~Abbe Henri De Tourville
I found this interesting quote above in a little study book I got for Christmas. It is titled Extreme Love, it goes through and has little topics with verses and then it pretty much expands upon that. I just read the first couple pages and it came to me what this weeks lesson was to be about, which is gonna sound kind of weird. You might think throughout this lesson that this is not the mind of a Christian. That being this sure and worthy of something is not a good attribute in this case. Now it may be not as outrageous that I portraying it to be. The focus today is around the matter of putting ourselves into a mind set that we are able to have the abundant love and praise Christ has for us. We are to make ourselves sure that Christ loves us without a doubt with his whole heart. According to Abbe Tourville we are to be certain of the Lord's love for us. The word certain isn't always a word made of iron in our everyday sentences. The Free Dictionary website says that 'certain' means: fixed, sure to come or happen, inevitable, established beyond doubt or question, indisputable, capable of being relied on, having or showing confidence.
That right there is a fantastic mindset that we need to set ourselves in when it comes to acknowledging the love that Christ inhabits. The clear objective is that Christ loves us. He looks at all the horrible, dirty, and unforgivable things we have done and are yet to do but he still persists to keep his arms wide open. If you are emotional like me, you have those times where you are so wore and just flat out done from all the mistakes in your life that you just fall into God's arms. It's that one tough day at work, or at school, or at practice, or taking the kids all over town, or in our relationships. We have all had those times were we cannot go any longer and the only way we can become undone is by taking a big ole trust fall into God's arms. You know, sometimes to me these are the best days out of all of them. The tough situations here on earth never measure up when I imagine myself in God's arms. It is such a beautiful image to think about being able to just fall into God's arms!
God's love is something that words can't even pin down. His love is so mysterious yet lovely yet describable yet so...fulfilling. It is probably the only thing one this earth that has the true characteristics of being radically not of this world. Christ is physically dead and not here on earth. This would be the sad and horrible reality that we would have if God's love didn't exist. His love is what makes him here with us and in our motives everyday. His love and grace is what literally moves us! The sad part comes in when we don't recognize the experience we have with his love. He has so many trusts and promises with just his love that it is untouchable with the human mind. Of course we all know the story with the cross but do we really?
The basic concept we hear is Christ died for us because he LOVES us. Christ came up from the dead because he LOVES us. Christ promised a return to us to bring us home because he LOVES us. There was not one action Christ did and still does that is without LOVE. Being able to show and even receive love may seem like and extremely simple concept but it's not. We could never be able to love like Christ did and still does. We would have to put aside all harsh feelings we have for others NO MATTER WHAT and love others for who they are beneath all the sin. The bottom line we all accept is Christ is the only one capable of the outstanding and indescribable love. And we miss out on a whole lot when we don't discover it. We might not experience his love if we are mad at him for unanswered prayers or even giving us more than we deserve. I would often get upset with Christ for not keeping me accountable for following him. That is a matter that is embarrassing to reveal because it's so hideous. In reality I knew that I was really upset with myself that I wasn't taking that obvious hand reaching out for me to come back to Christ.
Like myself, thousands of people around the world deny the love of Christ because we often cover it up with worldly possessions and feelings. The sooner we realize that we are the precious treasure of the great price God paid the sooner we can be in God's arms. The least we can do for Christ is acknowledge the amazing effort that it took to succeed at making the whole world aware that he is the son of God. He has so much in store for us and it is possible to notice God without totally accepting his love. And his love is kind of like the glue that holds all of the pieces together. Our relationships with Christ are so dry and become nonexistent over time without his true love. It lies on us because God will give his love to anyone, we just need to accept it! Most of the time we don't accept his love because we feel as if we are not worth of it. Well yeah, Christ will ALWAYS be more than enough for our sinful nurtured hearts. But God calls us to feel and act that we deserve his love. As I was telling you about the study book consider this short passage from my readings today...
"Christian, believe this and think on it: You shalt be eternally embraced in the arms of that love which was from everlasting and will extend to everlasting. You will be embraced by that love which brought the Son of God's love from heaven to earth, from earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory. You will be in the arms of that love which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spit upon, crucified, and pierced; which did fast,pray, teach, heal, weep, sweat, bleed, and die. It will be loving and rejoicing, not loving and sorrowing." ("From Extreme Love, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.")
We need to live each day knowing that we have God's love and we have it with pride. One way to not think is that all (including God) should bow before us because of the great glory we have. Be sure with pride THROUGH Christ not above or beyond him because he will always be more than us. So I leave you with a challenge this week to believe in yourself. No, this is more than a cheesy inspirational message you hang around your house. Believe in the fact that you will be embraced by the same exact love that took Christ to and from earth. The very same. It is here for us. His love came for us. And we should want to be among the things it takes back home.
Word of the Day: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
~2 Timothy 3:16-17
*This video was a little something I found throughout last week and it's just a little reminder of the love Christ truly has for us*
*This video was a little something I found throughout last week and it's just a little reminder of the love Christ truly has for us*
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