My Love Letter

God is a God of justice and wrath. He is angry at the wicked everyday. He hates sin. He is holy.

Amidst a generation that ignores half of Scripture and discards the truths of His justice and holiness I have a negative reflex to the "Jesus loves you" mentality. Oh! It is truth. But so often grossly out of balance. After all, how loving is it to tell a lost person that Jesus loves them and is gracious? How deceitful to hide the justice of God from those whom will suffer under His wrath unless they repent and put their trust in Him alone. Tell not the damned soul of love, but of justice and truth. Then they will plead for mercy and find such sweet all sufficiency in the Savior.

I have carried this philosophy over into my life as a believer. Most days I have this feeling, like the Lord is simply "enduring" me and being gracious to me. I only seek Him because He has given me a love for Him. And my love for Him? It is based off of what I get from Him! How all encompassing is my selfish, prideful being.

Last week I was reading Isaiah 43. I only got to verse four. "Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you. . . " This may be somewhat laughable, but it reminded me of my first love letter. I remember reading it in the car at work. Stopping once on the way home to read it again. Arriving home and studying each phrase . . . hanging on every word and loving the fact that somebody loved me. But this was different. This was not a fallible being who could change. Nor was it one who could speak any untruth. Moreover this One knew everything about every everything . . . and yet I am precious in His sight. I am honored. He loves me.

I quoted it over and over to myself in the days that followed . . . I just could not get enough of it.

Strangely, this truth has given me a greater ability to love others. How bitter we get when we look to those around us for love. But when every need is filled in Christ, we can just give and give . . . and give. We can be hurt and still love. The fear of feeling that pain again diminishes because of the security in an infallible, unchanging, unending love.

But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you . . .
For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, Your Savior; . . .
Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you . . .


ISAIAH 43:1-4