LOVED ...

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 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. (Eph. 3:17-19, NLT)

I remember well some of my BIG questions from my college years. Seems like they were not that long ago until I look at my driver's license and realize, nope, I'm really not 21 ... 28 ... or even 31 or 35?? YIKES! But still, since I sit with college students every day, it reminds me often of my own questions, struggles and thoughts at that time. I wonder some days if people told me what I am telling them and if I dismissed it as readily as they dismiss what I try to tell them as well??!! :0)

Question #1 for me was: Is it God or me? This desire, this opportunity, this decision - is the voice I am hearing that of God or just me! Praise Jesus, I've come to really believe that when I am seeking Him, His voice indeed becomes mine and His desires become mine as well. Question #2 was: I totally get that God has to LOVE me. It's His nature. He says He loves me. He doesn't lie. BUT, does He really like me?

It's here that I want to park my thoughts for today. Reading chapter 3 of Crazy Love and it really is the foundation. Until we "get" the crazy love God has for us, there is no way we will be able to love the world extravagently as He loves us!! But do we really get how HUGE His love is for us ... that He not only loves us, but He chose us (and chooses us all over again every day), that He likes us and wants us, that He longs to spend time with us, that He is jealous for us, that He weeps with us and over us, that He sings over us, that we are His pride and joy (in that same way parents love their kids and forget all the things they do that are annoying when they get that glimpse of how cool they are and are overwhelmed with how proud they are and how much they love them), we are NEVER out of His mind (He can't forget us ... ever.) Do we get it? Do we get the lengths He goes to win us and woo us, to love us and protect us, to grow us and help us??? I think we have days .... and I think we have glimpses ... but I think if we really "got" it, it would not be so easy for us to "forget" or ignore Him.

In Crazy Love, Fran Chan says, "The irony is that while God doesn't need us, but still wants us, we desperately need God, but don't want Him most of the time." I'll go back to where we started with this study ... we just don't love HIM enough. It's absurd to think that we would have much of a marriage if the sole communication was a 5 minute conversation each morning that went something like this: "Good morning, sunshine! Did I tell you how great you are? Well, you are and I love you! If you wouldn't mind, I'd love pancakes for breakfast ... with fresh blueberries and it would be great if you'd make sure my clothes are all washed and the dry cleaning picked up. I've got big plans this weekend, just want to make sure I have everything I need. Sorry I forgot to call you yesterday. Meant to, just never got around to it. But I do love you, you know. You are the best. See you tomorrow ..." I mean, seriously, don't think anyone's staying around for that. But most of us don't go far past that in our time with Him. We don't savor His words, we don't set aside time to just be with Him ... and we certainly don't make it anything special when we are. Most of the time we rush through a routine so we can mark it off a list of 20 other things to do that day. We don't love Him enough.

But I have come to realize that while He has chosen to LOVE us ... He desires soooo much more. He wants to be our companion and confidant. He likes us not just because He made us .... but because we make Him proud and we make Him laugh (no reality TV needed there!). We are on His mind all day long. Oh, the plans He has for us ...

The challenge at the end of CL was loving God with our HEART, MIND, SOUL, STRENGTH. Gonna focus on that today ... and let David Crowder's song flood through my heart that ...

He love us, O how He loves us, O how He loves us, I how He loves. Yeh, He love us, O how He loves us, O how He loves us, I how He loves...

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

He love us, O how He loves us, O how He loves us, I how He loves. Yeh, He love us, O how He loves us, O how He loves us, I how He loves...

YouTube - How He Loves lyrics by David Crowder Band