"In our failures the depth of God's love compels us to see ourselves as the Beloved. Our hearts are broken by kindness, and we weep our way into romance. We love as the bride; powerfully, beautifully, unconditionally. We give ourselves to intimate love without fear because the love of the Bridegroom is stronger than death. We become charged by His love; energized towards a loving disposition to others. Love knows no bounds. We are fully loved and therefore loving."
- Graham Cooke, "Uncommon Love"
Live free! Live in Father's love!
Friday, April 14, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
steadfast love
"His grace is the empowering presence within that enables us to feel good about ourselves. We are learning to live as much loved children before the Father. Grace sets us up to succeed at loving God with all our hearts.
"Grace empowers us to receive love and return it to the father heart of God.
"His mercy is His total favor given gladly to the undeserving heart. Jesus stands with us in our struggles. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. He is not ashamed to call us His brethren. He is not embarrassed by our failures. His mercy makes us clean because His blood washes over us continuously. Jesus stands in the credibility gap between our capacity for sin and our hunger for God. He weans us off the former and establishes the latter as He daily occupies Himself with our growth and development.
"He is the kindest person I have ever known. His goodness is so outrageous and shocking… it is actually disreputable to the religious minded. Only Pharisees would distance themselves from human failure. When we need Him the most, Jesus steps in close. Loving kindness is a hard thing to learn. All our conditioning leans us towards rewards and punishment which often means we withhold love when it is most needed. Uncommon love never ceases, it is steadfast. It endures to the end of all our circumstances no matter how recalcitrant we can be. Love never fails.
"Because uncommon love is continuously present and fully available, we may become saved to the uttermost. Uncommon love is the Father intentionally doing His utmost to empower us to be loved and to respond to love by loving."
- Graham Cooke, "Uncommon Love"
Live free! Live in Father's love!
"Grace empowers us to receive love and return it to the father heart of God.
"His mercy is His total favor given gladly to the undeserving heart. Jesus stands with us in our struggles. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust. He is not ashamed to call us His brethren. He is not embarrassed by our failures. His mercy makes us clean because His blood washes over us continuously. Jesus stands in the credibility gap between our capacity for sin and our hunger for God. He weans us off the former and establishes the latter as He daily occupies Himself with our growth and development.
"He is the kindest person I have ever known. His goodness is so outrageous and shocking… it is actually disreputable to the religious minded. Only Pharisees would distance themselves from human failure. When we need Him the most, Jesus steps in close. Loving kindness is a hard thing to learn. All our conditioning leans us towards rewards and punishment which often means we withhold love when it is most needed. Uncommon love never ceases, it is steadfast. It endures to the end of all our circumstances no matter how recalcitrant we can be. Love never fails.
"Because uncommon love is continuously present and fully available, we may become saved to the uttermost. Uncommon love is the Father intentionally doing His utmost to empower us to be loved and to respond to love by loving."
- Graham Cooke, "Uncommon Love"
Live free! Live in Father's love!
Monday, April 10, 2006
scandalous love
"Jesus has an immense, immeasurable and eternal compassion. His compassion is always greater than my sin. He is scandalously forgiving. His mercy burns as He destroys shame. There is not an ounce of condemnation within Him. He loves the fact that He has bought our freedom, paid the price for our sin nature to be redeemed.
"He has unbounded patience. He is full of unending goodness. The glory of God is His goodness. He will cause His goodness to pass before us all the days of our life. The good News is that He is eternally good. His goodness stretches beyond infinity. What He is; He is forever.
"His love is so compelling… it heals us. It strips away all of our pretense and restores us to happiness. Only God can love God effectively. The First Commandment came from God not as a command only, but as a revelation of His own intention toward us. He will love us with all His mind, heart, soul and strength. God does not measure His love to us; He does not mete it out according to our performance. His love is not a reward. It is not based on a loyalty program like frequent flyer miles.
"God’s love is scandalous and disreputable to Pharisees.
