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The following comes from the devotional book “What Now?” by Ashley Akers. To learn more, go to www.whatnowdevo.com.
Love
“Love” was a word rarely spoken in my childhood home between my parents or siblings. I cannot even recall one time my father told me he loved me. As you can imagine, I never recognized what real love was. I know my parents loved me, but outward expressions of showing love didn’t really exist, especially by my father. It wasn’t until I met my amazing husband, Scott, at the age of 16 that I began to understand what real love looked like. Scott loved me for who I was. He respected me. He was kind. His love was the total opposite of what I had experienced. I could write this whole page on how amazing he is, but I will spare you! Looking back, Scott’s love for me demonstrated how Christ loves us. Scott sought after me, found me in the pit, loved me through it and rescued me from it. I didn’t have to become somebody else or act a certain way for him to accept me.
This is exactly what Christ does. He pursues every one of us, exactly where we are (usually in the pit) and then He rescues us from it – all the while loving us before it, through it, and after it. This type of love is beyond us. Beyond our ability to perform or to comprehend, as stated in Ephesians 3:18-19 (NLT):
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
God’s love is wider than we can imagine. It is so broad that it can cover the whole world and our multitude of sins. So, don’t let shame or unforgiveness narrow your view. God’s love is also long, longer than we can fathom. It is never-ending and goes from this life all the way into eternity. Jeremiah 31:3 states:
…I have loved you with an everlasting love.
God’s love has height by lifting us up to the heavens and has depth by reaching down into the pit to rescue us. So, when you are feeling unloved, discouraged, unworthy, or alone, imagine the cross and experience the fullness of Christ’s love. God’s love isn’t just a feeling, He IS love! John 3:16-17 says:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
God’s unfathomable love was expressed in its fullness when Jesus died on the cross so each one of us could have eternal life. There are no limits on His love, nor does He pick and choose people to love based on their goodness. His love is for ALL! His love is based on HIS grace and HIS goodness. Know that He loves you, even when emotions have blinded you from the truth and you don’t “feel” like it. God, who is love, never fails.
Reflection Questions
- How has the love of Christ been shown to you through other people?
- How can you put into words the love Christ has for you?
Copyright © 2024 by Ashley Akers @ whatnowdevo.com. No part of this article may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from Lifeword.org