Love Story

Hey everyone, I am currently reading a book entitled "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. If you have the opportunity, I would HIGHLY recommend it to you. It was actually given to me as a gift by a friend of mine named Tim who wrote on the inside a little note, part of that note said, "Hope this book makes you pursue God like never before." WOW! How amazing that a gift that was given to me almost a full year ago, that I am not picking up and reading, at a time in my life where I am challenging myself to pursue God "like never before"! If that isn't the best example of God's plan and his pursue in everyone and everything he brings into our lives, I don't know what is.
Today I want to write about something that has hit my heart recently that I know I need to share because of the humility and ashamed state it has brought me to with my walk. Don't take what I am about to say lightly because I have taken it lightly for FAR too long.
One of the basic principles we are taught from early on in Sunday school is that God loves us, there's a song about it that we all know, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Great, sounds good to me, I believe it. Up until recently I didn't seriously think about what that meant or how deep that basic, elementary to Christianity idea actually was. Me, God loves me. That has now become one of the stupidest things I have ever heard! Not because I don't believe it, not because I don't want His love, not because the creator of the universe loves such a disgusting, imperfect, sinner. Rather its stupid because of the things I just mentioned, and the things on the list that I left of that wouldn't "qualify" me for His love. Here is the kicker, Francis Chan puts it as simple as I can think, he says, " God doesn't need us but still wants us, yet we desperately need God but most of the time don't want Him. Think about that....
If that didn't just blow your mind like it does mine each and every time I think about it, you need to seriously analyze your life, or I guess you are perfect.
I live my life by what I believe are some good morals, strong faith, and public relationship with Christ, yet I can think of so many instances that I have thought that I don't "need" God. I can do it on my own, I'm 20 years old, I have it under control. The scary thing is, no age, life experience, education, preparation, or studies conducted will EVER allow anyone to say that they don't need God. If you don't need God, then you must live a life with no worries, stresses, problems, EVER! If that is the case, you should probably be in a position higher than the President right now. Hoping we can all agree that none of our lives are that, lets move on, I'm getting off subject.
Since this topic has been in my head, I can't get one saying out of my head that my dad has told me since I was able to understand what it meant, even before then probably.
"Actions speak louder than words"
Up until now, I haven't related that to this topic, but think about it for a minute. We desperately need God, but we don't want Him, for whatever reason. I desperately need God, yet at times, I don't put Him at the center of what I am doing. He should be on the front of my mind in everything I do, when I wake up till the time I fall asleep because if I go out into the world and I say that I love God I better live it, because actions speak louder than words. Its called hypocrisy if that isn't what I do, because I condemn and try to rid my life of sin, yet I walk out into a world full of sin every day. If I walk out into this world and say I love Jesus but I don't act like I do, if my actions don't scream to God being glorified in anything and everything I am doing, then I have failed. We've all sinned and fallen short, I know. But does that mean we don't strive to not fall short, does that mean we just settle for "ok", for mediocrity, for "good enough"? I've had to answer that question, and its going to be hard to back up my answer, but I'm glad. I'm ready for the challenge because I desperately need a God who desperately wants me. In a world where feeling loved by someone has so much emphasis, I have the greatest love known to man, and that love is so overflowing that I can't wait to take it into this world.
I'll leave you with this...
Jesus died on the cross for our sins, everyones, not just the select few who go to church, read their Bible, pray, He died for every single person on this earth so that we may have a shot to spend eternity with Him. He died for you and me. That's love. God tells us He loves us over and over and over again, and he backs it up. His actions speak louder than His words, the cross is just one example

Much love