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Everyday I fall in love with God just a little bit more. It is all a little crazy though, cause I still manage to sometimes sin on a grand scale!
If most people knew my thoughts or witnessed secret actions, they would not want to be around me. Sometimes I amaze myself at the depravity of my wrong thinking and doing.
So why does God want to hang-out with me? The Bible says it is because He loves me.
“For God so loved the world (Steven) (Insert your name here too.) that He gave is one and only Son (Jesus) that whoever should believe in Jesus shall not die but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but rather to save the world (Steven/your name) through Jesus.” (Ref. John 3:16 & 17 Holy Bible – Joseph paraphrase)
At age 25, I said to God — “OK God, please open the doors that need to open and please close the doors that need to close and I will follow you.” That was my prayer of surrender to God — who is much more powerful than my “Self.”
I knew that I was praying to God through the name and person of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (thanks to years of fiery Baptist youth group meetings and friends I met in the night club industry who took me to Bible studies).
23 years later, I find that John 3:16 is still true — God loves me even though I am very flawed.
Friends – in 23 years of following God via faith in Jesus Christ, I have learned that we are truly saved by faith. My walk is not perfect. Nobody’s walk is perfect. If it were, there would be no need for Jesus to take the capital punishment that you and I rightfully deserve.
Love Invades Humanity
But understand this, especially those of you who have children. Is your child flawed? Does he or she rebel against you without any training as to how to be rebellious? Of course he/she does! But do you love your child/children? Of course you do.
It is that way with God — He loves us in spite of our wrong doing.
But check this out — God does want us to be perfect, or rather “complete” / “finished” in Him. God did this by sending Jesus to us. Jesus fulfilled every requirement that God had placed on humankind.
I will not profess that I understand it all. Even after 23 years, the more I look into the Word of God and the more I commune in the presence of God through His Holy Spirit, the more I am convinced of the less that I know.
BUT — As long as I know Him and as long as I am loved by Him, Jesus Christ, the creator of the universe and the author and perfecter of my faith, the more I know that it is OK not to have all of the answers. I think it is a place of humility to say “I don’t know, but I can direct you to Who does…”
If you are a Christian reading this, may I gently remind us that the goal of our faith is LOVE. God is LOVE and His perfect LOVE casts out fear. Love is the model we seek. Not false fruits of self-induced love or “religious-trying-to-love-you” love, but rather genuine LOVE.
Genuine Love is produced in a surrendered heart to Jesus the Christ and forged in a crucible of pain, disappointments and despair.
Friends, throughout life I have been misunderstood, rejected, rejected, and rejected again. There have even been times when I thought I was losing my mind.
There was a season about two or three years ago when I did lose my faith. I thought that the previous two decades of faith and surrender were a fake, a fraud — that somehow I drank the drink of a non-existent God. This led to thinking thoughts of just ending it all with suicide.
Fortunately I had a few close friends who could witness me unwinding. They intervened and helped me get the professional help that was needed. Was God there in my sense of despair? Yes. Did I know that He was there? No.
Why did He allow me to go through that season of despair? Perhaps so I could relate to you dear reader. God allows us to comfort others with the same comfort that we ourselves have received.
And even though I completely lost faith in Him, God did not lose faith in me.
So now each day, I fall in love with Him just a little bit more.
The Bible says that we love God because He first loved us. True. It also says to love God with all that you have and to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
What if you don’t love yourself? Then how do you properly love your neighbor? This is a good question…
Tim Tebow - John 3:16
However friends, I do know this. God’s love is the answer. God’s love is the solution to all of life’s questions.
Yet, sometimes we do not see the solution or application right away. But rest assured, God’s love is the answer.
He Loves You dear reader.
I hope this post has encouraged you in some way or another. The reason that I wrote this post is because I am sitting in the Austin Peay State University library sensing His love for me in ever-growing and ever-strengthening ways.
I was compelled to express my appreciation in some way. Writing to you has helped share the LOVE He is giving me. It really is too much to keep bottled-up inside for it feels like my heart may burst – in a good way.
Thank you for reading this friend. You have my permission to share this post with someone or to copy, print, and/or distribute it in any form.
May the Father of Lights draw you and yours closer to Himself.
Sincerely, with much LOVE,
Steven Joseph
Child of the Most High God
Living Proof of Grace that Saves
Questions? Please click needhim.org
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Original post written via Facebook
Sunday afternoon April 18, 2010
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