Profitable Living

What does your daily life look like? Is it simply a matter of existing to get what you want by carrying out your plans? Do you acknowledge that God is real and personal and yet live like he is far away?  Do you subtly view Sunday worship as a means to an end — your part in receiving God’s blessing – a kind of religious blue chip stock? Is your faith a lived-out kind of faith or are you just going through the religious motions?

This was the reminder that Zechariah gave to the people of Judah.  Having returned to their homeland following the long exile in Assyria and Babylon, the people were in the process of putting life back together.  They were rebuilding the Temple and reestablishing their religious lives.  But God wanted them to be more than religious, he wanted an internalized faith that was expressed in daily life.  “In your holy festivals, you don’t think about me but only of pleasing yourselves,” (Zech. 7:6). As things were returning to normalcy, God warned them not to become hardened to his word and his Spirit as their forebears had become.  “Your ancestors would not listen… they stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing.  They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the law or the messages that the LORD Almighty had sent them by his Spirit though the earlier prophets,”  (Zechariah 7: 11-12).

To really live profitably, that is, in a way that would please God and honor him as their Lord, their faith would have to be a lived-out faith that affected all areas of their lives.  It couldn’t just be a one day a week thing. “This is what the LORD Almighty says: Judge fairly and honestly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and poor people. And do not make evil plans to harm each other, ” (Zech. 7:8-10). “Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Do not make evil plots to harm each other. And stop this habit of swearing to things that are false,” (Zech 8:16-17).  The test of their faith was simple: love for others and especially those who were helpless.  And a commitment to a truth-filled, honest, just life.  God wanted them to do the right thing according to what He determined was right, no matter what it cost them.

God’s desire for our lives is no less today than it was when this was written.  This is still what God looks for from those who follow him. Jesus said, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”  Because of his cross and the forgiveness he has given us, he calls us to forgive others and be merciful to those who don’t deserve it.  Jesus asks us to know the truth so that the truth can make us free — and he himself is Truth.  Our lives are to be centered around Him.  Therefore his call to us is more than just Sunday-faith.  It’s a lived-out faith.  It’s an all of life faith. It’s an every day commitment and reliance upon him.  Are you making a profitable living?

Putting the Pieces Together

Life is difficult. It’s especially tough for those who have faced trauma or been victimized.  Though an immediate hardship may end, though abuse or dysfunction may be left behind, inner freedom is not automatic. It’s typical to remain emotionally bound by the past. It’s hard to put the pieces of life back together and move forward with hope and enthusiasm.

This was likely the case for God’s people in Judah to whom the prophet Zechariah spoke. Because of their ancestors’ sins and dysfunctions, their families had been displaced from their homeland to Assyria and Babylon. However, by God’s sovereign grace, a remnant of Jews returned to Jerusalem following a 70 year exile. These Jews returned to their homeland under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel.  Their first goal was to rebuild God’s Temple, but their initial zeal was quickly squashed by resistance from the local residents. The rebuilding of God’s House halted. The people had been used and abused by others for so long, that they had very little strength to accomplish the task of rebuilding their lives. Though they had obtained freedom, they struggled to live in the reality of their true identity as God’s uniquely chosen and treasured people.

Zechariah spoke into this condition so as to help the people recover from the immobilizing pain of the past and to reestablish their true identity. He spoke of hope for the future to enable them to recover in the present. He encouraged them through vivid visions that God was at work and healing was at hand.  Above all, in the midst of the difficulty of putting the pieces of life back together, he assured them that the power for rebuilding was ultimately not their own.  “‘It’s not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6).

We are driven in today’s competitive culture to be independent of God and man.  We expect ourselves to out perform others and push ourselves harder when we don’t.  When we reach our limit, we become depressed, turn to addictions or fall to pieces.  God wants us to turn completely to him and to accomplish his purposes in his strength.  God tells the apostle Paul  in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  It is God’s Spirit in us accomplishing the things of God that pleases God.  And the whole of our existence is to glorify him.  When you think about it, it’s quite a contrast, isn’t it?

God has the power to accomplish healing and freedom in your life with regard to anything you might face.   Though your own power is limited, his is not.   “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” Matthew 19:26.  Trust him, he loves you and he’s got this.

