Ultimate Story of Love, Faithfulness and Acceptance That Can't Be Found Here on Earth

Wealth, health, love, friendships will all fade away and when it does what would I have left if I didn't have my faith and trust in God?

In my life, I've lost a lot and I'm so thankful.  I've lost the man I loved for years, a child, I've lost a house, financial peace, friendships I thought were true, family that has shown me only conditional love and turned their backs when things get tough and more but Christ and His love and faithfulness is the only truth thing in life that has sustained me.  

Whether we admit it or not, we all desire to be loved and accepted unconditionally.  Where can you find this love in today's 'riches'? In money? A degree or career? Marriage? Best friend? Being a giver of life, a mother? In a purse or boat or house?  Our flesh pursues all of these avenues for fulfillment.  It's important to enjoy marriages, Biblical friendships, to be thankful for the income God has provided, etc but how will we react when it all dissipates or that best friend stabs us in the back or when our husband is gone? What happens when your world is turned upside down?  Then where is our hope?  Once we've lost one of these worldly treasures would we then start seeking acceptance and love from another false god?  

I'll tell you what I've found to be true.  When we die, we can't take these things with us, no matter how hard we worked or how much of our heart we put into a relationship.  While we are here on earth we spend so much energy into finding this unconditional love and 'happiness' and  it's heartbreaking to see how many people so to speak 'miss the mark' and don't think of the one source of faithfulness, the ultimate love story.  Why is it that we spend our time on riches that will rot and not consider our own future such as, 'Is there really a God? Is there life after death?' etc  

The Bible is the ultimate love story, story of acceptance and faithfulness.  The author is God. Many people think of God has the 'Big Man Upstairs' who has a big stick ready to wack us on the head when we do something 'wrong.'  But the Bible is a repetition of His love for mankind, so much so to send His beloved Son (Jesus) to die in order that we can live eternally. From the beginning of time His plan was to send Jesus to earth (under very harsh conditions, to be hated, to be betrayed, to know earthly sorrow, to be killed the most painful death possible on earth).

You can buy that sense of being in any thing or anyone, ever. Believe me, I've tried!

Matthew 6:21 'For where your treasure is, your heart will be there also.'  

Romans 10:9 'For if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord", and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.'

Galatians 5:16 'I say then to walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.'

Romans 8:39 'For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

1 John 4:9-11 'God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and send His Son to be the propitiation for our sin.' 

1 John 4:16 '....God is love...'

All we have to do is accept that truth, believe it and confess it with our mouth!   After confessing and believing many people fear all they will have to 'give up' in order to live a life after Christ.  You'll soon learn that those things you have to give up are pointless, purposeless and false gods any way. You're desires to find acceptance from the things of this world will be replaced with a desire and things of God.  For example, I recently had a conversation with a member of our home group who said that he visited an old friend this past weekend.  His buddy wanted to go out drinking like old times but he did not desire to do such activity any more.  My friend said his desires have changed from such activities as drinking to God, his heart is changing.  The thing that is most beautiful to me was that you could see the light in his eye, the desire to please God and not desire to please his friend. He has found true love and acceptance.  He has fond that in God number one and also in his Christ-centered community who seeks truth along side of him.  

Let me tell you, it's amazing to know that no one or no power can take your faithfulness away from you.  The world, the economy, a thief in the night or a cruel person can take away your finances and security but no one can take away the sense of being loved unconditionally by the God who created the universe.