Wednesday, March 10, 2010

March 10, 2010

“You know me when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold O Lord, You know it all.” Psalm 139:2-4

The Psalmist wrapped his mind around the wonders of the intimate love of God. Understanding that the One Who knows us best loves us most is awe-inspiring, especially since there are things we don’t love about ourselves and are ashamed to admit to others. Such is the nature of unconditional love.

How good is this? How amazing is this love that fully knows us and yet fully accepts us! Can it get any better than this?

Actually – yes it can!

God, who knows us intimately and loves us completely wants us to share this love with a life-partner, a husband or a wife.

Because of God’s omnipotence, He knows exactly what He is getting into when He embraces us with His unconditional love. He opens His arms wide while having His eyes wide-open. But, we enter into this intimate marriage relationship unaware of all the baggage we are inheriting from the person we marry. No matter how long we courted them and no matter how well we thought we knew them there is nothing that can simulate the day-to-day challenges of sharing daily living with an imperfect but perfectly flawed person. God calls us to unconditionally love, accept, cherish, and nourish this relationship while each unpacks their baggage and airs their dirty laundry.

How can we love like this? How can we survive such intimate knowledge and scrutiny? I mean God can love us like this because He is……..well……God! But I am not and you are not and it takes love like His to get this done. How is it possible to unconditionally love someone who is not in the best condition? What if they put their complete trust in me and I fail them? What if I trust them completely and they break my heart. This sort of vulnerability is frightening! Maybe I don’t need to know someone else that much. Perhaps it isn’t wise to make myself completely known. It’s probably safer to just try and become what they think I should be or what they want me to be. I mean, my parents love me best and they know me best, but there are things I have hidden from them. If I don’t completely trust them, how can I know intimacy with a stranger from outside my family?

That is the natural human response to a supernaturally designed and inspired relationship. God calls us to this intimate life-sharing love because it is what we are created to do. We are created to be loved unconditionally by Him and to trust Him to love others unconditionally through us. Therefore, the more intimately we know His love, the more intimately we can extend His love to another!

Think about this and celebrate it! When you live and love intimately with God and with your spouse, you experience the love of God twice! You receive it directly from Him and indirectly from them!

How good does that sound?

What can you do today to more fully receive the unconditional love of God? Where do you need to come out of hiding? Where do you need to be completely honest? Where do you need to allow Him to shine light on a dark corner in your life? Will you receive unconditional love so you can live in intimacy with Him? Will you enter into to full and fearless love with the One Who knows you most yet loves you best?