We think we have to die but this is not what God is looking for
He is looking for us to live but not in the ordinary sense
He wants us to give our lives to Him
Why would God demand such a thing?
It is so love can be made complete in us
He loves us more than we love ourselves
He can do with our lives what we can not
Yet too often we see ourselves working for God
Trying to do that thing that pleases Him
But it does not please Him
Only faith does
When we have a burden
there are only two possibilities
either it is not from God
or we are not walking in love
either way we should not have any burden save one
the yoke of Christ and His yoke is light!
The commands of God are not burdensome!
There is but one way we come to this yoke
we must hear the voice of love and respond
we want to please God
but only faith pleases Him
and faith works by love
A man can believe all the words in his head
but they do not become faith until love takes them to heart
It is not until we see and hear God's love that we have faith
We love Him BECAUSE He first loved us
Our love is a recognition of His!
Thus faith is established
But we don't see that love until we see this
Love pays the debt and holds no debt
We can not be who we know we should be
There is a deficit, a shortage, a debt
That is why forgiveness is essential
unforgiveness is a debt
We can not have our debt canceled until we cancel all owed to us
We see this debt
If we try to pay it ourselves through our own work
We fail
But if we give our life to God He pays the debt
There is only one way we will give our life to God
We have to see and know that He loves us more than we love ourselves
Only then can we become "living sacrifices"
So Christ lives through us and love is made complete in us
We walk in love
![[pulsating cross]](astar2.gif)
