Do I really know how much God loves me? Really?

When I try to contemplate how much He loves me I can’t seem to get my arms around the unlimited capacity of His Love. I think that our infinite human mind has a hard time dealing with the kind of love he has for us. It is unconditional, unending, uninterrupted it completely forgives and restores regardless of the offense. From my human mind that is hard to imagine. However just because I can’t seem to grasp His love does not for an instant mean that His love is not true or does not exist. My knowing or understanding is not the directive that makes His love for me real, it is real and it is the truth. I am so glad that my believing is a prerequisite to the truth…I do know that He loves me far more that I can even understand, or comprehend. When I think that something that offends Him happens, it is paid for and restoration is complete actually before it happens. I will always have right standing with God no matter the circumstances, again this is not about me it is about what He has done in my place. What a place to be in our walk with Him, forgiven, spotless before Him completely all the time. Now that give us a totally different outlook on life and our relationship with Him. That is a great thought, a great realization and a wonderfully loving God who wants to be intimate with us. So today when you feel that everything is not going well, or your day is kinda not working for you, just think about how much He loves you, how much He really cares…even in the smallest things, talk to Him, tell Him your inner most thoughts and feelings. Just try it, I mean what can it hurt, right?

I am the righteousness of God…..

I am the type pf person that I need to see how things work, don’t worry, God has talked to me a lot about this, there are things that I just cannot understand, the human part of me just cannot see that He sees. In my last post I commented on how when we do something wrong that is when we know whether we really trust God or not. Here is where this has been going with me, when Jesus died on the cross He paid for all the sins of mankind, past, present and future. That is why Romans 8:1 is so relevant. There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. Why because it has nothing to do with what I have done, but it has everything to do with what He has done… Not by works of righteousness, but by faith in the finished work of the cross. The sin that used to be in my life was not only paid for, but the righteousness of God screams out “Not guilty, that is paid for” I did not just escape without punishment, He already paid for it in it’s entirety. What a Savior, what an Advocate, what a God, allowing me to be set free from the law of sin and death, free to live a life without guilt and manipulation, free to love and adore Him for what He has done… This is so true that the Apostle Paul stated a couple times in Romans,”What shall we say then, do we sin more that grace may abound?” That is not the essence of what He has done, I have an intimate relationship with Him, I love Him, He talks and shares with me the creation. What a miracle that He has provided… Talk to Him, this is not exclusive, this is for everyone, He really is in pursuit of you faster than a policeman trying to stop you for going 120 mph  in a 35 mph zone! Stop listen and let Him love you!

“As He is, so are you in this world”

Reading this is something that has become more real to me everyday… If I had to follow a ton of regulations and laws to get there, I would be the last one in the throng of people trying to attain! I has been a while since I last posted, a lot has happened, but one thing I know is that God is totally in love with me! I wish that words could express the love that I feel from Him all the time. When I say love, I mean unconditional, everlasting, precious, intimate love that He wants to show me everyday.

It is always said that we know that we trust God with our very being when things get tough, on the contrary, when things are bad we do not have a choice, we run to Him. When you step out and do something that you might consider a sin, do you trust His unconditional love at that point, or do you take the traditional christian approach and beat yourself up with condemning thoughts and accusations. Of course we know that the accuser is the devil himself and no one else, aided by your flesh to bring you into condemnation. Romans 8:1 “There is now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus” I believe, I mean it looks like it to me, that the word no there means no, really! That is the victory that overcomes everything, the freedom in Christ Jesus. What a thrilling and blessed thought that His unconditional love is genuine and works in all of us… We do not sit in condemnation or fear, we sit at the right hand of the Father with Jesus in power, strength, whole and righteous. I John 4:17 says that as He is, so are we in this world. Just look at how He is, full of glory, righteous and full of power, raised from the dead and endowed with everything His Father has. SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD! Enough of this religious faking it until it gets real! It is real!

He wants to have an intimate relationship with you more than anyone else in the world, and He paid the ultimate price to get it! Accept that, live in it, walk in it, and show the world what a God we have!!!

Who said not to laugh? If I may ask… It sure was not me!

Seeing as how my last post was about having fun, thought I would have some fun. I am not sure how to even tag this or comment, it just made me laugh. Then I wondered where he lost his tooth? The other thing is that he has more hair than I do, but that is not funny! Well, ok it is then, OK! Anyway enjoy the smile and let it lighten up your day!

God is always there… In a good way!

