Real love changes people.

  After all, didn’t God’s love change you? Weren’t you blind? You
  couldn’t see beyond the grave. You couldn’t see your purpose in life
  until he showed you. And you couldn’t hear either. Oh, your ears
  functioned, but your heart didn’t understand. You’d never heard of such
  love and kindness, and you never would have heard of it, but God spoke
  in your language. And, most of all, he set you free. You are free! Free
  to run away. Free to harden your heart. Free to duck down side streets
  and hide behind trash cans. But you don’t. Or if you do, you come back.
  Why?

  Because you’ve never been loved like this before.

  God passes the test of 1 Corinthians 13:7. Does he want the best for
  you? “God himself does not tempt anyone” (James 1:13). Every action of
  heaven has one aim: that you know God. “He . . . made the earth
  hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek
  after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him”
  (Acts 17:26-27 msg).

  And does God rejoice when you do what is right? Certainly. “The Lord
  delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing
  love” (Ps. 147:11 niv). Does he weep when you do? Absolutely! He is the
  “God of all healing counseling! He comes alongside us when we go
  through hard times” (2 Cor. 1:3-4 msg).

  Do you want to know what love is? “This is what real love is: It is not
  our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending his Son to be the
  way to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10).

  God passes the test. He should, shouldn’t he? After all, he drafted it.
  May our goal be the same.
  ______________________

  Copyright 2004 Max Lucado, UpWords, Inc.



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