Impossible Love

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Colossians 1:9-12 NKJV

Sometimes, life is hard. That's not surprising news to any of you who may be reading this. It's in the day-to-day doing of it that we are provided with ample opportunities to love as Christ loved us and gave Himself. Sometimes, we get tired of doing. Sometimes, we get tired of giving. Sometimes, we get tired of loving. What do we do then?

We go to our Source of life's blood and get more so that we can continue to do and to give and to love. Why? Because He has called us to love as He loved and He gave Himself for us. And just so we're clear, it's PEOPLE He called us to love, not inanimate things. It's easy to "love" things - they don't have mood swings, bad attitudes and they don't demand our time when we don't feel like it. Don't be confused - that's not love.

Paul prayed that we might be filled with the knowledge of God's will - wisdom, understanding (there's that word again). The commandment we are given is to love one another. That's hard. Sometimes, it's seemingly impossible, but... but for Christ. 

I've heard people remark, "Oh, yeah, it was easy for Him - God was His Father - He's part of the Triune God - He IS love."  I hear you, but do you hear God? I'll tell you, it wouldn't have been MY first choice to leave Heaven in all its glory where I walked in all authority to come to Earth as mere man, to be crucified for an ungrateful lot who - even after the sacrifice - would not recognize what had been done for them. His love prevailed. And that's the point. HIS strong love. HIS power to love.

Paul prayed it - that we would be strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy... Strengthened with ALL might - by HIS power...patient and longsuffering...with joy. Yes, it's hard, but it's not impossible. 

Christ said it Himself as recorded in Matthew 19, ...with God all things are possible.

Prayer:

Father,
         We pray as Champ Traylor once prayed, 'Cleanse us of everything that would sap our strength for togetherness...Let us be Your alleluia in a joyless, fragmented world'. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Love Never Quits

Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!
Psalm 136:26 The Message Bible

I was a child the first time I read this Psalm in the King James Version. Instead of His love never quits; it was his mercy endureth forever. And yes, it's from the same Hebrew word - Checed - that I've mentioned before.

I really hated reading this one as a child. I couldn't seem to hear the Thank God parts of it because every other line was his mercy endureth forever - or now in the Message, His love never quits. As a child, it obliterated the rest of the psalm for me because of the constant repetition.

As an adult, I can't seem to remember all the other parts, but for a totally different reason. Now, I LOVE this Psalm!! His mercy endures forever!! His love never quits!!! He did it all and through all of it - His mercy endures forever!! His love never quits!!! THINK ABOUT THAT! Let it soak into and manifest in your spirit. His mercy endures forever!! His love never quits!!! Praise His Holy Name!!

1-3 Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.

4-22 Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day,
His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night,
His love never quits.
The God who struck down the Egyptian firstborn,
His love never quits.
And rescued Israel from Egypt’s oppression,
His love never quits.
Took Israel in hand with his powerful hand,
His love never quits.
Split the Red Sea right in half,
His love never quits.
Led Israel right through the middle,
His love never quits.
Dumped Pharaoh and his army in the sea,
His love never quits.
The God who marched his people through the desert,
His love never quits.
Smashed huge kingdoms right and left,
His love never quits.

Struck down the famous kings,
His love never quits.
Struck Sihon the Amorite king,
His love never quits.
Struck Og the Bashanite king,
His love never quits.
Then distributed their land as booty,
His love never quits.
Handed the land over to Israel.
His love never quits.

23-26 God remembered us when we were down,
His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot,
His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need.
His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all!
His love never quits!

Yes!! Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You that Your mercy endures forever and that Your love never quits, because we are in constant need of both. Let this Rhema Word come alive in us! Thank You for Your Word to us to carry us through. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen