The Object of God's Affection

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' (Jeremiah 29:11)."

This is one of the most recognizable verses in the Bible. I use it a lot but it's no less true. I'm not sure if people realize just how much God loves us and wants the best for us. God wants to show us His way is a better way, a more prosperous way. But God cannot prosper unfaithfulness and disobedience.

When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they had everything they needed and were in perfect harmony with God. They had a personal relationship with God; He even took walks with them and had conversations with them. There was nothing they couldn't have, except that one little thing - the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Isn't it always that one little thing that gets under our skin and eats at us until we give in? That's the enemy picking at our weaknesses the way he picked at Eve until she gave in to temptation.

Adam and Eve suffered the consequences of their actions and were expelled from the Garden. Remember, choose the action, and you are choosing the consequences. The consequences for them was losing God's abundant provision. Now they had to work the ground to grow food, hunt, build a home, work hard for every little thing. God gave us free will but Adam and Eve allowed sin nature into their lives, and into the lives of all future generations. 

"The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:
'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you' (Jeremiah 31:3)."

But no matter how far we stray, God continues to call us to Him. His love for us has not strayed. We are still the object of His affection. There is no depths that we can sink to that He is not willing to pull us out of. The breadth of His love is beyond our comprehension, but if we can grasp just a shred of that love, we would never want to be anywhere other than with Him. 

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in Heaven and Earth is named,  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19)."

Read 1 Samuel 23; Psalm 63

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha ©2018