One of the most comforting thoughts is that God is always there with you, so out goes the myths that you can backslide from God! How can you slide away from something that lives inside of you? This is a perpetual lie to get you going to church and going down front to be part of the results sought after by man. Really, He loves us so much that He wants to be there, not as a super judge, but He wants you to have life and have it more abundantly. We are to be happy and joyful, not thew fake it until it really happens joy, but real I know He loves me joy! So yes God is there all the time, even though the picture about looks pretty ominous,  He really likes my Harley Davidson when I ride He seems to be along there too! But He is there to be enjoyed not to be endured and based on my experiences lately He has a sense of humor too! Talk to Him and find out, you might be surprised. Life is to be enjoyed, fun, happy and filled with great times and that is exactly His intention. Laugh hard, play hard and love even harder!

“All is Grace” – Brennan Manning

I placed a link on my last blog to get to this writing by Brennan Manning, however after reading it, I decided to repost it on my blog. Thank you, (everywheregospel.wordpress.com) for putting this out there…. This is so real, raw and yet unbelieveable true that it is fantastic… No picture needed!

“My life is a witness to vulgar grace–a grace that amazes as it offends.  A grace that pays the eager beaver who works all day long the same wages as the grinning drunk who shows up at ten till five.  A grace that hikes up the robe and runs breakneck toward the prodigal reeking of sin and wraps him up and decides to throw a party no ifs, ands, or buts.  A grace that raises bloodshot eyes to a dying thief’s request–’Please, remember me’–and assures him, “You bet!”  A grace that is the pleasure of the Father, fleshed out in the carpenter Messiah, Jesus the Christ, who left His Father’s side not for heaven’s sake but for our sakes, yours and mine.  This vulgar grace is indiscriminate compassion.  It works without asking anything of us.  It’s not cheap.  It’s free, and as such will always be a banana peel for the orthodox foot and a fairy tale for the grown-up sensibility.  Grace is sufficient even though we huff and puff with all our might to try to find something or someone it cannot cover.  Grace is enough.  He is enough.  Jesus is enough.”

Brennan Manning “All is Grace“ (everywheregospel.wordpress.com)

Grace, in real life!

Why do we get so wrapped up in our life and forget to stop and feel the hurting and pain that is around us. Where is the grace in all of that. We are supposed to have the kind of life that changes the world, however we will not if we do not have compassion for people. The grace that has been extended to me has been without merit, unattainable and yet perfect and complete. Do I deserve to be extended this grace, no, I cannot even start to say that I remotely deserve His grace. But He freely gives it without reservation, without hesitation, without restrictions, with a love that is unfathomable and limitless. Now for the hard part, He expects us to extend the same kind of love to every man, even those that harm us the most or have hurt us the worst. What would this world be like if we loved and cared with a love that was truly unconditional? Is that not what we are supposed to do? I want to extend the same grace and compassion that has been extended to me, unconditional and amazing. If you decide to do the same I think we could change the world in a few short weeks!

Besides this is where the adventure of walking in grace leads you! The more I know how much He loves me the more amazed I am!

Related articles

• Amazing Brennan Manning Quote (everywheregospel.wordpress.com)

True Grace….

He loves us as much as His only begotten Son!

This is the part of the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he pours out His heart to His Father and makes some revealing statements in this prayer…

19 “For their sake I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.(So we are sanctified by His sanctification)

20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word ;

21 that they may all be one ; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (He is in God and we are in Him!!!)

22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, ( I have the glory of God given to me by God) that they may be one, just as We are one;

23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.(The greatest proclamation of love ever!!! He loves me as much as He loves His Son and that is a lot!!)

24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

25″O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;

26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (Repeat, is that the love that you loved me is in them!!)

This is an incredible passage that God reveals his unending love for us! He so desires us, loves us and wants to have that intimate relationship with us…

Can you make God angry?

What a great question, can you make God angry? Well let’s set this up, God sent his Son into the world to pay for the sins of all mankind, right. OK then if all of the sins of mankind are paid for, then how can God be mad? In fact I think the answer is quite the opposite. You cannot make God angry regardless of what you do. I do not think that religion today teaches exactly how much God adores you! The Bible says that God yearns after you and I, He desperately wants to be with you in an intimate way, talking about your cares and needs and just about anything. You are the righteousness of God, he has brought you from a place of commonness and brought you into His family and presented you as an heir along with Jesus Christ. That thought is almost too much for this human brain to get it’s arms around. The creator of the universe, God of all mankind, the Big Kahuna in the sky has made and adopted me into His family with all the rights and privileges of being one of His. Yes, Yes and Yes again. I had to come to the place that I understood this as a truth, so that regardless of whether I believed that or not, it is nevertheless true. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, right now. We are already filled with all of the things that are inherent in Jesus Christ himself, grace, faith and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! Really the same power, yes we may not know how to access it presently, but the power is there and available. When you are ready sit down and ask God exactly what He sees when He sees you! He will show you how incredible you are in His sight!