Big Daddy Love

As a precocious, bright and self-reliant 4-year-old, my daughter often found the confines of our home overwhelming.  She just knew there was more to life than our simple rules and routines.  She  wanted to see the world.  As such, one day she ran away from home.  She didn’t get far; really just down the street.  I remember watching her through the window as she defiantly set out on her journey of no return with her little backpack filled with meager but necessary supplies: her doll, her juice cup and a small morsel to eat.  (Note: we lived on a secluded street in a safe neighborhood with little traffic so I wasn’t fearful for her safety. And though I didn’t let her see me, I followed her and never allowed her out of my sight).

She made it to the end of the street before she sat down on the corner and had a hard cry.  I think the realization of her impulsive decision and the prospect of her utter aloneness in a vast world had caught up to her.  Something in me resisted swooping in to  rescue her too soon.  My heart broke as I watched her wrestle with her anger and defiance regarding the rules; this is what sent her fleeing in the first place, and the enormity of her decision to leave. It wasn’t long before she decided to turn back for home and it was then that I emerged from where I was watching over her. When she saw me, she ran into my arms in tears.  I held her for a long time and assured her of my love. As we slowly walked home together, she said, “Daddy, I’m sorry I ran away. Do you still love me?”

During her flight from me, neither her defiance, rebellion, nor departure ever changed my love and concern for her.  Her behavior didn’t affect my heart toward her.  My love for and commitment to her never changed. Our relationship as parent and child was still in tact, perhaps even strengthened by her decision to run away.  I would follow her!  I would never let her go.

Such was God’s heart toward Israel when they abandoned him.  He compared himself to a father who loves and provides for his child. “When Israel was a child, I loved him as a son and I called my son out of Egypt…. It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand… I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck and I myself stooped to feed him,” (Hosea 11:1-4). Despite God’s fatherly care for his people, “they rebelled… no matter how much He called out to them,” by running off to follow the ways of the world (v 1-2). They forgot that God had provided for and protected them. “But Israel doesn’t know or even care that it was I who took care of him,” (v 3).  Though they left him and would suffer the consequences of their decisions, God’s Father heart was filled with an unceasing love.  Though he was angry with them,  his judgment would not completely destroy them. “No I will not punish you as much as my burning anger tells me to. I will not completely destroy Israel,” (v 9).  God knew that when the people finally grew sick of their independence and entanglement with evil, and when they clearly understood through experience just how futile and destructive it was to forsake Him,  they would remember God’s care and return to him again. “For someday the people will follow the LORD. I will roar like a lion, and my people will return from the west. Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt. Flying like doves, they will return from Assyria. And I will bring them home again,” says the LORD,” (v 10-11).

When we have run away from God and the pain and consequences of our decisions have caught up to us, we may wonder how God could still love us.  But God asks, “Oh, how can I give you up…? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you…? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows… For I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you and I will not come to destroy,” (v 8-9). St. Paul describes God’s unshakeable love this way: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:38-39 NLT).

A gateway of hope

“I will transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope,” (Hosea 2:15)

The book of Hosea is a remarkable book because it graphically portrays the heart of God and His great love for wayward people.  God called the prophet Hosea to be a living, breathing, walking-about demonstration of God’s patient, sacrificial, and costly love for His people.  God commanded Hosea to marry a prostitute named Gomer, whom He knew would be unfaithful to Hosea. God said, “Go and marry a prostitute so some of her children will be born to you from other men. This will illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the LORD by worshipping other gods,” (Hosea 1:2). Hosea and Gomer were a living picture of God and Israel.  Despite their great sinfulness and their wandering hearts, God loved his people, remained faithful to them and wanted relationship with them.

But Gomer, like Israel, was unfaithful. As soon as her children were born, Gomer chose to prostitute herself again and soon became enslaved. Despite this betrayal, God commanded Hosea to redeem her.   God wanted Hosea to buy her back from slavery to demonstrate his extraordinary love for her and so to illustrate God’s long-suffering commitment to his people. “The Lord said, ‘Go and get your wife again. Bring her back to you and love her, even though she loves adultery. For the LORD still loves Israel even though the people have turned to other gods…So I bought her back for fifteen pieces of silver and about five bushels of barley and a measure of wine.” (Hosea 3:1-2).

