*Devotion
Many in the world today make the claim that Jesus was just a good man or prophet. As followers of Christ, we know the truth. Jesus was more than just a man. He was God’s Son, God made flesh, 100% God and 100% man sent to the earth to be offered up as a once and for all propitiation and remediation for humanity’s sins so we could be back in right fellowship with God (John 1:1,14,18; John 16:28, Luke 3:22; Hebrews 2:17). He is THE Savior of the world. Nothing and no one can or will ever change that. Not even disbelief.
What is often asked and/or hard to believe by those who do not know Jesus is why He would go to such great lengths to be in right relationship with humanity. The answer is simple. Love. Perfect love. Perfected love, in that, there is nothing you can do that will cause His love to cease from pursuing you with all that He is. Love is not just something God does. It is who He is. God is love. Jesus is the outworking of God’s love in flesh form. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
A large part of what keeps people from accepting the love of God through Christ is that they have allowed Satan to deceive them into believing lies about who God is and His desires for them. Let us unmask a few of these lies and reveal THE TRUTH – Jesus Christ.
Lie #1 – I am unworthy of love. Let alone God’s love.
The truth is your being on earth is not an accident. Contrary to what today’s culture tries to deceive you into believing, your existence is not sourced by scientific theory or species evolution. You were created by the one, true living God. When something is created, it means that time, careful thought and attention are invested in its design. God fearfully and wonderfully made you (Psalm 139:14). In fact, the very hairs on your head are numbered (Luke 12:7). Let us exercise a bit of common sense here for a minute. If you were not of great value to God, why would He take the time to create you, including numbering the very hairs on your head. No one invests that level of time, care and attention into something that is of no value and means nothing to them. God loves you with all that He is.
Lie #2 – I have made too many mistakes for God to want to have anything to do with me.
The truth is there is nothing you do that has the power to separate you from God’s love. Nothing. The King James Version of Romans 8:38-39 renders it this way, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The beautiful, profound and matchless thing about God’s love is that He loves us with perfect knowledge. This means that, in His omniscience, He still chooses to love and be in relationship with you knowing everything about who you have been, are and will be. And everything about what you have done, are doing and will do. Despite your mistakes, no matter how bad you may think they are, God still loves and wants you (1 Peter 4:8).
Disclaimer: This does not mean that God will accept us living any kind of way and expect to be in relationship with Him. God has always been, is and will always be holy in nature. This means that sin is not worthy of existing in His presence. After you are born-again through Christ Jesus, you must willingly lay down the old man/woman’s ways and pick-up your new nature in Christ Jesus. This only occurs through a commitment to allow the Holy Spirit to transform you from the inside-out in words, thoughts and actions. The outworkings of this commitment is prayer, reading, studying and applying God’s Word to your life daily.
Lie #3 – There is no way I will ever be able to live up to God’s standards.
The truth is you will never be able to live up to God’s standards, in and of yourself. Do not worry. God, in His omniscience, knew this and provided a solution for that too. This is why when you become born-again through acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, God gifts you with His Holy Spirit to help and teach you (John 14:26). It is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life that empowers you with the desire and the strength to put forth effort to live a life pleasing unto God. It cannot be done without Him, but you must follow His lead.
I could go on and on about the lies Satan tells so many on earth about who God is and show where in Scripture these lies are undoubtedly and irrefutably dispelled. The bottom line is this. God loves you more than your human mind will ever comprehend. Take and moment and really think about this. The Creator of the Universe; Yahweh; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Jehovah; the Alpha and Omega; the GREAT I AM loves you more than life itself. And He does so freely. You do not have to compete for His love and affection. You do not have to prove anything to Him. You do not have to be concerned that His love for you will change. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” This means God’s love for you never ceases or changes. How can anyone resist a love like that?
Prayer for a Deeper Revelation of God’s Love Toward You
Father God, in the Name of Jesus, first, I would like to say thank you for your perfect love toward me. Even though I am undeserving of it, you still choose to love and be in relationship with me. Please forgive me for taking this for granted. I need and want all your love. Help me to receive the fullness of your love in every area of my life. Bless me with a deeper revelation of your love so that I not only receive it but am a conduit by which it can flow to others I come in contact with on a daily basis. Holy Spirit, I ask you to help me to be disciplined in seeking God through prayer, reading, studying and applying God’s Word to my life daily. Holy Spirit, empower me to not just be a hearer of the Word but a doer also so I will not be deceived by Satan’s lies anymore. I declare that I am right now putting off the old man/woman’s ways and picking up my newness of life in Christ Jesus. By faith, I receive and praise you for what I have prayed for in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s Challenge
Today, I am challenging you to respond with action in the following ways:
1. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show you any lies that you have believed about God’s love toward you that has hindered your relationship with Christ.
2. Find and read aloud three Scriptures that speak to that/those area(s), confess them over your life, write them down and meditate on them throughout the day. To Get You Started: Read, meditate on and pray Jeremiah 31:3 and James 1:22-25.
3. Keep a journal with you throughout the day and take note of any revelations the Holy Spirit gifts you as you meditate on these Scriptures.
4. Before you go to bed, write down one action step you are going to take to align this area to God’s Word. Find and share with your accountability partner.
5. Comment below what the Holy Spirit revealed to you and how you are going to partner with God to become more like Christ in this area.