He took the very yearning inside of us to be loved, and gave us the Beloved.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalm 103:8
Something inside each and everyone of us yearns to be loved. We desire fellowship with one another. We want to know that we are enough, that it is safe to be vulnerable and our truest selves, and that above all of our insecurities and wrongdoings we are still loved and accepted. We want to be seen, heard, valued, and given a chance to be of meaning towards someone. We want to know that our life has purpose, and we constantly look for a shelter of hope and safety. We want to give love to others because we know the feeling of receiving such love. We also know the feeling of rejection and shame.
But if we could remove all the pain and sorrow in this world - would we really know what love is? Life wouldn't be such a struggle and I guess we would be back in Eden walking and living with God. But even then, we managed to fall short. Somehow, amongst living a life where there was no such thing as good and evil, where all we knew was God and His love for us, we sinned and turned our backs on Him. Somehow, amongst soaking in His glory and walking with our Creator Himself, we looked at ourselves and desired to be equal to God. One bitten fruit later, we stood ashamed, naked, covering up ourselves in a bunch of leaves, hiding our faces from Love Himself.
I often wonder why God put the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden if He knew we would fall. I suppose if the tree wasn't there, how much would we really know of His love for us? It took God - the Creator of the heavens and the earth - to give up His only Son for sacrifice to bring us back to Him - to undo the wrong we did. God showed us a way out, and that way is Jesus Christ - the mysterious plan God wanted to reveal all along.
He took the very yearning inside of us to be loved, and gave us the Beloved.
So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. John 1:14
The biggest bandwagon of today is the lover of self. This age-old philosophy is nothing new under the sun, but it is becoming more and more 'in-your-face' by the younger generation of today. People have become idolaters of themselves, searching for some kind of "love within", and are caught up in this endless cycle of unfulfillment - whether they see it or not. I am the first to admit that I've been there. This is just repetition of the Fall if you ask me, choosing oneself over God and "manifesting" some kind of god-like lifestyle according to their standard of worth. But as I've come to know myself over the years and the more I've read the Bible, I've seen how much of a sinner I am! I've come to the realisation of how undeserving I am of what Jesus did for me on the Cross, to the point where I've actually felt it too difficult to accept this beautiful gift. But as my faith is growing and my trust in God is deepening, God is revealing His unfailing love to me all the time in wonderful ways. These ways may be through hard times and good, but all draw me closer to Him. For now that we know evil, God has shown us and proven to us that He is good.
From places of sin, rebellion and falling short time and time again, there Jesus is, having taken my place of condemnation and shame, and renewing me again through His unfailing love. There is no shame in this but only uncontainable joy! For although Christ died for me, He rose again, completely defeating death. My God has fought for me and won the battle of death we all are doomed to. My sins are forgiven and He has set me free!
Unfailing love in Hebrew is translated chesed. Chesed also means everlasting mercy, everlasting goodness, everlasting steadfast love, and is equivalent to the new testament word, Grace. Wow. Everlasting. Grace. Although I am not worthy of His love, He still loves me and will so forever. Although I had left the other sheep and gone astray, He still came for me and brought me home. Because of Jesus, I am able to have all my deepest questions and desires fulfilled. Because of Jesus, I have been given the right to become a child of God. I have been given an eternal home! I am reborn, not with a physical birth, but with a birth that comes from God (John 1:10-13).
Because of Jesus, I have been given a life worth living. My worth is no longer defined by my actions or abilities, or even my physical appearance, but by Christ within me. He is the change in me - the Light for this world to see and the unfailing Love abounding within and overflowing out of those following Him.
The world needs more people to take a humble seat at the feet of Jesus than a climb up the ladder of fame. The world needs to take their eyes off of themselves and turn them upon Jesus. We forget, become deceived, and are swayed by society to the point where we're just stuck in a loop of looking for love in all the wrong places. Friends, Jesus is the right place, the only place. He is the answer - the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He brings us to His Father who is Love.
Friend, if you ever get discouraged in your walk with the Lord and feel like your actions don't add up to His Word all the time, or if you get sucked in the attractive pulls of this world, never fail to go back to the Good News. The very words spoken to you that brought you to Jesus and into His unfailing love. This love - this everlasting grace - sets you free from all condemnation and death, and brings you into godliness and purity in your walk with the Lord. It is never too late to run back to the Father who is waiting for your return. God surrounds you with songs of victory. He is your hiding place where He protects you from all trouble.
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Psalm 32:5
Confess your sins to God. Repent! Turn from your wicked ways. Let go of everything tied to sin, ungodliness, and impurity, and hold on to Jesus. Before God you now stand in righteousness and holiness for the blood of Jesus has cleansed you and His broken body has healed you and made you whole. Your sins are now separated as far as east is from the west. Follow Him and He will show you the right way to go. Live by His Spirit which has sealed you in His love and remain in His Word which is the light at your feet. Lastly, let all that you are praise the Lord!
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation. Psalm 100:5
Hallelujah! Thank You Lord!
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow— not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Father God, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I thank You Lord for what You have done for me through the death and resurrection of Your Beloved - Jesus. Thank You Jesus for Your sacrifice - for Your blood that cleanses me from my sin and Your body broken that heals me and makes me whole. I come to You now confessing my sins I have been/am struggling with (name them here). I ask that You deliver me from the strongholds they have in my life as I step into righteousness You have called me into. I ask Lord that You restore in me a pure heart - clean, godly, and wholeheartedly surrendered to You. Thank You for Your forgiveness, Lord. Thank You for Your everlasting grace. Thank You for Your unfailing love God. May I remain in You all the days of my life! In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.
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