Friday, August 9, 2013

LOVED BEYOND OUR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND

Where would we be, if it were not for the grace of God?




Psalm 40:11-12
11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me. 

As David goes on in this psalm, he cannot help but remind himself of the grace of God in His life.

Where would we be, if it were not for the grace of God? How could God continue to preserve us, if He is not faithful? How would He continue to love us, if it were not for His steadfast love?

David realizes his utter sinfulness, and his humbly dependent response is the only appropriate one.

We are so blessed; we sin against Him and continue to ask forgiveness, resting in the promise of merciful forgiveness.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We should marvel at this promise, for the God of the universe is ready to repeatedly forgive those who are ready to confess their sins.

We should be ecstatic to know that the eternal God has loved His own us from eternity past, and will love us forever.

Ephesians 3:14-19
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” 

Understanding this kind of love is impossible for us, unless God causes us to understand its immensity.

How wonderful it is, to know that although we are so frequently unfaithful, God is faithful to His promises.

Philippians 1:6
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” 

God is at work in us and will continue to preserve us, even though we will fail Him.

As David looked at his life, aware of the many sins he had committed, he could only be overwhelmed by the wonderful privilege he had in his relationship with his God.

Are we appropriately overwhelmed by these realities? Have we let the cares of this world overshadow these truths? Have we believed the lie that God cannot forgive one or more of our sins? Does the thought creep in our minds that, as believers, we must earn God’s love and forgiveness?

Our relationship with God began because of His grace and faithfulness, continues only on that basis, and is preserved for the same reasons. God wants us to be completely dependent on Him.

Knowing these truths should produce appropriate responses.

We should forgive because we have been forgiven.

Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” 

We should be faithful in serving God.

1 Peter 4:11
“…whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

We should love one another fervently.

1 Peter 1:22-23
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”


May we live our lives with the appropriate gratitude to God and the godly response toward others!

No comments:

Post a Comment