Rich.

Psalm 145:9-13

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
       slow to anger and rich in love .

  9 The LORD is good to all;
       he has compassion on all he has made.

  10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
       your saints will extol you.

  11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
       and speak of your might,

  12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
       and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

  13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
       and your dominion endures through all generations.
       The LORD is faithful to all his promises
       and loving toward all he has made.

One youth staff devotion time focused around this verse. Repeating the verse over and over, Klint challenged us to listen to the words, waiting on God to highlight a word, phrase, verse to us and let Him speak to us through that. Then we sat and prayed about that concept that God laid on our hearts, and then sit in silence as we let God speak to us. Afterwards we shared what God had said to us. While my word was “compassion,” two others focused on the word “RICH.” The concepts they began to expand on really got me thinking about Gods love in a new way. This is the concept Jennifer and Darren brought before us…

Rich. The word first sparks thoughts of monetary success. But think about the word again. Where else have you heard that term used? Desserts. Sweets. Chocolate. When a piece of chocolate is RICH, the flavor is intense, overwhelming, abundant. When you eat a dessert that is ‘rich,’ you dont need much to be satisfied, to be full. God says that his love is the same. His love is rich. Just think about this for a second. God is saying that He is rich in love…that his love is INTENSE. It is OVERWHELMING. It is ABUNDANT. With God’s love, you dont need much to be completely satisfied, completely full. God’s love is so vast, so overwhelming, so intense, so much more than we will ever be able to experience. Only a DROP of his love can change our lives forever. Only a DROP of his love is so much more than we will ever need.

Because HE…is RICH in LOVE.