February 14th is widely celebrated as Valentine’s Day. There are many histories surrounding Valentine and its origin but one thing stands out, it is that it is a day of love celebration. Lovers expressed their affections with greetings, wishes and gifts.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
There is a great Lover Who wants to exchange something with you today. He is relentless in His pursuit after you. He has come all the way from His pristine domain to this filthy and corrupted world in search of you. Although this world was created by Him, when He came, He was not received by anyone. Even His very people, the Israelites, through whom He came, rejected Him. But if you can receive Him today, He will give you the right to have His Life. Yes, His very Life. For “as many as received him, to them gave he power (right and authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). And whosoever has this life, even though he dies, he shall live again. This is what He wants to exchange with you. A life that is victorious over the greatest enemy: death.
He is so after anyone who can receive Him to an extent that someone says “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” This statement was made because He is far higher than man and He should have nothing to do with him. He is the Creator of all things and He should be in need of nothing. However, He was seen in pursuit of man.
He has chosen to express and give out Himself. Therefore He created man with the hope that man would choose and accept Him so that he could receive Him.
But man chose the devil and rejected His Creator. He rejected his real Love, His “Maker and his husband. The Lord of hosts, the Redeemer and the holy One of Israel.” He rejected what God was offering Him; He refused the gift of the life of God and went after the gift of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Receiving this gift from the devil, man was radically and intrinsically changed and distorted. He was robbed of the purpose of his creation and started drawing away from the Lover of his soul. He has so much drawn away from his Lover today that he has completely forgotten Him. And more terribly, there are many who do not even know that their Creator exists let alone the reason He created them. But can the created exists without a creator?
So one of His messenger says “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:10,11).
The predicament of man was so terrible. Not only was he drawn way and was lost, but he also did not know he was lost. At such, recovery was impossible for him. He could not as much as reason that he needed to be saved. It did not occur to him that he should seek after God. He could not tell anything about life. For he was born blind and therefore could not know if there is anything called light. And even when told of it, he could hardly relate with it, having never seen it before.
So man in his lost state did not even know his condition so he could not think about getting delivered. He however began seeking every other thing except God. And the devil has successfully replaced his real need with every other mundane thing that cannot fill his void and emptiness. The more he is offered these beggarly things of the world, the emptier he becomes, even more restless and unsatisfied.
God Whom he had rejected is now is only hope of recovery. He is the only One that can occasion his deliverance because He is the only One with his knowledge. And if God should leave man on his own, he will never think about his salvation. He would forever be shut in darkness.
In this state of extreme weariness of man, this Lover again showed His love. Romans 5:6-8 says:
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
The love displayed here is even greater than the first one before man rejected Him. Man is now no longer on God’s side. He has now become His enemy and with the archenemy, the devil and are both fighting against God and His purpose. Yet in this state of quagmire, God extends and commends His love to him once again even though it now has to cost Him His life. Is there any love greater than this? He has not just laid His life for you because you are of Him. Even when you do not belong to Him, He offers Himself to you. Will you receive this priceless gift today? Will you accept this life today and also be ready to offer yourself to Him a living sacrifice?
You may not know that He is the Reality you need until you receive Him. It is when He begins to shine His light on you that you will realize you have been in darkness since your existence. And you actually have not been living but dying. Quit indulging in what deepens you emptiness and expands your vacuity and accept the real love that will satisfyingly fill your soul today. Jesus loves you!
No comments:
Post a Comment