UNSTAINED INNOCENCE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!

And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe!

Because of his great love, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence. – Ephesians 1:3-5 (TPT)

I don’t know about you but there are some days I feel downright unlovable.  Maybe my temper got the best of me.  Maybe I neglected to serve when the opportunity presented itself. Whatever it may be, there are times when I wonder “could GOD really love me”.

Been there?

Most of the folks I work with in recovery feel the same way.  Just yesterday as I sat in the living room of a 75-year-old fella and some of his family. The shame of his chronic drinking was causing anger in the family and shame in him. 

He didn’t “feel” very lovable.

And yet as we talked and as we searched for treatment alternatives, I was reminded that this man, who has been saved for years, needed to remember to separate his ‘son-ship’ from his current condition.

Yes, his drinking was problematic, but it hadn’t created division between He and GOD in the same way it had created division in his family. (Romans 8:35-39)

We needed to work on the condition while affirming his identity as one loved by GOD and seen by Him through the lens of Christ.

For when we take that approach we are always assured of at least one in our corner fighting with us on the challenge. (Isaiah 41:10)

Today is an important day for my friend.  GOD will open doors of opportunity for him.  GOD loves him.  The question is WILL he walk through those doors, embrace the love, see the possible SPIRITUAL blessing.

It is up to him.

What about us?

How often to you pause to reflect on GOD’s love for you?

A love that allows you to be seen HOLY.

A love that allows you the verdict of innocence because of what JESUS did on the cross.

Yancey once remarked:

Love was compressed for all history in that lonely figure on the cross, who said that he could call down angels at any moment on a rescue mission, but chose not to – because of us. At Calvary, God accepted his own unbreakable terms of justice.

Jesus took the justice and in turn opened the portal to every spiritual blessing for us.

Not a fair trade by any means. 

And yet it is that sacrifice that infuses hope into bleak situations like that of my friend.  BECAUSE Jesus took the cross, we can have HOPE that change is possible.  We can have HOPE that restoration is just a choice or two away.  We can have HOPE that our FATHER never leaves the porch, always ready to welcome us home.

Let that sink in today.

Because of His great love, Jesus’ sacrifice you have HOPE, you have an unblemished relationship with GOD Himself.

YOU ARE LOVED!

Have a blessed day…

I love you all.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE