| - | belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereignty; royal. |
| - | having supreme rank, power, or authority. |
| - | supreme; preeminent; indisputable: a sovereign right. |
| - | greatest in degree; utmost or extreme. |
| - | being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc. |
We describe our God as being Sovereign in that He has sovereignty over us and this world. I think so many of us take the limitations of the English language for granted. We say, "Oh, yes, God is sovereign," but we tend to pretty much say it without really understanding the meaning of it. We can say a lot of things without really understanding the depth of it, for example those magical "three little words" that we usually just throw out there in order to get a reaction from the person we're saying it to. I think we often forget what the meaning of unconditional love really means and how it's communicated. Unconditional love doesn't expect anything in return, it never fades, it withstands the trials of time and suffering, and it's the most powerful thing on this planet. Our God loves us with that kind of love. No other entity can really live up to this standard (although we can try our best).
Unconditional love knows no fear because God knows no fear. He's to be feared! Unconditional love comes with the perks of respect, honor, kindness, forgiveness, purity, and joy, but it also comes with pain when it isn't returned. Can you imagine the fact that so many people on this planet are causing our Lord and Savior the deepest kind of pain and rejection right now?
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I can't imagine what was going through Jesus' mind as He hung there on the cross. To know the fact that He's dying, DYING, PEOPLE, for His Beloved, and yet knowing that He's going to be rejected. The heartache, the unfathomable heartache that He must have felt. Heh, I wonder if He felt any release when the spear pierced His side.
Experiencing heartache by the world's standards is hard enough, but to go through the ultimate form of rejection...and yet STILL HE LOVES US WITH ALL OF HIS BEING. I can't get my mind around it. I probably never will until I see Him face to face.
Jesus, forgive my selfish heart. We say we want to be more like Jesus, yet we forget sometimes what that really requires of us.
