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pastor2022
Moderator
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
Posts: 693
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 Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:13 am Post subject: Beloved |
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Beloved
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He
loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together,
and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-6
God is "rich in mercy," as Paul wrote. To Christians in and around Ephesus, he spoke of the "great love" with which God has loved those who were "dead in trespasses" but now have been made "alive together with Christ." And to the Romans he wrote: "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7). In a very special sense, then, we may say that to be in Christ is to be among the "beloved" of God.
Two of the most basic challenges of the Christian life are to hear -- really hear -- the message of God's love and then to act consistently with that great truth. To know ourselves as God's "beloved" and to act like the people we are: these are the keys to consistency in our spiritual lives. If we verbalize the fact of God's love but don't really believe it, or if we fail to follow through and respond as we should to God's love, then our devotion to God will falter. The only thing that will keep us going is gratitude for grace.
It should be the most obvious thing in the world that God is to be thanked for the gifts that His love has made possible. As James wrote, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). But we should constantly guard against the temptation to seek God simply for His gifts and His blessings. No gift that God could give us is any greater than His love, and it should be His love that is our primary interest. Indeed, all our Father's other gifts would mean little if His love were not in them. And the same thing is true in regard to our love for Him. If we love God, there will be things that we are required to do in order to worship Him and to serve Him. Obedience to God's will is not optional. But even more than the deeds that He requires, God is interested in the love that motivates those deeds (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). What He desires is for us to be His beloved -- and to love Him for His love's sake. |
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atoz
Emperor of the Solar System
Joined: 28 Jun 2007
Posts: 4189
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| Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 3:16 pm Post subject: Re: Beloved |
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| pastor2022 wrote: | Beloved
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He
loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together,
and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-6
God is "rich in mercy," as Paul wrote. To Christians in and around Ephesus, he spoke of the "great love" with which God has loved those who were "dead in trespasses" but now have been made "alive together with Christ." And to the Romans he wrote: "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7). In a very special sense, then, we may say that to be in Christ is to be among the "beloved" of God.
Two of the most basic challenges of the Christian life are to hear -- really hear -- the message of God's love and then to act consistently with that great truth. To know ourselves as God's "beloved" and to act like the people we are: these are the keys to consistency in our spiritual lives. If we verbalize the fact of God's love but don't really believe it, or if we fail to follow through and respond as we should to God's love, then our devotion to God will falter. The only thing that will keep us going is gratitude for grace.
It should be the most obvious thing in the world that God is to be thanked for the gifts that His love has made possible. As James wrote, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17). But we should constantly guard against the temptation to seek God simply for His gifts and His blessings. No gift that God could give us is any greater than His love, and it should be His love that is our primary interest. Indeed, all our Father's other gifts would mean little if His love were not in them. And the same thing is true in regard to our love for Him. If we love God, there will be things that we are required to do in order to worship Him and to serve Him. Obedience to God's will is not optional. But even more than the deeds that He requires, God is interested in the love that motivates those deeds (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). What He desires is for us to be His beloved -- and to love Him for His love's sake. |
ASwesome, P2022!
The thing is that we have to seek God for the Love which is the Gift of Gifts, the Blessing of Blessings, The beloved of the Beloveds, which Love then makes it unnecessary to simply seek God only or even for his OTHER gifts and blessings---since that GOG and 2 BOBs makes gifts & blessings of everything else!!!!!!!
Thank you one again for your unspeakable gifts!smile
with God's beloved Love which makes everything else beloved,
atoz |
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