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every hope in God's love

"...our talk doesn't match our lives.  We say things like, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," and "Trust in the Lord with all your heart."  Then we live and place like we don't believe God even exists.  We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through.  But true faith means holding nothing back.  It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises."  - Francis Chan, Crazy Love page 166.
 
That makes a lot of sense, but it goes against the grain if we really get honest.  By the way, one of our core values is authenticity.  We are to get gut-level and brutally honest with ourselves, with God and with the world around us.  When we do, things begin to come undone, yet when God is in control, it all turns out right AND good.
 
I've come to learn (as I will share this coming Sunday) that living God's love means that we first have to get honest about a couple items.
 
1. God loves me no matter what.
 
2. God wants to love through me like never before.
 
Both of those things mean that I have to leave me out of the equation.  Why is that?  To my feelings and thinking that stuff and that kind of love is just not possible.  That kind of faith is for the insane.  Yet I have come to know that faith is about living an insane or crazy life full out for Jesus.
 
Here is another thought that wrecked me:
 
"Just had a small thought, if in life we were sincerely more concerned to bless more instead of impress more, Jesus would enjoy it." - Dino Rizzo
 
 I'm asking God to let me live knowing His love and sharing His love with others.  I'm learning.  How about you?
 
Ephesians 5:2 (nlt) --- Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. 
 
Romans 8:38 (nlt) --- And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.

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