The Call to Love

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  This is my command: Love each other.”

John 15: 9-17

 “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 3:16

Have you ever given thought to the suggestion that we call ourselves brothers and sisters in Christ?   Is this saying that we have a bond together serving the Christ?    What is that bond?  I feel the verses above are as solid as any in the Bible telling us the foundation of our connection and bond is Love.     I am starting to discover the joy of what Jesus speaks of.  Each day it seems that one of my brothers is facing the biggest challenge of their life.  I find myself carrying the burdens of my brother as if I were facing their trial.   My means of help is one that was gifted to me from the Holy Spirit- Encouragement.    Some of the battles my friends are facing right now are ones that seem so big and confusing that, to be honest, I have to sit back and ask God, "ARE YOU SURE YOU GOT THIS???" I am just being honest.   I watch as my friends are overwhelmed by battles as evil intends to destroy them.    I have to tell you that watching my friends face cancer, court battles, marital problems, job situations, and financial crises puts me in a place that makes me desire to sit in the INNER CHAMBER on my friends’ behalf.    I think the old Christian phrase is "Standing in the Gap."   The only effective tool I have is to petition the Father on my friends’ behalf and stand in prayer for their strength to keep fighting no matter what. I have seen things happen to my Journey brothers that have been enough to kill them and destroy any faith, love and hope to which they may cling.    Each and every time these battles and wars present themselves, I have to say that I watch intently, I pray, and I try my very best to wrap myself around these individuals to give them whatever I can to help.    Laying one's life down for another is very strong.   The example was provided for us by Christ.  Do we fall short?   Absolutely.  But because of our Love for our Lord, we have Love in our hearts to share with those that are suffering and hurting from battle.  I have to tell you that, time and time again, I get to see my brothers and sisters rise and become stronger in battle because of their total dependence on the Father.  Healing, victory, strength, wisdom, power, knowledge, courage and perseverance all come from the power of His Spirit. I think back and remember the days after finding out my wife had a brain tumor. I felt weak, beaten, lost, and wounded.   I vividly remember telling Rocky and Bryan that even though I was surrounded by men who loved me and were linking their shields around me,   I had been hit.   I was a victim of evil arrows that intended on taking me and my wonderful wife out for good.   The following days, I remember thinking, “I am Walking Wounded.”  Then, the model of love for one another kicked in.  Those same men that surrounded me when I was hit were the inner core, sharing love and encouragement to me at the most paralyzing time of my life.   What I did not expect was the strength and fortitude of the many that were surrounding the inner circle with prayers and petitions of the Father for a MIRACLE.  I can tell you that there were literally thousands of people praying for my wife! There were people praying all over this planet, and and there were people in at least 10 states that had churches and families praying for us.   I had many come to me and let me know that each night before their family went to bed, they gathered and children, moms, dads and entire families prayed for my precious Julie. There were so many children praying for Julie that I cannot count.  CAN YOU PICTURE THIS blanket of prayer?  It is humbling to us even to this day.   I was amazed at the burden that many carried on our behalf.    The power behind this was a Love for Christ which turned into a Love for us that I will never ever forget.   I cannot prove this biblically, but I must tell you that God somehow spread our pain and suffering among our friends so they could help us carry the burden. Guess what, God did not intend on us to Walk Wounded for the rest of our existence on this planet.   He had a plan and heard the many prayers on our behalf and slowly began healing us of our afflictions.   Many of the wounds seemed deep and irreparable.  But as many of you know, God showed his faithfulness to us, and He answered the prayers of our brothers and sisters.    I remember asking God in the middle of the battle, “Why does the pursuit of Your Glory seem so painful at times?”   I remember spending one day broken and depressed like never before.  One of my best friends came to me and said "GOD NEVER WASTES A TEAR." From that day on, God showed HIMSELF over a three year process that HE had every single day, every moment, every second and that we just needed to totally surrender and have absolute trust in Him. My wife was restored to enjoy a full and healthy life, completely cancer free.  She has gotten to witness to great things in life and in our children.     God healed every wound and removed any and all the evil arrows that found their way through our protective barrier.    God orchestrated the healing process from two people that walked wounded to two people that now have a story of the power of HIS GLORY and HIS FAITHFULNESS.   What was intended to take us out and kill us (or at least one of us) was completed with a VICTORY MARCH OF HEALING. The combination of His power, linked with the LOVE OF MANY FRIENDS, completed HIS VICTORIOUS HEALING PROCESS.  This story fuels us to give whatever we have to help others who face their own GIANTS in BATTLE.   I can only explain it this way.  Fill your heart with the Love of Christ so much so that it overflows from your heart to help change the world.   As we invest and love others in their afflictions, we will begin to understand and feel the completeness of God’s joy and His abundant life. So in a weird way, I appreciate the opportunity as I watch my friends face trials similar to those written in the Bible because I get to show them LOVE.  Right now, in front of my eyes, my friends are facing battles similar to those in the Bible.  I think of Daniel, Job, David, Esther, Joseph and the many others who faced obstacles that only a friend could help them conquer.  They had the loving friendship of a KING who adores them and loves them and set the ultimate example by allowing his SON CHRIST to be killed for them.   He has shown us the model of friendship and the love we should have for one another.   The cool thing is that HE KNOWS our needs, and He places the people in our lives to love us and carry us in HIS LOVE at the perfect time, so that we can bring Him Glory through HIS story in us.    I would ask this of my Journey brothers and sisters today.  If you see someone in need, show them that you Love your Christ and just do something big or little to help assist them in battle. In His Love, your Journey brother, Chris Hyslop P.S. Many of you know the battle our Journey brother, Frank Khalil has been fighting.  The testimony is complete in the trial of his ex-partner.  Frank honored God with his unwavering faith and his unquestionable truthfulness.  The case will go to the Jury soon.  Please pray for God’s Will to be done.  One thing is for sure:  God has used this trial in Frank’s ex-partner’s life to bring him closer to Christ.