Love is Like Postcode: 3550
I love the way the Lord gets our attention to speak truths. Recently the Lord spoke to me about His love—that it is like our cities postcode, which is 3550!
His love is like our postcode? 3550 is the postcode of Bendigo where we live.
Bendigo is a regional city in central Victoria, and about 200 kilometres north of Melbourne, Australia. How could His love be like 3550? Hold that weird thought and I will explain.
I grew up in a Christian home and an evangelical church and intellectually knew all about God’s love. But along the way, some of life’s challenges made it clear that the knowledge of God’s love had not seeped down into my heart. Rather, like a target board at a rifle range, my heart was full of love holes. These holes had been made by jealousies of my gift, severe criticisms and judgments by church leaders, misunderstandings and many rejections from family and friends. As a ministry group we have been slowly and methodically working through much healing with the help of material from Jack Frost in relation to “Embracing Father’s Love” and dealing with the orphan heart to be His sons and daughters.
On the day of the postcode revelation the Holy Spirit exhorted me to open up my heart to Him and to absorb and take on board His love. He compared this with when someone speaks criticism of us, or rejects us with thoughtless actions; we so easily “take on board” the hurt. Conversely, when a complement is paid, how often do we struggle to receive it without embarrassment or else question its sincerity and accuracy? We know in our heads that God loves us. But what about deep in our hearts in those spaces that are tender and vulnerable because we have actually absorbed the wound or offense? He said we are to take His love “on board” and let it soak into those deep and raw places.
I then saw the Bendigo postcode flash before my eyes and He said, My love is like the Bendigo postcode, 3550. At first I thought this was a bit odd or that I had heard wrong. But His explanation not only made sense, but was quite amazing.
3 = Love of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit
Three is the number of the trinity and of unity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One. God is love. Agape love is unconditional love and it is His nature. A threefold cord is not easily broken.
He said, “Receive my love. It is a gift. Embrace it, take it on board, and take it into your inner being. Where you easily take into yourself criticism and condemnation, it causes grief upon grief. “Gossip is so delicious and how we love to swallow it, slander is easily absorbed into our innermost being.” (Proverbs 26:22 The Passion Translation)
He said to me, “It is better to take My love into your soul because it gives life and rejuvenates the soul. Take in the truth of how I see you. Take in the truth of who you are in Me. Take in My forgiveness and freedom for I have absolved you of blame, condemnation and guilt. Take in My peace and joy. Absorb My love into your whole being. Absorb the reality of My love. Let My love fill every vacuum in your life. Let My love touch every wounded area of your body and soul. Let My love fill every deficit of love you so wanted from loved ones but did not receive. Love is a gift from Me to you—receive My gift. You do not have to strive for it, you cannot earn it, just receive it, take it on board. Love is a fruit of the Spirit, so let it flow through you. Receive My love.”
5 = represents grace
In Scripture five is the number of grace.
“My grace is sufficient to get you through whatever challenge you are struggling with. Grace is something I do for you; it is not something you can do for yourself. Grace is not initiated by man. Grace is My ability. Jesus came to earth full of grace—full of love, truth and divine ability. Jesus came as an act of love—an act initiated by Me to reveal the Father’s glory and love.
The first deposit of grace you need is My ability to receive and absorb My love and favour—even, and especially when you fail. Criticisms, failures and disappointments make it difficult to receive My love. These question the validity and authenticity of My love. My grace will help you grasp and take My love into your innermost being. Grace will make My love real to you.”
5 x 2 = Double grace
We need grace and more grace to live in love, especially to love one another.
“Once you have absorbed My love, the second portion of grace you need is the grace to live in My love so you can give it away to others. Grace is needed to love people, especially when they have hurt you and you do not think or feel that they deserve grace. You need My grace to receive My love and you need My grace to give away My love—grace to receive and grace to give.
Double grace is an essential and a missing key to heal the many divisions and hurts in My body. Many divisions have been caused because My people have, in reality, felt unloved, by Me or by one another. Double grace is needed for My body to be healed to walk in unity and to honour one another.”
0 = Agape love has zero flesh
“Agape love is all of Me and nothing of you. There is nothing you can do to be more loved by Me. You cannot do anything to be more worthy of My love. And there is nothing you can do to make yourself love another person.
Only when you are one with Me can you receive and give love. You are one with Me when your flesh is really crucified with Me. It is then that My agape love will flow in My body. Agape love and flesh cannot co-exist. When your flesh is zero there will be no impediment to My love flowing freely among you.”
10 “This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins. 11Dear friends, if this is the way God loved us, we must also love each other. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.” 1John 4:9-12
© 2013 Ruth Webb Tabernacle of David (Bendigo)