Unconditional Love

I’ve been thinking a lot about love.  There are so many types of love, but let’s focus on unconditional love.  What is it?  The answer seems all too simple – unconditional love is to love no matter what the circumstance is, no matter what a person has done.  Simply put it is to love at all times - a love that never fails, that never abandons, that never ceases.  Who do you unconditionally love?  Who unconditionally loves you?  Who would you be without ever experiencing unconditional love?  That’s a loaded question – we don’t realize how much giving and receiving unconditional love impacts our lives.   

As Christians we are called to have unconditional love for everyone, just as God shows us unconditional love.  God’s love for us is not dependant on how we live our lives.  We are all sinners, we don’t deserve unconditional love, yet we still receive it!  AMAZING! 

Hosea 1:2

“When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.””

God instructed Hosea to marry a prostitute, and Hosea was obedient.  This marriage became a life lesson for Hosea demonstrating unconditional love.  The Israelites were once faithful and wholeheartedly following God, but they turned from Him and began worshiping idols.  Despite God’s chosen people turning from him and living in sin – God still loved them.  Nothing that the Israelites did would cause God to stop loving them.  The same was true for Hosea and his love for his wife.  Hosea’s wife eventually returned to her adulterous ways and left Hosea for another man.  Yet, in Hosea chapter 3, we read that Hosea buys back his wife.  Even though Gomer had done a horrendous thing, Hosea showed his wife unconditional love by taking his hard earned wages and bringing her back home.  God did the same thing for the Israelites – time and time again the Israelites turned from God, yet no matter how many times they turned from him – God still loved them and accepted them back.     

Hosea 3

“Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.”  So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and five bushels of barley and a measure of wine. Then I said to her, “You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me.” This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols! But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.”

That same love that Hosea had for his wife and that God had for the Israelites is the same love God shows us today!  No matter how bad we feel we have messed up, God NEVER stops loving you!  Remember, that God calls us to love unconditionally too!  Who are you not loving unconditionally?  There are always people in our lives that are harder to love than others.  The ones that are hard to love are the ones that need it the most.  I would not be the person I am today without the unconditional love that my heavenly Father has given me, as well as, my family and friends.  Unconditional love is HUGE!  You can be the difference between someone seeing or not seeing God’s unconditional love.  God calls us to love the unlovable, to reach the unreachable, to touch the untouchable!     

“Forgiveness” By: Matthew West

It’s the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don’t deserve

It’s the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just to real
It takes everything you have just to say the word…

Forgiveness
Forgiveness

It flies in the face of all your pride
It moves away the mad inside
It’s always anger’s own worst enemy
Even when the jury and the judge
Say you gotta right to hold a grudge
It’s the whisper in your ear saying ‘Set It Free’

Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

It’ll clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what it’s power can do
So, let it go and be amazed
By what you see through eyes of grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you

Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossibleForgiveness
I want to finally set it free
So show me how to see what Your mercy sees
Help me now to give what You gave to meForgiveness, Forgiveness

Box God

Do you ever find yourself doubtful?  When God tells you to do something, do you lack the faith to do it?  Do you ask for signs from God?  How many times have you not completely trusted what God has told you?  It’s easy to ask God: “if this truly is your will, please show me by doing ____.”  The moment we doubt God, is the moment we are lacking faith.  God doesn’t want us to be filled with unbelief; He wants us to be obedient without hesitation when He tells us to do something.      

Judges 6:36-40

“Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.” And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew.” So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.”

Gideon needed to be certain that God was going to do what He promised He would do.  He was so fearful that He would be defeated by the Midianites.  Gideon had all the facts, He knew what God was asking Him to do, yet he still hesitated.  He delayed in being obedient to God, because He needed more reassurance, more proof that God would do as He said He would.

We may not be going to war against a vast number of Midianites, but we do face our own trials each and every day.  Are you constantly asking God for “visible” signs to confirm what you already know to be true?  When we do this we are putting limitations on God, we are asking Him to fit our expectations.  God does not fit into the little box that we occasionally open when we need Him.  God is all knowing, all powerful – He is who He says He is and He will do as He says He will!  Who are we to doubt what God is commanding us to do? 

Isaiah 40:28

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.”

So, what is holding you back today?  Are you living in unbelief, do you only pull out God when you need Him?  We have all the facts, we know who God is, we know what He can do, and we have the source to back it up – God’s Word! 

 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”

Don’t let a “fleece” become the proof that you need to be fully confident in our God!  Our God is greater, our God is stronger – so be confident.  With God we will NOT be defeated!

 “Our God” By: Chris Tomlin

 Water, You turned into wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
There's no one like You
None like You

Into the darkness, You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There's no one like You
None like You

Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God

Into the darkness, You shine
Out of the ashes, we rise
There's no one like You
None like You

Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God

Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God

And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against

And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
Then what could stand against

Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God

Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God, You are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God, our God

And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against

And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
What could stand against
What could stand against