Bob Jones, the prophet came to our church a couple of years ago to share what God had been showing him.  Our church was packed with people, some had driven from out of state just to hear him speak.

And I don’t remember a word.

Correction: Of the entire weekend, I only remember one thing that he shared.

“When we stand before God, he’s going to ask us one question. . .  ‘Did you learn to love?'”

That resonated with me and through me – you know like those Looney Toones characters when they got smashed with cymbals and they reverbed into the next week.

Uh,that was me.

“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

Matthew 7:21-29 (The Message)

We can’t learn to love without God

God is love

And we can’t get to God without Jesus.

So, I’m still reverbing through life.  But it’s a good reminder of what really matters to God.  In the most simplest of terms we are here on Earth to learn to love.

And the best part is, Jesus gave us the cheat sheet to the test.

And then to top it off we’ve got the Holy Spirit to help teach us what that looks like against the backdrop of our own personal giftings and situations.

So, if you’re wondering what this life is all about.  What’s the purpose behind it all. . .it’s that you’re back in school.

The School of Looooove.

You’re here to learn how to love God and how to love people.

And that’s gonna look a little different for each one of us and that’s okay, it’s supposed to.

There are some people that are amazing artists and if they painted a picture for God, it would be a treasure.

Me, it would be a train wreck – for me that’s not love.

It’s a root canal, for me and God.

For some people it’s being out in nature, riding a horse and just talking to Him.

The last time I rode a horse, I fell off. . . backwards. . .and then got stepped on. . . twice.

It was not an expression of love.

It was an expression of pain.

But for me, to write is an expression of love.

I’m safer here in Starbucks than on a horse and I can’t offend anyone with my bad choice of paint strokes here either.

So, if you’re looking for the meaning of life. . .remember it all comes back to love.