I LOVE YOU
“I love you.” We will use those words countless times in our life. They are three of the most powerful words on the planet, and yet our misuse, abuse, or overuse can make them ineffective. “I love you” represents potential. It’s hidden POWER. It doesn’t seem like much, but when you hear the words “I love you,” there lies power. Those words have the power to change hearts and to change circumstances.
How is this? Because, “I love you” is a bridge over the impossible, over hindrances, and over excuses. True, God kind of love…says whatever is standing in the way can be endured, moved, or overcome. You get the impression that God created “Love” to do the impossible…to bridge the gap…to overcome the hard…to eliminate anything that would stand in the way of His desire to be near us. God is Love, and Love is powerful!
“I love you”, started the greatest movement known to mankind, true Christianity. A Christianity known by its’ love for others. A love that is not just heard but clearly seen. A love that is not just “in word or talk but in deed and in truth (I John 3:18).” When “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…,” He was loving us with not just His words but with His Word…His Son…His best…His all! This love has no limits. It reaches the rich and the poor. It reaches the friend and the foe. It reaches the Jew and Gentile with not just words but sacrificial action. God was giving us the highest standard to look at, HIMSELF.
He didn’t do that for you to say, “that’s too hard” or “but that’s God.” He set the bar high, and we must strive by faith even in the midst of our own brokenness and frailty to reach towards it. The bar will always be too high. It will always be too much in our own flesh and strength. Being conformed to the image of Christ will always be bigger than us, and it will always require simple faith and obedience in the face of our own limitations.
And so…”I love you”…are three of the most powerful words ever given. They are given to us by God to change us…to change our homes…and ultimately, to change the world. They are given to us to bring change, no matter what stands in the way. That is what God means when He says, “I love you.” But…what do we mean when we say it (PAUSE)? You can tell what a person really means when they say “I love you” by what they will and won’t do. Actions always speak louder than words!
How is this? Because, “I love you” is a bridge over the impossible, over hindrances, and over excuses. True, God kind of love…says whatever is standing in the way can be endured, moved, or overcome. You get the impression that God created “Love” to do the impossible…to bridge the gap…to overcome the hard…to eliminate anything that would stand in the way of His desire to be near us. God is Love, and Love is powerful!
“I love you”, started the greatest movement known to mankind, true Christianity. A Christianity known by its’ love for others. A love that is not just heard but clearly seen. A love that is not just “in word or talk but in deed and in truth (I John 3:18).” When “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…,” He was loving us with not just His words but with His Word…His Son…His best…His all! This love has no limits. It reaches the rich and the poor. It reaches the friend and the foe. It reaches the Jew and Gentile with not just words but sacrificial action. God was giving us the highest standard to look at, HIMSELF.
He didn’t do that for you to say, “that’s too hard” or “but that’s God.” He set the bar high, and we must strive by faith even in the midst of our own brokenness and frailty to reach towards it. The bar will always be too high. It will always be too much in our own flesh and strength. Being conformed to the image of Christ will always be bigger than us, and it will always require simple faith and obedience in the face of our own limitations.
And so…”I love you”…are three of the most powerful words ever given. They are given to us by God to change us…to change our homes…and ultimately, to change the world. They are given to us to bring change, no matter what stands in the way. That is what God means when He says, “I love you.” But…what do we mean when we say it (PAUSE)? You can tell what a person really means when they say “I love you” by what they will and won’t do. Actions always speak louder than words!
by Marc Stern
Posted in Marriage
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