Incomprehensible Love

Last night, one of our amazing Youth Leaders, Rudy, took over for Coach and gave a sermon on God's Love and His command for us to love. The question "Why does God Love us?" came up, and a lot of us were stuck on it, or meditating on it, or just didn't have an answer. The same question has been on my mind all day.

Why does God Love us?

Think about this for a second. Why does our Creator, whom we spit on and curse at day in and day out, have an all-consuming, unconditional Love for the children that nail Him to a tree every second of every day? Could you love someone that did that to you? Who, given every chance, never lived up to what you hoped they would do? Who constantly spit in your face and cursed at you? I know we all WANT to say we would, but, in reality we all know we wouldn't be able to.

I think one of the reasons this kind of love is so incomprehensible is because of how selfish our love is. How conditional, and wavering and changing it is. We love most the people we're closest to or that show us the most love in return. Yet the Father Loves us each the same, and we can do nothing to win His Love (hence- unconditional). Oh, if we we loved even one person like that! How much greater would our Love be!

Matthew 5:43-48 says, "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons (or daughters) of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  The first time I read that, my mind was blown: "What, Father? I'm supposed to Love those who persecute me? I'm supposed to love the person that the World tells me to despise? WHAT???" 

Think of the person (or people) that you think you would be better off not knowing. Don't lie to yourself, we all have at least one person (and if you don't, praise Jesus).  Do you have them in your mind? Now, imagine loving that person every day with reckless abandon. No matter how much they annoyed you, or gossiped about you, or hurt you. What if you genuinely, unconditionally loved them? No matter what they did to you or against you, you loved them. (I know, you wish, right?) Now, get into your head that the Love of The Father is so much more than that.

WE ARE SO UNDESERVING OF THE LOVE HE SO WILLINGLY HAS FOR US! Do you understand that? I mean,do you really understand that? I don't. And I don't think you do either. I imagine if we actually understood that we would act a lot differently than we do towards our Loving Savior.  Who are we that He would be mindful of us? I can imagine, maybe, Him taking care of us like a master would take care of his servants. But a God who Loves us like a father loves his children?? How incredibly mind-blowing is our God?! That He would Love Fallen Humanity so much, He would send His son to die the most brutal death. That He Himself would take our place. That He would take MY place. A people so broken and filthy and undeserving to even be glanced at by Him! And He picks each one of us up EVERY DAY and cleans and fixes us, not because He has to, or because He just takes pity on us, but because He wants to, and HE LOVES US. How amazing is the Love of our God?!

Why does God Love us? That's just it, there's no reason for Him to. I don't think there's an answer. The Word says that God is Love. Maybe that's it. Or that we're made in His likeness. Or maybe He just WANTS to Love us and that's why He does. Or so that we can be deemed lovable ('cause let's face it, if God didn't Love us, 1, we wouldn't even be here, and 2, there's no way any of us would love anyone, because we'd all be too busy hating ourselves).

 All I know is: 1. I am so undeserving of the Love my Father has for me, and I will rest and walk in the Love He's prepared for me.
And 2. The Love of our God is so unimaginable, Beautiful Readers. I get to rest in the knowledge that NOTHING in this world can separate me from the Love of God. 
And I sincerely hope you can do these things too.