Nougat 18

When last have your actions been framed by ‘what people will say’ or think, rather than what God thinks? Hmmn. Consider today’s Holy Nougat

“Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You know, the spirit of Rejection, posing as ‘social conformity’ has governed many of our lives for too long. We bought into the lie that we must be or do or think like everyone else in order to be accepted by God. Yet, as I recall the stories of Saul, of David, of Lydia, of the bleeding woman, of each of us – what strikes me is that blessed assurance that God made the choice to love us in our mess. In none of the aforementioned lives was repentance or perfection the condition for God’s grace or favor.

And that is exactly the point. It is God’s Love that embraces us, breathes life in us, takes us in, and sets us on the course for God’s destiny. It’s true, God deplores our sinful ways – whether we disobey God for personal gain, for personal glory or for fear of others. But even when we’re at our most sinful, Christ’s love is ahead of us to the throne room of God’s Grace, pleading for our forgiveness.

That’s what His Blood signified then and reminds us of now. Remember when He cried ‘Father Forgive them!’ (Luke 23:34)? – it came without conditions or condemnation. From the Cross, to the tomb, on to resurrection and beyond, we are all living under the effect of Jesus’ plea.

We must be mindful that we don’t confuse condemnation with consequences. God forgave Saul long before they met on the road to Damascus. Despite his name change, Saul-Paul faced the consequences of his actions, as he was persecuted at least equal to what he’d meted out to other believers. But, when some believers would have rejected or condemned him, God’s grace intervened through Barnabas and instead he found acceptance (Acts 9:26-28).

The same holds true for each of us. There are consequences for our actions. But God’s Love manifested by Jesus’ blood (His death and resurrection), has negated the condemnation. So, how do we react to such amazing grace? Should we love such an awesome Lover Who loves us despite our mess? And should we also sin less, if only to forego the consequences, but more so as a response to God?

May we find the desire to love our Lover with our entire being.

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May all we seek be found in Christ