all to win my heart...

God, in order to prove how much He desired to capture my heart, sacrificed that which was of most value to Him.
He was extravagant, over the top, went the extra mile.
and for what? all to win my heart...all to woo me to Him.
all because, in His unconditional love for me, He desired me to love Him in return.
God did not make a logical decision in choosing me as His beloved.
it wasn't a case of convenience, good sense or no one better.
He did all He could do, He moved heaven to earth, He planned from eternity past and mapped out His strategy...
His strategy to win me over. to captivate me.

and He did. the reason i love Him is BECAUSE He first loved me.
before i even knew Him, He was planning His masterful invasion of my heart.

the scripture says that men are to love their wives as Christ loves the church...His bride.
but look at what Christ did in order to WIN His bride...
the Cross is what He did to WIN me, not what He did once i was already His.
the Cross was His pursuit...not His response to my agreement.
look at what Jesus did to woo His bride...

He was extravagant. He was overwhelming.
He gave all. He stopped at nothing.
He sacrificed, He offered everything.

and that was just to get my attention.
that was just to say, "THIS IS HOW MUCH I WANT YOUR HEART!
THIS IS HOW MUCH I WANT A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU!
THIS IS HOW VALUABLE YOU ARE TO ME!!
THIS IS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU!"

i hadn't decided at that time. i hadn't said, "yes, Lord, i'll give You my heart," for Him to show this depth of love.
this was Him showing His depth of desire.
His desire for me.

that's why i love Him. because He first loved me.

because, before i even had a mind to make up, a soul to surrender, and a heart to be won,
He was strategizing His plan...because He loved me.

God did not make a logical decision when He chose me to be His beloved...
it wasn't a case of convenience, good sense, or that He settled for me because He couldn't find anyone better.

even in my mistakes, my flaws and my imperfections, He was committed to me.
like any good relationship, He determined from the dawn of time to stick with me in the process of becoming...
we are a team, me and God. He's the perfectionist, i'm the one being perfected.
but every day, He shows me all over again how much i mean to Him.
how much He loves me.
how much He wants me to love Him in return.

this is why i love Him. because He loves me...

cuz martin said it better...

"this life, therefore,
is not righteousness...
but growth in righteousness.
not health...but healing.
not being...but becoming.
we are not yet what we shall be,
but we are growing toward it.
the process is not yet finished,
but it is going on.
this is not the end,
but it is the road.
all does not yet gleam in glory...
but all is being purified."
~martin luther~

enough said.