I’ve been waiting for a couple weeks now for my next credit! It came today… the 19th phew! I’ve been looking forward to using my next Audible credit on the book ‘Everybody Always’, because the last book I listened to by Bob Goff (Love Does) was excellent! I listened to it in 3 days then listened to it again a week later.

Bob has a crazy fun, slightly silly way of just telling extraordinary stories and bringing out wonderful principles. I guess that sounds quite similar to a pretty awesome messiah many of us will be celebrating today.

One of the stories from book one was about his son going out to the neighbour hood and playing ‘bigger or better’ where you start with something worth a dollar or so and see what you end up with (He ended up with a truck!)

He makes the point that Christianity is like a big game of ‘bigger or better’ we trade our shame and sin with Jesus for his righteousness! Our self effort and the value we get from our trying hard – our performance is swapped with God’s righteousness- nothing is needed, nothing can be added, even though we try from time to time. Nothing can be added!!! We can do nothing! Useful for us all to remember today on Good Friday the words the Messiah spoke while hanging on the cross – “It is finished” Jesus did it all! ….So stop trying.

Our duty in this life then is to be loved – to truly walk in who we are, to accept the great trade up prize of salvation and even righteousness! And to become the beloved – made right with the Father as was is plan, perfected by the Fathers love.

When we embrace and accept this extravagance, and see ourselves as people who can be loved! Then we have a chance of loving ourselves and others!! This is the great command – this can be the great challenge.

I love Bob Goff because he is on a journey of ‘becoming love’ as I too am so excited to be on myself, so it was awesone to get to know him this last month through his writing. Becoming love – really is the only thing of importance – and the only thing that will transform my wife and kids.

This week I went to lunch with a couple from my church and shared my story of how I met my wife and how she moved to England with me. Miracle after miracle God performerd, but as I get older I’m realising that God uses people for these miracles.

One man was so instrumental in enabling Mwaka to move to England with me, his name is Wilfred, a man we can never forget and who I love more and more, he not only facilitated the move to the UK via Tanzania but showed me the unconditional love of Jesus in laying down his time and resources to make the impossible, possible. Opening doors for us, setting up meetings with important people (who were his friends) supplying all our needs. The man was extravagant, exceptional, over the top, stretching beyond his means – to meet our need and make our dream come true.

That is exactly the way Jesus is with us and the way we should live towards others. Please let others know Jesus is still alive, through the way we extravagantly embrace them with love.