Nougat 19

Have you ever thought of psalm 23 as evangelistic? Consider today’s Holy Nougat

“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The psalmist’s confidence in God’s mercy and goodness is contagious. He has zero doubt about its existence and anticipates the impact on his life in such a way that we are also filled with expectation. If only in principle. For we also have the blessed assurance that we can a) live forever b) in God’s house.

This is the principle behind the Pauline treatise on soteriology (the study of salvation) in Ephesians 2, which says we are saved by grace through faith. We are ‘saved’ from eternal damnation outside of God’s presence into everlasting life. That’s part of the benefits package when we inhabit Heaven.

There is of course the joy that comes with the assurance of God’s hesed (ie steadfast love). It is the kind of love that accepts us as we are, despite what we were, which motivates us to become who God already desires us to be. And that includes is being accepted into God’s family as legitimate heirs and children.

And, what makes it good is the fact that when we didn’t have the right to approach the mercy seat because of our sins, God became human to secure our access. Hence, while we (humans) were still in sin Christ died for us (see Romans 5). The Jewish experience of God’s love wasn’t quite the same pre-Christ, but the favour through the Exodus was part of their institutional memory.

Having received the message and resonated with it, we only have one thing remaining: to share our experience with someone else who’s dying to be convinced of this Good News. What are we waiting for?- time’s a-waiting!

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May all we seek be found in Christ