Out of all the words going through my mind, only one becomes repetitive: Love, a simple but powerful four letter word. A word so small that made such a difference in my life. Love is what embraced me in the presence of God, and it is because of love that God has gifted me with his mercy. Love is God, and God is love, but one can never understand how meaningful this relation truly is until acknowledging who God is and what love is.
To me, God is purity and perfection. He is so GOOD and mighty that because of my worldly life, my sinful eyes would be extinguished in his mere presence. But somehow, he finds a way to bless me with his touch and words, so that I know he is there through my praises and battles that he fights beside me.
To me, God isn't just my guiding father and uplifting warrior, but he is that conscience I feel when I am full of guilt, and somehow, at the same time, I am still filled with a grand amount of indescribable love and compassion. Before I even knew I was going to sin, God had already forgiven me and embraced me with open arms, and that to me is love.
This is the same love that stopped the stones from slaughtering a woman guilty of adultery (John 7:53-8:11 NIV). He reminds us constantly that although we are sinners, his love toward us is pure UNCONDITIONAL love.
esus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,"
Have you really thought about how wonderful it is that we have a choice? God doesn't get in our face and tell us "you must" do one thing or another. He allows us to live the way that we do. Of course, it isn’t always the life he wants for us, but we should know that no matter what path we take, we can always turn around, and he will be there.
"He will never leave you nor forsake you" is what Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) kindly reminds us. He loves you, and he loves me, and he loves us all. All we have to do to end our own self-conflicting heartache is obey him. He tells us, as well as the adulterous woman, to "Go now and leave your life of sin." If we would just live for him and him alone, we could live a life of love and be the image of God we were created in.
Day after day within my relationship with God, I have found that his love is indeed four things I am able to understand within my own reasoning. To begin, his love is Ludicrous, and it's ludicrous because I see it to be foolish, insane, and unreasonable at times. Why? Because it is so out-right crazy to what extent God truly loves us. I cannot honestly say I would love someone who betrays me, cheats me and lies to me. I find it to be ludicrous to love someone like that... but that someone is me, and God loves me. Somehow, through all the mess in my heart and life, God loves me, and that to me is beautiful.
What is so significant about the woman whom committed adultery is that we are that woman. God tells us that no sin is greater than another. That is the significance of that story; we have all been in both positions. We have either thrown the stone or been the victim of the hit. BUT WE ARE ALL SINNERS. We forget that Gods love isn't just for us; it isn't just for me or you, but it's for us to share with the world.
A song that convicted me of pointing fingers at everyone but myself is a song by Casting Crowns, "Jesus Friend of Sinners." One important phrase I love from this prayer song is "open my eyes to the world at the end of my pointing finger, let our hearts be lead by mercy." Although it may be ludicrous to love your enemy, it isn't impossible. We can all be more forgiving of those around us. I know I can.
Secondly, my next word is Optimism. God's love has allowed me to become more positive about the trials I face in life. I was reminded in a video posted by my friend, Stephany Bento, that God doesn't give us trials we cannot handle. Philippians 4:13 (NIV) says "I can do all things through him who gives me strength."
Steph reminded all her viewers that God "always has a hand in everything that happens in your life," and He is "never going to give you what you can’t handle - He knows what you can handle."
Her words couldn’t be truer, and when you understand his love, you will see that doors close not because God hates you, but because he opened a better one for you. He will never betray you.
God's love is so Varied. He shows us his love in more than a way or two. Allowing us to take another breath in the morning is by his loving grace, and the opportunity to be forgiven is by his loving mercy. We are able to get through our toughest days by his love and protection, and this list could go on forever. There is nothing that God does for us that isn't out of love and with love. his love is just that immense; everything that has to do with him deals with Love.
Last but not leas, God's love for us is Eager. Eager because he solely wants us to love him as he loves us and be the children he created us to be. I believe that whenever another sinner gives up his or her life to God, that he is enthusiastic about this exchange of love. He must be, because angels rejoice with him over our redemption. God is eager for us. He loves and hopes for us to be just as eager to love him as he is to love us, and the wonderful magical thing about this is that no matter how much we push him away and deny his love at times, he doesn’t give up. He continues to love us, accept us and be eager for us regardless of how we react to him.
The ongoing statement is that He loves us NO MATTER WHAT. He loves us with unconditional love. He loves us without a reason and his love, like his water of life, is never ending. God, who is an everlasting God, loves us with everlasting love, so therefore God is love, and love is God. That four letter word may just be more then enough to express His love after all.
Newark Ironbound Corps
0 comments:
Post a Comment