May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you. Psalms 33:22 NIV
In reading the Bible, we become aware of God's attributes. Many of these are difficult for our human minds to comprehend fully, for example, purity and perfection, because we have nothing to compare them to. No saint, living or dead, is pure and perfect. Another concept that is challenging to grasp is God's unfailing love.
Despite our continual bent to sinning, God remains steadfast in his love for us. Of course, this does not mean God in any way is pleased with our rebellious behavior. God despises sin, yet He looks beyond what we are to what we can be, Adams and Eves, before the fall. He sees our potential to become pure and perfect with his help, moving on toward sanctification. As Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13:12, by the Holy Spirit, we can look beyond the reflection in the mirror and come face-to-face with God.
We understand and accept our human fallibilities, and all but perhaps a few delusional folks appreciate our impurity and imperfection. We know nothing we can ever do alone would make us worthy. It's just not possible. We can only become what God desires because of His unfailing love. In His unfailing love, the Father sent the Son, doing what we could never do for ourselves, be a blameless sacrifice bearing our guilt and shame to the sacrificial altar of the cross.
Here's the genuinely mind-boggling thing: while Jesus did this for all of humanity, he did it specifically for each of us. He had each of us individually in mind when he offered himself up for us. It's that personal! When Jesus upon the cross uttered, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:33), he was thinking of you and me–replace the "them" with your name.
Heavenly Father, we come to you today with hearts filled with gratitude for your unfailing love. We thank you for
being a constant source of strength and comfort in our lives,
your love, which has never wavered, even in our darkest moments,
your grace and forgiveness, which have washed over us repeatedly,
your patience as we continue to learn and grow in your presence,
the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, which leads us down the right path, even when we can't see it ourselves,
your protection, which keeps us safe from harm,
your provision, which has met every need of ours, both big and small,
your promise, which assures us that you will always be with us,
being our rock, my refuge, and redeemer,
loving us unconditionally and unceasingly.
Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
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