"The Father's Love"

 "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and believed that I came out from God." (John 16:27 KJV)

  ""For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."" (Zephaniah 3:17 NLT)

 Since I opened this conversation about the Father's love, I need to share something else that I have shared before that I have experienced. As some of you might recall, back in 2010, maybe around September, I was standing over my wife and doing some of her care, when I heard a 'man of God' say something on the news, that seriously struck a blow to my heart. 

 For those of you who might recall, there was several days of postings that were dealing with this, as I was very passionate and upset about the can-of-worms that had been opened, hoping and praying that people would not pay any attention to what that man said. What he said, was, "I believe that it is okay for a spouse to divorce their significant other, if they have a brain disorder, for the sake of companionship." 

 When I heard that, I was shocked, and became furious, saying, "Where would you be, O man of God, to have companionship with a Holy God, if not for the sacrifice of His Son on the cross!" At first I really didn't understand my own declaration; but I understood that it must have been Spirit led. 

 I realized something important in my relationship with the Father, His love for us, and our ability to respond to His love accordingly. As I care for my wife, based upon the commitment of the vows that we gave before God and our families, this was love that is based upon commitment, not upon feelings or circumstance. 

 Without getting to carried away and making this about me, I just want to say that I learned something about what the Father's love might feel like: unconditional love does not expect anything in return...

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. New we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see." (1 Peter 1:3-5 NLT)