God's Amazing Love!

God is love! Do we really understand and comprehend this wonderful attribute of God. It is dangerous to sum up grand truths in one statement, but I’m going to try. God loves us just the way we are, but He refuses to leave us that way. He wants us to be just like Jesus.

I have gained a new understanding of how much I am loved by God. God’s unconditional love is one of the great truths that have helped me at 3:00 am, when I am unable to sleep. The prednisone (steroids) treatment creates insomnia and the fear of another defibrillator shock can keep me up as well. I have faced emotions and physical challenges that are very difficult to deal with because of my illness. The realization of God’s love has been a real comfort and encouragement during those times of anxiety. I have often meditated on this attribute of God and have found that I am able to focus on Him and be comforted by Him.

God’s love is clearly stated in I John 3:1 –“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God”. God clearly demonstrated His love for us as we were given eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8). He provided redemption through His death on the cross so now we have an eternal relationship to Him.

David reminds us that, “ I will be glad and rejoice in your love” (31:7). God had a special covenantal love in the Old Testament, for His people, Israel. He loves the whole world but there is a special love that is described in the New Testament for His church. The church, the “called out ones”, who are true believers and followers of Christ, are recipients of God’s special love. It is reassuring that even death cannot separate me from God’s love (Romans 8:35-39). What an awesome thought to know that I am loved by the Almighty God . God’s love is identified in many different ways for His children as He cares for us and comforts us (II Cor. 1:4; 4:3), in our time of need.

I have been going through an illness that I had never heard of until it was diagnosed in my lungs back in June of 2008. The sacroidosis moved to my heart in September and at that time I had a defibrillator/pacemaker inserted in my chest. This device has kept me alive on three different occasions when my heart went into cardiac arrest because of a severe irregular heart beat. This has put me in a new journey of life that has allowed me to see everything through a different lens. I am thankful for the many things that God has been teaching me during this challenging time.

God’s love does not increase with performance or decrease with mistakes. God loves us just the way we are. If you think that His love would be stronger if your faith were, you are wrong. I want to focus on His love and keep my thoughts on how much I am loved by God. I have to admit that it is easy to look at what I am missing and to grieve over my losses. I want to feel better and want to do the things that I used to be able to do. God has the power to heal but it is totally in His hands.

I am ready and prepared for death and not afraid because I know that I will spend eternity in heaven. Either way, I am loved and blessed beyond measure. I want to rejoice in God’s love and remind myself that He is lavishing it on me. It is so amazing to know that I am loved unconditionally by God and that God is using this illness to change me to be more like Jesus.

Dan