This is Love

I think this is one of the times when I'm writing to myself but it is for a greater purpose as well.

If we had any idea how deep or how wide the love of God is, it woudl radically change our lives forever! I'm talking about a God whose very defining characteristic is love.  The Bible says that God IS love!  I know that I can't say that about myself or anyone I know for that matter.  That is because we are all flawed as humans, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot love everyone unconditionally and completely.  But God does.  

This love that God has for us does not mean that He only loves us when we are "good."  Although the Scriptures tell us, "There is not one good, no not one", God loves us all the time no matter what we do, how we feel, or what our thoughts are like on a given day.  If we come to really know Him, we fill find acceptance in Him.  And He loved us so much that He had His only Son sacrificed to save us from our sin.  He did that ecause He knew that was the ONLY way any of us could ever come to know Him.  And after all, He desired and still desires to know us! He also knew that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness from sin." And that the only acceptable sacrifice was Jesus.  

His love for us is not a license for us to go around and act any way we want to.  No, that is a violation of His grace toward us.  But He loves us so much that He gives us grace to overcome the things that so easily beset us! In my own life, I have struggled with anger and lashing out at the very ones I love.

I still have some work to do, but I know His love and His grace are dooing a work in me to help me overcome.  Jesus overcame and we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony!  And I will testify that I am MUCH better now than I used to be, and with His help I'll "arrive." He wants all of us to walk in FREEDOM from bondages, sin, sickness, emotional problems, financial hardships, all the obove.  

Who can fathom the depth and the height of the love of God? Love that is more vast than the deepest sea, higher than the tallest mountain peak? When they stretched Him out on the cross, His dying Words were,"Father God, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  And then, "It is finished!"  What love! It has been said, and I know it is true, no one really took His life.  HE GAVE IT! 

He gave it for me and for you! 

Maybe you've had a hard life.  Maybe you've had a loved one suddenly snatched from you, were passed over for a promotion at your job, etc.  and you wonder, why? Maybe it's the Lord getting your attention. Maybe you were going down a path that would have led you to destruction.  Give your cares to the Lord, for He cares for you.  He will take the broken places of your life and make a beautiful tapestry! He alone can turn your darkness into night, your mourning into dancing, your sorrows into joy! He can give you beauty for ashes!  And you can know that when you leave this earth, that you will spend eternity with the One who loves you, the One who completes you, the one who DESIRES you! 

Oh friends, I encourge you today.  Don't wait! Make some time to talk with the Lord. If it's your first time, don't be nervous or afraid.  Just talk to Him like you would your best friend.  That's because He wants to be your best Friend! No fancy words or long prayers - unless you have a lot on your mind - He's not in a hurry.

I'm convinced that Jesus is the answer to every prolem we face in our society today.  Just think of how things would be different if He was foremost in our politics, in our finances, in our marriages, in our priorities! Ouch! The love of God knows no limits, so ask Jesus to show Himself to you.  If you have not ever done so, ask Him to forgive you of the things you have done that are not pleasing to Him.  We can't meaure our good against what we know to be good.  Our good is measured against His standards, which are MUCH higher than ours!  Ask Him to be your Savior, your Lord, and your very best friend.

Friend, He will do it! He will give you a new heart, a new mind, a renewed spirit! 

God bless you and pour out His love on you in a way that you have never before experienced! And when he does, be sure to share it with others! Let's be a light in this darkened world.  

For there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, no height, no depth, no power, no principality... Go after Him and let Him pursue you with His amazing endless love! 

-Dawn