The Persistent and Enduring Love of God

God loves His people. He holds His people in His heart with a true, strong, clean love. He protects them against any force that attempts to attack Him through those He cares for. The Lord Almighty, full of power and might, riding the clouds and making the mountains melt by His touch, causing the seas to flee and dry up at His word, the very God of all glory and majesty opens Himself up and makes Himself vulnerable by offering His love to us.

Every day, across the world, in every country and city and building and heart, He shares and shows His love through His merciful gifts of grace. When people turn from His offered blessing, rejecting His provision, spurning the love He speaks into their hearts, instead reaching again for those things that have never brought satisfaction, it is just as painful to Him as it is when our child or friend or family member responds to us in the same way.

But our Redeemer does not close up or withdraw. He offers again, He presents His love another way, He continues without discouragement even as the wounds, the rejections, are daily and hourly occurring. What marvelous grace! What strong determination! What enduring patience and acceptance! He knows time is short and will not let any one be without a way off the deadly path we all start out following.

He has many who have seen the love He freely gives and have accepted gratefully the rescue and the redemption He has prepared. Perhaps that is why there is such rejoicing in heaven for each one who is found and brought into the fold. The pain of such a multitude of rejections which is willingly accepted and unwaveringly endured is paid for by the joy given from one who does embrace the proffered gift and returns the love of the Father.

To love is to be vulnerable. God is love. Let's not be surprised while we are about our Father's work that pain and sadness and sorrow are present. God is feeling what we feel, and He still is able to lift and comfort us. When we see how His love is continually extended to those who reject Him, do we then have the foundation to stand and actively reject the lies of the enemy which tries to say we have done something that will cause God to stop loving us? He hasn't stopped, nor will He. What He has done is eternal, and His lovingkindess is everlasting. We are safe within His love, engraved on His hands, held in His heart.

Psalms 73
v.23 Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.
v.24 You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory.
v.25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You.
v.26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
v.27 Those who are far from You will perish...
v.28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.

Father, words are not enough to speak the adoration that wells up in our hearts when we consider the incredibly rich gifts of love, of Yourself, that You have given us. Guide us as we go forth today and speak Your love to others. Gift us with words and wisdom, grace and mercy, strength and vulnerability, to be your messengers to those You seek.

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