Living in His Love

Hey girls :)

Youth was a.m.a.z.i.n.g on Wednesday, and I just wanted to share with you all the message that has forever changed the way I view my relationship with God.

Let me start by asking, how many of you have ever done something that you regret? I'm not talking about the kind of regret like, "Oh man, that was a great sale, and I missed it!" No I'm talking about the kind of regret that is real. The kind of regret that leaves you sick to your stomach, wishing that you could crawl into a hole, away from the rest of the world until the whole mess just blows over. I know that I've experienced this type of regret, and I'm sure that if you're honest with yourself, each and every one of you has experienced it at some point too.

How many of you, because of your regret, have felt hopeless in your walk with God? You have felt as though you have done something so wrong that even God can't forgive you. I often times felt this way until last night, but then my youth leader made a profound statement that totally changed my perspective: By saying that you have done something "too bad" for God to forgive, you are also saying that there are limits to God's forgiveness, and that somehow by human capabilities, you have overpowered God's power to forgive. What would be the point in having a Savior if not everyone could qualify to be saved? There would be none.

God knows that we aren't perfect. He knows that we are going to sin and make a mess of our lives. But to believe that you are unable to be loved by God because of what you have either done or not done is to believe a lie. I believe that God is incapable of being angry with us. Sure, He hates our sin and the wrong that we do, but He loves us so much that He could never be mad at us, no matter what we do.

There are always consequences for sin, but I think that so often we base God's reaction of our mistakes based on how our parents or friends react. But remember, their love isn't perfect. Sure, they do love you, and they will forgive you for what you have done, but the only perfect love you will ever find is the love of God. We can't even begin to grasp the love that God has towards us. He is constantly beckoning us, calling for us to leave our past behind, to forgive ourselves for what we have done, and to embrace His call and live in His love.

I hope that this message has changed your life the way it did mine the other night. I never could have come up with this on my own, so I credit my youth leaders for opening my eyes to the Word, and I thank God for giving me the words to write so that you may find freedom the way I have.

Praying for all who read this

<3 Brittney

P.S. For reading to go along with this, check out Romans 5. :)