For the Love of God!

Recently, as most of us have gone through, I have two dear friends, who believe God has been telling them, "You are Worthless", "You can never be forgiven for the terrible things you have done", "You aren't fit to be human", "There is just no way that you can be saved". Things such as these, DO NOT come from God. These are the things we pile up on ourselves and are things that simply put, come from Satan's lies.

Thankfully for these two friends, we see each other more then just once a week and also are in home study group together, in which we have been studying the book of Romans. Just finishing up on Chapter 8 and 9. Reiterating to them and us, just how vast God's love for us truly is.

No matter what you have done, are doing or what you are caught up in. There is only one thing you can do that God will just say, "I give up on you". That one thing is walking away from Him. God gives us 2, 3, 100, 1000 chances. He never gives up, as long as we continue to follow and move towards Him. If your caught in an addiction. It most likely isn't just going to go away. Its part of who we have become, and it will take time, it may take many times or many years to get rid of it.


Part of the Good news about His love. People ask why Jesus hasn't returned to earth as promised yet. It isn't because he doesn't exist. The reason? He is waiting for us. He wants as many people possible to come to know Him, to be cleansed, for their broken lives to be fixed, and to serve him better. And in waiting, more and more people daily choose to follow Him. That's why He waits. He truly wishes for all to come to Him. To accept His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness. He waits for us to overcome our addictions and our stupid selves. To realize that it's not about us.

Most people fall away from God because they feel as though he hates them, is full of wrath and anger, or don't understand How a good God could let terrible things happen. Hate and Anger? Nothing is farther from the truth, and bad things happen because of sin, evil and the free will we are given.

But, should you choose to walk away from God and want nothing to do with him that is your choice. He gives you that choice. That's how much He loves you. He could have created us to demand that we love Him, but because He loves us, He gave us free will. BUT KNOW THIS.. when you die, having chosen to walk away from Him on earth, then, and only then will you see His wrath. You will be judged, you will be found guilty and just as you chose on earth, He will condemn you to live eternally separated from Him. And now, in your death you finally know that God does exist. Its now too late and YOU WILL live in an eternal hell of separation. And YOU WILL mourn deeply over it FOREVER. Eternity never ends.



The phrase "For the Love of God" is usually used to express extreme annoyance, frustration, surprise, indignation or urgent pleading.
For me, it is simply knowing the love of God.

Coming to know Christ has filled me with a great love, but yet also has filled me with a great sadness.

In Chapter 9 of the Book of Romans. The apostle Paul anguishes that his fellow Jewish friends and family don't believe in the Messiah; the Savior. That they don't see it. That their hearts are hardened. He anguishes over it so much, that he pleads for his salvation to be taken so that they may be saved.

I find myself when in crowds lately, thinking to myself, how sad it is that most, if not all those in the crowd don't know the Glory of knowing or wanting to know Jesus Christ. It saddens me knowing that most people just don't care to know. Or maybe they have heard the incomplete and totally wrong story of who Jesus truly is, thereby could care less, don't believe or don't really know what it means to their eternal future.

I believe that it is innately in all of us that we do know there is a God, but most have chosen to harden their hearts so much to the fact, that the truth is just too far suppressed within them. Everyone does know within themselves, and ALL are welcome to know him. And I thank God that I do. I get it. I have been there. Thinking we are all that. It's all about me. Honestly... it's not.

It just makes life better to know that I am loved. That I don't have to do anything to earn that love.... It's a free gift. He brings us from shame to Honor. God; who is the King, invites us all to eat at his table, as if we were his sons and daughters. Adopting us into his family to enjoy all the perks that only a Kings family could partake in.

I find myself surrounded by my Christian family 3-4 times a week and I can honestly say, that I don't think I have ever been more fulfilled, then when I am with those who have the love of God and Christ within them. Oh sure.. I have been in groups of people I know and had fun (usually in a drunken state) but never did I feel a true sense of love or sense of being, then I do when in a Christian setting surrounded by the love of God.
Having spent the last few months in our Bible Study Group studying the Book of Romans, I am finally coming to the full understanding of just how God's love truly is unconditional and relentless and that nothing can separate us from his love. Romans 8:31-39

He has no favorites. He loves all equally. He loves us even if we don't believe in Him, He loves the dictators. He loves the terrorists. He loves the murderers. He loves the kidnappers. He loves the addicted. and best of all HE LOVES YOU. He loves you in your worst moments as much as he does in your best. He loves us in our worst of sin. He loves you if you promised not to fall into a sin again, and do. He loves us so much that he sent his only son to die for us, to pay for our debt for all the stupid things we do to ourselves, to each other, to all living things and even to the earth; so that we may live.

