God's incredible love - a response to inadequacy

Got a note from a lady I'd never met before asking a question about Easter.  As she began her question she mentioned that she loved Jesus and believed but didn't know how God could love her because of her past sins.  She said she felt very unworthy and it seemed she had a hard time reconciling her life with God's overwhelming love for her.  I think like many she has some head knowledge of God's great love but doesn't fully comprehend it.  I believe it was Paul who prayed that we would know the, "height and depth and length and breadth of God's love" (notice that he spoke that in four dimensions - not just three).
So I thought I'd share my response to her concerning her feelings of inadequacy.  Perhaps it will amaze you as it does me!

"Glad to be of service! By the way... none of us are worthy of His love or sacrifice, that's the incredible and amazing thing about God! None of it is about us, ALL of it is about God. It's HIS goodness, HIS love, HIS mercy, HIS grace, HIS sacrifice and HIS glory - it's all from HIM! That a God like this would love us when we could give Him nothing is beyond our comprehension... but if we could understand it, then He wouldn't be God. You are worthy not because of what you've done (or haven't done) but because HE loves you and died for you. It's Jesus who makes you worthy. So live and function and breath in HIS worthiness and offer your thanks to God through a life lived for Him!"


Here's why we shouldn't feel inadequate to receive God's love... because we didn't do anything to earn it!  It didn't come from us or in response to anything we had done.  If I could earn God's love then I might feel inadequate (because I'd feel like no matter what I did it wouldn't be enough).  If I had to pay for it I might feel inadequate (because I couldn't give Him enough to repay Him for what He'd done).  But because it is His sacrifice that makes me worthy as His creation I can't do anything to earn it so I should feel an overwhelming sense of honor because He did this all for me... not inadequacy.  Inadequacy has to do with what I have done, honor has to do with what He has done for me.


So thank you Father for sending your Son and making me worthy because He is worthy.  Your love for me is amazing, may I give my life in response to your great love.

What, "never leave you" means...

Been MIA for awhile, hope to get back!

Can I make a confession that will likely incriminate me?  One of my favorite movies is Major Payne.  There I said it.  Admitting something is the first set, right?  Well, near the end of the movie Major Payne and the cadets are acting like a family (finally) when the Major gets called up for active duty and he accepts the position.  As he prepares to leave one of the cadets yells, "you said we were family!"  To which the Major replies, "but I never said families don't split up.  Don't you watch Oprah?"
We all make statements we can't really back up.  Nearly every family movie you watch has a scene where a parent says to a child something like, "I would never let anything happen to you."  Of course it's right when the parent is leaving the kid in a closet during a tornado to save something that wasn't very important to begin with.  We can't control the weather, or anything else.  But we talk like we can.
Or we tell someone we love, "I'm not going anywhere" or "till death do us part."  And then try to explain how Daddy and Mommy don't love each other anymore but it doesn't mean they don't love you or will ever leave you.  Unfortunately, kids are smarter than that.
I was reading the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20 today and came across this line that Jonathan says to David, "remember that God's in on this with us to the very end."  I love that!
The fact of the matter is that I don't always go the way God wants me to go.  I go my own way, do my own thing all too often.  I don't always go with God... but He always goes with me.  I'm like the friend who ALWAYS has to have their way.  You know that friend.  You have that friend.  The difference is that God's way is ALWAYS better then mine!  But it doesn't matter.  Even when I refuse to follow Him, He will always go with me.  Always trying to get me to go the right way, do the right thing.  Always urging me to be my best, do my best, give my best.  Always pointing out that narrow road over there that I should be on.
Even when we refuse to go with God He always goes with us.
You see, you and me, He meant it when He said, "I will NEVER leave you or forsake you."