Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:9 "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man'...
Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 2:9"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man's. heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him." John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life."
Romans 5:8
"But God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Mark 12:30
"And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength."
"But God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Mark 12:30
"And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength."
GOD LOVES MAN
In this universe, there is a wonderful romance. It is the greatest love story. It is the earliest, longest, purest, deepest, strongest and the most mysterious of all love stories. The two parties in this love story are God and man. Could you believe that as a man, you are actually involved in this greatest love story of all? You may not have realized it yet, but the fact is God loves you. Yes, it is true that God really loves you. How sweet it is to know that someone loves you. How much sweeter still, to know that the One who loves you is God Himself! Yes, God has loved you even before you were born! In eternity past, God already had man in His heart and in time God created man in His image, according to His likeness (Gen. 1:26). After God created man, He said, "very good" (Gen. 1:31). This shows how pleased He was with man and how much God loves man because this man bears His image and likeness.
THE HEAVENS ARE FOR THE EARTH
THE EARTH IS FOR MAN
MAN IS FOR GOD
THE EARTH IS FOR MAN
MAN IS FOR GOD
God prepared everything for man. He first created the heavens for the earth and then the earth for man and eventually man was created for God. The heavens were ready, the earth was ready, and man who was created a tripartite being, with a spirit, soul and body (1 Thes. 5:23) and who was placed by God in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8) was also ready. The entire setting was right. The scene was beautiful. However, as in so many love stories, there was a third party, there was a spoiler.
SATAN'S FRUSTRATION
There was an evil and jealous third party who came in to frustrate and attempt to spoil this wonderful relationship between God and man. This spoiler is Satan, the adversary, God's enemy. Satan hates to see God gain man for Himself. He also hates to see man loving and enjoying God in true love and worship. Hence, he always tries to poison man, deceive him and draw him away- from God, from listening to God, from knowing God, and eventually from loving God. Throughout the history of God's relationship with man, Satan has always been trying to blind man towards God's love and God's good intentions for man. He puts doubts, injects fears, causes misunderstandings and questionings and fills man's heart with the cares of this world and the anxieties of life, with the intention that man's heart would be hardened towards God. He does not want God and man to love each other. He is jealous of God and he tries his best to damage the man created by God. Actually, he is trying to usurp God's position and wishes to capture and enslave man for himself.
There was an evil and jealous third party who came in to frustrate and attempt to spoil this wonderful relationship between God and man. This spoiler is Satan, the adversary, God's enemy. Satan hates to see God gain man for Himself. He also hates to see man loving and enjoying God in true love and worship. Hence, he always tries to poison man, deceive him and draw him away- from God, from listening to God, from knowing God, and eventually from loving God. Throughout the history of God's relationship with man, Satan has always been trying to blind man towards God's love and God's good intentions for man. He puts doubts, injects fears, causes misunderstandings and questionings and fills man's heart with the cares of this world and the anxieties of life, with the intention that man's heart would be hardened towards God. He does not want God and man to love each other. He is jealous of God and he tries his best to damage the man created by God. Actually, he is trying to usurp God's position and wishes to capture and enslave man for himself.
GOD'S DETERMINATION IN HIS Love FOR MAN
But praise God! Our God is determined to get what He wants and He is wiser and stronger than Satan. God would never force man to worship or love Him. There can never be true love, when one party is forced against his or her will. God loves man; God wants man to choose Him voluntarily. God's love and mercy reaches man even when man has rebelled and rejected Him. God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). Even though man had been deceived by Satan and had rejected God, God would not give up on man. He loves man and wants to save man for His own eternal purpose. He comes to man again and again until man's heart would turn to Him, receive Him and enjoy fully the love of God.
But praise God! Our God is determined to get what He wants and He is wiser and stronger than Satan. God would never force man to worship or love Him. There can never be true love, when one party is forced against his or her will. God loves man; God wants man to choose Him voluntarily. God's love and mercy reaches man even when man has rebelled and rejected Him. God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). Even though man had been deceived by Satan and had rejected God, God would not give up on man. He loves man and wants to save man for His own eternal purpose. He comes to man again and again until man's heart would turn to Him, receive Him and enjoy fully the love of God.
THE FIRST AND THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT—TO Love GOD
God loves man so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to come and die for man that man may live. God is even willing to come into man to be one with man, to be man's life and life supply. He knows that unless man receives God into him and has His divine life, man can never be satisfied. Man can never find true happiness and meaning in life apart from God because man was created for God. Without God, man is just an empty vessel. Man needs God. The secret is for man to love the Lord his God from his whole heart and from his whole soul and from his whole mind and from his whole strength. Love is the indispensable element for man to experience God and all that God has prepared for man. The love of God is the secret to man's happiness.
God loves man so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to come and die for man that man may live. God is even willing to come into man to be one with man, to be man's life and life supply. He knows that unless man receives God into him and has His divine life, man can never be satisfied. Man can never find true happiness and meaning in life apart from God because man was created for God. Without God, man is just an empty vessel. Man needs God. The secret is for man to love the Lord his God from his whole heart and from his whole soul and from his whole mind and from his whole strength. Love is the indispensable element for man to experience God and all that God has prepared for man. The love of God is the secret to man's happiness.
John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life. If man would believe and receive Jesus Christ the Saviour into his heart, God's Spirit would enter into man's spirit to regenerate man's spirit. God would reveal to man all the deep things of God; and all the wonderful things which God has prepared for man will be realized and enjoyed by man. Things such as God Himself being our inheritance, our portion, our enjoyment; we being partakers of God's divine life and nature, being made holy even as God is holy; Christ being our all in all, our Saviour, Redeemer, Lord, Friend, Shepherd, Prophet, Priest, our hope of glory etc.; all these will be ours if we would believe and love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear friend, God loves you. Would you not be a lover of God? What can be better than God? Why would you choose to remain in your present godless situation and continue to be deceived by Satan, who just wants to spoil the relationship between God and man? Love is the greatest, love has attracted us to follow Jesus, love has motivated us and love has given us strength to serve Him and to give our everything to please Him. We love Him willingly and of our own volition because He has first loved us. The love of Christ constrains us to follow Him. We have no regrets, and our life is fixed on God alone. Nothing can ever change the mutual love of God and man for each other. We were cheated once in the garden of Eden by Satan, but God has opened our eyes to see His real intention and love for us. When God loves us, He loves us.to the end. Dear friend, I challenge you to act right now. Believe in Jesus Christ and obey the first and greatest commandment, that is to love God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength. Your life will be changed and you will begin a new life, a life in a love union with Jesus Christ our Lord and God.
A Prayer
Dear friend, I invite you to pray the following prayer. "0 Lord Jesus, I need You. Lord Jesus, I thank You for loving me and for dying for me. Lord, I receive You into my heart. Lord, fill me with the love of God and lead me to live a life of loving God and serving God. Lord, I realise that without You, without God, my life is meaningless. Lord Jesus, I love You and I give myself to You. Lord, be with me all the days of my life. I pray in Your precious name. Amen."
COMMENTS