Better than life

Psalm 63:3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!

We sang better than life yesterday at church. I like the song. It is upbeat. It just praises God that His loving-kindness is better than life.

Maybe it was the mood I was in.

Maybe it was the Friday I had.

My guess is it was the Holy Spirit talking to me ;)

That song took on so much more to me yesterday. My life is great. I have a family to love and be loved by. I have all the necessities of living and in the scheme of life on this planet, I have many luxuries too. But do you know what is better?

His loving kindness.

Loving kindness is not something we talk about a lot these days. In fact, on this little planet we call earth it is hard to find someone loving and kind. Even at the Wal-Marts where everyone seems to be all the time.

Joking aside, The Lord's loving kindness is a huge reason I am a Christian. His loving kindness is what drew me to Him and freed me of my sin. His loving kindness is what he DEMONSTRATED to me by having His son Jesus suffer the torture before and after He died on the cross. His loving kindness for me is what he DEMONSTRATED to me by Jesus rising from the grave- CONQUERING EVEN DEATH. His loving kindness sent a helper of the Holy Spirit to me to help me live and know He is real when my physical eye can't see. His loving kindness is everything. It is better than life.

I often think about how I grew up knowing about Jesus and the crucifiction. I mean I was catholic and there was a crucifix in our home and every home I went to. I remember never liking looking at them. That man with the thorns in his head and nails in his hands and feet.

I knew He died for us. I had all the prayers memorized. Even in my teenage days in the Methodist church and knew it. I was reverently grateful that this event happened so that I could be forgiven and go to heaven.

It has only been in the last few years that I have seen it as God's loving kindness. A love so great that I can't understand, a kindness so wonderful that He took pain and torture for me. It is a DEMONSTRATED love.

Romans 5:8 (New King James Version) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I have always heard that actions speak louder than words. I have found in marriage that although words matter a lot. Sometimes it is a quiet gesture that makes all the difference. It demonstrates the love you say and feel.

The suffering of my Lord was not quiet but it sure was a DEMONSTRATION of loving kindness. It is better than any piece of this life to know that type of love.

Your loving kindness is...

Better than life.