So this weekend I was flipping through the newspaper’s weekly magazine and one article caught and held my attention… in a nutshell, it’s about how the convents are running out of nuns because all the women are getting older and no young people are joining. But the thing that most made me go ‘wow’ is a quote from one of the nuns at the end of the article:

Sister Nora puts it a little more bluntly. “People think we’ve wasted our lives,” she says.

The table is drawn to silence as the nuns turn towards her.

“That occurred to me at the centenary celebration, when we were at Mass and they were telling the story of Mary Magdalene washing Jesus with the perfume and they said, ‘What a waste, why would she waste the perfume?’ And it really crystallised for me at that moment: that is what people think about us, that we wasted our lives.”

… Sister Nora speaks again: “I don’t think my life has been wasted.”

– extract from the West Weekend Magazine article At the Crossroads

I am not saying that I am about to go convert to Catholicism and join a convent… but something about the life of dedication they live so appeals to me. Because I want to live a simple lifestyle all about seeking Jesus through meditation on the Word and being as He is, a servant of all (Matthew 20:28)… a life that may appear wasted to a world chasing after all those other things… a life given to seeking the one thing needed (Luke 10:42), the one thing I desire (Psalm 27:4)… a life ‘wasted’ at the feet of Jesus… and encountering Him there, listening to what He has to say (Luke 10:39) and being full of joy at the sound of His voice (John 3:29)… and being able to confidently say “I don’t think my life has been wasted.” Whatever that looks like. Whether that looks like sitting in a prayer room or being an accountant who loves Jesus or anything else God has planned for me… no matter what, I want to be found with oil in my lamp (Matthew 25:4), with the first and second commandments as the reality of my heart (Mark 12:30-31), the Sermon on the Mount as my lifestyle (Matthew 5-7)…

Weeell… I don’t know where this post is going, and I have an assignment to work on so I’m going to stop blogging… buuut at any rate, I read the quote and went ‘wow’. So I thought I would share my ‘wow’ with my readers and random websurfers

I am so in awe of God… this One who is love (1 John 4:8)… and loves me. The One who has searched me and knows me (Psalm 139:1)… who sees all the darkness and the unsettled issues… and yet calls me lovely (Song of Songs 1:5). The One who knows the plans He has for me (Jeremiah 29:11), the One who is leading me in paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3), the One who allures me into the wilderness and speaks tenderly to me (Hosea 2:14)… that I would come up leaning upon Him (Song of Songs 8:5). The One whose great pleasure it was to create me (Revelation 5:11), fully knowing how many times I would choose disobedience and run after all those other things instead of into Him… and in spite of that loving me. Loving me even when I was His enemy (Romans 5:10). Loving me first… knowing that when I began to see His pursuit of me and begin to glimpse His love that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:19) I would love Him in return. I love Him because He first loved me (1 John 4:19).

This is why I was created: to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). It’s more than a commandment, it’s my life vision… and what He is fully able and more willing than I can comprehend to bring into reality. Because it’s not about me gritting my teeth and making myself love Him more… it’s Him who is love showing me what love is, showing me the love He has for me and so awakening my heart to love Him still more and more. Him captivating my heart by opening my eyes to see still more of His beauty. He is the One who crowns me with love and compassion (Psalm 103:4)… the One who takes my ashes and gives me beauty (Isaiah 61:3). I don’t deserve it and I certainly could never earn it… and yet His love has been lavished upon me (1 John 3:1). He delights in showing mercy (Micah 7:18)… and delights in me.

What a beautiful God. I love Him … I love Him as best I can… in my weak-but-true way which somehow overwhelms His heart (Song of Songs 4:9)… *happy sigh*

I saw an ad yesterday for what appears to be a celebrity gossip website… the website’s ‘catchy’ slogan?? “Where fans go to worship.” I felt slightly sick when I saw that. My friend next to me goes “ummmm… end times worship movement…” and I agreed.

