The Love of God

If you look at any of the main deceptions that Satan uses today to pull people away from God (aka other religions), you notice one kinda huge difference ... God actually loves His creation. He doesn't just rule over it or tolerates it but actually genuinely cares for it. For us!
It reminds me of the lyrics to a song by Downhere

How many Kings

"Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me."

I've been thinking a lot about this after reading the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. God doesn't just make do with us ... He created us and "it was good". Now since then we've obviously lost our luster as we have spat in His face and rebelled at every turn in the road but still He loves us. In the third book, one of the characters is a German warrior, very much into honor, courage, battle, etc. Another character, a devote Christian young woman, is trying to explain her faith to this "savage". Atretes, the German, laughs at God, viewing Him as a weakling because He gave up His throne, His power, allowed Himself to die a criminal's death, and doesn't always save the lives of His followers if it is their time to die. Thinking about this, I began to realize that in our human mindset, that can be viewed as weakness but in light of Who God is and what He can do, it is strength, forgiveness and over all love! How many human kings, emperors, "gods" have given up their station in life, their kingdoms, even their life to save a worthless, undeserving race? None! This idea makes no sense to the world but yet to us it does! He is a loving God and we are hopelessly undeserving of that love. We can never bridge the gap between our faithlessness and His faithfullness, our depravity and His holiness. We don't deserve it and that's almost the best part! It's a gift and as we don't deserve it can't we appreciate it and thank God every second for it even more? It's all on Him to save us, we're stuck in our mire and unless we recognize that He is God, we can't understand Him and His ways anywhere near fully, we will be stuck forever and drown in our own faithlessness.

Another random thought- It's ridiculously hard to argue with a Christian who is seeking after God with their whole heart ... why? Because they don't always have to have the answer and so can just say, God has his reasons. And if we truly believe that then that stubborn faith will prevail: boggling the minds and beliefs of emperors, peasants, everyone in between.