Instinctive Love

I see the creatures of the earth to be given as an example for the children of God to observe. There are so many different aspects of our Christian walk we can glean from them. (Here is an excellent example: http://intimatekingdom.com/ants-intimate-kingdom/ ) But like the angels, these creatures were created in the realm of instinct, and that is for the purpose of unwavering service to the world at hand. Humans are nothing but instinctive creatures, albeit the most intelligent, and all creatures, apart from the Spirit of God, are programmed for survival. Yet survival comes at the expense of the lives of others. Some die to provide food for another. Others, because they threaten the instinctive desires of another to dominate as they see fit. All of creation, plant and animal, survives by the sacrificial lives of others. This is one of the most overwhelming shadows of Christ that this world presents to us.

Now, enter the Spirit filled Christ followers. We have two natures to contend with and our bodies are constantly shifting devotion from one spirit to the next. The external witness we portray is that of inconsistency and double- mindedness. While the instincts of our flesh command our human survival, the Spirit within wars with the nature of how we go about that in this world. And when the body has reached its sanctified limits of the Spirit's sacrificial nature, it tends to rise up in rebellion. We basically cop an attitude with God. This is simply the next area of 'Spiritual growth' for us, by means of self sacrifice; the laying down of our own lives, the picking up of our own cross.

This is how love shows itself to the selfish world around us. No other creature, except for divine intervention through self denial, will sacrifice itself for the good of another. It will always be for the cause of survival. The DNA of each and every organism on earth has been subjected to the frustration of knowledge (instinct) alone. Therefore, love suffers in this world. But we are not without hope, because Jesus has overcome the world. So, what I see within creation are the potentially endless opportunities for love to express itself, one to another.

For example, rather than squish or chemically nuke an insect, Millie Spock will carry a bug out of her house to place it in its more favorable environment. She'll feed the raccoons and hope they leave some crumbs for the rats. Preposterous? One might call her something other than a lover, but when God's love has overwhelmed us, we don't get to determine how that is played out in His creation. True love is truly different.

(by the way....Millie is quite a lover of people, too! ;-)

PJR

"No one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)