My All

John Legend co-composed a song, All of Me, back in 2013. A love song written for his then, fiancé, now wife. I don’t really know the lyrics to the song, however I remember being in Downtown Seattle going to the Broadway production of Dirty Dancing with my then husband, when they were on tour… There was an inebriated man who kept singing, “All of me loves all of you. All of me loves all of you,” over and over, loudly and crying, until his friends came and moved him. I felt bad for him at the time, and honestly, I think of that scene every now and then, though years have passed.

I don’t know one person who does not want to be loved and does not want to love someone in return.

I have a young gal at work who lost her mom at a young age and became a mother, herself, while incarcerated. She told me that having her son, she knows that someone will always love her. I challenged, how do you think you will feel when the day comes that you have to discipline him and he gets mad at you and maybe says as much or worse? She thought about it, and like a child, stated, I just won’t punish him.

“…because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!” Hebrews 12:6‭-‬9 NIV

God’s love for us is also demonstrated in His discipline. Yeah, I know, not always ideal, but totally necessary. As a parent, I don’t enjoy disciplining my children, it hurts to see my children chastened by my words of correction. However, seeing the fruit of the discipline as they grow… Well, I thank God! What a blessing that my children have not been in any serious trouble. They are thriving in school, they love Jesus. They are living their lives for Him, serving Him. It’s a blessing, one I don’t take lightly. It’s truly humbling.

The lawyer, in Matthew 22, asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment, tempting Jesus. He couldn’t possibly have known what he was really asking. Jesus answered him and said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:37‭-‬39 KJV

The only way to love others is to know God, love God, and then can we love others. 1 John 4:8b KJV tells us that God is love.When I think of that drunk man, singing John Legend’s song, I often think of God whispering in our ears that He wants all of us. There are multiple verses beginning in Genesis where God has stated that He would be our God. This has been the plan from the beginning. He has wanted us to be His people and all we had to do is put away every idol and allow Him to be our God.

I’ve written about this before, how God wants, and loves, every bit of us. Our good, bad, ugly, beautiful, and He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

I encourage you, give all of yourself to Christ today and accept all of Him in Your life. There is so much more of God than we can even begin to fathom. The best part, He loves us!

*Original Image by Yours Truly

https://youtu.be/TCunuL58odQ