Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Unconditional Love-While We Were Still Sinners

Have you ever felt unloved, or unsure that you are loved? How did that make you feel?What a difference it makes when we know that we are loved and there has been a demonstration to prove it!
However, if we are loved because of looks, performance, money, etc.; we are left with an insecurity that lies beneath the surface. We are uneasy because accident, illness, failure, or bankruptcy could rob us of the thing that endears us to others.
Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
When we stand at the foot of the cross and behold the love of God, we see how unbelievably unconditional his love is. You can lose your health, possessions, job, reputation, looks, and God’s love for you will not be affected in the slightest. You can slip, screw up or fail and God’s heart would not even quiver. While we were still sinners-in the worst of shape-God demonstrated His love for us.
This doesn’t mean that God is not tough on sin: He is the toughest on sin. It is a testimony to how never-ending His love really is. (Eph 3:18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,) It is a mystery that a God who hates sin so much loves sinners so unconditionally. This is what the cross establishes and makes so clear, this is what the cross demonstrates and proves: Nothing we do or fail to do will stop Him from loving us. Even if we tried to make God stop loving we could never do it because He already sent His Son to die while we were at our worst. We could never understand the depth or breadth of God’s love because it “surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:19).
This means that years past or now, when you were “more spiritual” or flailing, or just downright disgusting: it doesn’t matter. God loves you and died for you while you were His enemy. The cross proves it and faith accepts it.
We should stand in awe of the cross and God’s love. It needs to change us. We are called to…
Eph 5:1-2a Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love…What we find in the cross, the way God deals with people; we need to treat people that way. God calls us to…1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…
We need to love as He loved us. Is there any one that you love that way? Or, do you treat them conditionally, ready to withdraw love when they don’t live up to what you want or expect? Do you treat God this way because He hasn’t done what you wanted?
You think you know God? If you don’t love, you don’t even know Him (1 Jn 4:7-8).
Stand at the foot of the cross and stand in awe. Let it change you. Paul did. His response was change and he sought out help because he knew that…
1Tim 1:15 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst
…Let us have the same attitude as Paul and discover love in a deeper way and change ourselves to love as Christ did. We want to help you to love as you have been loved. Let’s do it together.

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