Through Hosea, God was showing that He is the one who makes the first move. God makes the second move. God makes all the moves when it comes to relationship with Him. Like Gomer, we have all prostituted ourselves by becoming enamored with other “loves.” We are routinely unfaithful to God because of our sin and inordinate desires.  But God, because he is rich in mercy came after us. Though our sin had landed us in the “Valley of Trouble,” He transformed that trouble into a “gateway of hope,” (Hosea 2:15).   He himself paid the great price of our redemption through the cross of Jesus Christ. In the book of Romans we hear: “While we were still sinners, God sent his Son, Jesus, who gave his life for us,” (Romans 5:8). Despite the “other loves” in your life that receive more affection from you than God himself, he continues to pursue you.  He is calling you to leave the “Valley of Trouble” and enter into his “gateway of hope.”

Allow yourself to rest in the reality of God’s love for you. Know that even when you have chosen unfaithfulness to God, he is still pursuing you. You can never be “worthy” of his love, but he comes after you anyway. It is always His desire to restore you to relationship with him.

Loving God Wholeheartedly

First, it’s good to be back blogging on the Scriptures as we continue our journey through the Bible this year. We have been away these past couple of weeks ministering at Camp St. Christopher and simply had so much to do that there was no time to write.  We had a tremendous time as we saw many young people respond to God and offer their lives to him in love and surrender.  Thanks for your prayers!

Our return lands us knee-deep in the book of Jeremiah. Few people have ever had as difficult a call from God as Jeremiah did.  His was to call God’s people to repent and return to the Lord. When they continually refused, his call was to announce destruction and exile upon the nation. No one likes a nay-sayer.  Because of this Jeremiah was not popular.  Not with the priests, other “prophets”, the government officials, nor the king – no one escaped the Lord’s critique through Jeremiah’s prophecies. It must have been incredibly difficult for Jeremiah to continually bear bad news and to be ignored! He endured sorrow and heartbreak because of the people’s apathy toward God and their scorn and indifference toward his ministry.

God’s people had become rebellious, self centered and complacent. They believed that their identity as the chosen people of God meant they could behave carte-blanche. They believed that the prosperity they enjoyed because of their covenant relationship with God was actually something they had achieved by their own ingenuity and resourcefulness.  They didn’t see or believe how their behavior turned them away from God.  They couldn’t believe God would punish them, despite how they behaved.  They refused to listen to God’s warnings through Jeremiah. And while they continued to practice “religion” in an external way (what we would call going through the motions of faith), they had no real connection with the Living God. In short, they had the trappings of faith without actually believing and living by faith. The arrogance of their hearts was tremendous. They wanted God’s blessings but did not want God. They wanted the benefits of relationship with God, yet refused to live in accordance with the nature of God and in conformity to the ways of God.  Compounding their problem was that they had plenty of religious leaders telling them God was pleased with them; that no harm would befall them; and that peace and prosperity would remain.  But this was not God’s assessment.  God was not pleased.

In this, there is a warning for us.  We must see that there is the potential within every one of us to take the grace of God and make it an excuse for license.  We can take the wonder of God’s grace and make it an idol that hides and approves of the sin our own hearts. I don’t think this happens right away in anyone’s life. It creeps in gradually.  We begin well by rightly understanding there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor.  There is nothing that we can do on our own to  be righteous. Salvation is the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. And so we turn to God in faith by trusting that his grace alone will save us.  But unless we allow God to thoroughly restore our hearts and lives, unless we repent deeply and walk intimately with him each day, the sin that is so prevalent within us can easily cause us to take advantage of his good will toward us.  Soon, we like the Israelites, can begin to subtly expect God’s grace regardless of the sin in  our hearts. Perhaps we even begin to believe that because of his grace we need not live lives that are being reformed daily by his Spirit. On the one hand, it is right to rest in him knowing that we cannot achieve anything on our own. Yet on the other hand, we need to cling to him and be responsive to his ways and promptings. The key to living in this tension is staying in relationship to God.  It is key that in response to the revelation God has given us, we learn to love him wholeheartedly. We learn to yield to his promptings. We learn to walk in his ways. Otherwise, we may be in danger of enjoying the blessings of being his people while simultaneously forgetting to remain in relationship with him.  Do we love God for what he does for us and what he gives us? Or do we simply love God for who he is and all he has already done for us?

