Love.

"And oh! Oh how He loves. How He loves us, oh."

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Imagine a strong love, stronger than death. A love that even the greatest flood cannot quench. A love that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from! Not even death can take us from it.

According to God's Word (Romans 8:38-39), this is the love that God has for me -- and all believers. If I believe this -- why can I so often and easily be persuaded (even if it is just a feeling) that my mistakes, my sins, my shortcomings, my compromise, could sway His love...could cause His love for me to wane even the slightest bit...?!

Surely it cannot. Surely, He has loved me with an [everlasting] love. 

Does this mean that I feel less of a need or urgency to live righteously? -- Because He will love me no matter what?  Absolutely not. Rather, I have found that...

To see the Fathers love for me is 
: to be made alive, 
: to be awakened deep on the inside, 
: to be filled to overflowing with a roaring and unstoppable passion and power to be who I am created to be ---- living a life that pleases my Maker, my Husband, my Love.

His love for us is incomparable to our love for Him, and to our love for each other. It is His steadfast love that never fades. It is completely independent and indirect to our love for Him and our ability to make Him happy, to obey Him. He loves us immensely and unconditionally. Because of Who. He. Is. Not because of what we have done. But because of who He has declared us to be - His beloved sons and daughters.

This love is not meant to be known in mere words. Oh no, that is a great shame. If only intellectually understood, if only preached about on Sunday, if only [part] of the story, I believe we are missing it all together. His love is something to know! 
To encounter! 
To be experienced. 
To feel. 
To think of and enjoy every day of our lives. 
To find immense pleasure and satisfaction in. 
To be addicted to. 
To rejoice in.
To rest in. 
To live for. 
To die for.

His love heals deep wounds. 
His love binds up the broken hearted. 

His love saves us from eternal condemnation and death that we rightly deserve. 
His love breaks the chains of sin and darkness that entangle us and make us slaves to death. 

His love shines light into and frees the mind plagued with thoughts of unworthiness and self-hatred.
His love comforts & affirms the heart heavily burdened with feelings of despair & depression. 

His love shatters insecurities rooted in the (seemingly convincing) lie that: one is unwanted, unacceptable, un-enjoyed, forsaken. 

His love is ALIVE. It is not merely words written in a book. Or part of the doctrine we believe. 

It is real. It is real. It has real power. It has real power. 

It is obvious as we look around this hungry and hurting world, that not all know His love. And sometimes I don’t live with it in mind. It is not automatically perceived as reality. It’s power is not automatically realized. Why do we miss it? Why don’t we have it? Why aren’t we changed by it? Why aren’t we unavoidably encouraged by His affections for us? --- We must believe it. We must have faith. We have to accept His love, with humility; knowing full well that we are unworthy. Only then is it seen, heard, felt, exposed, and able to envelope our hearts.

Obviously, there is more to believing it and accepting it than reciting the words - “I believe it. I accept it.” Positioning oneself to know this love includes humility, surrender, confession of shortcoming and the need for grace. Revelation of His love continues to deepen as we seek His face, as time goes on, and as hindrances to seeing His love are lovingly removed. 

Could this love be forgotten? Could it be neglected? Could it be minimized and quickly overlooked? Absolutely. Unfortunately, it is every single day. The more important question - SHOULD IT BE? Never!

His Redeeming Love. Oh how much it means to me! Oh how it has transformed me! How precious it is to me...

His love is unexplainable. There are no words to describe the deep and spiritual joy that has overflowed in my heart at the revelation of His Love for me. It cannot be relayed to you from me, or a preacher, or any friend --- it must be experienced first hand for you to understand fully. 

Is there a more beautiful thing in the universe? Than pure love? I contend that there is not. It is increasingly rarely found...as well as greatly misunderstood and misrepresented! Love has become something that you give when you get. In most expressions of love today, it is dependent on the recipient, fluctuates in strength, and usually winds up being temporary. It is also greatly distorted and perverted. To many love = lust.  The unrelenting onslaught of sexualization today attempts to serve as a satisfactory substitute for what we were created to long for (His Love!). When we are honest, we know it fails every time. Maybe not right away...but soon enough.

He is jealous for us. With a holy and jealous love that He is entitled to have. It is a love and a jealousy that is rooted in deep affection and care for our hearts. To say He wants the best for us, seems like such an understatement. His passion for you and me is unparalleled, and unstoppable. 

Beloved, you are loved today! My prayer for you is Paul’s in Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

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The conclusion of all this? JESUS IS BEAUTIFUL.

A Short Story.

Have you ever been to San Francisco?? I spent a weekend there in 2007. 

I had many once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including being interviewed on national television! Woo!

But the most memorable moment had to do with...green tape, a LOT of green tape.

I wrote about it on my old blog (about 3,000 words!)

Read The Story Here

Here is an excerpt:

Give HIM everything you have today.  Step out and obey HIM in complete submission, no matter what measure of denial of self it requires.  It doesn’t matter how insignificant or mundane or ridiculous it seems to you.  As a follower of CHRIST, you must be radically obedient.  Be desperate for your Shepherd’s leading in your every day life.  

Yearn, ache, scream--for more of HIM.  Always be listening, waiting, expecting HIM to meet you and remind you of HIS commands to you…of HIS faithfulness to you…and HIS incredible, unimaginable, plan for your life.  A plan that will stretch you past your limits so you must rely on HIM. A plan in which HIS HOLY SPIRIT is constantly purging every sin so you are continually formed you into the image of CHRIST.  A plan in which HE will give you more and more wisdom, more knowledge and revelation of HIM and HIS Glory.  A plan in which your heart will be stirred to 

unadulterated worship, pure adoration, and unyielding devotion.