Favorite Book Friday April 9,2021
It’s finally back! #favoritebookfriday. It’s technically Saturday but it’s fineeee. Whooo! It’s been along time but I’m looking forward to us looking at “Life Is___” by Judah Smith. I’ve been reading the 40 day devotional to this book and it’s amazing. This is sort of the sequel to “Jesus Is__” so let’s get to it. I sat her trying to decided how I wanted to do this do today we’re going through the intro and chapter 1-2.
Judah introduces the book with the idea of sometimes we don’t think we can relate to God because he seems so big or doesn’t seem like he cares. That’s not true at all. God loves us and wants relationship with us. So the question is what is the purpose of life.l? Jesus sets the example so here are the four big points the book discusses.
Life is to be loved and to love
Life is to trust God in every moment
Life is to be at peace with God and yourself
Life is to enjoy God.
I’ve read this book before and you’re in for a wild trip. I’d read this one for yourself for all the stories I’m just going to try to highlight the Biblical parts.
This first section, like I said before is “life is to be loved and to love.” It’s took big for us to understand yet, it’s the message of the Bible. The major theme of the Bible is God chasing after us with his great big love. God values us for who we are, no conditions or fine print. God isn’t watching us and waiting for us to mess up so he can scold us. We don’t have to pretend to have ourselves together for God. He just wants to love us. He chases us down. Love is a state of existence and a main characteristics. God is love personified. We were made for relationship. God values love.
The Bible story here is Adam and Eve in genesis 2. Love requires the ability to choose. Sin causes a gap between us and God because of our selfishness. Jesus paid out penalty for our sin. John 3:16 and 1 John 4:10 tell us this. That’s real love, God’s love. We didn’t earn it at all but God’s love is so big. Another story in the Bible is Hosea and Gomer. If you don’t know the story, God tells the prophet Hosea he’s going to marry a prostitute named Gomer as a representation of God’s love for Israel. This story doesn’t make sense but it gets worse. Gomer, now Hosea’s wife,runs away again and Hosea buys her back. Can you see this great Exchange? Hosea means “salvation” and Gomer means “completion” We’re Gomer. God made us and we are his. He gave us the blood of his son as a ransom for us. That’s how much you’re valued by God. We all want to do what we want but it doesn’t stop God. Everything changes when you discover God’s love for you.
For chapter 2, head to the website! The link is in my bio!
Let’s look at John 3:16 again, God totally is obsessed with us. Sometimes it seems embarrassing. The verse says “the world” it doesn’t say part or some of the world or the people in the world that would love him back. Consider God’s love. It has no conditions or levels or action based. God’s love is constant, unchangeable and relentless.
Sometimes we try to tell God loving in this way is ridiculous and crazy. As humans, we don’t understand when you don’t don’t get your feelings returned in a relationship. But God’s love DOESN’T change. He’s not fickle like humans are. In 1 Timothy 2 says God wants everyone to be saved. Jesus died for everyone to be saved.
Jesus took out punishment for all sin. Every single one. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says Jesus because sin so we could be right with God. Jesus died for everyone. The only explanation for it is love. God loves the world and we won’t ever understand it:
Chapter Highlights (Introduction-Chapter 2)
The point of the Bible is God is not too distant or disinterested t relate to us. On the contrary, God is with us, loves us and wants us to be fulfilled and satisfied. God wants our lives to be awesome in every way
The love that matters most, the love that endeavors is to know we are valuable and significant is God’s love for us
God is the best, the only spree of the true love we’re all looking for.
When it comes to God, love just isn’t an action-It’s a state of existence.
God created us to love and be loved.
The opposite of love is not hate but selfishness. Selfishness is the essence of sin.
The entire Bible is the story of God’s love for humanity. It’s not about sin, or about performance or about religion, it is about a God who incessantly, obsessively, relentlessly loves his creation and went to great lengths to restore people to himself.
God’s love never quits
God is still madly in love with you. He wants you to drop his defenses and accept his embrace. His love is real. He doesn’t want you for what you can do, he wants you for you.
I can’t fully explain this, but God knows who will love him and receive him, yet he chooses to love the whole world. Indiscriminately. Recklessly. Stubbornly.
The greatest agony and the greatest pain was that Jesus became sin. He became every sin that ever would be committed.
There’s one explanation: love!
God loves the world. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to understand that.
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