Love Without End

 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4: 8 NKJV 

There was a radio pastor this week who proclaimed that we, as a society, had lost the ability to love.  Now, we might convince ourselves that we see this each and every day when we're out in the world, but is it really true?  I'm not buying it.  Although, I'll admit that there may be those among us who are afraid to love.  There might also be those who have a undying fear of a love not being returned.  It is here where this topic strikes a cord with me.  See, I love God.  I love Jesus.  In my heart I also know that He loves me with a undying love as well.  It is through His love for me that he saved me from my former condition {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  It is through His love for me that He has made me one with Himself {John 17:21}.  The Fathers love for me is without question.  Yet, it wasn't always that way.  Ok, let me rephrase that, I didn't always believe that this was the case.  Despite numerous scripture references which highlighted Gods love for me, I felt as if His love was something I had to earn for myself.  That's right, even though Gods love had assured my future and delivered me from sin, I felt as if I still had something to prove in order to earn all which He had done for me.  I mean, nobody shows that much love and grace to someone without expecting something in return, right?  Well, that's what I had been told.  More than few pastors convinced me that although God loved me, there was still a danger of losing His love.  I've heard too many stories from Christians who have trembled in fear that their own behavior would somehow lead God to instantly stop loving them.  I myself have felt those same fears many times where my own behavior has been on the edge.  So much so that each and every time I found myself on my knees praying for the Father to take me back.  He never did.  God never took me back...because He never let me go in the first place.  

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5: 8 NKJV 

One thing that I would say to everybody out there is that the love of God is unshakable.  The love of God stands the test of time.  The love of God endures when everything around us fails.  The love of God is the one constant which we have in life.  I know that this might be contrary to the message which many of us have heard from the pulpits, but it's true.  God will not withdraw His love for us because He is upset or angry.  Our actions and behaviors might not be the best at times, but Gods love for us still remains unchanged.  I recall standing outside the door of a strip club one night and wondering if God would ever love me again.  I mean, look where I was!  My own desires had drawn me somewhere that I know He didn't approve of.  Was God mad at me?  Oh yeah, He was mad enough at me that He took the time to remind me that this was not the man I truly was inside.  It was at that moment that I realized that God was closer to me than I ever realized.  Yes, I had gone into clubs before, and He was there with me.  This isn't some blasphemous rant, it is the truth of Christ which the apostle Paul tells us of in Galatians.  It is Paul who introduces us to the reality of Christ in us {Galatians 2:20}.  That is, wherever we go, Jesus is there with us.  Jesus in a strip club?  You bet!  Well, at that time I had no realization of Jesus being in me.  So, does Jesus get mad when we behave badly?  Does His anger burn so hot that He can no longer stand to remain in us?  NO!  Remember this, Jesus never changes {Hebrews 13:8}.  He is the same yesterday as He is today.  That same Christ who was in me yesterday is in me today as well.  So, what is the reaction of Jesus when we behave badly?  Well, I believe that Jesus is grieved when we engage in behaviors that we know are wrong.  Grieved because He knows what is best for us.  Does His love for us change?  No.  One of the best illustrations of the Fathers love for us comes from the parable of the prodigal son.  In it, the son leaves home with his inheritance and squanders it on bad behaviors.  However, when the money is gone, he comes to his senses and returns home in hopes of his fathers forgiveness.  Well, we're told that while he was still a ways away, his father saw him and ran to him to welcome his son home.  I believe that this is the reaction of our heavenly Father when we come to Him.  I believe that it is our own guilt and shame which leads us to believe that God would abandon us.  We might give up on ourselves...but God never will.  

Last night I dreamed I died and stood outside those pearly gates

When suddenly I realized there must be some mistake

If they know half the things I've done they'll never let me in

Then somewhere from the other side I heard these words again

Let me tell you the secret 

About a Fathers love

A secret that my daddy said was just between us

See daddy's don't just love their children every now and then

It's a love without end Amen

~Love Without End - George Straight~

~Scott~