Precious Love
Do you know that before there was this thing called planet Earth, that you and I were the enthusiastic sparkle in the eyes of God! Yes, before the worlds were created, you were the center of God’s attention! It was not the earth, sun, moon, and stars that God was so passionate about – it was you! Not only was he passionately thinking of you, but he took the time to plan out your entire existence! Wow!
Ephesians 1:4-6 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
He chose you before the worlds began, and his plan was that you, by his power, would be holy and blameless in his sight. In Love, he predestined you to be his very own. Predestined means that he preplanned your destiny. Not only did he, in love, create you, but he was planning out the entirety – Wow! That should make you want to shout praises to God!
Hallelujah! The thought that we are that valuable to God is beyond comprehension! Think about it – You are God’s greatest pleasure; you are what God dreams about! I know that we cannot fully comprehend how good God is to us, but even the little bit we know is so wonderful that it should stir us to trust him completely! The following scriptures speak of God’s goodness to those who don’t deserve it like us.
Nehemiah 9:17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and, in their rebellion, appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,
Luke 6:35-36 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Do you see that? God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked! How beautiful! God is so in love with us that he allows us to go through whatever is necessary to draw us into genuine surrender to the gospel. Sometimes correction of God comes through life’s difficult trials and still other times through his precious word piercing our hearts. Nonetheless, God is working in us to bring about his greatest pleasure – and his great pleasure is intimacy with you and me.
“For it is God who works in you both to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
During challenging times, God anxiously awaits our change of mind and heart so that he can pour out the abundant grace and compassion that he longs to give us! God wants to bless us more than we want to be blessed, but only faith can tap us in. As long as things are on easy street in our life, we often don’t find the need to press into the life of faith. But during those trying times, we are forced into opening our hearts and minds to a bigger and better way!
What an incredibly kind, merciful, gentle, and compassionate God we serve! He wants to love on us more than we will ever be able to fully comprehend! Oh, my dear friend, may this Encouraging Note inspire you more than ever to surrender to God’s most amazing and…
Precious Love