We were made to worship God… the One… the only One… who is worthy of all glory, honour, power and praise (Revelation 4:13). He is worthy of our attention, our devotion… all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). But already so many other things tug at our minds and our hearts for our attention and devotion. Our culture is already so full of idolatry… it glorifies it. American Idol. Celebrity gossip sites… where fans go to worship. People collecting lots of memorabilia of their favourite footy team and calling it their ’shrine’. Oh, these things that we sacrifice our time and money to…

… about a year ago (when I was a Christian and about to leave for my internship at the International House of Prayer), I paid seventy-something dollars and went to see my formerly favourite band in concert. I was having fun in the moshpit… jumpin’ around with everyone else… pushing and shoving along with everyone else… screaming out the lyrics with everyone else… reaching out to try and touch the lead singer with everyone else… lifting up my hands before the band along with everyone else… and then in then middle of all that madness I suddenly stopped… lowered my hands… and was like “… what am I doing????” and, feeling quite shaken, ran into His unending mercy and repented. It all looked no different to a high-energy church service… except we weren’t worshipping the Lord and singing about Him. We were worshipping a band and singing about how alone we feel and how overwhelmed we feel by all the darkness inside… any surprise that I used to cut myself listening to this band’s albums??

The world today is getting so good at this worship thing… and soon a man is going to come along and bring ‘peace’ to the Middle East (Daniel 9:27)… three and a half years later he is going to demand that everyone worship his image… and will kill everyone who refuses (Revelation 13:14-15). But why would you refuse, when he has brought ‘peace’ and economic reform (Revelation 13:16-17) and established a worldwide religion (Revelation 17)…?

I can think of a very good reason to refuse… the Antichrist is not God.

Oh that my heart would be ready… I want to prepare my heart for what it is to come. I have to eat the scroll (Revelation 10:9)… I have to be devoted to long and loving meditation in the Word of God that His truth would be written upon my heart (Proverbs 3:3). I want to have a history of intimacy, a history of worship and undistracted devotion to Him… He is worthy of nothing less.

If in that day I choose to worship God alone I could be killed by the Antichrist… and then I will enter the fullness of joy in the presence of the One I love (Psalm 16:11). Or I could worship the Antichrist and live another day… only to spend eternity tormented in the presence of the One I chose to despise (Revelation 14:10).

So today… and every day… I set my heart to worship God. For I will have to choose on that day… and my life… both temporal and eternal… will hinge on it.

… I have already made my choice… and oh God, give me grace to remain steady…

Here is a verse that does my head in:

“Jesus replied, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’” Matthew 26:50

This is the context… the man Jesus is calling ‘friend’ is none other than Judas Iscariot, who has just betrayed Him with a kiss. Jesus has been betrayed unto a slow and painful death on the cross… and yet still calls him ‘friend’. ARGH!! My little head can’t get around that. Proverbs 17:17 says that a friend loves at all times… Jesus loved Judas and called him a friend… even though this is the man who had just betrayed Him. What love is this??

And He calls us His friends… He chose us to be His friends (John 15:15-16). He has chosen us to be those who love Him at all times (Proverbs 17:17). He has chosen us to be those fully obedient to His will (John 15:14). Even though we chose disobedience in the garden (Genesis 3). Even though our hearts are inclined to love darkness (John 3:19). He has called us friends… calling us up and out of our love of darkness and disobedience and into wholehearted love and obedience. He called us out of darkness and into the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:6). He delivered us because He delighted in us (Psalm 18:19)… even when we found no delight in Him. When we were His enemies He died for us (Romans 5:10)… because He loved us. Truly, there is NO greater love than this (John 15:13). And He says to us: you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). A commandment… a prophecy… the vision statement of my life

A third of the angels in heaven rebelled (Revelation 4:12) and He banished them (Revelation 12:8). No second chances. Yet all of mankind chose to rebel… and He refused to sit back and let us go. He so loved us that He sent His Son to the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, that we might return to Him and be with Him forever (John 3:16). This is love (1 John 4:10)… and it is for us (Song of Songs 7:10). He has pursued us… He is so determined to love.

