Oh how he loves us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxTOsQ3LDE4&feature=related

The words of this song are really great. Not only are they poetic, they're also just so true. I had one of those moments today where everything just clicked and I realised just how much God really does love us. It wasn't a feeling of guilt as such, more just I was absolutely heart broken that he died for me, and so completely overwhelmed by his love in doing this. I know it's such an obvious thing to say but I would really just encourage anyone reading this to really just take a step back and think of what actually happened.

God - the one who holds the universe in the palm of his hand (try and picture that if you can)- died on a cross (a humiliating and terrible way to die) at the hands of the people who he loves and created because he loves us and for no other reason.

And what I also realised today is that it doesn't just stop there. If he loved me enough to die for me, he loves me enough to continue to sort everything in my life out and continue blessing me. It doesn't just stop with that one amazing act. God is continuously pouring out his love.

I just had this overwhelming feeling of protection today, almost as if God was actually hugging me so tight and that he would never let me go. I was thinking about how much my Dad loves me and just the general fatherly protection and love of any father and how God's love is so much more even the love of a parent.

It says in 1 John that God is love:  he is the epitome of love - he can't be anything except totally and completely and perfectly loving. It's not even just an in impersonal, general love - it's real and personal.

When thinking about the extent of God's love my initial reaction was just one of being completely overwhelmed. Then I felt guilty, then I felt thankful. But I don't think any of these emotions do his love justice. Yes we should be overwhelmed by his love, want to change and be thankful for it, but really the main emotion i'm feeling now is just one of complete peace because with love comes power. If God loved me enough to die on a cross for my sin, he certainly loves me enough to help me in whatever situation I may find in. I don't think I've ever really thought about God's love in this way before. I always just restricted his love to his death. But it's so much more than this. We see God's love in every sunrise, in every good gift we have, in our past, in our future, in our family, in our friends, in our food, in our clothes and shelter, in our education, when we've had answered prayer, the fact that we have the Bible, when things have gone well, when we are happy, when we have had the strength to carry on when things fall apart, when God decides to save a life, when he takes a life away and even in the midst of confusion and hurt he is unchanging and continues to pour out blessings. I could go on for hours. His love is everywhere. Too often I think we can forget these things and think of his love as only really being revealed through Jesus. Yes, this was the ultimate display of his love, but that doesn't mean he isn't still actively loving us now!

Challenge: Think back over today and try and see where you have seen God's love. Whether it's something awesome like an answered prayer, or even just you being realising just how good you have it and how blessed you are with your situation, that's still his love.




"Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?...
Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you." (Matthew 6:26-30)