I pray that we will be like the good figs of Jeremiah 24.  God says of these people, “I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole hearts,” (Jeremiah 24:7).

 

The Real Jesus

If Jesus had a Facebook page, which picture would he use for his profile?  Would it be gentle Jesus, meek and mild with a baby lamb on his shoulders? Would it be Jesus laughing as the little children bounded into his arms? Would it be Jesus feeding the 5,000?  Would it be the righteously angry Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the temple? Would it be Jesus reclining at the Last Supper with his beloved disciple John resting against him?  I’m guessing, like us, he would change his profile picture from time to time to reflect the status of his life.

Today as we begin the book of Revelation, we see another picture of Jesus.  It’s actually the most detailed, physical description of him in the bible.  It’s a very symbolic picture that’s filled with meaning and designed to reveal him as he is now in his glory.  In this picture, he no longer suffers.  We see none of the lowliness that marked his life on the earth.  And while he is still humble of heart, this picture is of Jesus the strong, majestic, powerful, royal and exalted Lord of all.

The apostle John, while imprisoned on the island of Patmos, received this revelation of Jesus one Sunday while he was worshiping in the Spirit (Rev 1:10-17). John first heard a voice behind him that sounded like a trumpet blaring in power and declaration. As he turned to see who it was that was speaking to him, he saw the “Son of Man.”  This was the title Jesus had always given himself (taken from the prophet Daniel; see Daniel 7:13).  While John clearly saw a man, the man he saw was more than simply human. He was the Son of Man who is also the Son of God. Everything about him symbolized majesty and judgment.  And it is this reality about Jesus; that he is King and Judge, that fills the book of Revelation.  It’s this picture of him, who he is in his eternal glory, that closes out the bible.

As John looked, he saw Jesus dressed in a robe reaching down to  his feet — flowing robes symbolized dignity and honor. Across his chest was a golden sash.  The combination of these two items declares his high priestly duties before God on behalf of people.  His head and hair were white like wool — he is the the Ancient of Days completely pure and wise. His eyes were like blazing fire — he sees and knows all and brings hidden things to light. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace — brass symbolized judgment. His voice was like the sound of rushing waters — power and majesty are his and he speaks creation into being with the song he sings. What a juxtaposition.  Creation birthed through music.

In his right hand were seven stars — he holds the church, its people, and all of creation together and in his care. From his mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword — his word pierces, divides and separates all that it contacts. His face was like the sun shining in its brilliance– Oh the wonder of who he really is! He is the all-glorious God, the Living One, who overcame death and is alive forevermore!

When John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” saw Jesus in his majesty, “he fell at his feet as though dead,” (1:17). But the Lord touched him and said, “Don’t be afraid!”  John, who knew Jesus as intimately and closely as anyone on earth, was overwhelmed as if dead when he saw Jesus in his majesty.  And yet, Jesus in his kindness, did not want his beloved John to be afraid of him. The message is clear.  There’s so much more to Jesus than just one scene of his life. He is more than a wise teacher. He is more than a great prophet.  He is not one among many religious leaders.  He is God Almighty himself, the King and Judge, before whom everyone of us will stand in jaw-dropping awe and worship one day. And yet, he is kind and wonderful to all who come to him.  He doesn’t want us destroyed and overwhelmed by who he is. He is absolutely for us.

Have you experienced this Jesus?  Do you know him as he really is?

God’s Love

“If you love me, why are you treating me this way?  Wouldn’t love treat me better than this?”

That was my heart’s cry to God in the middle of the night on a cold basement floor in Ambridge, Pennsylvania in 1997. I was in my first year of seminary and life looked bleak. My father had recently died. We had moved from the South to the North and were experiencing both culture shock and seasonal affective disorder.  We had to relocate 2 more times in a span of four months due to terrible and unsafe housing situations — and that with a 3 year old and a very pregnant wife. Our last move came as the result of a plumbing issue that caused our basement to back up with all the sanitation waste from the houses on the hill above us.  The wretched filth destroyed all of our family pictures and important mementos.   The timing of the last move came just days before Christmas – we could barely celebrate due to boxes and exhaustion.  By January it was utterly bleak.  We had 15 days straight of ice and snow; and not the pretty, serene kind you see on postcards and movies. This was infused with the pollution of steel country and had a greyish black look to it.   At three in the morning I was up and in my study in the dark, cold basement. My heart boiled over at that point.

