God's Love

I was talking with a very good friend the other day and he was challenging me on spending more time in God's word (a challenge I both welcome and appreciate), which I sadly had to admit I do very little of. I proceeded to complain to him about how boring and how difficult it is for me to sit down and read my Bible. After I was done ranting and raving, my friend taught me two very important lessons. The first was that I was approaching God in the wrong way. Being in the Word to me was one of many things on the "Good Christian To Do List." When I am not in God's word I feel guilty and insufficient, and since I am rarely in God's word, I feel guilty and insufficient most of the time. My friend reminded me that Jesus died so that God could say "Well done." Whether I read the Bible every minute or not at all, God loves me. There is nothing I can do to earn that love. Through His son, Jesus Christ, He has given me that gift. It is through the understanding and appreciation of that gift that I should approach God. When I see myself as God sees me, living out His commandments becomes more joy than chore. The second lesson my friend taught me was that there are many different ways to connect with God. Reading the Bible is one of them, so is attending church, listening to a sermon on CD, watching a Christian themed movie, taking a walk alone in the woods, praying, meditating, or even talking about God with a friend. God loves us so much. He just wants our love in return. -RB

P.S. Listening to a book on CD sounded like a great first start so I bought a book called The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out. The focus of the book: God's love.