Thursday, February 06, 2014

Cold Outside, Warmth In the Heart

Uh, oh! The sun didn't get up this morning. Cold with a dusting of snow is the story of the morning. Cold has been the story of the week. Let it not be the story of our hearts though. Warm up first toward God. Know deep down and on the surface that God loves you and me just as we are right now. There is no amount of self-improvement I can do that will make God love me more. All of my failures and trials are bound up in His love. All of my successes and triumphs are held together by His love. Can I grieve God by my sin? Sure, but that does not separate me from His love. Can I disappoint God through actions or inactions? At times I 'm sure that happens, but God's love is not cut away from me in those moments. God's love is greater than my feelings of guilt and shame. God's love overcomes my fears and selfishness. God's love endures through the evils heaped on me by this world. God's love is a great and wonderful thing in this life right now.

We sometimes think that God will love us more in Heaven, you know, after Christ has perfected us. The cross says otherwise. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," Jesus told the disciples. (John 15:13 RSV) The greatest expression of love by God has already been given. Believe and receive it! We can rest in God's love knowing that trials and testing will come, but God's greatest love is already ours. In fact, without the trials and testing, we might well wonder that God no longer cares for us. Since nothing can separate us from God's love, let us grasp it close and warm our hearts with it.

In the matchless name of Jesus our Lord,
Bucky

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