"I Am Loved!"

"I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts." (Psalms 119:94)

  There is simply no other way that we can say this, but to announce to the world the great power of God's unchanging love! This is where I want to be, standing in the midst of His love; a love that overshadows everything that is wrong in this world, and everything that is wrong in me. Some don't get it, because they have not experienced for themselves, the unfailing love of God. It is not easy to understand something that you can not actually see or feel without first committing yourself, by first believing it is real. I have to share this simple illustration, only because I see so many young children missing out on the experience of fine dinning, just because they refuse to taste and see how good great food can be. But that was easy for me to see it in my own life, how I failed to experience certain foods, only because I was not willing to experience the taste of different foods. It was not until I was in my thirty's that I had actually started to change my mind on trying new types of food, like Sushi and Thai food; which are now two of my most favorite things. Now when I try and invite certain people to join me for lunch, the rejection I get when I mention those two foods, is a lot like the rejection we get when we offer to share Jesus with some people. They say things like, 'Oh, I have tried that before, and it was not for me.' As it might be with the food, they never really tried it, not really. not with the intent to try and experience the goodness of what it had to offer; they could not get past the things that they thought they did not like. There has got to be more to it than just trying, it has got to be more about a need, as in, 'I need this, or I am going to die!' I have thought about some of the children I know, and wondered what it would be like if they had no food for a little while; would that change the resistance to try something new, anything else, other than chicken nuggets! When we look at this verse, we can get the impression that David is speaking God making him His and saving him because he has keep His precepts; but nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that David is acknowledging that God has made him His, based upon His love for him, and he is simply asking God to save him, not based upon the things that he has done, because we can never earn God's love; but based upon what God has done, David is seeking to stay in God's love; a love that never changes. If I was to base my being loved by God upon my performance, I would be utterly miserable and feel unloved. God's precepts do not change, they are always the same; I must continually seek after them, because that is really all I have to offer...

""The idol makers encourage one another, saying to each other, "Be strong!" The carver encourages the goldsmith, and the molder helps at the anvil. "Good," they say. "It's coming along fine." Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won't fall over. "But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."" (Isaiah 41:6-10) NLT