You can see it in His faithfulness to Israel. Even after all of her harlotry… the Lord Almighty will be her Husband (Isaiah 54:5). He is fully committed to redeeming her (Isaiah 63:9) and establishing her in righteousness (Isaiah 62:1). He is undeterred by her lack of love towards Him but keeps on loving faithfully… knowing that one day she will return and she will be glorious (Isaiah 62:2)… but only because of His love. Not because of anything she ‘earned’. But simply because He loves her.

I am so glad that God is exactly the way He is!! I LOVE that God is love (1 John 4:8)!! Love that is knowledge surpassing (Ephesians 3:19), an all-consuming (Deuteronomy 4:24) and unquenchable fire (Song of Songs 8:7)… all that directed towards me… and you… and everybody… longing for us to turn to Him… and love in return.

And yet so many don’t. And won’t. And yet somehow… He chose me to one who would love Him (Romans 8:28-29). I am so unworthy of His love… yet it remains for me… He considers me worthy of love… how could I not love the One who loves me so incomprehensibly much?? The One who knows my darkness more than I do… and yet calls me lovely (Song of Songs 1:5). He sees rightly… and calls me lovely. Calling things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17). Calling them into being… this One who spoke creation (Genesis 1). He calls me lovely… and so I am (in part…)… and so I will be.

Woooow… reading through again, this is full of bunny trails… Jesus’ love for Judas, Christians, mankind in general, Israel, me, you, everybody, back to me… my heart was overflowin’ with a good theme for sure… LOVE

Hello world, and happy Valentines Day

Anyone who knows me or frequents my blog has probably figured out by now that I use the Bridal Paradigm (as well as all other concepts in the Bible) to help me grow in understanding of God’s love… but that most definitely does not mean that this Valentines Day I am all “Happy Valentines Day Jesus :D:D” and planning on a ‘dreamy date night’.

Now… from what I’ve observed, the Bridal Paradigm (the BP from here on out…) is a touchy topic, especially on internet discussions!! So I am wary of bringing it up here… especially because I sometimes don’t explain stuff very clearly… but here goes…

I use the BP to help me comprehend God’s love for me… but that doesn’t mean I consider Jesus my ‘Hollywood boyfriend’. Yeh, I believe in the BP… as well as everything else in the Bible (yep, the BP is set out scripturally… for a list of some references check out this blog). I don’t consider all other Biblical teaching null and void in comparison. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Scripture does not contradict Scripture, nor is one part more true than another.

This Valentines Day, I found myself pondering the love of Christ (but I like to do so any and every day). Not because I think I have a ’spiritual boyfriend’ in Jesus… but because I am in awe of the fact that He loves me, with a pure and holy love that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:19)… the love that sent Him to the cross, even when I didn’t love Him (1 John 4:10, 19)… and I want to know as much as I can of this love. The BP is a Scripturally set out way of helping me to comprehend His love more… and knowing His love awakens my heart to love Him more (Mark 12:30).

So bring on the BP … as well as the rest of the Bible

“You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips…” Psalm 45:2

One thing I get from reading this verse is that with every word He speaks to me comes the grace to walk it out. That gives me courage to press on when I’m feeling overwhelmed and being all “God… are You sure You know I can do this??” He will not give me more than I can handle… well, maybe more than I myself can handle (2 Corinthians 1:8). But I am not alone. He will never leave me nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6). He is high and lofty… yet is with the lowly (Isaiah 57:15). He has searched me and He knows me (Psalm 139:1)… He knows my limits… He knows that I am but dust (Psalm 103:14)… and so helps me. Oh the humility. He doesn’t need anyone else’s help… and we don’t really have anything to offer in and of ourselves anyway. But He lets us partner with Him in what He’s doing in the world (eg. intercession, evangelism etc.)… and then He also helps us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

He really likes humility. He is humble… the Lord God Almighty, servant of all (Mark 10:45). That challenges me to like being humble… I’m not there yet. But I want to be… because He is. I need grace to choose humility… the very fact that I want to be exalted means that I should choose humility. I want to take Him at His word when He said “… whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12

