Immutable part 4
Nothing can change about God's love for us. God IS love. In order for Him to stop loving us, He'd have to stop being God. And even if that was possible, it would never happen. I always say it like this, "God is not mad AT you, He's mad ABOUT you." God is head over heels in love with you. He loves you so much that He would rather die than be without you. That's what happened on the cross. He died (both for us and as us) so that we might live (for Him and as Him). He gave His life for us, and He gave His life to us. And in so doing He proved His love for us. Because in John 15:13 Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." He told us what the greatest expression of love was... and then He went to the cross and did that very thing. He expressed His love to us. He told us the truth, and He showed us the truth. He put His money where His mouth was. He gave us faith by giving us something to believe in. By proving Himself faithful. We can trust Him because He proved Himself trustworthy. He built us a foundation that we can stand on, and build on. Something unchanging. Unshakeable. Something true. Something real. Love is all you need, right? And through the Holy Spirit--our love receptor--love is what we KNOW we have. Because, remember, God always has and always will love us. That's the immutable truth. His love doesn't change no matter what we do, or what happens. The cross did not change us into something that God could all of a sudden love. The cross changed us into something that could finally receive His love. Receive it and release it. And that's what it means to build on the foundation. We don't just receive His love. That's the first part, because you can't give what you don't have. But then there's a second part. We give what we have. We release the love that is filling us to overflowing. We let what's inside come out, because we know and believe that it's in there. We love God (by loving others) because He first loved us. The truth--that He IS--equips and empowers us to truly live. Because to live is to love, and to love is to live. Without one you can't have the other. Because they are the same thing. Love is the difference between life and death. If you know that you are loved, you can love. You can share what you have. And by sharing it you make it bigger and more real. You don't just know the truth, or believe the truth, you LIVE the truth. The truth that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. The truth that your heavenly Father loves you and has given all things into YOUR hands. Because that's the truth about US. That's who we really are. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. And that means that just as He laid His life down for you, you can lay your life down for others. Just as you are loved... you can love. In fact, that's the New Commandment for the New Man: Love one another as Jesus loves you. Receive it and release it. Know the truth, and believe the truth, and let the truth (that you know and believe) set you free and make you free. Free FROM sin (unbelief) and death. Free TO live and love!