Do you know why I love Jesus? He never gave up on me. Despite my rebellion against him he never walked away. Despite my disobedience he never washed his hands of me. Despite my whining and complaining he never got frustrated and left me to my own. Despite my disbelief he never stopped believing in me. When Jesus tells me he loves me it comes with a depth of action that no one else can match.
If we all know this, how can any of us not understand and accept the blessings of God today?
Look up!
Jesus loves us as the Father loves us and the Father has loved us before he called light into being. He loved us and he laid out his plan to rescue us even before he created man, before man had a chance to rebel, before any of this happened. Yes, our Father knew exactly what was going to happen and he made is plans to counter it with love and then he went ahead with bringing everything into being.
He went ahead with it because he wanted you to have the opportunity to know him. He wanted the opportunity, even the possibility of the opportunity, of being with you.
It is like the mom and dad who get the news that their unborn child has a defect. The doctor asks if they want to terminate the pregnancy. But their heart is already so full of love for that child that they can't imagine never meeting her. Despite the cost they want to know that child and fill her life with their love. The only difference is that our Father heals our defects.
Get this:
In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons 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. (Ephesians 1:5-6)
Predestined, not as in done without our will. Predestined, as in we are destined for salvation, as in it is ours if we accept it. It is our Father's will, desire, longing and hope that everyone would be saved from the destruction of our rebellion.
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4)
He loves us all that much! He loves all of us that much, sinner and saint.
Having a hard day, week, month, year? Then be encouraged this morning by embracing this blessing that, according to our Father's pleasure and will, he has always planned to adopt you as his son. We say "son" here because in the tradition of the Bible it is the son who inherits the blessings of the father, and in this sense we have all been called sons, male and female. Don't lose the beauty of this blessing over the male and female issue.
The fact is, our Father considered the thought of you before he called the light into being and fell in love with you, deciding he wanted you to be his. Before he said "Let there be light" he was already in love with you.
Reflect on that today and see how blessed you end up feeling.
And he did this through the first born, who he dearly loves, our Lord and King, Jesus! Yes, the same Jesus who never gives up on us no matter what.
Oh, I feel the need to find a rooftop and shout out my love and praises for such an incredibly Father and his Son who shares his Father's love for us.
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