But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8
We're so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it is all about. - Jospeh Campbell
Prove It!
Growing up, those were the challenging words that could be thrown in at any time to the heated conversations between my brothers and me. One of us would say something we did or could do …
I can eat three bowls of cereal.
Jalapenos are not that hot, I ate a whole one and was fine.
I can swim the length of the pool in one breath.
There is no way you can beat me in arm wrestling!
PROVE IT.
The gauntlet was thrown down, bluffs called, and it was time to demonstrate you're telling the truth.
In a similar conversation, God rises to the occasion and says, “I love you” and even before we can say PROVE IT, God continues, "And … I’ll show you.” The value of anything is what someone is willing to pay. The Father sends His Son, Jesus to demonstrate just how serious He is and how much He is willing to pay … God is more than willing to back it up, He is dying to ... He is lovingly aggressive to give the gift that will change everything: Himself.
It is one thing to give someone a gift on their birthday or Christmas … quite another to give someone a gift just because you can. BUT IT IS A WHOLE OTHER THING TO GIVE SOMEONE AN EXTRAVEGENT GIFT; one that cost you everything, and then you give it knowing it will can not or will not be fully appreciated for quite some time. And that’s okay with the giver, because they know the gift always says more about their heart, and the love, affection, value, and worth they are attempting to esteem on the heart of the receiver. The gift of Jesus wasn’t so much unmerited, as it was DEEPLY NEEDED.
This gift of Jesus was God PROVING how much He loved us. Like all gifts, Jesus is something, actually someone ... that we are to enjoy! It wasn’t just the gift of a forgiven life, as wonderful as that is. The gift of Jesus was a transformed life, an empowered life, a stunning trade … He became like us, sinful man so we could become like Him, glorious (Romans 8). He is Life and He is Love and that is what the gift of God is. While we were separated, while we were far off, while we were unaware and unfulfilled, while we weren’t coming to the party so to speak … God brought the party to us, and then, we find out were the guest of honor… AMAZING.
I pray you feel your worth today, know how special you are, experience the weighty gift of Jesus all because God wants you to know, you are worth it to Him and He wanted to prove it. God celebrates you everyday all the while wanting you to join in the celebration of Life and Love by enjoying and celebrate Him. Attention and Affection always wants to be shared, mutually shared. That is what the gift Jesus does, what Love does … brings us to Life.
But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us. Romans 5:8 (AMP)
The Daily Prayer - Paragraph 3
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world[3]. You are my true Father – my Creator, my Redeemer, my Sustainer and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you, I trust you, I worship you. Thank you for proving your love for me by sending your only Son, Jesus, to be my substitute and representative.[4] I open up my life anew to all of his Life and all his work, which you ordained for me.[5] Thank you for including me in Christ,[6] for forgiving me my sins, [7]for granting me his righteousness, [8]for making me complete in him.[9] Thank you for making me alive with Christ[10], raising me with him,[11] seating me with him at your right hand,[12] granting me his authority[13] and anointing me with your Holy Spirit.[14] I receive it all with thanks and give it total claim to my life.
An excerpt from The Daily Prayer Memory Verse Cards
