Love is a concept that I will never fully grasp, seeing as it "surpasses all knowledge." I only hope to have enough power one day "to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." (Eph. 3:18) Even when we fall short of God's holy standard, and worshiping Him is not a priority for us, He continues to love His children with a love that never, ever fails. Like the lost sheep in Luke 15, He sought after you (if you claim to be a child of God) and would not rest until you were a part of His flock. When you stray, He still longs for you with the same intensity as before- He loves us at all times, even when we don't deserve His love. We are intensely and deeply loved, and there is nothing that can separate His children from His love (Romans 8:38-39)!
It's funny that, when writing to the Ephesians, Paul prays they will be able to grasp the greatness of God's love... because the Ephesians are chastised in Revelation for forgetting about His love:
"I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance . . . You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your First Love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." -Rev. 2:2-5
One can be persecuted, obedient, and outwardly committed to the cause of Christ... but what happens when those things are done for your reputation & people & tradition rather than for your First Love?
Simply put, we are intensely loved all the time. That Lover of our souls asks for our entire bodies in response to this love- not for our own sake, not to give us something to do, not to make us look good, but so that He will get the glory, honor, and praise that He so, so deserves. Such a wondrous Love as this deserves a response from us, even if the love we attempt to give back is only a fraction of the great love He offers us.
Don't forget your First Love.
No comments:
Post a Comment