Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day ( Tuesday 10/21/08)

God Rules By Love Not by Force, How do you rule? Part II

Jeremiah 31:3 (Amplified Bible)
3) The Lord appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.

I noticed when I was training the little dog ( the younger of the two dogs), when I would yell at her she would just run for cover. Sometimes she would just openly defy me. But I noticed when I began to praise her and reward her for doing what I wanted her to do, she conformed to my wishes and behaved in a manner that was more acceptable and conducive to us living harmoniously. I can hear some of you laughing and snickering at the thought of reasoning with an animal, but God reasons with us, and we are lesser than He is.

God exhibits patience and kindness with us in spite of our stubbornness, pig headiness and just all out defiance. When we were yet in our sin Christ died for us, He gave Himself as a ransom for you and I. He was the one that was sinless and in a place of perfection and yet He step out of eternity which was perfect to step into present tense to save a soul like yours and mine. Why, what was the motivating factor? It was His love for us. His love is the conforming factor in salvation it is the one thing that motivate us to come to Jesus and get in right standing with God! God has the ability to just stop thinking about us and we would cease to exist, but instead He loved us enough to move out of who He was and make Himself lower to bring us into a place of commitment and safety. My father some years ago, designed T-shirts, and he took some flack for one he designed, that said, "love your wife into submission." But he had found the key to all things, and that was loving someone enough, or more than yourself, and proving to them the importance of who God made them to be in your life moves them into a place of willingly submitting and most times being able to see the benefit and the enhancers that you bring to the relationship.

So many times we want to take and have our needs be met in every relationship we enter into, but when is that God can expect us to give Him the love that He deserves. Also when can those who God places in our lives expect the same? Love conquers ALL, not some, All! It is not subjective to the people or the circumstance, Love especially the exhibition of God's love covers and overcomes ALL, and not just some of the time, but all of the time! Loving for all the right reasons will help you rule with all the right intentions!