God revealed to me His love for me yesterday. To know the God of this universe loves you is ultimately all you need to know. This is where we find our true identities. As I pondered the thought of who God is, I defined Him as Holy and Righteous, and as the One who imagined my life. He is all powerful, full of life and splendor. I saw Him as an incredible light, and as a young man (like Jesus, versus the image of Santa Claus - old and gray) full of knowledge and love. There is nothing new here that hasn't already been said of Him. He is Love!
Then I thought of Jesus. God created Him to intercede for me. Jesus took my sin upon Himself and allowed God to kill Him in order that I could be cleansed before God. It is the only way that God can look upon His children whom He loves and this is through Christ Jesus. I am reminded of John 15:1-4 when Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." Jesus is the vine that funnels God's love to us. If we are not reciprocating this love (in every aspect of true divine love), then we are cut off from the vine. We cannot bear fruit if we are not loving God in return.
This brought me to the question, "Who am I?" What is my identity in Christ. If God looks at His one and only Son with nothing less than perfect love for Him, and He loves me through Him, then I am beloved in His eyes equally. I am cleansed as it is promised in John 15, because I know the Word that He has spoken to my heart. If we are truly believers and we know His Word, then He has placed His spirit within us. He cannot contradict Himself by withholding His love from Himself. He has to love me for He "remains in me." What more can one ask for my friends?
Oswald Chambers wrote, "If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit." It is because of God's grace that we have the capacity to love, for He is solely responsible for placing it there. It has been part of our DNA since Adam. God purposed this for a reason, in order for us to have a relationship with Him, and to know that we were made in His image. All the while, Jesus was making His preparations to visit planet earth and to become the missing link that would bring us back into right standing with almighty God.
So now, my fellow Christians, do you have His word hidden upon your hearts? Do you truly know who your God is and what His love means for your life? Have you acknowledged Christ as you savior and as the One who intercedes on your behalf? Who are you?
"When you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:21-24).
Then I thought of Jesus. God created Him to intercede for me. Jesus took my sin upon Himself and allowed God to kill Him in order that I could be cleansed before God. It is the only way that God can look upon His children whom He loves and this is through Christ Jesus. I am reminded of John 15:1-4 when Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." Jesus is the vine that funnels God's love to us. If we are not reciprocating this love (in every aspect of true divine love), then we are cut off from the vine. We cannot bear fruit if we are not loving God in return.
This brought me to the question, "Who am I?" What is my identity in Christ. If God looks at His one and only Son with nothing less than perfect love for Him, and He loves me through Him, then I am beloved in His eyes equally. I am cleansed as it is promised in John 15, because I know the Word that He has spoken to my heart. If we are truly believers and we know His Word, then He has placed His spirit within us. He cannot contradict Himself by withholding His love from Himself. He has to love me for He "remains in me." What more can one ask for my friends?
Oswald Chambers wrote, "If we try to prove to God how much we love Him, it is a sure sign that we really don’t love Him. The evidence of our love for Him is the absolute spontaneity of our love, which flows naturally from His nature within us. And when we look back, we will not be able to determine why we did certain things, but we can know that we did them according to the spontaneous nature of His love in us. The life of God exhibits itself in this spontaneous way because the fountains of His love are in the Holy Spirit." It is because of God's grace that we have the capacity to love, for He is solely responsible for placing it there. It has been part of our DNA since Adam. God purposed this for a reason, in order for us to have a relationship with Him, and to know that we were made in His image. All the while, Jesus was making His preparations to visit planet earth and to become the missing link that would bring us back into right standing with almighty God.
So now, my fellow Christians, do you have His word hidden upon your hearts? Do you truly know who your God is and what His love means for your life? Have you acknowledged Christ as you savior and as the One who intercedes on your behalf? Who are you?
"When you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:21-24).
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