Article for Sunday July 30, 2023
Deuteronomy 7:9 9Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.”
I think the world in its ways of distorting the truth has done itself in. The world does not know love and all they have to do to see love, is to see God for what and who He has made Himself to be.
To truly love someone, you are not going to lead them to do what is wrong which may lead them to death. No, truly if you love someone, you are going to lead them to do what is right and lead them to life, even to eternal life.
What the world calls love is a smoke screen to hide what the world is doing for itself. The world cares nothing about anything except for what will benefit itself. Pay attention to what is happening to our world and then pay more attention to where God wants you to be. The world will lead you across a busy street blindfolded and force you to do so. God will tell you that is not a good choice, and let your choice be yours.
We have a faithful God who keeps His promises and who actually loves us. He asks you to simply believe, but know what believing is. Believe is not a word to speak but a means to live. Believe is a confession of true faith. Remember the evil ones believe in Jesus Christ, but they live, if you can call it that, to die and take all whom they can with them. The world is being overcome with evil. However, Jesus Christ has overcome the world for all believers.
Romans 8:28 28We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
We are all called to be God’s children. So, we should also know that we have a God who loves us to life. What part of God’s love for you don’t you understand. We are now suffering growing pains, but soon we will reap the fruits of our salvation because of God.
I love God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength, as I’m sure you do also. However, as we look at ourselves, we see we are not using all our heart for God. We can see we do not put our soul in God’s hands. We set our minds many times on worldly things and not always on God. And we are not all that strong as our desires are set on other things. All the more, that we should realize God’s love for us even in all our weaknesses.
God has called us for a purpose, and that purpose is His, that we remain His children forever. We are called for the purpose to show God’s love to one another as we are to love one another. God’s purpose is that He loses none of those He has called for He dearly wants our love for Him. God wants our love, our faith, and our belief in the salvation He has perfected through Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:29–30 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
We are to be like Jesus Christ who died for our sin and forgave us all. So, we too should be forgiving, knowing that like all we too are not without sin. We become God’s children because God’s love gave His Son to die for our sins so that we can live. God marks us as His through our baptism. This is true love; this is God’s love for us.
The world wants you to accept everyone, not really love everyone, because the world does not love us. The world actually wants us to hate one another and keep us divided. God wants us to love Him and one another because He loves us first. So, here is the greater news. Jesus came to justify us regardless of our sin. And the Holy Spirit works for us to repent of our sin so that we may know we are forgiven into eternal life.
The even greater news is that Jesus justifies us not by our works but by His works on the cross. Jesus came to lead us, to save us, and to let us know we have a God who loves us to life, even eternal life.
Romans 8:31–32 31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Do you understand yet? Are you overwhelmed yet by God’s love for you? God loves you even the way you are. Why not dance in the isle, shout glory to God, and worship God prostrate on the ground. We have a God who actually lives, He is actually great, awesome and beautiful, and He actually loves us so greatly that He wants to keep us alive with Him forever and ever.
Romans 8:33–35 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
We cannot be condemned by anyone, because no one can keep us from being God’s chosen elected. We are God’s chosen children. I don’t care if I’m not His 1st chosen or the last chosen. I care because God opened His arms to you and to me to be alive, risen like our Lord Jesus Christ and sharing in the inheritance of eternal life, “with Him.”
Romans 8:37–39 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN!!!
Written by Pastor Curtis A. May