Jesus went ahead of me. He was humble and obedient even unto death (Philippians 2:6-8). He did it… and so I can. He overcame, and so I can (Revelation 3:21). He is, after all, within me… the very hope of my glory (Colossians 1:12). He tells me to take up my cross and follow Him (Matthew 10:38)… He took up His cross first. He tells me to resist temptation… He was tempted in every way and yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He understands completely… and is more than able to help completely… I need to learn to stop trying to lean on my own strength (haha or lack thereof…) and trust in His strength… the grace that is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

So, this is old news for WordPress bloggers, but for the sake of those who don’t blog at WordPress: on the blog stats page it shows you all the links people clicked on to get to your blog… oh and on a side note, it also shows you all the search engine terms people use too… people have Googled everything from “praying through dance” to “help! I love God but don’t like worship” to find my blog. But anyway, back to what I was saying before… while looking at the clicked links I noticed that http://wordpress.com/tag/song-of-songs was there… and I’ve seen it there many times before… out of interest I clicked on the link… turns out my blog is the featured blog for Song of Songs. Fancy that!!

I never set out to be a featured Song of Songs blogger. I just like the book, and love the God whose heart is expressed through it… and so I quote it in my posts, because I quote it to myself all the time. And somehow I ended up being a featured blog. Crazy.

It’s like how for six or so months I was singing about God/to God on live TV and webstreaming all around the world. I never set out with that as my aim… I just liked to sing and thought it’d be great to be on an IHOP worship team, so I auditioned, got invited to join a team and then all of a sudden the little voice that God always heard (Song of Songs 1:14) was being heard by people I don’t even know all over the world. Crazy.

Or how I always kinda wished I could dance… I would watch people who’d taken dance lessons for years and be completely fascinated… and pretty envious too. So when an opportunity came to dance… when I felt a bit of a prod on the heart from God to get over my fears and just worship Him as I wished I could… I got up and… *dramatic music building*…. got dizzy and almost fell over the first time I tried to spin around. But you know what? I kept at it. Forgot about how dorky I probably looked and totally felt… and just danced because I love Him and He makes me feel like dancing :D… and then before I know it I’m terrified and ‘kicking and screaming’ (as I like to call it) because I had an audition for the dance team the next day. And now I’m helping start a harp and bowl style dance team at my church. In the space of about a year I went from “I wish I was a dancer” to “I’m a singer who dances… not a dancer…” to a dancer. Crazy.

All that to say… I’m learning how much God can do with a willing heart. Even a weak ‘yes’ is enough for Him to do more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Even with the little we have to offer, when we choose to partner with Him in what He’s doing, taking Him up on the incredible, gracious, humble, loving etc. invitation He offers us… He does the incredible (Ezekiel 22:30, Jeremiah 5:1). He makes our paths straight when we seek to glorify Him in all we do (Proverbs 3:6). He knows we don’t ‘have it all together’ (Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38). He is well aquainted with us (Psalm 139:1)… all our weaknesses, failings and unsettled issues. But He sees the weak movements of our heart towards Him… and they move His heart (Song of Songs 4:9). He sees all the darkness of heart, yet sees the sincere desire to love and obey Him and finds it lovely (Song of Songs 1:5). God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)… yet He loves hearts that want to be full of light… but are still so dark. He really likes it when we’re willing.

Oh, that I would never back away… but always be found willing, loving, responding to Him as I should. And yet I take heart when I stumble… I know that even though the Shulamite told her Beloved to go on without her (Song of Songs 2:17)… she still ends up in Song of Songs 8… fully confident and mature in love. Haha this is not an excuse for me to be content with saying ‘no’ to God, by the way. But it reassures me that my weaknesses don’t intimidate God, they don’t mess up all His plans for me, they don’t make Him love me any less (1 Chronicles 16:34), they don’t change who He is… The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin (Exodus 34:6-7). My weaknesses make for a perfect stage for the display of His splendor (Isaiah 61:3). In my weakness His strength is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). It ensures that not to me, but to Him is the glory (Psalm 115:1).

Soooo I think I bunny trailed a whoooole lot there. But I’ll try to tie it all together now.

