December 21 Devotion
God’s perfect sovereign love is unchangeable. It is not able to be deterred, removed, or even decreased. It is permanent and it is perfect.
Consider this: The Father’s love for you remains even if you don’t receive it, even if you don’t believe it, even if you turn your back on Him and walk away. His Perfect, Sovereign, Permanent Love still stands. Regardless of our action, choices, feelings/emotions, words, faith or belief.
He sent His Son to die for the WORLD. Even for those who would not ever believe in Him. He loves those who don’t even give Him the time of day or acknowledge that He exists. His love is His love, it is not based on merit (Thank God for that!!) and it cannot be lost or won.
Our unfaithfulness does not affect His faithfulness.
This is not an excuse to sin, take our time obeying, or take Him for granted. But it is a truth that we need to get in our hearts.
Romans 8:35, 37-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Think about it this way: When your kids do something wrong (again and again) do you love them less? Are they any less your kid? Would you push them away if they wanted/needed a hug? Then why do we think that anything that we do could change God’s love for us? If we really understood the depth and expanse of God’s love for us it would be life-changing.
This is perhaps why Paul earnestly prayed this for the Church:
Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Imagine what an impact we would be on this world if we truly understood even a little more of the Love of God that we struggle to wrap our minds around. Lord, help us grasp a little more understanding of your vast, amazing love each day, starting today.