There is a place in love that is rarely traveled or seen. It's a place of true love. It doesn't exist in the mind or in the will of man, but only exists in the heart. It is a place that cannot be explained nor understood with the natural mind. It is a place that cannot be created by desire. Manipulation and control do not exist in this secret room of the heart. This room is only occupied by a substance called love and this thing called love is the most powerful substance in the universe.

Many years ago I worked for a short time as a marriage counselor. Although I no longer do this, over the years I have met with many couples concerning their marriages. I know this goes against conventional wisdom, but I believe most marriage counseling is unfruitful. In the same way that telling a drug addict to just "quit doing drugs," you cannot tell a person to "fall in love."

First Thessalonians 5:23 tells us that man was created as a three part being. We are a spirit that has a soul that lives in a body. Your spirit is the real you. Your soul is your mind, your will, your intellect, and emotions.

God-like love (agape), as described in 1 Corinthians 13, is a decision that takes place in the soul. This God-kind of love is described as patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no records of wrongs, does not delight in evil and rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

All of these attributes are a matter of choice and will. We decide that we will be patient. We decide that we will be kind. We decide that we will not be rude. The God-kind of love is a decision of the soul and must be carried out with humility and joy. After all, God would never command us to do something that we didn't have the ability to do. The soul of a man is subject to the man.

There is a love that travels to the depths of the heart that is not created by decision nor can it be removed by decision. It is a place of being in love and it is God-given. There is a difference between decisive love and love of the heart. Let me explain.

I come from a good family. I have a sister, parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins and I love them all. I love them with the love of God and I would die for them. They are special to me and nothing or no one could take their place. However, I am not "in love" with them. No decision of the soul can make a person fall in love. It just happens. Love of the heart isn't created. It just is.

Every born again believer has received the love of God within themselves. Every born again believer has made the decision to love God. But only a few are "in love" with Him. We can experience an intimacy with God that we cannot experience with people because God is perfect and loves us with a love that does not have an agenda and that is rarely found among humans. The only thing that comes close is being "in love."

There is a special relationship, a special intimacy, a special place in the heart that is only filled through times of intimate worship with Him. Sadly, most of what the church calls worship really isn't worship at all. Singing, holding up your hands, and kneeling can be outward expressions of worship, but if it doesn't originate with the heart, it is only a mechanical outward show. We should never judge someone else's worship, but God knows if it's from the heart or if it is just an outward display.

In a survey where Christians were asked, "Do you love God and have an intimate relationship with Him?," the overwhelming majority said, "Yes." Many Christians feel they have an intimate relationship with God only because they have never actually experienced one, or have never experienced true intimacy in life. You can't miss what you've never had unless you see it in someone else.

Once a couple tried to convince me of how much they loved each other. They had been married for 32 years, they had children, they traveled together and enjoyed the same sports and hobbies. They loved where they lived and they loved their life. They loved each other, but were not "in love" with each other. They didn't miss what they didn't have, because they didn't know it existed.

True love can never die. It lives in the heart and cannot be removed by trials or separation. Love forgives and love always brings peace. True love can withstand pressure and pain because love is patient and never gives up. True love does not count time, but in time love always prevails. God is love and love never fails.

Devotion 0512