11/15/2019
We are meant to be God’s people, but do we turn our back on the one who has given us shelter and protection, and snapped at the hand that has fed us? When God called to us He showered us with His love and care through Jesus, but over time have some of us have become fixed once again on our own abilities, our own desires, and forgotten whose children we are? Have we spurned heaven, that eternal place we call home? If so, then what awaits us now, and has God lost His love for us?
“But the Lord 's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”
Deuteronomy 32:9 ESV
Years ago I was fishing on a cold and icy morning when I heard the whining of a dog on the riverbank above my head. I listened for a while and then thought that maybe it was a dog who wouldn’t leave its injured master. So I pulled my boat up to a tree, tied it, and climbed up over the bank Into the forest. There, huddled in some bushes was an orphaned puppy... not much more than six weeks old, and no one was around. I called out and received no answer, so I picked up the little fellow, tucked him into the warmth of my coat, and carried him with me the rest of the day. He was now mine.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."”
Luke 19:10 ESV
So I took the puppy home with me at the end of the day, and he laid still in the warmth of my coat, snuggled against my chest, until arriving there I bathed him, watered him, fed him, and held him to me as I rested. He was mine, and he loved me.
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
Deuteronomy 14:2 ESV
Then as my puppy grew into a dog he began to misbehave, and he dug large holes under the foundation of my house. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t break him of that habit, so one day I called the animal shelter and asked them to find another home for him; I asked that they find a large property where he could roam and be his natural self. He was breaking my heart, and yet I loved him still. This is much like God loves us, even when He can’t tolerate our behavior, our sin, and we have turned away from His teaching, He loves us.
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 ESV
It is easy to fall victim to our own nature, and forget the love and care of God who has chosen us. It is easy to take God for granted, and place ourselves above Him, but there are consequences for such behavior. Unlike my dog, we understand our disobedience, and have chosen willingly to reject, or turn away. So we have knowingly set ourselves at odds with God’s commandments, and Word. In this way we have separated ourselves from Him, but despite that, and the fact that there are consequences to pay, He does not harbor hatred against us, and much like His making clothes for Adam and Eve, He will still have a heart for us... first came the punishment, but then the extension of His kindness.
“And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”
Genesis 3:17-21 ESV
So, are we ready to face punishment? Are we ready to disappoint God, and lose our place with Him in eternity? Are we choosing to behave in such a way that He must act to separate us from Himself? God can’t abide with sin, so how are we to present ourselves to Him? Certainly we must chose righteousness over sin, and thus Heaven over Hell... this is His desire.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for choosing me from the world, and placing me close to your chest so that I might feel your love and warmth. Thank you for your provision, and sustenance, as you care for me. Help me Holy Father to remain obedient to your Word, and to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Call to me should I wander, and wait for my return when I have strayed. Convict my spirit Lord so that I will remain true to you, and turn away from the temptation, and lure, of the world. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who has loved me in spite of myself, and makes me clothes to cover even my most naked of sins. Great are you who washes me in the blood of a Jesus, and dresses me in the redemption robe of Christ. Praised be your name Merciful Father for the undeserving grace you have extended me, and for hearing my prayers of remorse and contrition as I beg for forgiveness. Have mercy on me Father, and open my eyes to every transgression I have committed so that I can renew the loving relationship that awaits me in you.
Rich Forbes