God knows us inside and out; He knows the mistakes we have made and the times that we have failed, but He chooses to love us anyway. He loves us unconditionally, and He loves those of you who are not yet followers of Christ. He loves us more than we can fully comprehend. He wishes that none of us should perish and that we all should have a place in eternal life with Him in heaven (see 2 Peter 3:9). Sometimes, I think the Bible can be misunderstood, which leads to confusion about God and who He is. Yes, we should fear Him, and yes, there are commandments to follow, but these are all for our own good. It is not a form of control; it is not so God can lead us like a human ruler. We are His creation, and He loves us all unconditionally. God is love, and there is no darkness in Him. Everything He says to us is out of love, and it is because He wants the best for us. We need not live in constant human fear of Him, worried about losing our salvation every time we make a mistake. Jesus paid with His life for us to be saved and delivered, and God knows that since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we all inherited a sinful nature and are not perfect (see Romans 5:12). He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. We are all prone to making mistakes, and we are prone to follow our flesh, as it is in our nature since the fall (see Romans 3:23). However, that is why He sent His Holy Spirit to reside in us—to guide us, to give us a way out, and to provide wisdom and understanding beyond our own. The Bible explains it all. It states clearly in the Psalms, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), and “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
His word is love and serves as a guide to help us fight against our flesh. But God also knows that, in our fallen state with a sinful nature, it is hard to resist the flesh. That is why He asks us to take it step by step and live daily. He gives us our daily bread. His mercies are new each day in case we failed the day before. He wants to give us chance after chance after chance because He loves us and understands us in our fallen state. He also tells us to pick up our cross daily. Maybe we didn’t do so well the day before, or even the day before that, but each day we have the opportunity to pick up our cross and follow Jesus (see Luke 9:23). He commands us to because He knows that His ways lead to life—not just here on earth, but everlasting life.
He tells us all He does out of love. It is hard sometimes, but following Him is worth it. Building a relationship with Him is worth it. He already loves us with all He is; it is up to us to love Him with all our heart, mind, body, and soul (see Matthew 22:37). Love Him first. Build a relationship with Him. Understand and comprehend His ways, and that will give you the fire within to do all you need to do to work successfully for the Kingdom of God.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unending love, grace, and mercy. Thank You for sending Jesus to save us and for sending Your Holy Spirit to guide us. Help us to trust You fully, to lean not on our own understanding, and to live according to Your Word. Give us the strength to pick up our cross daily and follow You. Help us to build a deeper relationship with You and to understand Your ways. May we grow in love for You and for others as we work for Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." – 2 Peter 3:9
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned." – Romans 5:12
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." – Romans 3:23
"Then He said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.’" – Luke 9:23
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." – Matthew 22:37
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