Continually Being Transformed by Love
"Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." (Jude 1:21 NIV)
These last few weeks have been a period of change for us in many ways. We have had to adjust our lifestyles around working from home, or being furloughed from our jobs; having our children home all the time, or not being able to see our families and friends at all; being able to go out for shopping at certain times, or having other people do our shopping and errands for us; having to wear masks whenever we go out in public; having to eat only by carry-out; being restricted from going to certain places; facing shortages of certain items at the stores; and having to rearrange our financial priorities. These have been struggles, often negative, that we have been forced to deal with as a result of the pandemic.
Yet there has been one positive thing that has happened: God has shown us that He loves us. He is still with us, and is bringing us through the pandemic and everything it has caused. He is showing us that no matter what happens, He still cares for us. He continues to provide for us, with our material needs, as well as ways to remain connected to our families, friends, and faith communities. He has shown us that, no matter who we are, He accepts us and is willing to provide for our needs. No matter who we are, where we are, or what we are, God loves and cares for us. This has also been something that, perhaps even more than the pandemic, has been life-changing.
There is no doubt: God's love changes us. God's love makes all the difference, and God's love makes everything different. When we realize how much God loves us, life becomes easier to handle. We realize that we are not alone in our struggles: God is always caring for us. Nothing can separate us from Him, and nothing can make Him ever stop loving and caring for us. This makes our anxieties and concerns somewhat easier to handle, as we realize that God is always interested in us. God's greatest expression of His love, sending His Son to die on the cross and rise again, certainly changed everything and made all the difference: Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, rose again to give us eternal life, and to show us that, no matter who we are, in Him and because of Him we are loved and accepted by God.
And the best part of all is that God's love is unconditional. We do not have to do anything to earn God's love. Nothing we do can make Him love us any more or less than He already does, which is a lot. He does not love us because we are somehow good enough, keep His rules, agree with certain opinions, or live a certain way - He loves us just because He loves us. He does not demand that we change to make Him love us, or love us more than He already does. He accepts us as we are, and is continually transforming us to become more like Him. He is transforming us to become more loving, caring, and accepting as He is.
This is also life-changing because, as God's love changes us, we become more like Him, and so, more and more, we show the same love to each other, and others, that He shows to us. We becoming more accepting of others just as they are, more accepting of each other just as we are, and more accepting of ourselves just as we are - believing that God loves and accepts us just as we are. We become more patient with each other, and more willing to provide for each other's emotional and material needs. We become more open to God changing and transforming us, especially in the midst of struggle, and become more open to the ways in which He shows His love for us. We also become more open to the opportunities He gives us for showing His love to each other and others. We become more open to the opportunities He gives us for showing how much He accepts and reaches out in caring love for others. Even though we may still be struggling in the midst of this pandemic, God is still using us to be sources of love, comfort, and support for others who are also struggling. While we wait for God to bring an end to this pandemic, we continue to be people whom God uses to show His love, acceptance, and care for all people. Let us keep being changed and transformed by God's love, even in the midst of this pandemic.
Dear God, thank you for loving me every day, and for transforming my life by your love. Help me to love others as you love me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
These last few weeks have been a period of change for us in many ways. We have had to adjust our lifestyles around working from home, or being furloughed from our jobs; having our children home all the time, or not being able to see our families and friends at all; being able to go out for shopping at certain times, or having other people do our shopping and errands for us; having to wear masks whenever we go out in public; having to eat only by carry-out; being restricted from going to certain places; facing shortages of certain items at the stores; and having to rearrange our financial priorities. These have been struggles, often negative, that we have been forced to deal with as a result of the pandemic.
Yet there has been one positive thing that has happened: God has shown us that He loves us. He is still with us, and is bringing us through the pandemic and everything it has caused. He is showing us that no matter what happens, He still cares for us. He continues to provide for us, with our material needs, as well as ways to remain connected to our families, friends, and faith communities. He has shown us that, no matter who we are, He accepts us and is willing to provide for our needs. No matter who we are, where we are, or what we are, God loves and cares for us. This has also been something that, perhaps even more than the pandemic, has been life-changing.
There is no doubt: God's love changes us. God's love makes all the difference, and God's love makes everything different. When we realize how much God loves us, life becomes easier to handle. We realize that we are not alone in our struggles: God is always caring for us. Nothing can separate us from Him, and nothing can make Him ever stop loving and caring for us. This makes our anxieties and concerns somewhat easier to handle, as we realize that God is always interested in us. God's greatest expression of His love, sending His Son to die on the cross and rise again, certainly changed everything and made all the difference: Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, rose again to give us eternal life, and to show us that, no matter who we are, in Him and because of Him we are loved and accepted by God.
And the best part of all is that God's love is unconditional. We do not have to do anything to earn God's love. Nothing we do can make Him love us any more or less than He already does, which is a lot. He does not love us because we are somehow good enough, keep His rules, agree with certain opinions, or live a certain way - He loves us just because He loves us. He does not demand that we change to make Him love us, or love us more than He already does. He accepts us as we are, and is continually transforming us to become more like Him. He is transforming us to become more loving, caring, and accepting as He is.
This is also life-changing because, as God's love changes us, we become more like Him, and so, more and more, we show the same love to each other, and others, that He shows to us. We becoming more accepting of others just as they are, more accepting of each other just as we are, and more accepting of ourselves just as we are - believing that God loves and accepts us just as we are. We become more patient with each other, and more willing to provide for each other's emotional and material needs. We become more open to God changing and transforming us, especially in the midst of struggle, and become more open to the ways in which He shows His love for us. We also become more open to the opportunities He gives us for showing His love to each other and others. We become more open to the opportunities He gives us for showing how much He accepts and reaches out in caring love for others. Even though we may still be struggling in the midst of this pandemic, God is still using us to be sources of love, comfort, and support for others who are also struggling. While we wait for God to bring an end to this pandemic, we continue to be people whom God uses to show His love, acceptance, and care for all people. Let us keep being changed and transformed by God's love, even in the midst of this pandemic.
Dear God, thank you for loving me every day, and for transforming my life by your love. Help me to love others as you love me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment