"Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
Jude:21
I've been reflecting on this verse lately. How do we keep ourselves in the love of God?
The Greek word used for "keep" here means to guard (from loss or injury), by keeping the eye on; to hold fast, watch; retain; maintain.
Let's look at this from a different direction - how do we "fall out" of the love of God?
By "falling into" unbelief, doubt and fear!
(And let me be clear here - I'm not saying these things cause God not to love us; they cause us to turn away from Him!)
I think so many of us have a really hard time truly believing that God loves us!
No matter how many times we read in the Word of His love, it just doesn't seem to penetrate the deep recesses of our hearts. We feel so unlovable; we know our faults, our thoughts, our attitudes and we can't understand how anyone could love us through all we are.
BUT......I think at this point, the question needs to change -
2 Timothy 3:16 & 17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
God's Word doesn't change based on our feelings on any given day. God's Word is God's Word and is true and real whether we believe it or not!!
I recently read this quote:
"His love for us is not decreased by the sin in us."
We are not loved because we are lovable.
We are loved because God's very nature is love.
He cannot go against His nature.
He will never stop loving!
So, I believe, the first thing we need to do to "keep ourselves in the love of God" is to actively believe in His love even when we don't feel it - or maybe, especially when we don't feel it!!
We "keep ourselves" in His love by meditating on His love, reading the Scriptures that declare His love. We "keep ourselves" in His love by obeying His commands so that our hearts are clean and pure before Him and there is "no ground" for the devil's accusations. We "keep ourselves" in His love simply by believing He loves us!
Can you imagine having a relationship with someone, he tells you he loves you, wants to commit his life to you through marriage, has children with you and yet every day you act like he doesn't love you. You don't believe what he tells you every single day and shows you by his continual acts and demonstrations of love. Can you imagine how frustrated he would feel? Turn the tables; what if you had to reassure someone constantly that you loved them? What if, no matter what you did, they just couldn't or wouldn't believe your love was real? Wouldn't you be frustrated?
What joy, God loves us through that kind of frustration because His love is unconditional! He is relentless in His pursuit of us because His love never fails!
Can you imagine having a relationship with someone, he tells you he loves you, wants to commit his life to you through marriage, has children with you and yet every day you act like he doesn't love you. You don't believe what he tells you every single day and shows you by his continual acts and demonstrations of love. Can you imagine how frustrated he would feel? Turn the tables; what if you had to reassure someone constantly that you loved them? What if, no matter what you did, they just couldn't or wouldn't believe your love was real? Wouldn't you be frustrated?
What joy, God loves us through that kind of frustration because His love is unconditional! He is relentless in His pursuit of us because His love never fails!
So then, we "keep ourselves" in His love by refusing to believe the lies even our own hearts will tell us. We refuse to believe His love is conditional or that it has an end.
Listen to this -
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For they sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:35-39
Can it be any clearer? NOTHING can separate us from the love of God!!
How this changes everything in us - to believe in this kind of love!
My heart is assured that He is for me always; His love is unchanging.
"God is always good and I am always loved."
To know that you are loved and to live and walk in the reality of that love changes you and changes you deeply.
If you do nothing else, believe in God's love for you today. Steep yourself in Scripture that talks about His love; meditate on it, breathe it in and let God love you.
Let Him love you
and love Him right back!!
No comments:
Post a Comment