Bargaining

     Bargains, have I got a bargain for you! How often have we heard those words? From TV commercials to magazine articles and ads, to that weird sales guy in the mall trying to sell the latest fad. When it comes to the grieving process bargaining is the step when we start making promises to someone usually God, the doctors and nurses, the ambulance crew, heck even other family members and ourselves. Such promises are usually along the lines of "If you bring him back, or save me I promise to never smoke again, or I'll do volunteer work my whole life or give everything to charity." Often times people seldom ask god for things or even admit that there is a God until things head south.
     This is probably in my opinion the only step in DABDA that already pertained to Christ.
The thing about bargaining is we do it everyday, and really we don't have to. Christ doesn't work in the "I'll do it but you've gotta do this first," kinda way. God's love is unconditional love, In the Bible there were plenty of bargains made, bargains for people who prayed for something. Cain bargained with God after killing Able so that he wouldn't be killed by others. One other bargain we read is in 1 Samuel;

            "Oh Lord Almighty, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He, will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that has been dedicated to the lord, his hair will never be cut."

1: Samuel 1:11

     This promise was made by Hannah the mother of Samson, she mad the promise/bargain after not being able to conceive a son. God gave3 her a son, and Samson served him. Now because God gave her what she asked and bargained with him for doesn't mean that she wasn't loved. God doesn't need us to bargain with him for him to love us. God loves us unconditionally regardless of what we are, we should love him always, we should love him as he loves us. Gos has a plan for us all as stated in Jeremiah 29;

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' Declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

     God new us and has plans for us his plans for us are bargainless, we don't need to ask him to save us when we face adversity because he is already with us and carrying us through our trials. Gods Love has no ending no beginning, we can not trade one thing for it or to be more deserving than someone else, he loves us all. 

"For God shows his love for us in that while were still sinners Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

     The only bargain with God that we have made, made even before we were born was Christ died on the cross for all our sins, to forgive us and grant us eternal life. Christ made the ultimate deal with us and asked only that we try to live sin free lives, all the while knowing that we couldn't do this. yet still he loves us. Can we ask for a greater bargain.

"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever"

Psalm 136:26