...how much does He love me.

 "that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms..."

-Ephesians 3:10

As I was reading this devotional by Ray Stedman, whom I just learned had been a mentor to both Chuck Swindoll and Luis Palau, a couple of things were brought to mind. First, I found out that the word translated manifold, as used in this text, means literally, the "many-colored wisdom of God". Thus he goes on the describing how God is with us in all the different colors of our life--blue: sadness; golden: glory days; red: anger; and so on. That in itself was a beautiful portrayal of how God is God in everything, weather I like it or not, weather I think they are good or not, whether I understand it or not. 

    So, what really surprised me and left me perplexed and dumbfounded, and it was like a revelation from God, is how His love for mankind is such, that the angels and demons can't understand it, so God has to reveal it to them. My take is that what they can't understand specifically is the consistency of that love. You see, when the angels rebelled, once, they were expelled from the heavens. Just like that, they were condemned. No chance for redemption. I don't know why, that's just one of the many mysteries. So I gather that both the angels in heaven and the fallen ones (demons) are scratching their heads trying to understand how, we rebelled, once, and God provided the way for redemption. Then we rebelled again...and again...and again...and... Yet God, not only made provision once through Jesus Christ, but continues to do so over and over again, while we keep rebelling over and over again. 

    When I complain and keep complaining about the pool that I can't afford, the political situation, the pandemic, my health, the money I don't have, my children's behavior, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, I remember my parents' mastering of Guilt Tripping 101, and how guilty I felt many times as a child. And while I do feel convicted for my lack of gratitude, God, who is my ultimate Father, does not play that game. He is always waiting for me with open arms, ready to forgive me and start over. The angels may not understand that, yet still rejoice for me. I see it every day, and don't understand it. But oh, I rejoice. I rejoice because every good and perfect gift comes from above; because there is no valley or mountain peak, ocean or desert, where God is not there with me. His wisdom is like a coat of many colors that He, the master artist of old has dressed me with, and as long as I am wearing it, I can feel loved and secure, no matter what I'm going through.

    Yes, God's love is so great and so overwhelming that I cannot fathom it. The best part though, is that I really don't need to understand it; just accept it. Receive it. Take it. Show it.

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