Love <3

Though I have a limited amount of time because I'm trying to finish my take-home midterm and paper for tomorrow I just wanted to take the opportunity to write about todays message on Ephesians 2: 1-22. Through this passage (message given by Abe) I came to two conclusions. The first, I need to love others even when I'm busy and second, I need to stop focusing on my unworthiness and start doing what I have to do...which is being an ambassador for God's word and grace. Loving others (as Abe put it) is not loving them to the point that we feel comfortable, but in reality loving others means loving them to the point that we are uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. To the point that if we only eat the peels of a pear while the other person eats the pear itself, that's ok(the missionary pear story). And when I think about this kind of love I realize that I have not yet learned it. Ephesians 3: 17b and 18 says, "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." I love these verses because they speak of a love that is so profound that it is almost unimaginable. What catches my attention is that apostle Paul says that in order to grasp God's immense love for us we should do it with all the saints or with other believers. To understand love it must be done with others because love itself only exists because of someone else. 1 John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Love can not really be defined unless there is someone else and Jesus Christ showed us the definition of love by loving us more than his life. Love definitely cannot be understood by ourselves, but with others.
The second part of what I want to do (because I want to) is be an ambassador for God and His grace (actually I already am, but I need to do a better job). If I can represent God and be God's tool to reveal to others HIS grace...that is the bomb (I know, no one uses that word in that way anymore). But it is, and it would be loving others. The word of God is a power that can save, it is the power to reveal to others of Jesus' love for us and therefore the hope of eternal life. It is amazing how many don't have a hope, least of all after death. But those who know Jesus do. It's this: I believe, therefore I am (google it!). Along with this I really need to stop thinking about my unworthiness before God and others, and start to see what Ephesians 3:1-22 wants to tell me: God loves me more than I will ever know, and by the grace of God I am what I am. So no more thoughts of what I am unworthy of because in God's eyes I am loved. This has actually been my greatest obstacle to overcome and it still is.