God's Love

Wow - almost a month since my last post - sorry about that, gang.

There have been some things I wanted to blog on, but just haven't gotten to it - and I still plan to return to the "Questions Jesus Asked" theme.

One thought that has stayed with me was an article I read from Charles Stanley. He was talking about God's love and while the whole article was very good, I'll give you the cliffnote version.

His point was that while many people would consider themselves Christians - they would answer "yes" if asked if Jesus was their Lord and Savior - how many of us are really in love with God? Or more to the point - how many of us have received God's love?

We assume we've received God's love when we became Christians - and in many ways that is true. However, many of us have kept this at a spiritual level.

The way Charles Stanley realized he had not fully embraced God's love on an emotional level was when he was in a real "dry spell" spiritually. He just did not feel like he was close to God. So, he did a very smart thing and gathered some other people whose opinions and wisdom he respected. When they got together one of the men asked Charles to put his head down on the table and close his eyes. Then he told him I want you to allow yourself to "feel" yourself being held by your father.

Charles said he burst into tears - you see his father passed away when he was an infant and so he has no memory of being held by his dad.

The man allowed all of that emotion to flow out and then asked again - "what does it feel like?" Charles said that for the first time he felt the "arms" of God embrace him and hold him tightly.

Have you allowed God to love you this way? Not just the - save me from hell type of relationship, but a true emotional-level falling in love with God?

Some of you may push back from this idea. To you God is too big and too distant to wrap his arms around you - heck, He doesn't even really have arms - right?

But I'd ask you to take some time and think about this a little more deeply this week. After all, most of us have probably been seperated physically from another person, but still know what it feels like to be loved ("held") by them. So, maybe it's time for you to lay your head down on the table, close your eyes, and experience what it feels like to be held by your heavenly Father.

I think you'll discover a love and a peace that will inspire you to live - not simply exist, but live - with less worry and more joy. That's not to say this life will get easier, but your understanding of God will expand, and He will give you everything you need to get through the day.

Jesus himself said - Come to me all of you who are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Why not find some rest in the arms of the One who knows you best and loves you the most?

\D