Why LoveF1rst? Because first and foremost, GOD LOVES US and is FOR us. Full stop. Seems a simple enough statement – why should I even bother mentioning it? Because many of us struggle with unwanted thoughts which can say quite the opposite of God being FOR us and put us into a place of discouragement and ‘why bother’ before we even start.
It’s important to know God is FOR us because:
a) It’s the truth and it’s nice to know the big man upstairs is on our side
b) Knowing that someone out there cares and is willing us to succeed, can make all the difference
c) Some of us have had some not-so-nice experiences of life, people and even churches/religious people and ‘cos it’s hard to think outside the limitations of what we know, we might be tempted to think that God is moody and vengeful by nature (a bit like some of us) and enjoys zapping us if we do something we’re not sure is right. Daft, I know, but some of us really do believe this! And this is absolute utter garbage – just thought I’d clear that one up for any who are still wondering …!
God is far different from our limited expectations. Not only is He FOR us but He’s absolutely wanting the very best for us.
His love and desire for our best stems from the fact that He created us (even if we don’t know Him yet). We’re His kids, and just like families are designed to be together, we’re designed to connect with Him in a way that brings life and release to us (not negativity and constraints!).
God (the Holy Spirit) we’re told by Jesus, will lead us into all truth (if we’re open to Him). And what’s even better, He’s not biased to His own – He’ll start with any one of us, where we are. But the more we get to know Him, the more keys to freedom we’ll find.
One thing to mention in this section is … God has this capacity to separate us from the things we do wrong. Most of us are not very good at this. But it’s this that makes it possible for Him to be the amazing advocate He is. When He looks at us, we’re not tainted with the things we’ve not got right – He doesn’t harbour a grudge because we’ve displeased Him in any way. On the contrary, like a parent loves their kids, no matter what stage they’re at or how difficult they’re being, even more so, God loves us and cares for us despite our mistakes.
I often say that “most people do the best they can with the knowledge they have at the time”. God knows that even more, so be kind to yourself and knock that one on the head. Just thought it was worth giving you a ‘heads up’ with that one.