Good things happen to those who know God loves them
Here it is… a husband loves his wife, but unless she believes that truth, she will live with low self esteem, feel rejected, etc.(and their lives will be hell!) Same with parents and kids, the parents may passionately love the children, but unless they believe that truth, they will live a life of hurt and brokenness. It is not just the truth that sets you free, but it is the knowledge of the truth that sets you free, right?
The first commandment said, “Love the Lord you God with all your strength, mind, heart” So we live our lives trying to love God, more passionately, not realizing that we are putting ourselves under the law! What am I saying? No one can love Him with all your heart, your soul, all your mind –all the time.
But I John 4:19 says “we love Him because He first loved us.” So what? This is what God is saying, “I know they can’t do it 24/7, so what I am going to do is to love them with all my heart, mind, soul - FIRST” Here is the truth about grace I want you to get…. The focus is not MY love for HIM,(that’s the law) but His love for me (that’s grace!) , and then when I realize how much He loves me, I wind up falling in love with HIM! THAT’s the simplicity of GRACE!!!
When you realize how much God loves, you love, you love HIM and everyone around you. Which love is more constant? Your love for Him or His love for you? There is no comparison! His love is ALWAYS constant, nothing you do can stop that. Don’t put your eyes on your love for Him, but HIS love for YOU. “we love him because He first loved us!” Fix your eyes on that which is constant, so that even though everything around you may be fluctuating or changing…you won’t be moved. Keep you eyes on His love for you, it will stabilize you! Did you ever think that His love for you, resulted in a huge overpayment for your sin? He gave His son, and ONLY son, for your freedom! A good example would be - the ransom for my freedom was ten thousand dollars, and my father came and gave a billion dollars to pay it. How can I doubt His love for me, when He was willing to pay so much for have a relationship with ME!
So the law is “you must love the Lord your God….” Grace is, I am going to respond to His love!!! My love, passion, my empowerment, all I do is based on HIS love for me!!! The law cannot make anyone perfect, it's a guideline. The law was given to help us see our need for grace!
John is known as “the BELOVED disciple” What I didn’t realize is that the ONLY place that John is called “the beloved disciple” is in the book of JOHN! Lol! What does that mean? John knew that He was empowered, had grace, and had all –BECAUSE he knew because He was loved!! John lived his life with that revelation!!! Your self esteem is not dependant on your profession, your exam grades, what you look like, but on the unshakable love of God!
In Ephesians 3:17-20 Paul was encouraging the the church to be rooted and firmly established in love. To understand the length, breadth, height, and depth of God’s love. And that when they did that, not only would they be FILLED with the fullness of God (meditate on that!) BUT that would enable Him who is able -to do above and beyond all we ask or THINK according to the power that works IN us! It is all connected to our revelation of HIS love for US!
So beloved –this week, live in and meditate on this extravagant love for you- THAT’S GRACE!!!
