Tuesday's Thoughts ~ Fierce Love

I struggled yesterday to try and write my blog.  I had the scripture but I just couldn't get rolling on what the Lord wanted me to say.

It is a familiar story to many - the story of the 12 spies that went into the Promised Land to scope it out.  When they came back, 10 of them gave a negative report and 2 of them gave a positive report.  There are so many lessons about faith, trust, perspective and attitude in this passage, but that just didn't seem to be what God wanted me to see.

As I went to bed last night, I laid there thinking about this passage and something came to mind -- Moses' love for these people.  Take a look at Numbers 14.

"Just then the bright Glory of God appeared at the Tent of Meeting. Every Israelite saw it. God said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me like dirt? How long refuse to trust me? And with all these signs I’ve done among them! I’ve had enough—I’m going to hit them with a plague and kill them. But I’ll make you into a nation bigger and stronger than they ever were.”"

God had had His fill of the stubborn, faithless, Hebrews.  He offered Moses a fresh start.  This is what the Lord pointed out to me.

“Now, please, let the power of the Master expand, enlarge itself greatly, along the lines you have laid out earlier when you said,

¹⁸ God, slow to get angry and huge in loyal love,
        forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin;
    Still, never just whitewashing sin.
        But extending the fallout of parents’ sins
    to children into the third,
        even the fourth generation.

¹⁹ “Please forgive the wrongdoing of this people out of the extravagance of your loyal love just as all along, from the time they left Egypt, you have been forgiving this people.”

Moses chose to intercede on behalf of his people.  It wasn't that they were perfect or that they made his job easy.  In fact, reality was the opposite of that!  He had given everything for them and they very rarely had a thank you for him.  But the Lord had given him a fierce love for them.  He was wholly devoted to their well being.  He loved them unconditionally.  The Lord honored this request and He spared the people, but their actions led to 40 years of wandering the the wilderness.  

Who has God given you a fierce love for?  Who would you do anything for - no matter what?  Who has He called you to love this way?

We are all told to love - but I really believe that He gives us each a fierce love for particular people.  How can you tell that your love is fierce?  You probably look pretty ridiculous to others.  People might not understand.  But you can not help it - because you love with a fierce love. 

Fierce love for

family

friends

church

the orphan

the poor

the lonely

the needy

the mentally ill

the homeless

students

young adults

the elderly

foster children

rebellious teens

college students

internationals

maybe it is a particular country

maybe it is simply the world

Whatever it may be -- it is a calling.  That fierce love serves to propel you into ministry and to communicate  God's fierce love for us.

That fierce love that drove Jesus to the cross and kept Him up there.

That fierce love that empowered Him to rise from the dead.

That fierce love that offers you salvation simply based on grace.

Let's be fierce.