by Laurie Aker
God has called His people by name; He has chosen us from before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. He has chosen us to be His adopted firstborn sons and daughters, and He has given us an inheritance according to His endless heavenly riches. He has set us apart for His glory and purpose, and He has given us everything we need (Eph. 1:3-14). We are not our own. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ stood in our place, the spotless one for sinful ones. We were purchased by the blood of Christ. He laid down His life to redeem us from worthless, worldly, and wanton living “to purify for himself a people” who would delight in Him and be “zealous for good works” (Tit. 2:14). Although many claim God as their own and claim to be followers of Christ, much of what they experience are symptoms of a divided heart, where God is perhaps not on the throne. Thinking that they are okay, they continue marching on, not even realizing the problem. It can happen to even the most mature Christian. They are not alone and they are not the first to experience these symptoms. As we read earlier, Jesus said, “. . . you have abandoned the love you had at first. remember therefore from where you have fallen…” (Rev. 2:4-5).Do you hear Jesus pleading with the church in Ephesus to love Him above all? He wants to be their all in all, their everything, and for nothing to take His place in their hearts. They may think they have forsaken everything else, but they still allow many things and many people to take His place in their hearts. He is no longer number one to them, and as a result they are missing out on the life and purpose He has for them.
What about you? Who or what is on the throne of your heart? Is He your God? Your everything? Do you love Him like He would want you to love Him? If not, will you cry out to Him? Will you allow Him to do the work that is necessary in your heart? Do you want to be able to walk in the fullness of these truths and fulfill this calling to truly know Christ? To love Him more than you have ever hoped could be possible? Do you desire your relationship with Him to be deep and abiding, and do you desire to be able to identify your sins and confess, repent of, and overcome them, and then to be able to walk forward in the truth of God’s Word and live in the power of Christ? It is more than hard, but not impossible, because of His amazing grace. I know from experience that it’s worth it. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that compares to a fully devoted love relationship with God Most High. By His grace He will grant you more than you even knew to ask for. As He did for me, He will give you himself, and you will learn how to know Him and enjoy Him above all.
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This blog post is an excerpt from the Thistlebend Discipleship Study Falling in Love Again with Your Lord available here.
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