The love of the Father and Son - Joe

The love of the Father and the love of His Son has gripped me more than ever before.

As soon as God said “Let there be…" his heart was saddened as he knew he had to send his Son Jesus to die. Paul writes that even before the world was formed Christ died. This means that God was faced with a difficult decision - not create the human race and spare the life of His one and only son Jesus, or to create man to be in an intimate relationship with himself, knowing that he would have to sacrifice his son.

God’s love for us consumes him. It is far greater than we will ever know and to deep and immense to measure. He made the ultimate sacrifice by bringing the world into being knowing that he would have to send Jesus to die for our sins.

The other aspect of this is that Jesus willing gave himself to do this. Every mountain that was created, every ocean formed, Jesus knew he had to die for the sins of man to bring us back into relationship with the Father.

If I had to give up the life of my son Jordan I would be devastated. I can’t even begin to understand what God went through, what he goes through every day. He longs to be in an intimate relationship with his children.

"love you too daddy" - Joe

Being a Father and having children starts to give you a small insight into the relationship between God and us, His children.  

I was walking with my son Jordan to the shops yesterday and I said to him that mummy and daddy loved him very much. He looked up at me and said “love you too daddy”. That completely made my day - to hear him say those words was indescribable.

It made me start thinking about God’s love for us. I wonder if it blows His mind or makes him feel the same way for us to say “I love you to daddy” to him. I also thought how often do I say “I love you” during the day to our heavenly Father? Why not say it to him during the day, in the middle of whatever I am doing. It might just make His day...

A Changing and Unfailing Love - Joe

I have always known God’s love is unfailing but I have just begun to understand that it does change.

When I fell in love with my wife, our love for each other was passionate and romantic. When we had our first child, I thought, “how could I possibly love another person just as much as my wife?” but I did. Our love changed. It expanded and deepened.

In Romans the bible says that nothing, not death, not our fears, not our worries for tomorrow can keep God’s love away. Nothing.

To vast to even begin to comprehend how He can love every person in this earth so much that He sent His only son to die for our sins so that we could enter into a relationship with Him.

God’s love is unfailing, is expanding and deepens every day. It can’t decrease.

The Right to Bare Spiritual Arms - Joe

Every person has the right to stand and fight. For centuries people have fought for what they believe in.

As a Father, I have watched at times helplessly, my two and a half year old son fight off sickness. Everything in my being wants to “fix” him make him better. It breaks my heart.

When there seems to be no where else to go – being backed against a wall – there is hope. All I know is to pray. Pray to God, speaking out the name of Jesus over sickness and circumstances, to say enough is enough.

Matthew 7:7 says “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.”

This is our right to bare spiritual arms to stand and fight for our families and friends over circumstances and situations. God is our strength and our champion. He stands for us, with us and fights.    

To Be Like Christ - Joe

To be like Christ, to me can seem something that I can never attain. Something in the distance that I can never reach. All my life I have thought I had to be perfect. Who put that expectation on me? God certainly didn't.

I was reading this verse and it says that “every good and perfect thing comes from God above” James 1:17

So then to think a good thought, to show kindness to someone, to be aware of the needs of others, putting others first, loving my family, my wife, raising my children in the ways of God, building quality friendships are all Christ like. Living every day, not striving to be like Christ but living naturally in the littlest of things. This makes it seem possible and not hard to be like Christ...