Dare 20

"While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." --Romans 5:6
Love is Jesus Christ. This love dare is less about a specific thing that marriage requires such as patience, selflessness, kindness, etc. This love dare is about the ONLY thing marriage requires to work...to love...to thrive. On the previous dare, I sent you through Scripture looking up God's love. Today, I will give you Scripture, but please, feel free to look it up on your own and study the text surrounding it.
Luke 19:10 "The Son of man came to seek and save the lost."
Maybe you have never accepted Jesus. 2 Corinthians 6:2 "Now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation."
Maybe you accepted Jesus years ago. Acts 3:19 "Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord."
We are sinful from birth. Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." Isaiah 64:6 "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment."
Great news! 1 John 4:9 "God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him."
Philippians 2:6-8 "Although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant...He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." 1 Peter 2:24-"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
Love like this cannot be fully understood. See Romans 5:7-8
Nor can love like this be earned. See Romans 6:23 and Ephesians 2:8-9
But it must be received. See Romans 10:9-10
And when you have received this new life and love as your own, you are free to love in ways you've never been capable before.
See 1 John 3:16 and 1 John 4:8
Kendrick speaks truth when he says true love is found in Christ alone. "And after you have received His gift of new life by accepting His death in your place and His forgiveness for your sins, you are finally ready to live the dare." Dare to love. Dare to love wholly, with Jesus living through you.
Dare 20: Dare to take God at His Word. Dare to trust Jesus Christ for salvation. Dare to ask Him to change your heart, and save you by His grace. Zane and I have both accepted Christ into our lives. We did so many years ago. However, reading through these last two dares, and reading through so much Scripture, affirms to us not only God's love, but how much we can't love apart from Him.
Dare 19: Pray for God to change your heart.
Dare 18: Study each other.
Dare 17: Love promotes intimacy.
Dare 16: Love intercedes.
Dare 15: Honor each other.
(For previous dare, please refer to earlier entries. Thank you!)
--Inspired by, "The Love Dare."