The fact that I ended up as a featured post on Song of Songs doesn’t mean I consider myself an authority on Song of Songs. If anything it makes me think “uh-oh, I need to actually start seriously studying Song of Songs again… people actually read what I write…” It means that God wants to make His heart known, and I wanted that too and so He ended up using me to do that. Same with dancing and singing… yes, He’s blessed me with some amount of proficiency… but there are a lot more talented singers and dancers He could use to make Himself known, and He most definitely does… and yet He chooses to use me too. All I bring is a willing heart and the gifts He gave me first… and then He does the rest.

It was once illustrated to me like this: it’s the kid trying to open the peanut butter jar, then the dad comes along and puts his hand on top of the kid’s hand and they open it together.

*starts singing* my Father He is God… He will do great things…

I sometimes get scared. I’m scared because what I want more than anything else is to know God and love God. And I grew so much in that when I was living in the context of night and day prayer… when my job was to be a singer, dancer and intercessor in a house of prayer. When I was surrounded by people who were just like me… who thought staying up all night blessing the Lord, seeking His face and crying out to Him was a great idea…

… and that is not my life anymore. The desire for God is still there… different context though. Now my job is in retail. I am now surrounded by people at work, on the train, in line for lunch… all of whom are loved by the Lord God Almighty and were created to love Him… and yet so many don’t… and don’t even know… maybe don’t even care. And that grieves me… and I do my best to live the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). To expand my concept of worship beyond singing and dancing. To make working in retail worship. And I know worship is for Him… but I’m like “can’t I worship you in a way I enjoy??” and yet I know worship is for Him. And it’s His kindness that we can worship Him, and that we enjoy it. I want worshipping Him in itself to be my joy. Not necessarily the context/method/way in which I do it.

I will get back to being scared in a minute, but I’m on a roll…

I sit on the train reading my Bible and look up and look at the other people (not too obviously, I don’t want them to think I’m a stalker… yay for sunglasses :D… which is a little bit stalkerish really… hehe) and pray. I feel so burdened for these people. And so I pray… I pray for the ones that do know Him… that they would be strengthened and encouraged by Him to continue to live the Sermon on the Mount, to make Him known and glorify Him in the context He’s put them in and with the gifts and abilities He’s blessed them with. That they would know His love still more and more.

And I pray for those who don’t know Him. That He would open their eyes to see Jesus as He is. Beautiful… glorious (Isaiah 4:2)… the One who loved them enough to die that they could be with Him where He is (John 17:24). That they would love Him. I sit there reading Revelation and I’m thinking “this is real. And these people don’t know… don’t want to know… and aren’t ready… I don’t even think I’m ready… oh God, open their eyes… touch their hearts… do whatever… just save their souls. These ones that you love…”

So back to being scared… I am scared because now that I’m out of that context where I grew so much in the knowledge and love of God I am terrified that I’m not going to grow. Terrified. And yet I know that God wouldn’t have sent me back here (and firmly closed the door behind me…) for my love to grow cold. He wants me to love Him even more than I do… but all the same… I already see how I am starting to be careless, neglecting the vineyard (Song of Songs 1:6), getting frustrated because I see all this happening… frustrated because there is stuff I can do. I can schedule more carefully and make time. I don’t like that my job has to be retail. I don’t like that I have to go to university and study something other than God. But I can’t change those things. But there are things I can change… I am just trying to love and be faithful.

I don’t want to make my context a prop or an excuse.

Oh and you know what else scares me? Since being back here I have been struck by the reality that Jesus is coming back soon (this isn’t the scary part… this is the part I am longing for…)… so the world is about to go into the greatest lawlessness, darkness, depravity etc… I read passages about the end times and I’m like “this is really going to happen”… and so I am scared of being a foolish virgin with no oil in my lamp (Matthew 25)… and I think that the fact that I’m scared about it and don’t want that to be my reality will mean that it won’t be… but all the same, intentions are different to reality. And I am all too easily blinded to reality by my intentions.