I wept before the Lord. I was confused and disappointed.  I had left my lucrative and rising career to serve God with my life. I had removed my young family from all that was known and safe to us and jumped on what felt like “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.” I was missing my father, whom I had led to faith in Christ not long before his death.  It seemed as though I had just gotten him back and he was taken away from me again. And perhaps the worst part of it, I was spiritually empty.  I had come to a community of faith where people were joyfully loving and serving God, yet to me, the experience was as dry as  dust in my mouth.

I cried out to God, “If you love me, why are you treating me this way?  Wouldn’t love treat me better than this?” As I lay on the floor splayed out before the Lord I had a vision.  It was of the cross of Jesus Christ.  It wasn’t the pretty bronze cross that we process behind as we enter church. It was the bloody, cruel instrument of torturing death.  I saw the body of the Lord in his brokenness and pain. I felt the loneliness of Jesus that came from his friends’ betrayal and abandonment. I sensed the derision and scorn of the religious elite. I saw the anguish on his face as His Father looked away from him as the sin of the world, as my sin, was placed upon him. It nearly broke me.  And then I heard the Lord speak to my heart. He said, “On that day in space and time my love for you was forever demonstrated and sealed.”

And I had the answer.  God’s love is not dependent upon anything but himself.  God’s love for us is not proved nor disproved by the outward circumstances in life.  God’s love is not conditioned by our behavior.  God loves because God loves us. As the Apostle John tells us, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins,” (1 John 4:9-10).

No matter what you are experiencing today, whether good times or hardship, know this: God loves you and has demonstrated his love decisively in the cross of Jesus Christ.  He has done absolutely everything necessary to bring you to himself.  Let the cross be your guide today.  Keep it before your eyes and close to your heart. Meditate on its beauty and power and embrace the love of God for you.

Who Do You Love the Most?

When I was in elementary school I had many notes passed to me by my fellow students.  These notes sought out crucial relational information. They said things like, “Do you like me? Check the box yes or no.”  “Who are the three cutest girls in the class. List in order below.”  Then there was the most serious kind of note — the love note questionnaire.  It invariably inquired: “Who do you love the most?”  There would either be a list of 3 or 4 names from which to select or there would be a blank line on which you could scribble the name of your choice. The greatest thing in the world was discovering (or being shown by an accomplice) that your name was selected at the top of the list. Likewise, there was nothing more crushing, no matter how much you denied it, than finding yourself rejected.

God asks each of us a variation of the same question. He doesn’t ask it in a juvenile or needy way.  But he does ask:  “Among all the options you have in this world for your affection and allegiance, who or what do you love the most?”

God’s great desire is that each one of us would live in an intimate love relationship with him. He longs that you would select him from the list of all the options that exist. He desires that you would write Jesus’ name on the blank line.  As Rick Warren says in his book What On Earth Am I Here For?, “God made you to love you, and he longs for you to love him back.”  But there are many other “lovers” in this world from which we can choose.  The Living God is only one among many options.  The world itself competes with God for your allegiance and alliance.  The apostle John warns, “Don’t love the world’s ways. don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father,” (1 John 2:15 The Message).

Today I pass a note to you in the form of this blog.  I urge you to make your choice. Choose to love the Lord above all other options.  And then make your selection known by living in such a way that your love for God is easy for everyone to see.

Point of Entry

Have you ever traveled past a large gated property?  Long before you see the dwelling, you can begin to tell the property’s condition by looking at the gate. The gate serves as the point of entry in the boundary that has been laid around the property.   Some gates are shiny and new; others are worn and faded but still functioning.  If the gate is intact, chances are the property is intact.  It’s not an absolute guarantee; however, when a property’s gate is latched and functioning, generally the dwelling and property are in working order as well.  The gate is the first thing you encounter before coming to someone’s home.  It is serves as a measure of protection but also a form of welcome.  It can be a warm welcome or a cold one.  The gate is the place you start any relationship you are going to have with this property.