The shed blood of Jesus covers up our sin. Jesus and his blood cover us, so that when God looks down on us, Jesus gets in the way and God can't see our sin. Its as if it was never there and as if we never sinned. Now that doesn't give us the license to sin. We should be trying not to sin, and if we again do fall into that sin, Thank God that we can fall down on our knees and ask for forgiveness. I find it amazing that when I sin and should want to turn away from God because I let him and myself down, I actually fall down on my knees crying to God in sorrow at how wretched I am, but being able to Glorify him and to thank him that he still loves me and forgives me.

Think about that. Do you have a healthy parent, a sibling, a friend, anyone in your life that you would let die so that someone else could be saved? Someone that you would turn to and say, "I am sorry, but I am going to have to let you be put to death, so that you can pay for the stupidity of these other people". I don't and I couldn't. That is love.

All He has asked us to do is have faith, to believe in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross for us, and to love one another, unconditionally, just as he does for us. What is so difficult about that? Why is it that so many people find it so hard to do or believe?

Did you know that to Love Your Neighbor is one of the Bible's most repeated commands? Here is just a few of them: Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:18, Luke 6:27, Matthew 22:36-40, Luke 10: 25-37, Romans 15:2, Matthew 19:19, John 15:12, 1 John 4:21, James 2:8, John 15:10-12, 1 John 3:23

If we could show the unconditional love of Christ for all; regardless of someones addictions, lifestyles, quirks, beliefs or unbelief's, what a change we could make in this world. No longer would Christians be seen as hateful, hypocritical, judgmental human beings. Perhaps, just perhaps more people would want to be a part of us and want to believe in the God that deserves to be Glorified for all His goodness. In Jesus that wants to save.

Isn't it funny how we Christians teach to love all as your own, and not to judge, yet we are the worst at this then almost anyone else. This has truly hurt multitudes of people and multitudes have chosen to walk away, to be no part of Religion, God or Christ ever again.

I do still get hurt by the church. Being told that I can't be a leader. Feeling that there are parts of church service that I won't be able to partake in, because of who I am. Gay. In the realm of things.. that is small potatoes. I didn't choose to follow Christ so I could do that stuff. I chose to follow because I want to live, to breathe, to truly be 100% free and forgiven. To be surrounded by those who choose the same. I choose to live with him eternally. That's the big picture. I try to keep telling myself to stop getting caught up in the little things. Besides.. wanting to be a leader is probably my earthly pride trying to step in, so I can be seen as someone who matters.

Perhaps this judgement and hypocrite stuff could be the reason for such people as those whose only thought in life is to kill Christians. Perhaps this is the reason these people and terrorists have become so disillusioned with us. And as terrible as these people can be, we actually should be praying for them. For a change of heart. For a realization within them, that what they are doing is not for God and it is wrong.

God does have a perfect plan for all of this though and thru such terrible things such as these he chooses to use that to work out a more perfect plan. I read an article the other day that although ISIS/ISIL is killing Christian's, that actually more Muslims and non-believers are turning to and becoming Christians. How crazy is that? They are being threatened to be killed for being Christian, but yet they see how the Muslim religion has been so far misrepresented that they can no longer be associated with it and find Jesus.. How beautiful is that.

I know that I have kind off gone of tangent here, but my whole point here is that God is Good all the time. He is all loving and all forgiving. If you don't know who Jesus is, get to know him and then study the Book of Romans with someone. It is an up and down book of the Bible, but if you truly study it with others, it is so full of good news and revelations it will blow your mind.

Do no fear God. He wants you to enjoy a life filled with abundance. With unfailing love. He loved us before we were born. He knew who we would become and how we would mess everything up while we were yet unborn. That's the reason for Christ, Our Savior.

If you don't know him. For the Love of God. Please do. The journey to redemption can be hard at times, but it is the long road worth taking.

I love you my friend.