Has Extravagant Love

How can you give something away if you never received it yourself?

When I was growing up, my parents kept my sister and I very sheltered. We went to a private, Christian academy and church and anything associated with the two. So one day when my daddy asked my sister what a street walker was, she replied, "It's someone who walks on the street." Daddy said, "Yes, it is." She had no clue what a street walker was, so could she pass along any knowledge on the subject? No, not good knowledge anyway. She was limited, and at our age that isn't a bad thing.

I'm finding a lot of Christians who are trying to give something away when they've never understood the depth of it or had any extensive knowledge of it. How can you give the love of Christ away when you yourself have not accepted the breadth, the width, the height of it? How can Christ use you to love on others when you refuse to accept it for yourself? It is for this reason, I "get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit – not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength – that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the EXTRAVAGANT dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God" (Eph 3:17-19 The Message).

What would your life look like, feel like if you truly accepted His all-encompassing, none exclusive love? Do you know there is no fear in His kind of love? "There is no fear in love (dread does not exist), but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels EVERY TRACE of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and (so) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown into love's complete perfection)" 1 John 4:18. God's love is nothing like imperfect, human love. There are no strings. The only requirement is a confession of sin and asking Him into your heart, and then He wants to have the intimate, personal relationship with you where He sings over you (Zeph 3:17), where He lavishes His love on you, and where He keeps you as the apple of His eye. "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13). His love does not disappoint those whose hope is in Him (Is 49:23).

Why do we beat ourselves up over and over about the same thing over and over? I will tell you why. We allow Satan too much leeway in our minds. You give him one thought, he takes over the whole brain. We are the REDEEMED! (Ps107:1-3) We are OVERCOMERS! (1 John 5:3-5) We are the SAINTS! (Eph 2:19) We are PRECIOUS! We are daughters of the most righteous and holy King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and it's about time we started acting like the daughters of the King that we are. Claim victory. Live an overcomers abundant life. Come on, girls! Let's get it on!