The Reckless Love of God

The love of God is not some old, dusty, theological concept that is to be confined to seminary libraries, desert fathers, or just a few elect mystics that “really get it.” It’s for the good, the not- so-good, and the flat-out bad folks that make up this world.

God’s love is not positive thinking nor is it some sort of trivial “wishing upon a star” or finding a penny heads-up. The love of God is as big as, as strong as, as faithful as, as enduring as, as unbreakable as, and as personal as God himself! When we talk about the love of God, we’re talking about what has literally turned the world upside down again and again. As the children of God, we’re celebrating right now what we will see and savor for all of eternity–that God would clothe himself in flesh, descend to us in the person and work of Jesus, and separate our sins from us, and give us his very own righteousness at no cost to us and immeasurable cost to him. The love of God causes us to squirm and blush. Singing the children’s song “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” isn’t childish. In fact, saying “Jesus loves me” is quite literally the deep end of the theological swimming pool.

In the Reckless Love of God: Experiencing the Personal, Passionate Heart of the Gospel, my aim is to say that God himself has burned in everlasting love for you before time began and has stopped at nothing in his pursuit of wooing our hearts and demonstrating this life-altering reality. When we think of the famous parable known as the “Prodigal Son” who is said to have “squandered his [Father’s] property in reckless living” the only thing more scandalous than the son’s rebellion is the lovingkindness, the unfathomable grace put on display in the Father’s running, embracing, kissing, and partying “welcome home, son!” Whether you’ve never heard of the great love of God displayed through Jesus or you’ve been a Christian for 20 years (like me), the love of God is for you. The Reckless Love of God is an attempt to bottle one tiny drop of the everlasting love of God found in the deepest well of his own Son’s heart. Sitting with the Reckless Love of God for a few minutes moves us from humming “Amazing Grace” to shouting it from our bellies. The table is set. The best wine has been poured. The band is playing. Pull up a seat. You’re welcome at Jesus’ table. He’s been expecting you.

Alex Early is author of The Reckless Love of God: Experiencing the Personal, Passionate Heart of the Gospel. Don’t miss Alex on Steve Brown, Etc.