We've been talking quite a bit about the wrath of God, the apocalypse, end times, dooms day stuff. Let's lighten up and talk about the most wonderful thing now...God's love for us. If you are a new Christian, or still thinking about it, you may ask yourself, "Why does God even bother - Why does God love me, any way?"
Unlike the love of other humans, God's love does not depend on anything. We certainly don't have to earn it! God loves us because of who He is, not who we are. We don't earn His love by being good. We don't earn His love by acting faithful or kind or loving ourselves. He loves us simply because He chooses to do so. God loves us when we aren't always so lovable! His love for us doesn't depend on His mood. He always loves us no matter what! Even when we feel no one else loves us or we don't even love ourselves very much, God does! As Max Lucado reminds us in his book, "A Love Worth Giving", God's sentiment is exactly this toward even those that don't feel very lovable: "I'll call nobodies and make them somebodies; I'll call the unloved and make them beloved." (Romans 9:25 MSG).
For many, God's love is not so hard to accept as is the ability to comprehend why the all-powerful, all-knowing, awesome creator of all things would want to lower himself by becoming flesh in the form of Jesus Christ! I think this is one of the great stumbling blocks for other religions who worship the same God of Abraham, but reject Jesus as their Lord and Savior. For them, it is not a question of why God would love them (but we'll still try to answer that question), but why God would come to earth, be born, live as a mortal and especially, allow himself to be humiliated, suffer and die!! This is the part that is hard for most Muslims and Jews to accept. They simply cannot accept that their awesome God (and He is!) would appear as Jesus did and allow the humans He created to treat Him the way we did. Other God of Abraham religions picture The Messiah appearing in glory and power, coming through the clouds on a golden chariot of light, hurling lightning bolts from His finger tips at anyone who would oppose Him. Why did He have to become flesh?
I think the best explanation of this appears in a book titled, "A Love Worth Giving" by Max Lucado. In his book, Max describes an encounter he had with a colony of ants on the golf course. Instead of smashing them with his putter, he wanted to lead them to the peaceful, safety of the rough. But, when Max tried to talk to them, saying, "Hey, ants, follow me", the ants did not understand him. He finally realizes that he doesn't speak their language, so he was helpless to reach them. If only he could have become an ant. If only he could get down on their level. If only he could speak their language. If only he could experience what they were experiencing, feel what they were feeling. Then, they would listen. Then, they would believe he cared. Then they could follow him. Of course, this would have taken a huge sacrifice on Max's part! He would have to trade his 6 foot 2 inch frame for their tiny bodies. He would have had to trade his big world for their tiny one. He would have had to go from being able to crush dozens of them with one step, to risking being crushed himself. Worst of all, he would have had to have been willing to risk their rejection. After making all of those sacrifices to come down to their level and relate to them, they may not have welcomed him with open arms.
But, this is similar to what God did for us. He gave up His infinity for the tiny confines of the womb. He gave up His glory in the heavens for a smelly stable. He gave up His limitless, awesome power for skinned knees, house rules and tears. He gave up the adoration of the angels for the rejection of the humans He created! He gave up the respect as the almighty God for spit and mockery and humiliation from the Roman soldiers. He temporarily gave up His eternity for physical pain and death.
Why would He do that? Because He loves us! He loves us so much that He was not content to sit on his heavenly throne and watch us destroy ourselves and each other. He saw the fear on the faces of the Israelites when He spoke in his mighty voice from the mountain. He didn't want us to fear Him, but He did want us to follow Him. He wanted to come down from the mountain and relate to us on our level. He sought to experience our human condition because He knew what we were going through. He wanted to feel the confines of the womb. He wanted to experience the discipline of a step-father's rules. He wanted to go through the awkwardness of adolescence. He wanted to feel humble, humility, HUMAN. He chose to feel shame, thirst, hunger, humiliation, pain and even death. Why? Because we feel those things! He knew we would be tired, impatient, frustrated, confused, angry, sad, hungry, thirsty. He knew we'd experience grief and pain so intense that no drug could take it away! That's why, before the Romans drove the first nail through He was offered an elixir of wine mixed with gall and myrrh - sedatives to numb the pain He was about to experience on the cross. Did He accept this drink? NO! He refused to be numbed...but instead CHOSE to feel the full intensity of suffering, because He knew we would feel those things too! He felt these human feelings just like we do and because He chose to, He understands us. Just like a best friend to whom we always turn to when no one else understands how we feel...we can turn to Him. He can relate to all of our feelings, because He experienced them. He chose to because He loves us so much! Love bears all things and God IS love.
Don't be afraid to come to Him now! No matter what your situation. No matter what your past. No matter what you're feeling, He will understand. He's been there. He can relate. He forgives. He also forgets! Even your best friend can't do that! That best friend will surely forgive you if you've wronged them, but their human mind won't let them forget, no matter how much they want to. Not so for God! He promises that if you are truly sorry and ask Him to forgive you...He will not only forgive those sins, but His death on the cross literally takes them away! It's as if they never happened! He can't remember them, because He paid the price for them and it's as if it never was! Accept this awesome gift! All you need to do is bow your head in silent prayer and ask Him to forgive you. Tell Him. No one else needs to hear. Tell Him you know you have sinned, you are sorry and you want Him to come in to your life and take away those sins forever. Ask His Holy Spirit to come and live inside your heart, to help you live the way He wants you to and He will do it!
Few things in this life are guaranteed, but this is the ultimate Free gift that no one can take away! No matter what you may believe. No matter what anyone else has ever told you, God does love you! God understands you! He has been there where you are, what you're feeling and He paid the price because He loves you so much! Don't question it, just believe it and accept this gift! It's priceless and unlike the temporary things that bring limited joy on this earth, it will be yours for eternity! Hallelujah!
