STEADFAST LOVE
Read Time: 7 min 31 sec
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Whenever you put happiness before righteousness, you will be doomed to misery. That is the great message of the Bible from beginning to end. They alone are truly happy who are seeking to be righteous."
Martin Lloyd Jones
THE GOOD STUFF
STEADFAST LOVE
by Arica Graham | Member at Redeemer
“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared... O Isreal, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.”
- Psalm 130:3, 7
Trey came stomping into the kitchen declaring, “MOM! You don’t love Jesus!” (Minutes earlier I had yelled at all of the kids to, “get out, get out, get out!”) Trey stood there staring at me intently with his puppy-dog-eyes and fists clenched to his side. Looking at him I thought, this is the perfect gospel opportunity.
I scooped him up, sought his forgiveness (and the other kids' forgiveness) for getting angry, and explained to him how much I do love Jesus. And what’s more amazing is that Jesus never stops loving me when I sin.
The definition of steadfast is, “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering”. It is evident even by the definition that our words cannot fully grasp what steadfast means. Trying to explain this attribute of God in our broken world is clearly not easy.
The One who created love, the One who tells us to love as He does; He loves us with a steadfast love.
For too long I have had Trey’s perspective, whether I wanted to admit it or not. That circumstances will either prove or deny God’s love towards me and with those around me. A transactional love almost. I know how backward this is the longer I abide in Jesus, but the reality is, we are so far removed from anything steadfast other than God that I can find it hard to really let this truth sink in.
Praise God that the love we experience from Him isn’t based on a feeling. It’s a covenant, a steadfast one at that.
It’s His steadfast love that sent Jesus to pay the debt we owed, granting us forgiveness of sins.
It’s His steadfast love that teaches us to have a right fear of God; out of reverence for Him and not waiting for His wrath.
It’s His steadfast love that compels us to put our hope in Him, no matter our circumstances.
It’s His steadfast love that redeems us.
And it’s a continual redemption through sanctification, is it not? Just as the Bible is a cover-to-cover testament of God’s steadfast love towards us, I would be willing to guess that you can see that same testament in your own life if you took the time to think about it.
I’ve been challenged with truly learning and seeing God’s steadfast love in my life lately. It affects my vulnerability, my forgiveness, my hope, and the way I fear Him. I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit's conviction to understand this in a biblical way.
APPLICATION
Do you believe in God’s steadfast love towards you? How do you allow it to affect you in repentance of sin and in blessings? How do you daily let it transform your relationship with Him and those around you? Praise God today for His steadfast love towards you.
STORY
PANCAKE SATURDAYS
My wife, Olivia, and I have lived in our house in Old Towne Greenwood for 3 years now. We love our house and have enjoyed fixing it up and turning it into a welcoming space (it even made its video debut in some of the online worship services at the beginning of COVID quarantine). For much of the 3 years we've spent there, we've placed a lot of our focus inward: How can we make this a place we enjoy being? What projects could we work on to add value to this house? How do we turn a yard FULL of weeds into luscious grass? (If you have any tips on that last one, let me know)
But over the last year, we've felt the specific call from the Lord to look outside the walls of our house and see the houses that surround us. God placed us in the neighborhood we live in for a reason. There are stories of God at work all around us, some already a couple of chapters in, some still needing an introduction. How could we play a role?
We had met a few of our neighbors briefly, but really our cat had more of a relationship with the neighborhood than we did. We started brainstorming ideas of how we could intentionally create a space for our neighbors to feel welcomed and get to know one another. Olivia came up with the idea of hosting a pancake breakfast in our front yard and we both said, "Yeah, we are totally doing that." We created invites and I went around and handed them out saying we wanted to start hosting a breakfast at our house once a month through the summer. I got some puzzled looks but also some smiles, so I felt hopeful.
We really had no idea what to expect, but we went to Costco and bought a 50-gallon drum of pancake mix (not really, but basically) and prayed that the Lord would use this as an opportunity for us to get to know and establish ourselves as a safe place for families in our neighborhood.
The morning finally came and I began slinging out pancakes while Olivia made eggs and coffee. We had invited over some close friends and Liv's parents so that we at least knew we wouldn't be stuck eating pancakes in our front yard alone, but we truly had no idea if anyone else would show up.
And then, the neighbors directly next to us walked over. Then another neighbor, and another. We had 12 total neighbors show up throughout the morning and it was so amazing to get to know them. We now have names for faces and can continue to build relationships with that door now opened. We're excited about our second breakfast in July and pray that the Lord continues to grow this into something our neighborhood looks forward to and that it can turn into relationships outside of those mornings.
I share this story, not as a pat on the back for me and Olivia, but as a challenge to you! How can you create a space to get to know people in your neighborhood? How can you be an influence for Jesus in the place that He has given you to live? How cool would it be if there were Pancake Saturdays hosted all over the place and our neighborhoods came to know the Lord through a simple obedience to Him?
STAFF PICKS
WATCH
The Chosen - TV Series
Several years ago a member of our church stopped me on a Sunday morning to chat. He enthusiastically told me about a new TV series that focused on the life of Christ called The Chosen. I responded the way most of us do when someone shares their new favorite song, book, movie, or TV show that they believe we just have to see: I smiled politely and said I’d check it out. Months went by until one night I decided to turn it on while I was doing the dishes. I couldn’t believe how much the episode impacted me. Before long I had watched the entire season and can honestly say it’s the best Christian movie or TV show I’ve ever seen.
What makes this show different is the storytelling. It brings the characters of the gospel to life. You see Mary Magdalene broken and hurting before she meets Jesus. You feel Simon’s stress and fear as he is about to lose everything. You hurt as you watch Matthew’s rejection by his fellow Jews for being a tax collector. You marvel at Jesus’ compassion for the least of these, and you laugh at His jokes. (Yes, the show is more than just Jesus quoting the red letters in every scene.) It is a TV show, so there are lines the characters speak that don’t appear in the Bible, but the point of the show is to compel us to open up the scriptures and read them for ourselves. It reminds us that the disciples were real people with real fears and struggles and they sacrificed real things to follow Jesus.
So I invite you to come and see the road that Jesus walked. The disciples that He called. The lives that He changed. The show reminds us of the power of the gospel and the love our Savior has for us. In one scene, Mary Magdalene speaks to a religious leader about the impact that Jesus has made in her life. She isn’t sure how to explain it, but says, “I was one way… and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between… was Him.”
I pray this show continues to inspire you and others around the globe to grow and abide in Christ. You can watch the show for free by downloading the Chosen app or at www.thechosen.tv
Kevin Adams | Kids Ministry Director