Song of Songs 1:4, 2 Corinthians 5:13-14, Romans 5:8

Carl Belcher looks at the depth of love God wants in his relationship with us

Carl Belcher

Have you ever been around a new-born baby or a really cute puppy/kitten, only to hear someone say "awe, he/she is just so adorable"?

Adorable comes from the same word as adoration, which we often use as a way of giving God our worship. Even though neither the word adoration nor any of its forms is found in most versions of the bible, the idea is there in full bloom. The great Bible saints were, above all, enraptured lovers of God.

In Song of Songs 1:4 it goes something like this. Take me away with you-let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you!

The problem is that most versions say 'how right they are to love you'. Whilst love is a great thing, (believe me, it really is great!) it just doesn't quite cut it when trying to describe the intensity that the word adoration means.

This love is not a mild sort of love; I love my Grandma, or I love chocolate. It is the deepest, most intense sort of love. The love shared by lovers, the sort of love you have for someone where you think that if you loved them any more you would spontaneously explode into a million pieces. (Don't worry; this doesn't normally happen to those in love!)

When people initially fall in love, they often describe a catalogue of symptoms that accompany it. They might get sweaty hands, their heart rate increases, pupils dilate, sometimes feel nauseous or dizzy, and you become tongue tied or struggle to put sentences together. If you're me you also sometimes feel like this after any form of exercise!

But along with these symptoms, love sometimes makes you say and do crazy things. I love it in 2 Corinthians 5:13-14 where Paul says, "If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do."

I remember when Sarah (my wife) and I were first becoming friends, I soon realized that I was desperately falling for her, but because of my impaired self image I thought that there's no way she could possibly feel the same about me. I think she soon realised that I wasn't going to pick up on her subtle hints that actually she did have feelings for me, so one day she simply came out with, "Carl, you need to know that I love you!" I was driving at the time and went the wrong way through a one-way street nearly crashing the car!

I remember filling the car up with petrol at the end of that day and standing on the petrol forecourt saying again and again, "Thank you Jesus!" I was so love drunk that I even said, "Thank you Jesus" to the cashier when she gave me my change! I couldn't contain my joy; we all do crazy things at these times. It's like our heart bypasses our brains.

The most incredible thing though is this; God loves you with the same intense love as a lover. He is in love with you and not because you tick all the boxes; have deserved or earned his affection; but because He is in love with you. He adores you and wants you to experience His deep personal love, maybe in a way you've never experienced before.
One of the hardest things to do is accept someone's love when you know you don't deserve it. Have you ever found it hard to accept someone's forgiveness when you know really you were in the wrong and really it should have been you to make the first move to say sorry?

Well, God has already made the first move. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

It's time to receive God's unconditional love. To let go of the mistakes, to stop saying, "but you can't love me like that when I've done this." You may never fully understand why God should love you like this, but whatever you do, don't let this stop you from choosing to receive His love.

Make the choice today to allow more of His love into your life and as you let this love penetrate your mind and your heart, may you too grow in your adoration of the one whose love never fails.