Make 2014 a year of Sharing
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn you with loving kindness.” – Jeremiah 31:3
Who do you love and why do you love them?
It’s easy for us to set here this morning or evening and claim to love
our spouse, fiancé, children, parents, family and friends. But, what does it mean to love them, and why
do you? When did you first love
them? If it’s your girlfriend/boyfriend
or spouse, perhaps you can remember your first date. I certainly remember mine, but that’s a story
for another time. If you’re thinking of
your children, I’m sure you first loved them the moment they were born, and you
first held them in the delivery room.
What about your friends? How and
why do you love them and what does that even mean? Now, I want each of you to carefully think
about the time you started loving your parents.
For most you can’t remember an act of falling in love with your parents. Your love for them began with your first breath, and the comfort that you felt when they held you close. For some, you may not have experienced the love of a father for one reason or another, but there is not one of you reading this today that did not at one time feel the love of a mother. You see, from the moment God created you in your mother’s womb, her blood began running through your cells and feeding the growth that would form your body, brain, heart and other organs. You come from a creation process that is so incredibly linked to her it cannot be replicated in any other relationship in the world, despite our attempts.
This love you first experienced in this life was not something that you fell into. No, it was created uniquely between you and your mother. It was the single thing in your life that even comes close to the love of God the Father. His love for you goes even beyond her love for you. He loved you before you were created, from the beginning of time. It cannot be measured by any earthly reference, for it surpasses our understanding in this life. His love is eternal both in the past and into the future. It has no end and cannot be changed. One cannot escape His love, despite their actions and attempts (either intentional or not). We cannot fathom the depths of what it means to love someone in this manner.
Do you love God? We all want to immediately answer yes. Do you love Him because you’ve been told too, or do you love Him because you don’t want to go to Hell, or do you love Him because you want to serve Him, or do you love Him because He is everything to you? Generally, when people are honest with themselves, they fall into one of these four areas. But, I’m sure you can see the depth of love increases through each of these stages to the point where He is your very breath, your heartbeat and your all-consuming spirit. At the epitome of loving God, you are willing to walk away from your own desires completely and pursue nothing but His will in your life. Even in that state, which some of you can claim, you are barely scratching the surface from experiencing His true love for you.
You see, despite how much you may or may not claim to love Him. He loves you everlasting. It cannot be measured in this life, for His promise is for life eternal for those that will accept and believe in the life, death and resurrection of His Son – Jesus Christ. You cannot love Him in equal measure because you have nothing to give Him other than yourself, and because you are born into sin, your gift to Him is imperfect, despite how wonderful of a person you are, and how much you give to your local church, community, shelter or charity. You are incapable of loving God as much as He loves you, but that’s the greatest thing, He knows it, and doesn’t require it. Loving God is simple. We try to complicate it through our actions and words and money, but all He really wants is you, just as you are. Bring Him praise and worship, glory and honor, and all of your love through Jesus Christ. For then you are open to experiencing His great love for you.
For most you can’t remember an act of falling in love with your parents. Your love for them began with your first breath, and the comfort that you felt when they held you close. For some, you may not have experienced the love of a father for one reason or another, but there is not one of you reading this today that did not at one time feel the love of a mother. You see, from the moment God created you in your mother’s womb, her blood began running through your cells and feeding the growth that would form your body, brain, heart and other organs. You come from a creation process that is so incredibly linked to her it cannot be replicated in any other relationship in the world, despite our attempts.
This love you first experienced in this life was not something that you fell into. No, it was created uniquely between you and your mother. It was the single thing in your life that even comes close to the love of God the Father. His love for you goes even beyond her love for you. He loved you before you were created, from the beginning of time. It cannot be measured by any earthly reference, for it surpasses our understanding in this life. His love is eternal both in the past and into the future. It has no end and cannot be changed. One cannot escape His love, despite their actions and attempts (either intentional or not). We cannot fathom the depths of what it means to love someone in this manner.
Do you love God? We all want to immediately answer yes. Do you love Him because you’ve been told too, or do you love Him because you don’t want to go to Hell, or do you love Him because you want to serve Him, or do you love Him because He is everything to you? Generally, when people are honest with themselves, they fall into one of these four areas. But, I’m sure you can see the depth of love increases through each of these stages to the point where He is your very breath, your heartbeat and your all-consuming spirit. At the epitome of loving God, you are willing to walk away from your own desires completely and pursue nothing but His will in your life. Even in that state, which some of you can claim, you are barely scratching the surface from experiencing His true love for you.
You see, despite how much you may or may not claim to love Him. He loves you everlasting. It cannot be measured in this life, for His promise is for life eternal for those that will accept and believe in the life, death and resurrection of His Son – Jesus Christ. You cannot love Him in equal measure because you have nothing to give Him other than yourself, and because you are born into sin, your gift to Him is imperfect, despite how wonderful of a person you are, and how much you give to your local church, community, shelter or charity. You are incapable of loving God as much as He loves you, but that’s the greatest thing, He knows it, and doesn’t require it. Loving God is simple. We try to complicate it through our actions and words and money, but all He really wants is you, just as you are. Bring Him praise and worship, glory and honor, and all of your love through Jesus Christ. For then you are open to experiencing His great love for you.
© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts
No comments:
Post a Comment