Find out what God's love story is here.
Did you know that you were created to be romanced by God? He has written the ultimate love story--with you in it! Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him.” God has set us apart for His good purpose, to find His love, give glory to His name, and help others to do the same. His romance story with you isn’t impersonal “once upon a time”, it’s a very near reality right now, all the time. With receiving His love through obedience, we are to love Him with everything we have (Matt. 22:37). It has been said that to fall in love with God is the greatest romance of all time. And truly, nothing is more beautiful than one who is in love with Jesus.
One of my favorite sections of scripture, Philippians 3:8-12, depicts His love and the love that I am to return to Him. It reads: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” I love all of these verses, but three phrases particularly jump out at me about loving our Lord. The first is “knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (verse 8). What does it mean to know Jesus? This implies an intimate relationship with Christ. “And this is eternal life, that they know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) Sadly, many who call themselves Christians do not have a close relationship with the Lord. Does God live within you, or do you have a long distance relationship with Him? If we do not commit ourselves to knowing Him, we will end up having a long distance relationship, and it will not work out. Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.' “ The second phrase I want to point out is “being found in Him” (verse 9). Wouldn’t it be the greatest thing if, when someone described you, they said, “I could see Christ in her.” If someone read about the body being God’s temple in 1 Corinthians 6, would they automatically think of you? Take a moment to really pay attention to the words of Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Our life is hidden with Christ in God, and He is our life (Colossians 3:3-4). We can be found in Christ only because He made it possible through His death. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.” Finally, the third phrase I want you to look at is “Christ Jesus has made me His own” (verse 12). How awesome are those words! The Creator of the universe has claimed me as His own! We now have the greatest identity of all time--We are called to belong to Him (Romans 1:6)! He has made us His own by dying for our sins (Romans 5:8). And not only does The Lord call us His, but because we live in His romance, we are able to call Him our own. 2 Corinthians 6:16: “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people.” Are you living in God’s love story? The all-powerful hands of the Maker became the nail-pierced hands of the Savior--all for you! If you were the only person on this earth, He would have come and died just for you. He loves you that much. His is a never-ending love story because of His never-ending love. So today, do you have the joy of knowing Him, being found in Him, and being His own? By: Kayla Barker
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy name is Jennifer Odom and I've been a Christian since October 2011. I'm a 20-year-old junior at Freed-Hardeman University. I hope to speak at several ladies days, become a music teacher, get involved with mission work, and bring as many people as I can with me to heaven. Stepping in Light is affiliated with the church of Christ. Archives
April 2020
Categories |