Test of Love

Every year I take Mindy’s grandpa to the Schlafly Oyster Fest. You may be like so many others that ask how does a 34-year-old man fall in love with oysters. Well my friend, it is simple. While I was in California I was exposed to many foods. Yet even as a young boy I loved crab the first time I tasted it, and I have never looked back. A number of Father’s Days have included me steaming crabs. I have some great memories of Jacob asking if he could look at the crab’s eyes. Next week my buddies come in town for a conference, one we have gone to together ever since we all graduated from seminary.  Since I knew one of our members at Mt. Calvary works with a foody (a guy who cares way to much about what he eats – like I do), I asked for a recommendation.  He pointed me to this crab/lobster shack, the kind you’d see in a movie and dream about going to. There are so many great seafood choices at this place!  I am not sure how my buddies and I are going to choose! Perhaps we can all order different things and share a bite here and there so we can taste a wider variety of great seafood.

Now, let’s switch subjects (bare with me – there is a point). Mindy’s love language is gift giving.  Occasionally, I’ll stop by her school and drop something off for her. It is no secret that my wife lives on Diet Orange Sunkist. Water is poison to her, so Diet Orange Sunkist is the way she makes it through life. This is often part of the little surprise, and the other things I bring depend on what she likes at the moment. I try to pay attention to her likes and dislikes, and the way they change, so at a moments notice I can drop by and give her something special. As I have mentioned before, early on in our marriage I didn’t pay much attention to this. However, over the last several years I have learned how important this is to her and our marriage. Learning the love language of Mindy is my job as her husband. This weekend I did a wedding for Mindy’s cousin.  This cousin’s dad was the one who set Mindy and I up on a blind date. It was the first time Uncle Tim (who is a pastor as well) and I have done a service together.  It was amazing to be back in the same place where Mindy and I got married – the Seminary chapel!  It reminded me of all the things that have happened in our marriage in the past 7.5 years. I am so thankful for my relationship with my wife today. I know her better, and now I can be a better husband.

Okay, seafood and being married to Mindy, what do they have in common?  Perhaps not much, other than the fact that I love them both.  It is like that with our lessons for this Sunday.  I love the story of Phillip helping the Ethiopian Eunuch (the first reading for this Sunday from Acts 8), but I also love testing the spirits (the Epistle reading from 1 John 4).  Rather than picking just one to write about and preach on, we are going to let both of them share with us their truths about walking as Extraordinary Servants.  It is kind of like my buddies and I will do at the crab/lobster shack next week – sampling great seafood and letting the mouthwatering flavors mix together for a great meal.

Back to the marriage analogy, couples beginning their life together may wonder what their spouse needs from them and how they are supposed to figure that out.  Years later they learn that by listening and watching their spouse they find out those important details about them. Likewise, Christians often wonder how they know what God wants them to do in a certain situation, or just in life in general. After years of Read 1(reading God’s Word) we grow to know Him better, falling in love with scripture and His love for us. But how do we know if it is truly God prompting us to do something? A challenging question, but in the richness and depth of both of these texts, we see an example and an explanation. This week we take time to test the depth of how God is building love in us. He guides us to be His people and live that out, and often prompts us to share His love in unique moments, just as He did when He prompted Phillip to talk to the Ethiopian Eunuch about the scripture passage he was reading. We test to see if it is really Him by listening and watching.  Does the prompting proclaim Christ crucified? Sunday we take time to see how Easter’s impactful message will help us to listen to God, and move us to learn, know and trust His voice!