February is the month of love. We celebrate Valentine’s Day and show our loved ones how much we love them by giving them Valentine Cards, gifts, dinner out, and by doing special things for them. I’ve heard it said that Valentine’s Day was invented by the greeting card industry to make more money. That may be true, but I look at those people as being skeptics, and not willing to join in the fun. How sad that must be, to think that we show love just to get something back. This month we are looking at the love of God and how He loves us.
In today’s Bible Journaling we look at Psalm 86:15, “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.” (NASB) God’s love is so much more than we can even comprehend.
The Christian Contemporary song, Reckless Love, by Corey Asbury, describes God’s love as a kind of love that is more than we can even fathom…a reckless love. The dictionary describes reckless as “1: marked by lack of proper caution: careless of consequences. 2: irresponsible reckless charges. But God’s love is anything but irresponsible or careless. In this instance with the song, God’s love can be described as a love that is given with no thought to why He loves us, He just does. It can also be described as freely given, limitless, loving with abandon…. wildly, passionately, completely. In that way, His love is reckless. His love is beyond human understanding. He loves us with everything within Him. He loves us through the good, the bad, and the ugly times of our lives. He never turns His back on us.
How does God show His reckless love toward us? What comes to mind is the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. It was pure love for each one of us that nailed Him to that cross and kept Him there. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV) God loves us so much that He allowed His Son to take the punishment for our sins. Romans 3:23 says that we have all sinned, every person, and have fallen short of God’s glory. No one can enter Heaven who is full of sin. Sin and God can not coexist in the same place. The Bible also tells us that there is a penalty for that sin. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NASB) God loved us so much that He didn’t want any of us to have to pay the death penalty for our sins, therefore, He planned a way for us to escape by allowing Jesus to die in our place, and Jesus willingly went to the Cross without thinking of the cost to Himself, He just did it. Now, the best part of God’s plan is that Jesus died, was buried, and three days later was resurrected, and ascended to Heaven to reign with God, the Father, at His right hand. He is living today, and when we ask Him to be our Savior and live in our hearts, He does. That is the most reckless love I can think of! Loving us so much that He died for us! He gave EVERYTHING! By Jesus’ death on the Cross, God showed us mercy.
Psalm 86:15 also tells us that God’s love is gracious. God is a gentleman. He doesn’t barge His way into our lives, He comes by invitation. When we invite Him into our hearts, He comes in to stay. Revelation 3:20 says, “See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (CSB) He sets up residence in our hearts when we ask Him to forgive us of our sins and come and live in us. From that moment on, we begin a journey with Him that will last forever. He helps us to conquer those things that derail us from the path He has planned for us. He shows us how to become more like Himself so that we can one day stand in the presence of God with a pure heart. He desires a relationship with us, a relationship that is very personal and never-ending.
If you haven’t asked Jesus to come into your heart and save you, today is a good day! The Bible says, “For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you,’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV) When you do, you will find that it will be the best decision you have ever made in your life! God loves you unconditionally and compassionately, and yes, recklessly, and He wants a relationship with you!
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