CHAPTER
4
PART 3
PART 3
GOD LOVES YOU
“[No]….greater love…than this…”(John
15:13 KJV)
*
God’s kindness will
always remain where you leave it. However, when you are far away, God’s kindness
may not be accessible during those times.
The bible says, “…they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me” (Proverbs 1:28
ASV). You moved, not God. You moved to a new address.
When you move
away from his kindness you won’t find him, because he is still wherever you
left him.
If you are walking
in wickedness or disobedience, remember, “…God
does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will
(Job 35:13). ).
Further, “…..God will not hear [their]… empty cry; neither
will the Almighty regard it….” (Job 35:13 ASV).
“[The wicked] cried, but there was none to
save [them] –unto [God], but answered [he]them not.”(Psalm 18:41 ASV).
“
He… [fulfills] the desire of them that fear
[respect] him; he… [hears] their cry and… [saves]… them” (Psalm 145:19 ASV).
God’s
“kind” love is unconditional, but human love is usually marred with conditions
and will break the covenant relationship with God over and over.
“…Like a will that takes
effect when someone dies, the new covenant was put into action at Jesus’ death.
His death marked the transition from the old plan to the new one, canceling the
old obligations and accompanying sins, and summoning the heirs to receive the
eternal inheritance that was promised them. He brought together God and his
people in this new way…”
(Hebrews 9:16-17 MSG).
A
covenant with God is not like a covenant with man, but much greater. Man’s
covenant may be an equal exchange of favors.
After
all, Jesus gave his life for the new covenant with you. “…This is the blood of the covenant commanded
by God.” He did the same thing with the place of worship and its furniture.
Moses said to the people, “This is the blood of the covenant God has
established with you.” Practically everything in a will hinges on a death.
That’s why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition,
especially regarding forgiveness of sins” (Hebrew 9:20 MSG).
When
God is in covenant with you, through Jesus Christ, Jesus is your guarantee of covenant faithfulness, but your cooperation - which is your
part of the covenant – is not guaranteed.
“If
we give up and turn our backs on all we’ve learned, all we’ve been given, all
the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ’s sacrifice and are left on our own
to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty
for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen
if you turn on God’s Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult
this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that
he’ll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: “Vengeance is
mine, and I won’t overlook a thing” and “God will judge his people.” Nobody’s
getting by with anything, believe me.”
(Hebrews 10:20-31 MSG).
You
are“...in the beloved…” which is
Jesus and therefore, you are a benefactor of all his promises.
God
guarantees you will be utterly and abundantly favored and all you have to do is
“respond by faith” with the “measure of faith” God provided.
“ And Jesus answering
saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you,
That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast
into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those
things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them” (Mark 11:22-24 KJV)
And "Behold, I am
with… [you] and will keep… [you] whithersoever [you]… goest, and will bring …[you]
again into this land. For I will not leave [you]… until I have done that
which I have spoken to thee of…." (Genesis 28:15 ASV).
What an awesome love!!
God
provided you with a “measure of faith” to ensure you had the ALL that you
needed to respond to his covenant favors, blessings, and promises.
This
demonstrates how much God wants to give you favor, to love you, and to give you
his blessings!
However,
as great as the new covenant is, believers still break it through disobedience
and unbelief.
When
you can’t do or become all that God says you can there is only one reason: unbelief. “Then came the disciples to Jesus
apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for
verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible unto you”
(Matthew 17:8-20 KJV).
God
has given you EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness, which includes the
“measure of faith”, yet some believers still prefer sin and not the covenant
relationship with God (2 Peter 1:3).
This
“new covenant” is from God alone and believers have nothing to do but agree or
cooperate with it by “responding by faith.”
In
addition, God ensures your ability to receive that favor through a God-given
“measure of faith.”
God
has taken care of everything in order for you to have a loving, safe, and
confident YADA relationship with Him. What’s the problem?
The
problem is God’s people. Even though believers have no excuses for NOT being in
a YADA relationship with God; many
are not.
Believers
may be in a shallow, religious, or intellectual relationship with God, but not
a YADA relationship.
He
or she still can use their bodies to follow after the flesh or neglect the gift
of faith, or rebel altogether in disobedience to the new covenant with God “in”
Christ.
God
risked everything for the relationship with the believer, but the reciprocity - of covenant
faithfulness and love - is heavily adulterous.
EXCERPT FROM THE CHAPTER
"GOD LOVES YOU" FROM THE
BOOK TRANSFORMING LOVE
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