WHY?

[brakelite]

I don't understand God's love for me. I don't understand why, and the older I get, the less I understand. A momentary time of insanity may envelop me, and I think I have it all sussed, then my eyes are opened, sanity prevails, and I realise my recognition and acceptance of my mortality and ignorance is in fact an expression of clarity. 

Sure, I know He created me, and therefore He loves me. However, to be honest, I am a long way from the image of God I am intended to be. I thank God however that I have come a long way from where I was...a warped, selfish, perverted, hopeless, helpless, rebellious, evilly inclined moral virus. And yet God loved me even then! I don't understand that. 

If I come to a point in my life wherein is perplexity and uncertainty, I tend to think about what God's will would be for me  in that situation, and then pray that such and such should happen, please, and the sooner the better. After having suggested to God the best way He ought to be handling this particular difficulty, and pointing out to HIm that His best laid plans don't seem to be working out, I wonder how it was that the devil got the better of HIm. Yet despite such stupid reasoning on my part, He still loves me. I don't understand that.

Why does God love me? I have no idea. Calvary proves He does, but doesn't tell me why. It certainly isn't because I've earned it. The Bible informs me that my own heart can at times deceive me into believing that when I pray for something, I can expect to receive it because I deserve it. I because I have some inherent right to expect favours. But no, I have no rights. What I do have are promises. But not rights. And the most outrageous promise is the one God is most determined to keep. That promise is to recreate me in His own image! After 6000 years of hereditary failure, slandering of His reputation, desecrating all that He has called holy, abusing all the people He loans us to cherish and love, poisoning myself and others through my addictions, lusts, and pride, corrupting the very place He has given me for a home, and He still wants to recreate me in His image? Why not throw me away and start again? What manner of love is this? I don't understand it.

 What am I that God is mindful of me? What is this man that God would ever give any consideration to? I do not have any more light on that than did David when He wrote it 3000 odd years ago. So why? Honestly, I don't think it matters. All He asks of us is that we believe it. Maybe it will always be a mystery, just to make eternity all the more interesting. So, where do I go from here? 

I have discovered that God loves me regardless of circumstance, regardless of my behaviour, regardless of motives, habitat, purpose, past, present, or future. God's love is constant, infinite, complete, self-sacrificial, all-encompassing, immovable. In the words of Paul, love bears all things,believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. God does not decide or choose to love. Love is who He is. He can't help Himself. He IS love. Everything He does is motivated ny love. Even the destruction of the wicked is for their own good! 

So when I read that all things work together for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose, I believe it. When I read that He so loved me that He gave His only begotten Son to die for me, I believe it. When I read that along with Jesus, He will freely give me all things, I believe it. 

Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. The whys...I will leave that for later. Much later. It is enough that He does. Thank you Lord.

[simplejeff]

On 2/18/2018 at 10:45 PM, brakelite said:

Why does God love me? I have no idea. Calvary proves He does, but doesn't tell me why.

He loves us for nothing.  No reason.   He just chose to create us and love us, His Way, His Plan, Perfectly.

If there was a 'reason' He loved us,  and that reason changed.... well.... see?

Oh,  there are people He hates.  This also is written in Scripture.  (not worth going into on this forum).

And His love, and joy, and peace, and righteousness with salvation He gives (all freely and undeserved) , like His Spirit, is beyond any measurement,  without limits,  beyond our wildest imaginations ....

[simplejeff]

On 2/18/2018 at 10:45 PM, brakelite said:

All He asks of us is that we believe it.

Actually,  it sounds like you didn't read the Bible, if you think this is true.

[simplejeff]

On 2/18/2018 at 10:45 PM, brakelite said:

God does not decide or choose to love.

Yes.  He chooses.  (again, not for this forum)  Find in Scripture .... prayerfully.

He is perfectly righteous and just, and perfect in judgement and in mercy, without spot or wrinkle.

He never changes. 

[OakWood]

God loves us because he created us. He knows that we are not entirely to blame for our wickedness but are all screwed up due to the 'fall' and due to persistent temptations and corruption by Satan.

That doesn't mean that we aren't responsible for our actions because we still have free will and our transgressions are worthy of punishment. But God loves us because he knows that if we choose to let him heal us, then we shall no longer be wicked. He has big plans for all of us.

[Unfailing Presence]

The motivations of Lamb that was slain tell us why the Father loves us .

[Christine]

‘For this cause 
I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That H would grant you, 
according to the riches of His glory, 
to be strengthened with might by His Spirit 
in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; 
that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints 
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, 
which passeth knowledge, 
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto Him that is able 
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, 
according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto Him be glory in the church 
by Christ Jesus 
throughout all ages, 
world without end. Amen.’
(Eph. 3:14-21)  

[Billiards Ball]

I believe the struggle to see God's love lies here:

We do dumb things for days to years, wondering for His providence, and then He shines light with perfect timing to rescue our bacon from trouble.

His timing is different so we don't get the "touch" daily because we have to learn lessons.

[Christine]

On 03/03/2018 at 4:27 AM, Yowm said:

...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
(Eph 3:17-19)

I hear you, we are supposed to 'know' the love (of God) that goes deeper than our 'knowledge'. 

‘And to know the love of Christ, 
which passeth knowledge, 
that ye might be filled 
with all the fulness of God.’
(Eph 3:19)  

Hello @Yowm,

Looking at my Bible marginal notes, I see that the word, 'knowledge', in Ephesians 3:19, is (Gr. gnosis), meaning knowledge acquired by learning, effort, or experience.  So, as you have intimated, this knowledge goes deeper than our knowledge. For it is a knowing that cannot be received by self-effort, by learning, effort or by experience, it has to be Divinely revealed.  There also has to be a 'strengthening' with might, by the Spirit, in our inner man, before these things can be comprehended (v.16)

Praise God, for His wisdom, love and grace!

* For this knowledge is unsearchable, having been 'hid' in God, (Eph.3:9), until it's revelation to Paul, following the laying aside temporarily of Israel in unbelief at the end of the Acts period. So, no amount of reading of the Old Testament Scriptures would provide the confirmation usually  sought at the reception of new truth. This knowledge concerning The One New Man of Ephesians, Colossians and Philippians was to be received by faith alone: so this is why the inner man needed to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, to receive it; - hence Paul's prayer.

In Christ Jesus

Chris

 

Edited April 9, 2018 by Christine

[Guest BacKaran]

HE loves me because He loves me
His love provides for me, calms me, makes me secure in Him
and no matter what the devil and this fallen world would throw my way...
I’m content in all things.
Thank you brother Paul for such words of wisdom.