Love Changes Us

I am always taken back and astounded by the Love of Christ Jesus, His life sacrificed for us, and the Love of the Father who sent His son to us. Today I think upon the everlasting and prevailing Love of the Holy Spirit, the one who indwells us forever prodding, teaching, encouraging, and correcting. His tutelage never ends, never fails, never gives up, and is never angered by our ignorance or our rebellion! When I just think about myself, it is hard to understand that level of love-His not losing patience with me while continuing to provide opportunities for me to grow and change through His guiding power of LOVE.

There is no good in me except for Christ Jesus who perfects me. So I no longer focus on my sin but on Christ crucified for my freedom. No longer do I put myself or my fellow man down with malice in my heart. Once there resided an anger within me that lashed out in rage, now there is a sensitivity that overcomes me; a sensitivity that causes me to retreat to that perfect Love. Do not get me wrong. I do make mistakes and say or do the wrong thing on occasion. However, today it is done without thinking about judging or anger. It just comes out of the old man impulses. One day I look forward for that to diminish as well; for the perfect Christ to be revealed from me.

So today we pray that we all are perfectly rooted and grounded; established in that perfect agape Love from above. Together we may come to an understanding of how wide, how deep, and how long the Love of Christ truly is. It is a love that goes beyond all our natural understanding and will fill us one day to the fullness of God!

Consider the Love of the Holy Spirit and ponder on the Love of the Father and Son. Bask in their unlimited love supply and allow the transformation to continue. With Love all is possible. Without it we will be doomed into eternity. This is the only way we can regard our former way of life:
"... put off your old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4: 22-23.

Ephesians goes on to talk about the things we must shed. When I read them over there are times I am over whelmed and feel I cannot put off the old. And then I realize I cannot do it. It is only His Love in me that can produce the fruit of His Love.

Today I leave you with Ephesians 5:1 "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant sacrifice to God "