02/12/2026
Do we understand how precious we are to God? As we go about the process of worshipping Him, and building our faith in Him, do we realize that He is longing for us with even greater vigor? We readily accept that Jesus is His Son, but can we admit to ourselves how much God truly loves us and desires to reclaim us? Can we accept that the blood of Christ which was freely offered out of God’s love will completely cleanse those of us who believe this promise to be true? Can we receive God’s gift of grace without doubt or question? And do we agree to the terms of our adoption as His children?
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"”
Galatians 4:6 ESV
Well, God does love us. He loves both you and me. He doesn’t love us in the way we use the word today when we say such things as “I love the taste of that cake” or “I love how well they play that song.” No, God loves us in the truest sense of love, He loves us in the fullness of the Greek word Agape as His Spirit lovingly embraces ours completely. He loves us as His children and it is for this reason that He sent His Son Jesus, and now the Holy Spirit to us. He sent His Son to redeem us, and His Holy Spirit to reveal to us our lineage and prepare us for eternal life as part of His adopted family.
I was reading Pastor Andrew Murray today and he understood this amazing relationship. He spoke of how God continued to bring us to Himself and prepares us to join the rest of the family. Let’s read an excerpt from what he wrote...
“There is a great difference between the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father and the Son accomplished their work for and on behalf of humankind: salvation that prepared them for their acceptance. The Holy Spirit’s work is to impart to us the grace that enables us to accept and live out what the Father and the Son have provided.” - Andrew Murray
We live out the gift of Jesus Christ today in both our lives here in this world, and in the promise of the heaven that comes next. God didn’t send His Son just so that we could be good citizens of the here and now, and to treat each other well in the 24 hour a day world we live in; No, He sent Jesus to redeem us, and as the next step in perfecting and preparing us for eternity with Him. Then He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort us, and to teach us the grace and manners needed to enter into His presence and live in His house forevermore.
One of the favorite Psalms of every Christian shouts to us of this. So, if we read, or recite, the 23rd Psalm again, paying particular attention to the final verse we will hear...
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalms 23:6 ESV
This is the culmination of the Lord’s efforts, the finalization of God’s plan as He has prepared us to live within His house as His beloved children. We are longing and being prepared to live in the house of the Lord forever! We are being taught what it is to behave as the children of God and have joined the lineage of Christ. It is then that all the tedious scripture that seemed so redundant as we read it, and contained verse after verse of names will have taken on a new meaning to us...
“Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,”
Matthew 1:2 ESV
Suddenly these verses will have become personally wonderful... because now they will include us in the final count. Won’t it be a wonderful celebration when the final verse of this lineage reads this way...
“and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus, who is called Christ… and then I was born”
Matthew 1:16 ESV
We are indeed precious to God; so much so that The Bible contains book after book detailing the story of our struggle to know Him, and even greater than that... of His love for us and desire that we be returned to Him... it is the story of His eternal love for us!
So, let’s realize the love He has for us, and the great lengths He has gone to in order to redeem us, and to return us to His loving arms. When we refuse to accept the sacrifice of Jesus, and the grace of God; then we will have turned our backs on the Holy Spirit and the understanding he brings us. It is then that we have done far more than just refuse God... we have broken the heart of our Father by denying our spiritual lineage.
“ Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Matthew 12:31-32 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for loving me from the creation of the world. Thank you for desiring me to be your child, and for seeking my return despite my many failures. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ, my brother, to rescue me from the wilderness of my sin, and for your Holy Spirit that instructs me in what it means to rejoin your family. I weep at the goodness and love you extend to me, and at the pain and suffering I have caused you and Jesus. I shed tears of joy in understanding that your love for me never diminishes, never fades, never brings you doubt of my worth. Through all my sin and disobedience, you have pursued me and never given up hope. Help me Father to love you just as you love me. Help me to be Holy, and righteous in your eyes. Help me to appreciate fully the suffering of Jesus, and the grace you have shown me. Help me as I take my place in your house, and at your table. How can I ever understand such love except by faith, for you are beyond all understanding, and you love me with a love the depths of which I will never truly fathom? Holy, Holy, Holy are you, and greater is your Love than even the stars in the sky, and the sands of the earth. Help me to love you more every moment of every day Father, knowing that even then my love will fall short of your ultimate desire for me.
Amen
Rich Forbes