May | 10 | Naked Love

Key Word:- LOVE

Title:- Naked Love

Luke 21:2-4 He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.

Sir Edward Dyer, Elizabethan poet, in his poem ‘Love is Love’ finishes the first of just two stanzas with these words:-

‘Seas have their source, and so have shallow springs;
And love is love, in beggars and in kings.’

How sweet. However, do tell me friends: who would you rather be loved by? A beggar or a King? It’s an important question, for Dyer says there is no difference in the quality and quantity of love from either personage. Surely, this is a truth of Biblical proportion and comfort? However, there are a number of problems with this acceptance of no differentiation between the love of a beggar and the love of a king.

Consider first, two families living in the same street and both have a dearly loved child. Over the years, the father of one family has the skill and opportunity to excel in the workplace and increase his financial base substantially. The other has skill and committment, but lacking opportunity due to the mismanagement of others, means that he has struggled just to keep a roof over their heads! When the kids of these two families reach leaving age, one loving parent gives a car and a college fund to his children, the other one gives an apology. ‘Seas have their source, and so have shallow springs; And love is love, in beggars and in kings.’ Maybe, but in this case, who would the child have better been loved by? A beggar or a king?

Or how about this: imagine two married couples, both deeply in love. One couple holidays annually, eats out regularly and buys one another thoughtful and expensive gifts. The other couple occasionally orders Pizza, rarely goes anywhere and make their own cards to send to one another on their birthdays. They get by. However, tell me friends, would you rather be loved by a beggar or a king? Does it matter??
Though I do believe Dyer to be correct, nevertheless, a king can afford a whole together more material and practical expression of that same quality and quantity of love found in beggars. In this material world, such king-like material expression of love, can also be seen and felt and yes, it does make life that much easier and living that much nicer. That’s just a fact.

Never the less, money’s not everything, though it can get you most things and it can buy you a good amount of happiness and provide you with a substantial amount of freedom. Yes indeed, money is a great key to freedom of every kind, but money is not everything and thank God for that, for most people are not kings in their own financial world.

It seems to me then, that if indeed, Dyer is correct, then love has to run deeper, farther and longer than anything money can buy. I mean anything! For true love possesses an eternal quality and in its truest form has to be communicated in faith. Have you got that? True love has to be communicated in faith. In this respect maybe, beggars have the opportunity to express a purer and truer love, more than kings could ever do. For true love driven by faith, prayerfully and continually commits the beloved to God the Good and God the Great, while watching for and prayerfully pushing for, the goodness, grace and mercy of God, to be mightily manifest in the lives of those they truly love. Yes, I wonder if beggars have the opportunity to love deeper and purer, whilst by faith, always beaming sunlight shafts of prayer into the lives of those they wish to bless but at the moment, cannot bless themselves. Do you see that possibility?

Naked love, disrobed of wealth, has to find eternal conduits of expression rather than the easy and earthly material ones, that money can so easily buy. I tell you now friends, you cannot buy love, neither can you sell love, for love does not need a Porsche to carry itself to someones heart. Think about that for yes indeed,

‘Seas have their source, and so have shallow springs;
And love is love, in beggars and in kings.’

Listen:-For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Pray:- Loving God, give my love, both eternal roots and eternal consequences, in Jesus name I ask it, Amen!