Originally published Monday, 15 September 2014.
***This blog originally posted on LIVE IT OUT! blog.
Above All Else Day 8: He Loves Us Regardless
Today, on this Monday might we tackle a big topic? Let's start the week out right.
Go ahead and soak in today's Above All Else Scripture and then we will dig in.
The Eternal is gracious. He shows mercy to His people. For Him anger does not come easily, but faithful love does—and it is rich and abundant. (Psalm 145:8 THE VOICE)
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 145:8)
I firmly believe that if we are to truly worship Him today (based on the words of our Psalm 145) and feast with a heart of gratitude for God's mercy and grace-filled, steadfast love, we simply must come at it in a state of repentance. For if we truly grasp His holiness, His righteousness, we also grasp that outside of the cross, we simply are not.
Oh but for Jesus we are but filthy rags not worthy to sit in, to press into His presence.
Sounds harsh? Sure does.
Oh but for Jesus! The slate is wiped clean and our King welcomes us in sparkling white and pure.
Just like a Monday is a new week, a new start.
Is this new news to you? It is not for me, honestly. Every since I was a young sixteen year old kneeling beside my bed and asking for forgiveness of my teen-age type sins, I knew this truth. But knowing this truth meant checking off a box and striving to be a good girl. It was only when I got a handle on two important aspects of WHO God is that my worship changed in a drastic way:
~God is holy. Upmost righteous. Pure. Worthy of only purity in His presence. Therefore, He is fully justified in all of His actions of judgement.
~God abounds in love, merciful, gracious love. So much so, He made a way through the cross for us because of this outright love.
God is big enough to be just and wrathful, demanding holiness AND overflowing in love for us.
Do you believe that today?
Several years ago I began a journey to wrap my brain around the dumbfounding but fact filled truth. Because God is BOTH Just (holy and pure) AND abounding in love, I looked at my actions differently. For me, this was a turn key moment toward living my life as worship and thus living to please Him because He is worthy. This is more than the "check the box" mentality. This is more striving to be the good girl so that God would love me because I pleased Him. No, Psalm 145 tells us that God loves us regardless.
What if we decide to do life differently, evaluating our actions bent toward sin because we desire to please Him because we love Him back?
What if we actually acknowledged our sin in confession and then DID SOMETHING to change that behavior? (Repentance. A churchy type word but oh so necessary!)
Let this be our feast today. Thanking Him that He loves us regardless. Thank Him for giving us daily glimpses into His pure holiness when we sit at the table and make much of Jesus.
///
I'm really excited to dive into this topic with you further! Will you join me in my 5-week online study of Just RISE UP!? All you need is your Bible, a journal, and a copy of Just RISE UP! More info HERE.
SHARE
