Statement:
God values you so much that He gave up His Son to redeem you!
(2 Corinthians 5:20-21 ESV) "20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Hebrew / Greek Word Study
Focus Word: be reconciled = ּ(καταλλάγητε (katallagēte) = ( Greek / phonetic sound)
Strongs Definition G2644: to change, exchange, as coins for others of equal value; hence, to reconcile (those who are at variance)
to reconcile (those who are at variance)
return to favor with, be reconciled to one
to receive one in favor
Scripture Thoughts:
We, as loving parents, give the highest value to our children. I don't ever see myself sacrificing one of my children for another parent's child. I am not trying to be mean in my statement; I am just trying to make a point that most parents who truly love their children will understand. Another child's life is not worth the life of my child. But our Heavenly Father thinks and does differently than us (His earthly sons and daughters). To save us in our fallen state (which is separation from Him), He knew that He would have to sacrifice His only begotten son. (John 3:16 ESV) '16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.' This would be an unimaginable action for me as a father because I would not count someone else's life as more valuable than my own son or daughter's life. But our Heavenly Father is different! He thinks differently, and He acts differently. (Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV) '8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.' Our Heavenly Father values us differently.
God placed so much value on us from the beginning that He even created us in His image. In (Genesis 1:27 ESV) '27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.' He also made us in a way that we are different than any other part of His creation. Scripture says in (Psalms 139: 13-16 ESV) '13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.' How intricate and wonderful God has designed us to be. Take note of what I am getting ready to say; God did all this for us knowing that we were going to fall short of His glory. Wait a minute; God knew this before He created us? Yes, He did!
God is omniscient (all-knowing) and therefore knew that we were going to sin and not be worthy of Him. Knowing this beforehand, He still decided to bring us (mankind) into existence. This is true love! Who would give a person another chance and continue to do their best for them even when they don't deserve it? A loving parent would do this! As loving parents, we do things like this for our children all the time. It is embedded inside of us. Who do we think we get this from? This comes from God. This is part of His unconditional love attribute that we have inherited from Him. When our children are not worthy of mercy and grace, we find a way to still give them mercy and grace even when they don't deserve it. This is all based on love!
My Thoughts:
When we, as children of God, can truly see how much God loves us, we would be less fearful of the trials and tribulations that are taking place in our lives. (1 John 4:18-19 ESV) '18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us.' We would be less fearful because we would know despite our failures, our Lord still loves us and cherishes us. This does not mean that the Lord will not allow you to suffer the consequences of your actions because he definitely will. He wants you to develop and mature in your understanding and actions. But with that being said, He will never leave you nor forsake you. The Lord is not looking to punish us more than our sins and failures already have. When we fall short and do wrong, there are already inherent consequences for our actions. The Lord's goal is not to punish but to restore you. That is why there is no fear in perfect love. If you understand how much He values you, you would understand how much He loves you.
I don't personally know where you are in your life today, but God knows. I want you to understand that our Heavenly Father is choosing for you no matter the circumstance that you are surrounded by at this moment. He gave everything for you! His son Jesus was tormented and killed, the most torturous type of death, just for you to have a way to come back to Him. You are valued more than you know, more valued than even what I can try to explain. I, like a lot of you who are reading this, may feel like we are not worthy of this type of love. We are not, but our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit say that we are worthy. If God didn't feel this way, why would He go through all this hard, difficult work with His stubborn sons and daughters? The answer is - because He loves us! We can have no greater Father, Lord, and Holy Spirit than this. Amen!
Extra Scripture To Study:
Genesis: Chapters 1-3
Psalms 139:13-16
1 John 4:18-19
Additional Information:
Closing Thoughts:
These are a few great scriptures to study and meditate on. We gain more understanding of God when we seek to know Him better. As you study the Bible, look at the value that God has placed on His people. If you are studying the New Testament, look at the mercy and grace God has given us through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Challenge:
This week daily, take some time to pray and ask God for help regarding His word and become receptive to it. The next step is to act on His Word and continue to be the Son or Daughter He has called you to be.
Take Care Family,
Pastor Charles
©Copyright Charles R. Myles II 2022
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