The Love Collision: Love Is A Decision, Not An Emotion - Ezekiel


“When the raw truth of the gospel and skillful penmanship collides you get the artistry of Ezekiel, lyrical evangelism.” Ezekiel is a word player in the world where silence is seen as golden, in his words “Speak now, or forever hold your “click click” PEACE.” Ezekiel speaks in the now, about what was done in the past and the joy of the future; the words of life to a broken generation, reviving the flat lined hearts of many to the life giving beauty of Christ. He is a husband, father, spoken word poet, hip hop artist, minister and teacher of the gospel.
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Who are you?

I attempt to see the more permanent element of self. That must mean I can't limit who I think I am by what I'm currently doing, or what I currently have, but the one thing that has been done for me.  My heart has been changed. Jesus Christ did it. I must find my identity in whatever that means for me. 

At the moment I do Spoken Word sometimes that many consider challenging or convicting. I deem it truer than anything. I speak from experience and I talk about issues I feel God is uses my work to convey. That's super humbling. 

What is your definition of love?

Love is a decision not an emotion. At the altar during a wedding ceremony, the response expected from the bride and groom as they embark on a lifetime journey of matrimony is." I do". It's not and will never be, "I feel".  Love says "I choose you, exclusively” Beyond forsaking all others, it goes further to mean forsaking all conditions, that's why vows read the way they do... They in essence say, "I love you, and nothing else can get in the way of that" 

Have you had a love encounter with God?

I believe that encounter is something that's still happening for me. I see more and more on a continual basis that God's love for me is yielding fruit in every aspect of my life.  
I have had great spiritual awakenings but it's the person of Christ revealed in his word that continues to fuel me to respond accordingly. 

How has that changed your life and your perception of Christianity and what religion has portrayed it to be?

It shows me that Christ's love was expressed in his Dying in the place of me and resurrecting to live through me. I can't limit what he did to a simple event that happened 2000 years ago or even 10 years ago. This is a truth that breaks me and molds me daily. It shows me that I'm serving a living God; I'm not surviving off an experience or event. 

How has this love shaped your understanding of who God is?

Again this love teaches me that as an object of God's affection, I seem so small and he appears so great! His love is a shining pattern of his Character! He pours out his mercy and grace on me and I don't deserve it. It causes me to fear him, to desire to please Him, and to be at his feet, in hopes to understand why, He loves me so. 

How has this love walk affected your life? i.e Has this love shielded you from trials? If it hasn’t, how have you been able to reconcile the truth of a loving God with the facts of life’s challenges in your face?

My continual learning and appreciation of the love of God provokes me to attempt to pour out self-sacrificial love on my family, friends and even strangers. It's impossible to experience the love of God in fullness and treat people like crap.

If you were given a chance to witness this love to someone, what would you say?

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  For God so loved the world that he Gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.  God loved you enough to give up his Son for you, what are you going to do about that? 




Comments

  1. I disagree with this theme, specifically the statement 'Love is a decision, not an emotion.'

    Here's what I believe; I believe that Love is both a decision and emotion. When Jesus gave the supreme command, He essentially said we should love others - a decision. Apostle Paul's insight into the concept of love in the book of Corinthians informs us that certain compassionate actions like giving one's body to be burned, speaking in numerous tongues (all actions resulting from a decision) do not totally distill the essence of love. Thus, It only means love is more than a decision or actions, it is also the state of the heart and mind (the heart is basically illogical, irrational and impulsive). It is that feeling you get when your heart has been transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12) making one always seek the good of others, impulsively or rationally.

    I strongly feel that when we reduce love to decisions we miss an important part of the Love. The love between a husband and wife is not only logical, it is emotional. Man was made to be both logical (brain) and emotional (heart). If Love is truly the ultimate, I believe it must have roots in both the brain and heart. God Himself wasn't always logical, the wall of grace on your blog's sidebar is a testament to that. David with many of his sins was God's favorite, while Saul was rejected by God; God used Paul the persecutor of the early Christian church for wondrous works while there were many other 'qualified' persons, many more cases exists.

    I have this teeming belief that when God said we were created in His image, we were made to exercise logical decisions for the good of all concerned and also exercise our emotions. That's why throughout our christian walk, God seeks to transform and renew our 'illogical' part so that at the end of it all, both our logical decisions and illogical aspect would have its root in love.

    Differences aside, good piece of article.

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