"Conquered By Love"

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned." (S.O.S. 8:7)

  "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee be thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." (Isaiah 43:1-2)

  Something to think about, if you are seriously going through some sort of trail or affliction: If God be for you, then who or what can come against you! Another way to feel better in anything that might be making you feel sad, is just to make it about God; pretty much the same thing that Jesus did, as He was always quick to make the point, 'If they love him, then they would love me also,' or 'because they hate me, they will hate you also.' Simply put, it feels better when you have God on your side! 

  I know that you don't want to hear this again, but I am convinced that Mark is the Rich Young Ruler, the one that Jesus spoke to and said, "One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21) A little something to note: Jesus did not say, pick up thy cross, but he said, "pick up the cross," signifying who it belonged to. Not that it might matter or not towards salvation, but it is significant towards redemption and the power of God to make things happen; or as Jesus put it: "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27) 

  As such is the case, so we see the possibilities in those things that are shown above. In the sake of time, it is most interesting to note that word use for "Contemned," as it describes the result of what would it be like, "if a man would give all the substance of his house for love." This is very much as the example Jesus gave in the case I mentioned before: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26) 

  The point is how much it matters; if it matters any bit more than heaven, then it is being given too much value in our life. When we must count the cost, everything that is not of Christ is off the table; if that is not the case, then you are not prepared for the worst! When the floods might come, your flood insurance is not in place; when the fires come, you are going to get scorched. Life is filled with all sorts of things that can destroy and cause us pain, but love is the one things that will always remain...

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)