The Love of Christ

Let me remind you, no, let me ENCOURAGE you about something we often miss everyday. It's something I enjoy talking about and dwelling on, and even I miss it so often! God's love.

This past week, I've been sending parallel texts to friends who need some encouragement, and while they've gotten pieces of my heart on the matter, I wanted to spell out the whole picture tonight. You'll see ideas that I've mentioned here and there before, and a lot of it may be recognizable. Good! That means I'm doing my job well! I'm also praying you find some new insight, that God would use me to show you guys some new facet of His love you never paused to consider. He has shown me all of this, and it's not new knowledge, though perhaps it is a new presentation. Its gonna be very pointed and personal as well because that is how our relationship with Him should be!

See, I would NOT be surprised at all if Jesus carried around a wallet with Him. Not for His credit cards and cash, no! He has storehouses full of wealth; why would He need a wallet for simple monetary things? Rather, I believe He carries a wallet to hold photos of you. He runs here and there, up and down those streets of gold, searching for ANYONE to here Him out! He is looking for an audience to proclaim His beautiful Bride to (that's you)! He goes on and on about her beauty and how He is the luckiest man alive to hold her hand in marriage. The angels sit there enraptured, for to be loved by a God is a wonderful thing! They ponder His sanity for we don't even recognize the gravity of the God we serve.

Now, this is a bit silly, but His love for us is like this. In fact, it's like MANY things, but I chose this way of portraying it tonight. See, sometimes I sit in my room and ask God why He loves me. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Ya know what else the Bible tells me? That the best of me, the pinnacle of David, is as good as dirty, used menstrual rags. That is NASTY. And Jesus looks upon me with love, not with disgust! The Father accepts me as His own son, first by adoption, and soon by relation. 

I sit in my room (usually with the lights off... helps me focus) and bare my soul. I beg God to tell me why He wants MY love when He knows its faulty and that it will fail Him. Why He desires my relationship when He knows I'll end up hurting Him. In an act of humility, my soul cries out because it cannot understand how a wretch like me could be loved like my God loves me. And the answer I get, every time, is "I love you, David."

HOW?! I fail Him daily! I slapped Him in the face today, I put those nails in His hands today, and I mocked Him as He died today! And all He tells me is that He loves me; He just keeps whispering that to my soul over and over again, despite my protesting. I cannot even argue my case, about how He shouldn't love me, because He has forgotten all my trespasses. I cannot win an arguement the other party is ignorant about! The only choice I have is to accept His love!

Man, guys, Jesus loves His Bride SO much! As I grow, I learn more and more about what a human heart really is and the gravity of it all. God has given me some cool insight in how to handle certain situations and how the heart works, and I've come to appreciate it more. I break for others, being extremely empathic, as I pass them in the halls and peer into their eyes. There is a LOT of hurt in our world, and smiles all too easily cover that pain up. Anyways, God has shown me the great value of a human heart, and I've only been shown a little, how much more does He value us! 

One of my favorite songs is "Getting into You" by Relient K. The first verse, second verse, and then the first run-through of the chorus is from our point of view; us speaking to God. Then, the bridge and both times through the chorus again are what God says to us. Here are a few of the lyrics:

"[Us:] When You looked at me, and said, 'I kinda view you as a son,'
And for one second, our eyes met, and I met that with a question:
'Do You know what You are getting Yourself into?'

[God:] 'I'm getting into you, because you got to Me,
in a way words can't describe!
I'm getting into you, because I've got to be,
you're essential to survive! 
I'm gonna love you with my life!'" - Relient K

What a beautiful picture of love! Later, the song says, "I love you and that's what you are getting yourself into!" We ask God if He knows all our sin, and yes, He recognizes our fallen character. But as soon as it's recognized, it's forgotten!! And now, seeing no fault in us, He wants to LOVE us! He loves us so desperately that He would give His Son to die; we're essential to survive! And, He doesn't care what we think, because He loves us and that's what WE are getting ourselves into! When we accepted Him, did we know what we were getting ourselves into? Of course not! We still don't understand the boundlessness of His love!

Hey, you know what? Jesus loves you. And its not a cliche statement either, this is a radical, unbelievable, crazy love. Share some with those around you, alright? Be sure to #LiveItLikeJesus!