"It is poured out in the context of grace, mercy and loving kindness. It is lavished upon us gladly. A price has been paid and now we are free to be fully loved by the One who knows that love covers a multitude of sins."
- Graham Cooke, "Uncommon Love"
Live free! Live in Father's love!
"He has unbounded patience. He is full of unending goodness. The glory of God is His goodness. He will cause His goodness to pass before us all the days of our life. The good News is that He is eternally good. His goodness stretches beyond infinity. What He is; He is forever.
"His love is so compelling… it heals us. It strips away all of our pretense and restores us to happiness. Only God can love God effectively. The First Commandment came from God not as a command only, but as a revelation of His own intention toward us. He will love us with all His mind, heart, soul and strength. God does not measure His love to us; He does not mete it out according to our performance. His love is not a reward. It is not based on a loyalty program like frequent flyer miles.
"God’s love is scandalous and disreputable to Pharisees.
"It is poured out in the context of grace, mercy and loving kindness. It is lavished upon us gladly. A price has been paid and now we are free to be fully loved by the One who knows that love covers a multitude of sins."
- Graham Cooke, "Uncommon Love"
Live free! Live in Father's love!
Sunday, April 09, 2006
uncommon love
"Life is funny, often sweet, and occasionally deadly. It comes at us real fast or painfully slowly. It rains, it snows, it’s cold, it’s warm, it’s too hot, it’s nice and cool; it’s wonderful.
"It’s lovely because of who we have with us on the journey. I AM is with us. Smiling, laughing, embracing, nodding, shaking His head at us in merriment. He is comforting, patient, faithful when we don’t get it; optimistic, full of possibilities.
"He is strong, fierce and immoveable, implacable against the enemy. He is stern, holy and unapproachable in His purity. Only His mercy enables us to stand before Him on the ground of grace. He is sovereign, supreme and unknowable except by the Holy Spirit. He is imminent and transcendent. You don’t mess with the Father. You obey. You surrender. You don’t take liberties. You live in the paradox of delight and reverent fear.
"You come before Him with open faced joy as a child to a beloved Father, and you also stand before Him trembling as a fully mature son. Grateful for Jesus. Always grateful for Jesus. That you can stand in Him; be included in Him; live your life in Him. Because of Christ, the Father comes to us and breathes life into our seeking heart.
"Always truthful, He imparts a grace that is frankly astonishing. His mercy has no place for judgment. Jesus has been punished (thank God!) so I can find clemency. The sheer beauty of God is marvelous to behold. This is the Christ that I have personally encountered these past few years of my journey into Uncommon Love."
- Graham Cooke, "Uncommon Love"
Live free! Live in Father's love!
"It’s lovely because of who we have with us on the journey. I AM is with us. Smiling, laughing, embracing, nodding, shaking His head at us in merriment. He is comforting, patient, faithful when we don’t get it; optimistic, full of possibilities.
"He is strong, fierce and immoveable, implacable against the enemy. He is stern, holy and unapproachable in His purity. Only His mercy enables us to stand before Him on the ground of grace. He is sovereign, supreme and unknowable except by the Holy Spirit. He is imminent and transcendent. You don’t mess with the Father. You obey. You surrender. You don’t take liberties. You live in the paradox of delight and reverent fear.
"You come before Him with open faced joy as a child to a beloved Father, and you also stand before Him trembling as a fully mature son. Grateful for Jesus. Always grateful for Jesus. That you can stand in Him; be included in Him; live your life in Him. Because of Christ, the Father comes to us and breathes life into our seeking heart.
"Always truthful, He imparts a grace that is frankly astonishing. His mercy has no place for judgment. Jesus has been punished (thank God!) so I can find clemency. The sheer beauty of God is marvelous to behold. This is the Christ that I have personally encountered these past few years of my journey into Uncommon Love."
- Graham Cooke, "Uncommon Love"
Live free! Live in Father's love!
Monday, April 03, 2006
his glory
Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:40)
"Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 40:5)
Do you believe?
Live free! Live in Father's love!
"Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 40:5)
Do you believe?
Live free! Live in Father's love!
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