The Love of God

God is love. I am convinced of this reality; I am a witness of it. Yes, He has many characteristics, but first and foremost He is a God of Love - He defines it. Love is different than Justice and Peace (and all other character traits), for they are tangible focus on a rather narrow aspect of life; Love can be thought of as more of a state of being - and it's definition is much more complex. Consider 1 Corinthians 13, it takes the whole passage simply to describe the characteristics that are present in Love. But really, I don't think it's important to get caught up in defining Love, there is a very simple explanation for Love's complexity: it is the essence of God - to define it would be to define Him. God is Perfect Love. This is what I believe, and this belief is what has changed my life. Considering God in this way simplifies the christian life and the understanding of scripture. It is not something that takes a degree in theology to grasp (it never has been), it is the simple understanding of  purpose in light of my trust in the Perfect Love.
This is an understanding I desire for everyone, for it has made an incredible difference in my life and I can only imagine the difference it could make in others. Maybe it is something you want, and if so, I would compel you to pray - ask the Holy spirit to show you the evidence of God's Perfect Love around you. God has promised He will not refuse us the desire of our heart - and this is a noble desire.

There Is Nothing That God Can't Undo

I've thought about the question that is so often posed to christians, "if God is all powerful and loving, why does He let bad things happen to people?" Sometimes this sentiment is used as an excuse to dismiss any serious consideration of God, but more often I think it reflects an honest quandary of character - and if He really is what He claims to be. I know He is, and I don't think there is really any complex answer to the question either. Power is a wonderful thing; some people (in this broken and incomplete world) attempt to show the power they may have by forcing things to go according to their desire- consequently, it seems that  this is the medium used to judge the amount of power someone possesses. And, conversely, the more someone (or something) else is able to go against that will signifies of a lack of power. But I wonder if power is actually measured a different way. Instead of being judged by an individuals ability to command, I think it should be judged by an individuals ability to "repair" - so to speak - damage done to his plan. Think of God; He has a plan to redeem the world and save as many as will believe in the reality of His Son. And despite giving us the ability to choose wrong (which we do often) and Satan's power of temptation, He is still able to take what has gone wrong and make good out of it. And in all reality - when bad things happen - it isn't a testimony of God's impotence, rather it is the result (although maybe somewhat indirectly) of God giving us the ability to choose between right and wrong - and when wrong was chosen, evil entered the world. So don't blame God (or question His love) when evil happens; realize that because of His love, He gave us the ability to choose to claim Him as our Father. He loves us so much that He wants us to voluntarily give Him our hearts - but when the choice was made otherwise (back in the garden) the door was opened for evil to affect our lives, and death entered the world. So the reality of evil does not call into question the truth of God's love, instead it is actually a confirmation of it - showing that He loved us enough to give us a choice to either love Him or hurt Him...