Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and opinions that come your way everyday? In a world where content creation is king, and everyone has a “platform” via social media, it seems the information available every day is more than any normal person can process fully. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. What I am saying is I can see how this could turn into noise, introspection or even confusion. How do you choose what to read and listen to? And how do you apply it all to your life?
For a breath of what I hope is fresh air today, I feel it on my heart to take us back to a basic—the most powerful one at that—the crazy, selfless, life-changing love of God. Immersion in it will drown out confusion, relieve any pressure to “figure it all out,” and empower you to live more fully than you may have ever dreamed possible! You may think that you’ve heard every message on God’s love before, but let me ask you a few questions:
1. Is there any area of your life that is under the influence of fear?
2. Do you often deal with insecurities?
3. Is practicing self-care
difficult for you?
4. Do you often let go of your boundaries
for the sake of others?
5. Do you strive
and feel like you’re in survival mode most of the time?
If you answered yes to any of those questions then I want to propose to you that there is more to God’s love than you may have thought.
MAYBE YOU HAVEN’T HEARD IT ALL?
When His love is the foundation of everything we do, the automatic effect is knowing who you are and whose you are. Don’t skip over this today. Stay with me for this week’s Monday Motivation video, and let’s take a deep dive into the lavish, extravagant, life-altering love of God!
In a nutshell:
• Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
• If you’d like to do a study on Christ dying for us and as us, then read the book of Romans, especially Chapter 1-10.
• Christ died for us, which means He loved us before we deserved it. He demonstrated what the love of God was when He died for people who couldn’t do anything for Him.
• He didn’t die to fix you, He just died because He loves you.
• This should tell you how much value you have. The sacrifice Jesus made on the cross determines the value of the people He purchased.
• He purchased you while you were still a sinner.
• Some people get married so they can change a person (which is a great way to wreck a marriage). They get married because of what they think the other person could be.
• Jesus married you when you weren’t anything. He didn’t marry you so you could become something. He just married you because He loves you.
• He loved you while you were a sinner to demonstrate that God doesn’t love you so that you’ll do something, or be something different than what you are right now. So, when Christ died for us, it showed us that He had no strings attached.
• I remember when I first experienced this kind of love. It was when we had our first daughter, Jamie. We were very young—Kathy was 18 and I was 21— and I remember having this deep experience.
• Ephesians 3:19 says, “and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” In other words, that you would know with your heart what you couldn’t know with your head. This made a lot more sense to me when Jamie was born. I couldn’t explain the love I had. In fact, I didn’t even know it was in me! This is the kind of love that God loves us with.
ACTIVATION FOR THE WEEK
This week I have it on my heart to encourage you to lean into the love of God, and His unconditional love for you. What better way to start the week than on the foundation of just how valuable you are. So take a moment. Yes, right now. Take a moment and simply be with God. Ask Him to show you His love in this moment. When He gives you something, hold onto it for the week. May every insecurity, doubt, fear, worry, lack be washed away by the furious love that is the love of God! I bless you with this revelation in your heart today—so much so that it doesn’t even need to make sense in your head!
How does God show His love for you? How are you standing on your value as a child of God this week? Tell me about it in the comments!
