"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world, that He gave His one and only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him as Savior shall not parish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 AMP
So if this statement is true, if God loves you and me enough to give up His only son so that we can spend eternity with Him, how do we then respond to such a redemptive love?
My deeper understanding of God's forgiveness and of His desire to be close to me led me down a new path. I craved a deeper knowledge of His love. As I hungered for God as never before. He helped me face obstacles that had hindered me from fully realizing His love.
My compulsion to please everyone, to follow all the rules, and do everything "right" acted as a cataract, clouding my vision of His love. I studied God's word and poured all my energy and intellect into trying to understand it and apply His truths. That left little energy or time just to sit in His presence and allow Him to speak to my spirit. I was convinced of His truth in my mind but not in my heart. I had not given Him the opportunity to meet with me in stillness and quietness so He could commune with me. I lived in the emptied-out places of my life rather than in the Christ-filled abundance He desired for me.
I longed to give up completely anything separating me from Jesus. Things like perfectionism, depression, bitterness, anger and others. I began to recognize these traits as false self-identities that weighed down my soul. They were eating me up alive and taking up space that God wanted to occupy in me. I had allowed them to dictate who I was rather than allow God to fill me with His Spirit.
What about you? Are there things that you have allowed to separate you from the One who loves you enough to die for you? Author Brant Hansen, says it this way:
"If you find your value- your "glory", as Scripture refers to your self-worth- in anything besides your identity as someone loved by God, you are never going to be truly content. That means ever-present threat, which makes being offended a way of life. And that state of constant threat, that way of life, is deadly." -Brant Hansen, Unoffendable
After surrendering my life, attitudes, and motives to God, He graciously replaced my false self perception with His truth about me. I am God's beloved. Not because of anything I do, but because of who Christ is and what He accomplished for me and for you at the cross. This process helped me experience God on a much deeper level and enjoy life as God had intended.
Can you embrace such a love?
His arms are open. Run to Him. Rest in Him. Trust Him. He longs to reveal His love to you.
