The Greatest Love

Luke 9:46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.

What if Jesus’ love for each of the disciples was so unique, so wonderfully personal they couldn’t imagine how He could love another more?

His love for you is just as special as the love He has for Peter, James, John and the rest. Jesus doesn’t love anyone more than He loves anyone else however His love for each of us is one of a kind and shouldn’t be compared. There are no limits to the freedom we get when we realize the simplicity of this. There is always more of Him for us to know without having to lessen what He has for others.

God is Real

God is real, you can know Him personally and intimately and once you do, there’s more. It’s an eternal pursuit, a perpetual longing so we need never settle into a smug “I’ve got God all figured out” way of living. We can wake up each day eager for what we might be taught from and about Him, eager to share and learn from others. We don’t have to be anxious or fearful just careful that what we teach and discover is consistent with what He’s given us in His Word.

I can’t begin to tell you the hours and hours of angst behind the above paragraph. I know what you’re thinking, “Duh! You say those things all the time.” Lately I’ve been listening to and reading a bunch of different Bible teachers on both sides of the concept of knowing God. Some that tell us God will pick out your clothes for the day and others that say the Bible is the only place you can hear from Him. The one thing they have in common is their insistence that they’re right. Combine that with the crappy way many Christians treat each other plus those on the outside and you have good reason to struggle with some tough questions. The answers to those questions are found in the seeking, urgently needing to hear from God whether it be in His Word, through His people or however He may choose to get through.

All that to say, sometimes it’s good to have what you know challenged in order to dig deeper and know more certainly how much God loves and cares for you. Aw, just read the first paragraph.

Additionally

One of the words I’ve used most often here is more. The reason is, I think we each truly desire more. It’s not always clear more what, but the answer is more God. Unfortunately our pursuit too often leads to more religion, more or better performance and any number of other forms of bondage that rather than help us to experience more of Him in our lives they appease us.

Behavioral Modification

God’s not asking for us to change the way we act, he has so much more for us than that. He wants to heal our broken hearts, comfort us in difficult times, rejoice with us in good times and be our constant companion. He wants us to not only know but to experience the power of His perfect love for us. He wants His unique love for each of us to wipe away our insecurities and fill us to the point that we’re gushing over, pouring Him on those He puts around us.

Supply

The more we need Him, the more our incredible God has for us. Oh how I need Him.

That’s Not Enough

Another thing we hear often is “That’s not enough.” Or “You need to do more.” Rest assured, it’s not God saying that to you. His feelings for you are contingent on nothing. His love for you can’t be earned or increased and the same goes for His liking you. It’s true that we are faced with decisions each and everyday that are pleasing to God or displeasing to Him. But the reason He cares what we do is not for His benefit but ours. Because of how He feels for us He always wants what’s best and when we make choices that are harmful to others, or ourselves He is grieved for us not disappointed because we harmed Him or because He expected better.

More Less Me

Another area that we have a lot of trouble trusting God with is that He’s at work in those around us too. Why are we so quick to anger over other’s shortcomings? Why are we intolerant of those that are different than we are? Why are other people’s sins so much easier to talk about? Do we think the best of everyone first? Do we try to understand what might be going on in someone’s life before making a judgment based on what we are seeing in a particular moment or even season? Does doing these things make us feel better about ourselves or maybe even deflect attention from what might need to change in us?

More and Less

I think we’ve pretty well established that there is much more God for us to know, love and be loved by. But in order for us to have room for more of Him there needs to be less of us. How much of the frustration, difficulty, dissatisfaction and aggravation we carry around each day is the result of self? How much time, effort and energy is spent trying to satisfy our own perceived needs? How often do our insecurities keep us from what we know God has for us? The answer for me is, most.

Tears in Heaven

I wonder if the tears The Lord wipes away in Heaven are the result of us realizing how much more of Him we could have known while we were here? Jesus’ primary message was that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Let’s apprehend as much of Him now so we can be that much closer when we greet Him with our sin removed in Heaven.

More

One more thought on the “conquerors” verse; more means that we haven’t just scraped by, by the skin of our teeth. We have a huge triumph here. This victory can stand out to others and we have the honor to help them win their battles as decisively as ours have been won.