More thoughts on God's love

I was meditating on the passage in Luke 19 Luke 19 (NLT) Jesus and Zacchaeus Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” If you notice Jesus did not treat this man the way everyone else treated him. Jesus loved this man purposely because he was unloved by others. Instead of judging him for his sin Jesus loved him and what happened? Zacchaeus unasked repented of his sin due to the love of God demonstrated to him by Jesus.

God is Love

אלהים אהבה God is love (Elohim ahavah) Romans 2:4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (NLT) Saturday night God let me feel his love like liquid love, like oil over me. The reason this love means so much to me is that I had been feeling like I was such a sinner and that I had to get it right before God would love me like that. I could not believe that God would love me like that when I could not get this thing right with Him. But God let His love flow over me. I said, "God I do not deserve this" and more love He gave me. "I can't understand this," More love flowed over me. This is pure love with no strings attached. I was seeing God's Agape love for me. I felt like God said to my heart, "I love you like this you should love others the same way. "I have loved you to repentance you should love others to repentance. I have loved you when you did not deserve it, you should love others when they do not deserve it." I understood something I never understood in my heart before though I knew it in my head. Instead of judging others we should show them undeserved love and that will lead them to repentance.

One Month to the Day!

In exactly one month from today I will be on my way with my family to South America. Please pray for me as I go!

God is Power

"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62:11) God’s power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to the Omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no assisting arm. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, nor does it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great central source and Originator of all power (C. H. Spurgeon).

God's power is beyond comprehension. It really is God's power that makes God's love mean anything. If God only loved, but did not have the power to show that love where would that love be? This is amazing to me to think that God so loved the world that He gave his only son! God gave His son! That is POWER. The Gospel = Love + Power.

Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes Matthew 21:41-43

This is marvelous in my eyes what about yours?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:15-17

If God's love was manifested powerfully in the sufferings of Christ we also should be willing to manifest God's love in our sufferings demonstrating God's power in us. To be honest with you I have not suffered much in my life but I admire the lives of those who have suffered because they are so full of the love of God.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 2 Timothy 1:7-9

Why am I afraid to suffer? Paul was glad to be counted worthy to suffer. Why do I not want to be counted WORTHY to suffer?