Recently i've been experiencing God's love overwhelming me. God is Love. God's character is found in Love. And indeed, this is Love, not that we loved Him first, but He loved us. God's love for me, produced love in my heart for God. Because He is love. Because He chose to seat me with Him in the Heavenlies. Christianity is not about rules and regulations. Its about how much God loved us that He sacrificed His Son Jesus. He demonstrated His love while we were yet enemies. While we were separated from Him by a system of self righteousness; which produced sin and death. So God in Christ made a new way of dealing with Him. We can't come to Him by observing the rituals and laws; we only come to Him by one way only - His love for us. His love for us made Jesus The Way. Jesus took our form, became a Son of Man, under the law; and then satisfying the requirement of the law, He took our sin upon Himself. When He obeyed the law, I obeyed in him; When He fulfilled the whole law, I fulfilled the law; Therefore, when He died, I died with Him. The old man died with Him. And when He rose from the dead, I was risen with Him a new creation. I'm risen with Him, a creation that is created after God, in the likeness of Christ Jesus. I'm risen with Him, not under the law, for the man under the law died. But the day that He rose from the dead, a new nation was born. Can a nation be born in one day? Yes. When Christ Jesus rose from the dead, He became the first among many brethren. The first of the new creation - one of a kind. In Him, I'm declared "the righteousness of God".
My sins are not imputed unto me. This is the gospel! This has changed my mind from the old way of thinking. This change in my mind, characterizes the essence of who i am. It happens effortlessly. Its Christ Jesus living within, and transforming me. I do not imitate Jesus. I don't exert effort to be like Jesus. The love of God is poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit; and that works within me, changing me to the same glory, as in a mirror.
So what is love? Or where is my first love? My first love is God loving me unconditionally. And herein is love.......not that i've loved. Now, i love Him, because he first loved me; nevertheless, I can't put my trust in my love for Him. I can't count on my love for Him to be the basis of my relationship with Him. The foundation of this relationship is on "His love for me that never changes". Now that's something you take to the bank. You can rely upon such love. If you can rest your mind on that, all burden will be lifted from your shoulders. You will see God for who He is, in His unadulterated perfect image manifested in Christ Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the Alpha and Omega. He started this journey, and He alone completed it. You don't need to add anything to it.
My prayer is for the "spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him"....for all who can believe this message. Getting a glimpse of this, will usher you into His glorious presence, free from any works. You don't need to fast, or repent, or change from your ways as a prerequisite. All you need is to get a revelation of this good news, and that will change you. It will turn you around from the direction you were going to. If you turn around with your own efforts, that ain't God's work. That is called "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps". That will amount to a sacrifice based on your efforts, and has nothing to do with God's mercy and grace. God's perfect sacrifice paved the way for us. We can only respond by believing and receiving His love. That response will generate love for Him.
