Jesus Proposed!

My wife and family had the pleasure of heading out to a place we get to frequent a few times a year (usually in the summer).  It seems to be off the well-beaten path, so it’s not too crowed.  Proposal Rock on the Oregon coast, about 10 miles north of Lincoln City, is a cool, family-friendly place to visit.  It has a HUGE beach area, an awesome creek to play in, and spectacular views.

We all had a “thing” thing we wanted to do at the beach.  My daughter, Megan (age 3), immediately started throwing rocks into the water.  She can do this for hours, and hours.  It’s really good, clean fun…until she whacks somebody.  My son, Nathan (Age 7) loves to build stuff, so he was constantly digging around, and even built himself a little sandcastle.  My wife and I were mostly hoping to relax a little – knowing full well that would be a long shot with two kids running around the beach.  Surprisingly, for the most part, we were able to relax …at least for a few minutes.

As we strolled along the beach, I got a chance just to take in the beauty of the setting.  The fog had cleared, and the sky was blue.  The sound of the waves crashing was hypnotic.  The cry of Seagulls in the air, well that was a little irritating…  The shrieks of children as they experienced the ‘warmth’ of the Pacific Ocean in Oregon made me giggle, just a little.

But, there was something else that could not be missed.  There, in the middle of it all was Proposal Rock; and ‘yes,’ a lot of marriage proposals do take place there.  It is magnificent!  Rising out of the surf, it dominates the landscape.  However, this rock was not a ‘rock’ in the normal sense.  It wasn’t a barren landscape.  It was teaming with life.  It has trees, flowers, shrubs, and I’m sure a few hundred bird’s nests and an assortment of fury woodland creatures.  It was God’s handiwork on display for everyone to see.

As I was admiring it, a passage from Colossians hit me:

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,  for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.  Colossians 1:15-17 (NLT)

I was seeing the awesomeness of God’s creation on display!  It was a reminder that everything was created on purpose.  There are no mistakes when it comes to God.  This applies to ALL creation, including you and me.  God created you on purpose.  It wasn’t an accident, or an ‘Oops!’  He knew exactly who He was creating when He made you.

The question of ‘Why?’ always comes up.  ‘Why would God create me?’ or ‘Her?’ or ‘Him?’  The simple answer is that He loves you and wants to be in a relationship with you.  As it says up above, “Everything was created through him and FOR him.”  You were created to be in a relationship with Him.

There, at Proposal Rock, I was reminded that every day, God is proposing to each one of us.  No, His proposal isn’t out of our definition of romance.  But, it is out of love.  In fact, He is madly in love with you; and He wants a relationship with you.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.  John 3:16-17 (NLT)

His proposal is simple: ‘Will you accept my love?’

Now, I’ve seen The Bachelor (once, and never again), and the men and women on that show always promise things during a proposal, or shortly before or after it.   Usually, there are promises of a good life, security, some adventure, a little romance, and hopefully some fun.  But, these pale in comparison to the things God can offer as part of His proposal.

God says, ‘Let me show my love to you by giving you ETERNAL LIFE!’  And not just any eternal life – a perfect eternal life.  Here’s how John put it:

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  Revelation 21:3-4 (NLT)

There is nothing in this world that can compare to the hookup that God’s got for you if you accept his proposal.  It just can’t get any better.  An eternal life with the God of the universe, who loves us, without any sorrow, pain, or death.  Think about that for a second.  We only experience life right now WITH sorrow, pain, and death.  We can’t even imagine how awesome it will be to experience an ETERNAL life with 100% joy, happiness, security, and fun!  Add to this the fact that God has unlimited creativity, and you can be sure that it will be an absolutely amazing life.

All God is asking of you is to let Him give you the free gift of eternal life – to let Him show his love for you.  Will you accept God’s proposal?