Love, A Millennial Manifesto

Read time: 7 minutes

”And this is my prayer: that your love may more and more overflow in fullness of knowledge and depth of discernment, so that you will be able to determine what is best and thus be pure and without blame for the Day of the Messiah, filled with the fruit of the righteousness that comes through Yeshua the Messiah – to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 CJB

Side note: As God gave me the title to this piece, I realized the irony in my consistent inability to spell the word “Millennial” (did it again here at first). Anyways, just a lesson in humility, but that’s for another “manifesto”… 😉

Remove your lapels & labels,

Millennial – It’s a label – that is all it is. And most labels – as other divisive mechanisms – come directly from the oppressor (the enemy), because it is easier to divide and conquer. It’s the same way marketers segment consumers based on your online behavior and target consumers using certain ads. Therefore, for the next few minutes, let’s begin by stripping away whatever label with which you self identify. Set it aside in the room where you are seated or standing. You can keep it close, because I know many will not be able to focus without the peace of mind of having it near enough to grab at any moment. Keeping labels, along with our preconceived notions are a creature comfort most of us have grown mentally accustomed to, a sense of order, organization and control. They can also serve as a sense of identity and purpose. But for now, please leave them in the corner.

Now that you are naked and unlabeled, as God made you, I want you only to put on one tunic. It is a tunic without burden and made of the most comfortable material (think of the purest, lived in linen…). And it is indeed pure, whole, and all you truly need. It is God’s love.

Now wading in that wholesome serenity, I want us to meditate on one passage of scripture before we go further:

“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31 (Complete Jewish Bible)

And step into the stream of love.

We see here that the love of our creator is first of all. Immediately following and inextricably connected, we find that the love for others (as ourselves), flows naturally from the love of God and God’s love pours out like that of a bubbling brook into an ocean. Full of life and in abundance of love, we are all connected through the power and wisdom of our Creator.

Therefore, our foremost principles – no matter who we are, and no matter which part of scripture we cling to most – must be as such: there is but ONE God, and He is love (1 John 4:16). Love is everything, and through God everything is possible (Mark 10:27). Therefore through love and the love of God all is possible. Love God with all your being, love yourself, and love your neighbor as yourself. Love, love, love. When love is fully and completely present, hate or opposition cannot enter. One must be present in the current moment to love. Love is not a distraction, love is the focus. And while there is an infinite amount of wisdom in this first commandment, our Creator knows that when you focus on love, so many other endless treasures will burst forth, like the fruit of righteousness from a tree of life. Therein lies the beauty of life – humanity, and all of His creation. Without love we are empty vessels, artificial substances floating in the universe. Scientific minds solely focused on our creations, namely innovation and efficiency. Anchor yourself _here and now _in these passages and digest this idea before we go further. Because I promise, disagreement will happen, the oppressor will seek to divide, and our greatest enemy – our own selfishness – will seek to inject our own emotions, our own viewpoints, and most notably, our pride. Open your mind to the love of God and not to the power of the air, emptiness of this world, and divisive oppression. Love, love, love.

(And look at the Redwoods!)

Sequoia sempervirens or “Redwoods” are the tallest trees in the world. They grow so close together that their root systems intertwine to provide strength and foundation unmatched in forestry. You will find circles of Redwoods where young trees growing inside are protected and ultimately become connected to the group. I have even heard of the possibility that eventually every tree in the forest could become connected. I cannot even imagine the possibilities if we were to portray this kind of affection and connection as Homo sapiens.

Perhaps paradoxically, I believe all our world problems can be solved by love. This timely reflection in the denouement of elections and aftermath of the pandemic, brings forth so many examples. Why did we wear a mask? The answer is not that it protected us, but rather that it protected others (we wore it out of love). Think about it – do you protect yourself when you cover your mouth when you sneeze?

Anyways, you see how easy it can be to divide. Perhaps some were even divided at the concept of masks. But how do we break our bipartisan bonds – you guessed it, through love. It doesn’t need to be this cheesy, child’s play that everyone thinks of when we reference the term (although God does give children as a prime example of humility and spirit). I can think of so many examples where both sides argue and interrupt without letting the other side finish. What would happened if we paused for a brief moment before our counter. What would happen if we truly listened before speaking. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. What would happen if we were forced to employ God’s love in all these scenarios. Love is broadly defined in that ever favorite-quoted section of Corinthians at weddings, but think about patience and humility specifically as practical traits. Instead of railroading an argument, listen to the other side and focus on truly hearing them rather than developing your response. Instead of closing your mind to your truth, seek God’s truth and you will find that logic, scientific advancements, and abundance are inevitably linked to His word and sometimes even the reward for seeking Him. This is true wisdom. And at the moment you think everything is clear and no questions should be asked, this is exactly the time to dig deeper to uncover the hidden treasures and share it with your neighbor (yes, for free, out of love). Expanding our root system is not only natural and beneficial to us, it is beneficial to the whole forest.

Now prepare for the journey.

As we journey together, I pray that you seek to center on love, and namely that from our Creator, Yahweh, our Elohim. He gave his only begotten son as a sacrifice and Mashiach (Messiah) out of love for you and me. Focus on His love and keep it close. You don’t have to return to the old labels and emptiness. Fill your cup with love and let it overflow onto others. You will see other beautiful fruit come from this love, such as joy, trust, faith, and kindness. I saw a sign as I walked today with God, it said “You can be anything you want in this world, so be kind.”

And as you walk with kindness, embrace and continually pray for wisdom. Search out how He would have you live, so that you may showcase your love through obedience to Him and hearing his ways. For he who has ears let him hear (Matthew 11:5, 13:9, 13:43, Mark 4:9, 4:23, 7:16, Luke 8:8, 14:35). Therein, I pray that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Be good in heart, mind, and body; bear the good fruit.

Shalom v’ahavah (Peace and love),

“Above all these, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together perfectly; and let the shalom which comes from the Messiah be your heart’s decision-maker, for this is why you were called to be part of a single Body. And be thankful — let the Word of the Messiah, in all its richness, live in you, as you teach and counsel each other in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude to God in your hearts. That is, everything you do or say, do in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

‭‭Colossians (Col)‬ ‭3:14-17‬ ‭CJB‬‬

Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One.”

Takeaways to make a way…

-Center on Love (God is Love)
-Increase your desire for knowledge, understanding and wisdom through love for our Creator and others
-Seek out truth and love in nature and in others (God is everywhere)
-Lay the groundwork for love in your heart, mind, and body

Further Study with your Buddy…

If you would like to learn more about Love as a characteristic of God as well as how it is employed for blessings, check out this post entitled “LOL: Love = Obedience = Love”.

Questions for Reflection…

In what ways are you loving others?
In what ways do you see God’s love and love for God through your life and loving others?
Where do you see God’s love in nature?
How on earth could love solve our problems? (Haha, see what I did there)
How can you love more?

Sources

“Redwood Facts.” Sempervirens Fund, https://sempervirens.org/learn/redwood-facts/.