or a cascading flood.” But the word “ekcheo” most frequently describes the “dripping of drops into separate individual containers.”

I saw it! Do you see it? The FLOOD of God’s love in our hearts originates with Holy Spirit. The DRIP is how much of His love we allow to flow through us to others. A few drops for our spouse, a couple of drops for each of our children (if they’re behaving) and a drop or two for the grand kids. Hmmm. Reservoir of love feels kinda low today! Maybe a stray drop here or there for a close neighbor or co-worker, but only as an absolute necessity.

“Amen”? or, “Oh, my”? How often do we say at the end of the day, “I just soaked and saturated everyone around me with the love of God today”? Hasn’t happened recently? Didn’t think so.

The problem comes down to this. If they’re neglected, our hearts can  become so horribly clogged with the tangled dead wood of sin, selfishness, and worldliness, that the flow and the force of God’s love flowing through us is almost completely stopped.

That’s why we are strongly admonished to: “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, Amplified Bible, Classic)

Here’s a simple example. Think of your garden hose. The valve may be wide open, but if the hose is bent and crimped, only a trickle will come from the nozzle.

As born-again believers, we have received a new heart, and we have Holy Spirit living in us! In other words, God has thrown the valve of His love wide open in our hearts! God’s love is in us, in abundance.

We CAN experience more of His love flowing through our lives! We CAN enhance and increase the flow of God’s love in and through our lives! We CAN live life with unclogged hoses! (Sounds like a commercial for Pocket Hose!)

But how?

Let’s begin by understanding that the Holy Spirit isn’t given to us to magically turn us into people who love like Jesus loves. He’s given to us to be our Helper. (John 14:26)

Holy Spirit is our HELPER, not our DOER! He makes it possible for us to do that which is impossible for us to do without Him, that is, to love like Jesus loved!

“May the Lord (Holy Spirit) direct your hearts into realizing and showing the love of God…”
2 Thessalonians 3:5 (AmplifiedTranslation, Classic Edition)

The word translated as “direct” in our verse above is the Greek word “kateuthuno” which means “to remove hindrances that might impede progress; to lead straight down a path; to guide toward a specific goal without detour.” It speaks of divine intervention in straightening a path.

Holy Spirit desires to partner with us in a Spirit-to-spirit connection. He wants to lead us straight down a path into the experience and expression of God’s love, in and through our lives.

He will guide us there in the most direct way possible, IF we yield our hearts to Him.

As we cooperate with Holy Spirit, He will HELP us throw open the floodgates of our hearts, so that God’s love can flow from us in a greater measure. Here’s how:

PRAY IN THE SPIRIT
Every time we pray in the spirit (which is praying in tongues) there is a supernatural channel that is opened up between Holy Spirit and our spirit.

What’s Holy Spirit doing as we pray in this manner? He is directing us into the love of God, and keeping us there! (Jude 1:20-21)

HEAR THE WORD SPOKEN BY THE SPIRIT
When you read His Word, read it as a love letter from your Father’s heart to yours. God speaks to us in the language of love. He encourages us through love. He empowers us through love. He even corrects us through love. Everything He says and does is built on the foundation of His Word and expresses His love.

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
God is totally in love with us and He freely expresses it. He treasures us. He delights in us. “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

Worship is simply our response to His love, as we give our love back to Him. As He sings to us, we sing to Him. As He joyfully expresses His love to us, we joyfully express our love to Him! This is the essence of spirit (us) to Spirit (Him) worship!

The bottom line is this: The more we allow Holy Spirit to increase our capacity to receive God’s love, the more He will open us up to be a channel to give His love to others.

Holy Spirit, we invite you to express yourself through us more fully and completely. May we embrace, experience, exercise, and enjoy, moment-by-moment, the divine love you have poured into our hearts, bringing glory to our Father and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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