Amazing Love

Today, I've just had on my mind how truly amazing the love of God is to all of us. I've been replaying this wonderful Chris Tomlin song over and over, some of the lyrics of which are:

"Amazing love, How can it be
That You, my King, would die for me?
Amazing love,I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You, In all I do, I honor You.

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again."

Truly what amazing love we've all experienced from Jesus Christ. The 8th chapter of Romans, Paul shows us just how amazing the love of Christ is as he begins to show the inability of anything to separate you & I from the Love of God. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Nothing that you and I go through, struggle with, allow to even at times over take us, none of those things have the ability to separate us from this amazing love of Jesus Christ.

You know - there are not a whole lot of people that I'd willingly lay down my life for. If you'd be honest, you would say the same thing. As a matter of fact the Bible, in the 5th chapter of Romans says, "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The Love of God is so rich and pure and unassuming and undeserving and unconditional in that WE who were bound in sin, locked in misery, chained in calamity and hell-bent on destruction were still recipients of such great love.

Many I believe struggle with the idea of the Love of God. Because many feel as if they don't deserve God's love, therefore they have a tough time accepting the fact that God loves them. In part, this faulty concept is due to the fact that we believe God loves in the same manner that we love. As humans, our love is a performance based love. If you do those things that I like and if you perform well, then I will love you. BUT if you don't comply to my wishes OR you act in a manner that is in anyway contrary to my desires for you, than I will withhold my love. Isn't that really how we as humans love? BUT not God - while we were still sinners, God's love was demonstrated to us by His willingness to die in our place. God's love is pure. You can't do enough to earn it. You can't perform well enough to deserve it. It's already been extended when you were at your lowest point - dead in your trespasses. And so if extended then, how can I accomplish enough to earn what has already been given.

Many have suffered at times through the love of family that was conditional. Dare I say, many have been presented love from a church that was conditional. If you do these list of rules or this list of accomplishments, then you will feel love from the Pastor and the saints of this congregation. What a shame, that so many in Christianity have been forced to live in captivity in an effort to perform in such a manner as to acquire love. We were made to love and to be loved. If there is anything that we can learn simply by observing the generation of teenagers that is alive and well today, is that people will do just about anything to earn acceptance and love --- even those things that make no sense whatsoever. What a shame it is when those in power and authority within the church, utilize those same methods to dispense and withhold love and acceptance in the kingdom of God.

At the end of the day, God's love is unconditional. It is never wavering. He can't love you anymore than He already does. Regardless of your mistakes and regardless of what others think, the love of Christ has been shared with all who are willing to be loved by Him. His death at Calvary was the most amazing act of love ever known - and it cannot be earned because it's already been given, it cannot be acquired by certain actions, because it was offered while we were certainly unworthy of it. So today - accept the Love of Christ. Not based on the works that you've accomplished - not based on the approval of man - but simply because you are His creation, you are His child and there is nobody He wants to share His love with more than You.

One last thought - it is a statement that has gotten me through some of the darkest days of my life, when I questioned everything I'd ever done and wondered if God's plan for me had been scrapped because of what others thought and what others were saying. "I am not who others say I am. I am who God says I am. In Christ, I am forgiven. In Christ, I am secure. And In Christ, I am free." Today, you can be free - because if Jesus says, "You're Free", you are truly Free. And His love will never be able to be separated from the object of His affection - namely YOU!

Until next time - May God bless you as you explore the depths of HIS AMAZING LOVE - Be all that Christ wants you to be and never be defined by the box that others would shove you into - Dream Big - Roam Free - and Love others the way He loves you!!!! ---- RP