...other meditations

true love

it's february and what better subject to write about than love. God's amazing love for us, that is. His love for us is so deep, so high, so long and so wide that nothing on earth compares to it. but first, i need to explain the reason why i am writing about love. it's not just because valentine's day is around the corner, but that i really needed to share something with you that has been on my heart.

i needed to confess something to you this month. i needed to confess my sin of self-righteousness and idolatry. in recent weeks, i began feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit as i read about the israelites and their own sin of idolatry. i was so deeply saddened by what was revealed to me that i was compelled to get down on my knees and pray to my Father in Heaven. i confessed my sin and asked God for forgiveness. here's the story…

when reading the old testament, i've questioned, many times, how the israelites could have possibly turned their back on God. what more did the israelites need? God was with them. as they were led from slavery to freedom, they witnessed many miracles. to name a few, they were guided by a huge cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. they witnessed moses, through the power of God, part the waters of the red sea for their escape. the Lord also fed them with manna when they grew hungry and water flowed from a rock when they were thirsty. yet their idolatrous behavior seemed to creep back into their lives for centuries after. my self-righteous heart cried out ‘if only they would have not turned their back on God, they wouldn't have had to stay in that miserable desert for forty years!' if only they…

well, my friends, shame on me. i am no better than the israelites. i've turned my back on God many times. in fact, i recall the time when i rededicated my life to Christ. my relationship with Him was renewed and refreshed. i believe that i was truly in love with my Saviour. so, what happened? i suppose over the years, my love for Him softened. i failed to follow earnestly after Him. like the israelites, i witnessed many miracles as He provided for my needs. God has blessed me beyond belief, yet i turned my back on Him and sought after other (more important? no!) things. if only i…

the good news is, our God is a god of love. He is always there to pick us up and bring us back. He is so merciful and so forgiving. after all, the Word of God says while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (romans 5:8). God not only remembered the love and devotion of His people israel , but He remembers the love and devotion we all once had for him. jeremiah reminds us of that:

the Word of the Lord came to me: "go and proclaim in the hearing of jerusalem : " `I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me and followed Me through the desert, through a land not sown. jeremiah 2:1,2

there is nothing in this world more important than your relationship with Jesus Christ. and there are many things on this earth that will try very hard to pull you in the other direction. the farther we are from Him, the more lost and out of love we become.

in closing, i repented for my heinous sin and God graciously forgave me. fortunately, He will never remember my sin, but He will always remember that day when i first fell in love with Him. thanks and praise be to God!

i love you Lord,

tamara