Love

I just finished reading the book of Acts in the New Testament of the Bible. What an incredible account of what happened after Jesus left Earth. His followers became bold, well-spoken, miracle-working, both despised and followed men and women. Their message was urgent, "Repent and believe in Jesus today! He is IT!!!!" They were beaten bloody and it made them whine and complain? Nope. They were singing praise songs in prison at midnight. Strangely amazing! How can this be? The Ultimate Fulfiller was filling them with an attitude able to offer love songs when it didn't make a lick of sense.

They finally realized that no person except God can fulfill. The apostle Paul says many times, "It is because of my hope in what God has promised" (Acts 27:6), the fulfillment of the promises since the beginning of creation, that Paul and the other followers of "the Way" teach and endure so much "to open [non-Jew's] eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in [Jesus]" (Acts 26:18). Yippee!!! It doesn't matter what happens in life--whether things always go well or, as some (including me) stumble over, when things go wrong for a "good" person. What matters is God--and loving Him wholeheartedly. No holds bared. At midnight, beaten up, whatever.

I read a great quote today that suggests that just as we want to be loved the way we are without too much inspection and criticism, perhaps God longs for us to love Him the same way. Not questioning but just loving. He is God. And, after all, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?....Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?....No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:32, 35, 37-39, written by Paul after lots of trials and torture). Who is the perfect Lover? God through Jesus. Does He make sense in His love? Not to us, but I am free by His grace to love Him completely in the middle of the crazy, chaos that this life tosses my way!