When You Struggle to Feel God's Love預覽

Before Time Began, You Were His Treasure

Everyone has an origin story. Perhaps you tend to think of your origin story as beginning at your birth, or even with your ancestors’ stories. But what difference does it make to know that your story actually has its origins in the eternal love of God—a love that planned all along to bring you into its story?

Scripture:

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:37–40 ESV)

In eternity past, as God existed in a perfect community of love—Father, Son, and Spirit—He mapped out the means by which you and I would be rescued from our sin and brought into loving, eternal fellowship with God (John 6:38–40).

Like an expert novelist, God outlined history before a page of it was ever written.

The Father decreed that He’d send His beloved Son on a rescue mission (John 8:42).

The Son agreed to this blood-soaked mission in loving submission to the Father (Phil. 2:5–11).

The Spirit would be sent out by the Father and the Son to apply the benefits of the Son’s obedience to none other than . . . us (Rom. 8:9–17).

In Christ, your story is a love story that didn’t start when you first believed. It didn’t start at the cross of Christ. It didn’t even start when God made the universe. Your story began within the counsel of the three-in-one God who determined to show off the immensity of His love by giving us His “only Son” (John 3:16), and by giving us to His Son as His inheritance (Eph. 1:18).

So before God promised people a Savior (Gen. 3:15), He promised His Son a people to save and treasure forever. And that people, dear friend, includes you.

Some call it the covenant of redemption. I think I’d call it the pre-temporal-inter-Trinitarian-sacrificial-love-pact. But I suppose that’s why I’m not a proper theologian of theology proper.

Have you ever had a relationship in which you’ve felt genuinely treasured? How does it land on you when you hear that you are God’s treasure? How does it feel to know that you (as in, you specifically) were considered a part of the Son’s future reward, His very inheritance?

Call to Action:

Read Psalm 2:7–8, Luke 22:29, and Ephesians 1:18 to marvel a bit more.