Love & Musiq (Soulchild)

Read John 14:6; Hebrews 1:3; 1 John 4:8

“Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” ~ John 14:6

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word...” ~ Hebrews 1:3

"He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him." ~ 1 John 4:8

So, I just recently downloaded.....ummmm...well...uhhh....well, actually more like RE-downloaded a large chunk of the Musiq Soulchild catalog back onto my iPod. Long story. I had a bunch of his songs; they got lost, somehow, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. Such goes my experience with iTunes. :-/ Anyway, what’s important is that I got’em back! Yay! So I bought’em....again. For those not familiar with the work of Mr. Musiq Soulchild (or just Musiq, as he’s known), he was one of the first music artists to popularize the whole "neo-soul" genre of R&B music in the late 90's - early 2000's. Dude is probably one of my favorite contemporary R&B singer/songwriters that've come out within the last 10-15 years. His music is dope to me. Those who know, know what I'm talkin' ‘bout. Songs like, "Ms. Philadelphia" or "Teachme" or "Dontchange"; "143"; "If U Leave" and SOOOOO many others speak to me, man. Like I said....one of my faves! Top 10 male R&B singer/songwriters of the last 20 years. Hands down! :-)

There's this one song that he wrote that’s on his first album that is ABSOLUTELY one of my TOP FAVE SONGS of ALL time....of ANY genre. It’s called, "Love". Ain’t that special? Just, "LOVE". :-) It’s so good! So simple. Simple yet profound. Again….those who know...KNOW! Musiq writes this song in which he not only talks about love but also talks to love….personalizing it. As though he were having a conversation with ‘Love’, Musiq goes on to tell Love that "so many people use [Love’s] name in vain". It wouldn’t be a stretch at all to switch out the word, ‘love’, and replace it with ‘god’ and have the thought and meaning be just as profound and convicting, if not more so.

There’s been this tendency - specifically within the last 50, 60 years or so - give or take a decade - to which ‘love’ is viewed as some sorta abstract concept….or some esoteric, enigmatic “thing”....this feeling that is moved and swayed by our emotions. It’s either looked at as undefinable or even worse - left up to the individual to define. A person’s feelings become the determining factor to what love is. To go a step further, the notion of ‘truth’ is pit against love as if they were some sorta mortal enemies or something. As if they were diametrically opposed to one another...adversaries, even...truth is then regarded as almost the antithesis of love. The Anti-Love. The notion of truth is given less credence and is seen as something to be disregarded and left for the argumentative and contentious folk to pontificate about and have vain, nerdy arguments over. ‘Love’, on the other hand, is for the peaceable cats who just wanna get along and live in joyous, unceasing harmony. :-) At one time or another - admittedly - I’ve been on both sides. Both extremes are error. BUT, nevertheless….“All You Need Is Love”, right? That's what The Beatles said. “Love Is All We Need” and the like are what we prefer to hear, right? I know I do. “Truth Is All We Need” just doesn’t have as sexy a ring to it. Hearing Mary J. Blige singin’ “truth is all we need….”...I dunno….just doesn’t bring the same effect, ya know? ;-) However, with all that being said….in actuality, it is indeed LOVE working together, in concert with TRUTH that establishes the most powerful dynamic. It is TOGETHER and in tandem that both are most optimally understood and at once, the most potent. Without truth, 'love' is diluted and becomes baseless, deceptive, sentimental, emotional fluff. It supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws.  Without love, ‘truth', becomes cold, dogmatic & harsh.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." ~ James 2:26

You see that? Please don't miss that. Ya see, although it's through faith, alone, that we're saved (justified) (Rom. 3:28)….how we respond to that faith actually PROVES the faith we profess. That makes sense?
Likewise, just as what we do and how we live affirm the faith we profess, in the same way TRUTH AFFIRMS (or INFORMS; DEFINES) the LOVE we profess. Truth tells you what love is. Love propels, inspires and motivates truth forward.

• Faith INFORMS/INFLUENCES how we live, i.e. the things we do; our works.
• Our works PROVE/AFFIRM the faith claim, i.e. what we truly believe
• Truth INFORMS/INFLUENCES how we love, i.e. obedience, service, loving others
• Our love PROVES/AFFIRMS the truth we claim, i.e. what we profess to believe.

My point is that one doesn’t exist apart from the other. Not for real, they don’t. Love & Truth are eternally knit together. Jesus - in being the personification of BOTH - said that if we say we love Him then we are to keep His commandments. Or put another way, “if you love Me (Jesus) then live by ME...Truth.” You see, love isn’t some abstract concept, fam. It ain’t some impetuous idea or flippant emotion held hostage by our feelings. See, our feelings can be notoriously unreliable. Fickle. Provoked by circumstances, situations & whatever else. But love is tangible, man. It's thick. It’s sturdy; solid. It's real and it’s grounded - planted firmly in truth - by/in the example and very person of Jesus Christ.  

Balance is where it’s at, man. Anything taken to the extreme is error....even truth....even love.  Anytime you go to the extreme and exclude one or diminish the other - you do a disservice to BOTH.  Anytime, anything is taken to an illicit extreme, it is an improper use of reasoning, itself. Love ought to be balanced with truth and vice versa.  And what does that balance look like...the perfect balance of truth and love?  In a word...JESUS! (singin’) “There is balance, in the name of Jesus!!!”  Sorry….just had a lil Tasha Cobbs moment. ;-) Christ is the epitome of balance, fam! He sets the standard and closes the book, as it were. Our test of balance is always The Living Word of God; Emmanuel, God with us; Y'shua....JESUS. He - both in Person and as example - is the final court of arbitration. He is our perfect gauge; our standard; our litmus test for what ‘love’ and ‘truth’ actually look like and what they truly are. Christ is the incarnate Truth (John 14:6). God is Love (1 John 4:8). God’s saving love in Christ is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are AND radical, unconditional commitment/love to us in spite of who we truly are. And that merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance move us to cling to and rest in God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness. See, love is not in opposition to truth, my friend. Love fulfills truth as Truth affirms love.

We live in an age where love is absolute yet truth is relative. Love is the “sexy pick”. Truth is boring and overbearing. Truth has come to mean something that is subjective and dependent on the person, i.e. my 'truth'; your 'truth'. Truth has become wrongly synonymous with 'facts' or 'reality' which both are subject to change. Facts change. Perceptions differ. Reality changes. God does not. What is true does not. Truth - like love, mercy, justice, grace, etc. - are all attributes of a perfect and Holy Creator. And it was at that Cross of Messiah - Jesus our Savior & Redeemer; The Lover of our souls AND Truth Embodied - where God’s love AND truth; grace, mercy & justice all converged and “kissed”. When we realize this...understand it, truly….we no longer need to use “Love’s” name in vain, anymore, for we know Christ. And for better or worse, I still will choose You, first……

"So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." ~ John 8:31-32 Amplified Version

For further reading, check out: Romans 13:8-10

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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)