Go here and look at the google image associated with the story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7282635.stm

and then go here to see a photo I took December 28, 2005:

http://lindsaym.com/?m=200512

Mine is better, I think.

What is God’s love? Why do we throw around the phrase “God loves you” to anyone and everyone, saved and not saved? Does He? How should that love make me feel? How do I respond to God’s love?

A gaping hole in my theology has been filled today. God’s love started to make sense to me and I can finally articulate WHY I love other people in light of God’s love.

Being loved by God does not mean that God loves who I am. It does not mean He delights in me and makes much of me. In fact, it’s the opposite of that. I think it’s impossible to fully understand and delight in the Gospel if I think God’s love is defined by His delight in who you are. That simply isn’t the gospel. If He loved us because of who we are- why would He send Jesus to die for our sinfulness? We wouldn’t need the Gospel. Who we are without it would be good enough right? Jesus died for us not to preserve our personality and assure us that we’re “okay” but to ravage our sinfulness and self-centeredness that we might delight in HIM and not ourselves. The love of God should never make you feel better about yourself. It should make you fall to your knees in humility and thankfulness because the reality is– you’re so not “okay” that Jesus Christ died for you because who you are isn’t good enough to reconcile you to God. 1 Peter 3:18 “Christ suffered once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.”
I’ve heard God’s love defined as this.. “The love of God for you is the work of God at great cost to give you the gift of Jesus Christ to enjoy him forever and all that He is for you in Him”. God did everything it took in the death of Jesus His son, to be all that you ever needed.. so you wouldn’t need to find your worth in being made much of or delighted in, but rather, finding it in Him and His glory.

I’ve unfortunately run out of time… more later, I promise!!