Love Expanded

2 Corinthians 6:13
“I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!”

We were given this great love by God and it is evident in the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus came for the purpose to save and in so doing we are all offered an expanded life. What does it mean to be given this expanded life? We know that we have eternal life the moment we believe. Belief in the actions of Jesus on the Cross. Belief that He rose again. Belief that He is God! Belief that God so loved the world that He gave us Jesus (John 3:16)! Yes, I believe these things,not because I was told too, but because I experienced His love first hand. Before I accepted and experienced a personal relationship with Jesus I had hope. I had hope that the Cross and Salvation were true. I thought what a great love story this would be and how amazing it would be to be loved this much. A love that could save me from the things I could not save myself from. Reality was, Jesus lived, loved and died on the cross for the world! My personal reality is, Jesus saved me and He continues to save me every day from the things that weigh me down. My fears, insecurities, heart breaks, shame, regret, anger, selfishness, loneliness, just to name a few of those weights! I was in need and even though I didn’t deserve it He, Jesus, Loved me and saved me! He loves us all and I mean all, regardless of those things that weigh you down. He does not discriminate nor condemn, He only loves and saves (John 3:17). Because of our faith in these truths we or promised eternal lives, expanded lives. what about the here and now? Are we meant to accept His gift of life and love and just wait for eternity to begin living it out? No, His love is so wide that we must expand our hearts in order to receive it all. When we believe we begin to let our defenses down and in doing that we let the Love of God in. His love changes us, it expands our heart. Living a new life with an expanded heart is not just for us alone, but it is meant to be shared with others as well. If we allow our hearts and lives to continually widen than we allow the love of God to be expanded in us and through us. Luke 10:27, He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Life now, is meant to be lived large and wide while the heart expands for the Love of God to freely flow in and out of us! Let us Love Big and Live now that expanded life of Jesus Christ!