God’s Love is All Around the World!

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Never say there is never a deficiency in the excitement department when it comes to The Biebs- right?  As our tone corrected tween idol roars towards his twenties, here are a few highlights he can add to his resume:

• Walking into a glass wall in France (what a pane!)
• Taking boxing lessons from former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson.
• Because of boxing lessons, promises revenge on French glass and predicts certain victory in a fight with One Direction (just…wow.)
• Claims to be a heavy metal fan (Metallica must be thrilled.)
• Sports his 6^th tattoo.
• Gains over 6 million Twitter followers.

And best of all, we now have sound scientific evidence that Bieber fever is a legitimate condition.  No really…according to timesofindia.com:

“it has been confirmed that Bieber's voice triggers off a physical reaction - no, not the reaction of wanting to gouge your eyes out of their sockets, but actual hormonal reactions. It secretes dopamine, the neurotransmitter involved in pleasure and addiction, providing the same rush as chocolate, and what gamblers get from winning.”

Unbeliebable.

So whether you are a Belieber or hater, you must admit JB is a pop force with which to be reckoned.  And leave it to Bieber to not think it ludicrous to team up with, well, Ludacris for a catchy globetrotting tune:

All around the world people want to be loved
Yeah, all around the world, they’re no different than us
All around the world people want to be loved
All around the world, they’re no different than us
All around the world

What do you think?  Are JB and Luda on to something here?  I personally believe that they are, because the sentiment about which the dynamic duo croons is reflected all throughout the pages of God’s Word.  The innate longing and yearning for love is hardwired into the core of the human soul regardless of when or where one exists.

From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, people want to be loved.  From infancy to the elderly, people want to be loved.

And that includes you and me.  But I’m not looking for love, because my heart is as full as an auditorium where a Biebrfied concert is going down.  The Creator of the Universe holds me as the object of His special affection.  The God who became flesh stretched His arms wide and died to demonstrate His eternal and undying commitment to our relationship. The Holy Spirit indwells my spirit and creates an unfathomable feeling of belonging and worth.

Have you found love?  I know there’s lots of offers on the table, but before you sell out to a fickle and unpredictable source (like a boyfriend or girlfriend), consider this unchangeable truth from the most powerful lyrics ever penned:

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death?  In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us.  I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8:35;38-39 CEV)

When you allow this kind of unconditional and eternal love permeate and saturate your life, your entire worldview gets reworked into a tapestry of contentment.  Jesus Christ is deeply and madly in love with you my friend, you don’t have to look any further or wait any longer!

And if there was ever any possibility of God losing His affection towards you, it would have happened a long time ago, because He loved you before time began. And remember that He grows crazier about you each day, because the engine of His emotion does not have a reverse option!

That’s why a man named Augustine wrote this about God’s adoration for us over 1700 years ago:

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”

Amen to that!  And if we allow just a little bit of that truth to sink in, it would change our lives completely. We wouldn't worry about "being good enough."  We wouldn't care as much about what people think.  We wouldn't stress out about whether anyone likes us or not.  We would always know that Someone cares about us – eternally!

And, because God’s love comes from an infinite source, it would overflow out of our lives and be visible to those whose hearts are parched for living water.

Can you see how this truth is also the fuel that powers the engine of THE Cause?  People are beautiful and they need to know it.

Don’t you think it’s about time that we show it?

 

All Around the World is a perfect lead in to a conversation about the good news of Jesus Christ.  This week, pray for and look for opportunities to use this song as a way to tell others about how God’s love has changed your life forever, and how it can change theirs as well.

 Father God, I come into your presence so aware of my human frailty and yet overwhelmed by your love for me. I thank you that there is no human experience that I might walk through where your love cannot reach me. If I climb the highest mountain you are there and yet if I find myself in the darkest valley of my life, you are there. Teach me today to love you more. Help me to rest in that love that asks nothing more than the simple trusting heart of a child. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

  InZane. Zane Black loves to live on the edge. Check out his newest book, InZane. It will encourage you, too, to go all in for Jesus.