I have recently tried to understand the depths of the love of Jesus. How deep, how wide is this love? I could try and describe it, but I wouldn't even know where to start. This love is reckless, eternal, passionate, tender, understanding, free… but these words don't even scratch the surface of this kind of love. There are no words adequate to describe this captivating love. This love of Jesus leaves the 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep. 

I was that one sheep.

He found me.

He restored me.

He embraced me. 

He loves me.

I've come to the conclusion that it is impossible to describe love without Jesus. Because Jesus is love, there would be no love without Him. A King, sitting on a throne in Heaven humbled Himself to come to earth, live a sinless life and die for me (and all of us who have rebelled against Him). Through salvation, we are filled with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8). Through this gift, and the surrender to His indescribable love, we can begin to experience the Fruit of the Spirit… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Through the acceptance of this love through Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to love others the way He has loved us. The more that we surrender to Jesus, the sweeter and deeper this love gets. A natural byproduct of grasping and applying the gospel to our lives is obedience to His commandments. A life lived for Jesus is the most difficult thing I have ever done, but it is definitely the only life I'd ever choose to live. When we begin to experience this love, we can do nothing but surrender everything to Him. His love is irresistible.

I am more thoroughly understanding that though my circumstances change, He never will. His love is constant, enduring, and mysterious. God allows things to happen in our lives that strengthen and grow us, and push us back towards Him. John 15:2 says, "Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it may bear more fruit." I realize I am absolutely nothing without Him, so I can welcome his pruning! 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. it does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

If you’re feeling unloved today, or looking for something more, I encourage you to consider the embrace of the sacrificial, radical, and irresistible love of Christ. 

All love, Jordan