Reckless Love

​The song "Reckless Love" by Steffany Gretzinger recounts some of the ways the Lord displays His love for us.  He sings over us, breathes life into us, fights for us, and paid it all for us.  The love of God is relentless!  The song declares, "There's no shadow You won't light up, mountain You won't climb up, coming after me.  There's no wall You won't kick down, no lie You won't tear down coming after me."  Indeed, God's love is reckless!  This word conveys the thought of a person who is so consumed with love that all concerns for their own welfare are set aside.  The dictionary defines reckless as careless, heedless, foolish, wild and rash.
 
When trying to describe God's love the chorus of the song says, "Oh the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights 'till I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine.  I couldn't earn it, I don't deserve it.  Still, You give yourself away.  Oh, the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God."
 
Let's think about this word reckless.  The Lord loves us so much that He would leave 99 others just for you or me.  Both Matthew and Luke tell how Jesus taught this truth using sheep as an analogy.  After having explained to His disciples that they need to be humble like little children in order to be great in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus launches into a teaching on the love of God.  "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones.  For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.  What do you think?  If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost." (Matthew 18:12-14)  
 
Luke 15:5-7 repeats the words of Jesus on this subject with more insight regarding finding the lost sheep.  "And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulder and goes home.  Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."  
 
Those hearing the story of the shepherd who left 99 sheep to find one would understand that the head shepherd would leave the rest of his flock with his helpers so that they are not unattended.  However, it is significant that the head shepherd is the one who leaves to seek the lost sheep.  His priority is saving that one!  So too our Shepherd King, Jesus.  He left the throngs of heaven that worship Him day and night to come to earth to seek the lost.  "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save who was lost." (Luke 19:10)
 
Every single person on the face of the earth is important to our God.  As it says in 2 Peter 3:9, He is patient with us, "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  He went to extraordinary measures to run after us.  Our King Jesus gave up everything and subjected himself to death on a cross so that we could have everlasting life and be in heaven with Him for eternity.  Oh the love of God!  It is incomprehensible!  His love is overwhelming, never ending and reckless!