Valentine Challenge Week 3

The more I search the Bible for deeper understanding about how God loves me... I just get so excited and filled with joy!  How is it that a God so powerful, so wise, so incredibly amazing would care enough to save any one of us?

And yet He does.  And God doesn't just care for us... He is crazy about us!  To the point that He died for us.  He knows that we are just dust.  He knows that we will fail time and again at being "good."  He knows that our hearts are dark and selfish by nature.  

And yet He loves us.

In Luke chapter 15 Jesus explains that there is tremendous joy and celebration every time a lost soul is saved.  He states that God himself is thrilled!  God's love towards us is unbiased, patient, and humbling.  He does not ignore us or mock us.  

In Luke chapter 17 we learn that He pursues us and protects us.  Jesus answered questions by the pharisees even when the questions were meant to trip him up.   Still He chose to answer.  Jesus also spoke about events that were yet to come.  He wanted to warn the disciples and prepare them for what was to come.  God's love protects us.

And in Luke chapter 18 I found deep encouragement.  There are several unbelievers for whom I have prayed for and I was beginning to lose heart.  A few of them are wealthy and one or two are even famous.  

In verses 18-30 the Bible tells us of a rich ruler asking Jesus what he could do to get into heaven.  A few verses into the story Jesus tells us that it is not easy for the rich to believe.  And I have to agree.  One of my main points of discouragement in praying for unbelievers is that they already have all they physically need.  They already have all the admiration from people they could ever want. 

They don't believe they need God.  They don't believe that they are "sinners."  They are utterly and completely lost.  But it was as if God knew I needed to hear from Him on this matter.  He pointed my attention back to the beginning of chapter 18.  

" Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart."

~ Luke 18:1

Then He pointed me to the following verse:

" Then those who heard it asked, ' Then who can be saved?' He replied, ' What is impossible for mortals, is possible for God."

~ Luke 18: 26, 27

   

I shouldn't be discouraged at all!  God desires that lost souls are saved.  And He even states that though it may seem impossible for those who " have it all" to believe, the truth is that He can do anything.  Without getting into a deep study about free will in this post I will simply say that everyone has a choice to make about God.

And I believe that if more people experienced God's love from Christians who lived honestly and honorably then I think that would attractive more individuals to Christ.  Christians are to be salt and light in a dark world.  And we don't have to be terribly salty or so bright that we blind people!  Even a little-bit of salt is enough to season a dish to taste.  Even a little-bit of light can be seen in pitch blackness.

God's love gives us hope.  Hope for a future, hope for salvation, hope for a life filled with purpose.

That is what I wish each of you... a life filled with purposeful hope.  

We are now entering the fourth and final week of February.  I will be posting again later this week to share a highlight from my studies over these last few days.

God bless you!