February 15 I Wednesday

Leviticus 17-18

Matthew 27:27-50

 

 

“Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.”     —Psalm 119:89-90

 

When God created the earth, He made people in His image so that He could enjoy a relationship with them. We see the beautiful picture of God walking in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, enjoying fellowship, friendship and a love relationship with them. But this was not enough for Adam and Eve, and because of the fall, the human race became separated from God as the Spirit of God designed to indwell the human race was withdrawn and now, “in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

       In the New Testament, God sent His Son to redeem humanity from sin, forgiven and brought into union with Christ as the Church with all the wonderful sufficiency of Jesus for their needs and purpose that they would be the means of transforming this world as salt and light. In a mysterious way, the relationship between a bride and a bridegroom, a husband and a wife, reflects the union of Christ and the Church—a relation of love. Yet, almost in every letter written to the early churches by Paul, Peter and John, have within them a complaint about the fact that they have turned away, they have departed or they have stopped doing what they were first doing.

       We see God created humanity and we fall; God calls the Church to Himself and yet we fail. Why? Because He created us to be loved and to love Him back, but love cannot be forced. To love is always to be vulnerable because that love may be received or that love may be rejected. The more deeply we love the more hurt we can be because that love can be spurned and rejected. Like how we can walk out of a marriage, a friendship or family, we can turn our backs on God. We have so often done that thinking and hoping we could find something of worth outside of God.

       Despite our unfaithfulness, we see throughout Scripture that God continues to pursue us in a love relationship. In Jeremiah 31:3, God tells us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” To the Romans, Paul writes, “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Time and time again, God woos His unfaithful people to return to relationship with Himself.

       May we come before God with a true heart of repentance for the foolishness in our thoughts and attitudes that turn us away from Him and know that we can receive His forgiveness, grace and love that draws us back into a relationship with Him.

Prayer: Lord God, I come before You with a true heart of repentance for turning away from You in my foolishness. Thank You for Your forgiveness, grace and love that draws me back into a relationship with You. Praise You!


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