Anyway…

I get scared. I get frustrated. I get upset. But am I growing in the knowledge and love of God?? When I know that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). When I know that there is the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). When I know that in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). And I know that He has not pushed me away. I am not forsaken… I am not forgotten… I am still His beloved. His love for me does not change, no matter how I respond or how I feel. I will not let myself be offended. I want to love Him.

And after all of that… I realise that I can do nothing without God. So I pray my “God help” prayers… eg. help me to love You. Help me to make time for You. Help me to trust You… just help me… I am so in need of You… and I take heart. Because He loves me and He delights in mercy (Micah 7:18). He will help me. He sees my willing heart and it matters to Him. He knows that the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38). He sees my weak but true love… and it moves His heart (Song of Songs 4:9). He is unrelenting. He loves me. He is fully in control. He is unchanging. He is love (1 John 4: and that love is for me (Song of Songs 7:10).

He loves you too and He loves everyone… I love Him

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” — 1 John 4:10

Hmmm I wrote this a couple of months ago… August 4th, to be exact… I remember it was after Misty Edwards spoke at the church service… and she read my mail… pretty much put everything going on in my heart and all the stuff God had been speaking to me into words… I was crying so hard I could barely even breathe…

 … and I was cleaning my room today and found it…

He sees rightly… and He calls you lovely. He is not a man that He should lie. The perfection of beauty sees you and your heart that loves Him… and He finds you beautiful. He who created all that we consider beautiful… mountains, sunsets, oceans… yet they don’t move His heart. Yet you have stolen His heart with but one glance of your eye. The voice that spoke creation tells you that He loves you and He finds you beautiful. He is the perfection of beauty. He alone truly knows what beauty really looks like… and He looks at you and finds your love for Him beautiful. He doesn’t define you by your struggles and failures… He defines you by your earnest desire to love and obey Him. He sees your weak but true love and calls you forth… He is inviting us into wholeheartedness… who will respond? Who will arise, confident in His unfailing love, and follow Him? Who will incline their ear and consider His invitation? His eyes search to and fro… looking for a lover… looking for a friend… Who will arise into wholeheartedness? Who will arise into righteousness? Who will arise into undistracted, undivided devotion? Who will embrace the cross? Who will take up their cross, splinters and all, and follow Him? Who will follow the Lamb? Who will follow the Good Shepherd? Who will be allured into the desert so that they could come out leaning upon their Lover? Who will love with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength? Who will be a lover of that which He fights for? Truth. Humility. Righteousness. Who will be a friend of the Bridegroom? Who will be a voice crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Who is lovesick? Whose heart joins with all creation and it groans and longs for His return? Who desires to be with Him where He is? Who is captivated? Who is fascinated? Who will be found fully in love? Who has gazed into His eyes of fire and has had their heart set ablaze with passion? Who will consider all things loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus? Who will live for Him? Who will die for Him? Who has been forgiven much? Who will love much? Who will hear His voice and speak it forth?

Arise…

Today is Christmas. When we celebrate the second person of the Trinity being born as a human baby. Oh the humility. God became a baby that needs changing and feeding. He was born… 33 years later He died.

This is love: not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10)

God has been doing my head in for the past few months… taking me on an adventure of finding out what that verse really means… it’s going to take me eternity to get my head around that… but that’s exactly how long He’s giving me :D… but it means I find a way to link everything back to that verse. Including Christmas.

Merry Christmas. I really mean it when I say I pray that this Christmas you would understand like never before the love of Christ… the God who became a man because He loves you. He loves you. Ugh I just want to say that over and over again. He loves you. More than you know… with a passion unmatched by anything you’ve ever experienced. Love is who He is (1 John 4:8). And that love is for you (Song of Songs 7:10).

I don’t like words. I say ‘God is love’ and it means so much to me and I want to express it all and I want it to connect with hearts… but all it looks like three simple words on the screen. So I pray that God would truly give you revelation of His love. The force that is greater than your sin nature.

God is love. And that love is directed towards you. The first commandment (Mark 12:30) is more than a commandment… it’s what you were created for.