Chapter 3: I Love You Enough to Become One of You- UNFINISHED

At this rate, I am NEVER going to get to any study guide questions. It might have to be a weekend project.

In more exciting news, I CANNOT WAIT for Homeland rehearsals to start!! On one hand, I wish someone would have told me earlier in life that singing is this much fun, but on the other hand, I know a lot of the enjoyment I get from singing is that I'm singing to and for God, and if I had started earlier (in high school or even college) I do not think I would have a pure of intent.

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This chapter is subtitled "God's Promise in the Crown of Thorns." And yet another reason I'm loving Max Lucado: This entire chapter talks about how "cool" Christ's coming to Earth is.

Cool is TOTALLY my word! I didn't invent it, nor did I make it up, but that's like. . . the word I use before speechlessness, usually in the form of "that's SO COOL!!!"

(at this point, I feel I should apologize, as it is past my bedtime, and I'm a little overenergized from choir rehearsal (see above), which means I'm blogging off the top of my brain)

Anyway, I'm going to list/discuss all the cool aspects this chapter talks about.

He swapped eternity for calendars. God has always been, and will always be. The first chapter of John (links to come. . . I need to get to bed!) talks about the Word (Jesus) existing and playing part in Creation, and then becoming flesh. But think about that: He, part of the holy Trinity that exists beyond our wildest imaginings, became HUMAN. For 33 years, His life was measured by a standard of 24 hours, of mealtimes, of physical travel times!

That is pretty cool, but what about this: He actually became flesh and bones. He wasn't everywhere at once! He was trapped! And "[n]ot once did Christ use his supernatural powers for personal comfort." I'm pretty sure if I had the ability to teleport myself somewhere, I would use it. Or the ability change the weather (random side note: I heard someone say something about "this crazy Florida weather," and that's when it dawned on me that individual states don't have crazy weather patterns: ALL WEATHER PATTERNS ARE CRAZY AND UNPREDICTABLE. Because people say the same thing in Michigan. Anyway). But He didn't.

There's something even cooler though. He also surrendered to sinlessness in order to take on our sins. This is where the thorns come in. Thorns were one of the original consequences of Adam and Eve's sin. There are a few other passages I'll put up tomorrow (Numbers, Proverbs, Matthew) that also talk about thorns in our sides. Those brambles that were woven into a "crown" are really the consequence of our sins.

As Pastor Dan would say, that's some powerful stuff.

HE was not guilty of ANYTHING, and yet He took from us the penalty that we DESERVE to have. He took on sin, fear, guilt, and loneliness (look at the prayer. . . that I'll link tomorrow. . .).

But there's something even cooler. SO cool, in fact.

He did it just for you.

Before your mom and dad were even being thought of, He was planning on your arrival. He gave you all your characteristics, attributes, abilities, and interests. And He wants you to be a part of His family, to serve, to fellowship, to worship, to reach others, to LOVE.

Are you a part of His family? If you are, do you act like it? If you find yourself feeling like a "black sheep," you need to stop and ask yourself, "What am I doing that is pushing me away from God?" because friend, I can tell you this much; if He took hold of your life at some point, then He has NEVER let go.

He wants ALL of us to be part of His family. And that is pretty cool.