In Nehemiah 3, we come to the devastated city of Jerusalem.  Jerusalem was the center of the Israelites’ spiritual lives.  Its heartbeat was in the Temple where God met with his people.   The wall around Jerusalem had been destroyed by war and neglect.  The gates no longer functioned to protect or welcome anyone to the city.  They were in disrepair.   As the Israelites began to rebuild the wall, they first had to repair and install the gates.

The gates are important to the city for a number of reasons.  First, they are a point of entry.  They prepare you for what you will encounter as you enter.  Will you find strength and health as you enter the city?  Or will there be apathy and disrepair?  The gate is also the gathering place for community.  The judges sat at the city gate to hear cases and decide on critical issues for the people.  The gates provide safety.  When the gates are intact and shut; no unwanted outsiders can enter the city.  The inhabitants enjoy security and peace.

Most of us do not own large gated properties.  We do however inhabit large spiritual properties.  These are guarded by the boundaries we set in our minds.  Our mind serves as a gate to protect our spirit and body.  What we allow in our thinking directly affects our spiritual and physical lives.  Many of us have walls and gates in disrepair.  Our boundaries are not in working order due to trauma, abuse, neglect, or poor choices.  We’ve been battered by the enemy in some shape or form and we’ve not returned to repair our boundaries.  The enemy seeks entrance to disrupt and harass us.  We no longer have judges sitting at our gates discerning and making wise decisions on our behalf.   We no longer welcome others into our lives.  We live in fear and insecurity.  Who can feel secure when the enemy roams around wreaking havoc in our lives?

We must rebuild the gates.  We must yield our minds to the Spirit of Christ and allow him to come and repair the damage.  Yielding to Christ is a choice we make.  It can start as simply as praying, “Christ, I yield my spirit to you.  Please heal my mind and restore my spirit and body to you.”  He always answers this prayer.  You can be assured of that.  It is his desire that the gates to our spiritual lives are in working order to welcome Him and to protect us from the enemy.  Once we are yielded to His presence, we maintain the working order of our gates by choosing carefully what we allow in.  “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Heading to church once a week to refuel is a great start but in reality; maintaining a strong, healthy mind and spirit takes daily, hourly, sometimes minute by minute maintenance. It requires regular renewal through the scriptures.  We open our gates to his presence and his Spirit but we must learn to carefully discern and shut everything else out.  While the work is done by his Spirit; we must make the choices throughout the day to welcome his love and to shut out all the doubts, irritations, lies, and confusion that the enemy wants to sneak in.  We rebuild and maintain the gates to our spiritual property each day by submitting to God’s loving presence and yielding our hearts completely to Him.

What Do You Put in a Love Letter

What do you put in a love letter?

If you were to write a love letter to the person you love most in the world, and let’s say it was to be the last love letter you wrote them, what would you say?

You certainly wouldn’t write about trivial things.  You wouldn’t write a treatise on breakfast cereals.  You wouldn’t detail the unseasonable weather you’ve been having.  You wouldn’t comment on the traffic patterns of your morning commute to work.

No. You would say what matters most. You would talk about your unfailing love. You would declare your allegiance.  You would speak about commitment. You would promise to be faithful and true no matter what the personal cost.  You would bring assurance and comfort and hope.

In the book of Hebrews we hear these words, “ In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in different ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe,” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Whereas God once spoke through the prophets, mere men who were called to be his servants, now he has spoken to us through Jesus, the Son of God.  Whereas he spoke “at many times and in different ways,” about his love for mankind, Jesus is God’s last word to the world. All that was revealed in the Old Testament led up to Christ who is God’s final and full revelation of his heart and commitment and love.  Christ’s life, his actions, his death on the cross to provide “purification for sins”, all declare in bold letters the infallible, unbreakable, unwavering love of God for you and me.  God no longer writes love letters. He no longer gives new revelations of his love. He has spoken finally and fully in Jesus and now he seeks to illuminate the majesty of what he has given us through the Son of his Love.  We don’t need angels to save us from sin.  No more work on our part is needed.  No other person is necessary.  There is nothing more that can be added to what he has already said.

Will you receive the revelation of his love for you? Will you allow Jesus to capture your heart? Will you allow yourself to remember the love you first had for him? Will you turn away from all other interests that compete for your allegiance? Will you trust that his love for you is all you really need?