How Will You Respond to Love?

As the sun rose in the eastern sky this morning, I was sitting with a warm cup of coffee, feeling less than thankful. The house is chilly, we need to put a fire on, but we also need to bring in another wheelbarrow load of wood, because of this dreaded polar vortex and impending snow we are expecting to get this weekend. I have a list of things that I need to do, but like everyone else right now, I don't know if the particular store I need to go to will be open, if I will need to wear a mask, if I will be expected to order online and they will just bring it out to my truck - but how does one know the correct size and fit for work boots for a growing teenage boy?!

It is times like this that God's timing amazes me. you see, I opened my Bible, confessing the crispiness of my heart this morning, and while I have been reading about God's care, power and leading of the children of Israel out of Egypt, my bible fell open to the little book of Malachi. The last book in the Old Testament, and the beginning of 400 years of silence from God.

I read only 14 words before I got hung up. Verse 2 starts with these words:

"I have always loved you," says the Lord.

In this book, an argumentative people doubt God's love and care for them. As they walk away from God, we hear his entreaty to them and their arrogant response, "it's too hard to serve the Lord." (Malachi 1:13). This got me to thinking, how often does my behavior say the same thing?

In the grocery store last week I did the unthinkable. I had navigated my cart northbound in the southbound cart isle! Now, for some context, there was no one else in the isle at the time of my indiscretion, and I was trying to figure out what I could substitute for the missing items in the grocery store - what does one use to replace yeast? - however, when I looked up, there was not only one other woman in the isle facing me, but two! The second one looked less than pleased with me, and forgetting that I was heading in the wrong direction but still wanting to be accommodating, I backed my cart up a little, and motioned for the lady to be able to pass, without us becoming too close, lest we spread some infection. To my dismay, she yelled - with anger in her voice, at me that I was going the wrong direction and couldn't I see the arrows on the floor??

Now I don't know about you, but when I grocery shop, I tend to look at the items on the shelf and not the floor, so I don't run into people or knock things off the shelf! However, it is this part of my story that I must confess that I didn't serve the Lord. I was angry at this lady for her rude estimation of my intelligence and my body language certainly conveyed my feelings toward her. I failed to think of how she was possibly stressed, lacking assurance from a loving heavenly Father, or recently received bad news. It was easy for me to say, quietly to myself "it's too hard to be kind to this person." I made excuses, which were no excuses at all. I am called to a higher standard of living, a daughter of the King of Kings ought to conduct herself rightly, and I hear my heavenly Father whisper, even in my rebellion, "I have always loved you."

Even in my sin, he loves me. He offers grace - undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor - (Ephesians 2:8-9). The one other thing that really stood out to me this morning, was the question asked. God has just declared his love for his people, and they say, "Really? How have you loved us?" This is where I am going to challenge you. How has the Lord shown his love to you? If you are a believer, consider your relationship with God, your health, family, home, the birds that sing his praises, the sun that warms us and grows up beautiful flowers, the vibrant hues that flowers greet us with day by day. If you are not yet a believer he still has shown his love to you in so many ways.

Romans 5:8

"But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Ephesians 2:8-9

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

So take some time to think about this: How will you serve God today out of the abundance of his grace that he gives freely to you?

If you are not a believer, don't put it off. A decision for Christ is not something to be taken lightly. No decision is equivalent to refusing the gift of salvation. Don't waste another minute! If you need someone to talk to about this, I am always available - post a comment or send a message. "Turn from your wickedness...why should you die?"