The power of words is my current fixation. It has been fed by many different trickles of thought and they have become this wide river of study on the Scripture and it's place in my life. This week, I pondered, if His Word is to penetrate my heart and guide my thoughts, what could motivate me to know Him? I followed that stream back to the source of the Gospel message - His love for us, for me! If I doubt His love and commitment to me, than my security, my service, my intimacy with my Saviour will wane or stall. Unfortunately, in my human condition, I must be reassured of His love over and over again. My heart does not trust its truth after hearing it only once.
Our culture is the antithesis of Christ-like love, it is emotional, it is self-seeking, it takes rather than gives. It is so easy for me to place a filter over the words of LOVE God wrote in the Scriptures. It is so easy for my mind to believe that His love is based on my performance. Or, that His love will be removed if I sin too often, or I am too rebellious, or if my sin is too great. It is a trap to believe that He would not care if I managed a status quo life and didn't actively pursue the things His heart beats for - justice, mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.
As an exercise, I personalized a verse to SEE His love through new eyes :
This is how God showed his love for [me]: God sent his only Son into the world so [I] might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about - not that [I] once upon a time loved God, but that he loved [me] and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away [my] sins and the damage they've done to [my] relationship with God. My dear, dear friend(s), if God loved [you] like this, [you] certainly ought to love (each) other[s].
1 John 4:9-11 the Message
It caused me to think of a popular song by Coldplay that sings: "You know I love you so...your skin, oh yeah your skin and bones, turn into something beautiful, d'you know for you I bleed myself dry..." The ultimate expression of love is to die for someone else. What news! God's son died for me, and His act of love cannot be matched because, through that act, he also redeemed my soul! "Thank God because He's good, because His love never quits!" (Psalm 118:1 the Message)
God of Wonders, it is a wonder you chose to love me this ultimately. Cause me to see in your divine letters how much you love your creation, mankind, and me. Allow me to bask in your love. Fill my heart with gratitude for your love for me. Please don't let the twisted definition of love that this world lives by distort my view of you. Your love is perfect. Your love is without condition. Your love is eternal. I am yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment