Return to Me

Return to Me...

Oh, how I love that movie.

Have you seen it?

The plot of the movie is about this man, Bob, whose wife suddenly dies, while the other main character, Grace, was waiting for a heart transplant. Because of the death of his wife, Grace receives her heart. Later on, Bob and Grace happen to meet (of course) and they end up falling in love (duh!), but Bob doesn't find out till later that Grace has his wife's heart. The news of the transplant comes as a shock at first, but later its becomes a neat connection between them. In a sense, his deceased wife returned to him through Grace.

What a unique story line, huh?!

This past week we finished reading the whole Bible in a little over a year. We ended in the book of Malachi, in which one repeated phrase stood out to me. Maybe it stood out to you, too.

"Return to me." Not only did this phrase appear in this one book, but also in Joel, Zechariah, Nehemiah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Clearly, this has something to say about our God.

1) He is not forceful, because if He were, we would never stray in the first place.

2) He longs to be in relationship with us.

3) He is consistent and doesn't give up on us.

Going back to #1. God is love and with love comes freedom. He allows us to make our own decisions in hopes that we will follow Him. Love is not forceful.

Since He made us in His image, with the intention to be in relationship, of course, He desires that we would want to be in relationship with Him.

Because He is faithful and loving, He doesn't stop pursuing us and the potential relationship we could have, but never forcing us.

The Israelites had an issue with staying in relationship with God. They had a tendency to ignore and stray away from Him. We see throughout the Old Testament how badly that broke His heart. He wanted so badly to be in relationship with Him, but it was like a one-way relationship. You know the friendships that seem to be one-way and not two-way. You may feel like you are doing all the work, but the other person isn't doing anything. It doesn't feel good, huh?

God felt that way. He wanted it to be a two-way relationship and He stills wants that for us today. 

Maybe in the past, You felt real close to God. You were reading your Bible everyday. Your prayer life was at an all time high and your heart revolved around His heart, but some where along the way, something changed. Maybe  not intentionally, but maybe for one reason or another, you fell out of your groove.

God says to you and me, "return to Me."

"I have always been here for you and I will never leave you, but please return to Me."

Just like the heart of Bob's wife returned to him through Grace, it's never to late for us to return to God. He made us in His image, to be in relationship together. He wants so badly to be in a two-way relationship instead of a one-way. 

pursuing me

 

A lot of people have this preconceived idea that God is distant and we have to work to reach Him. That He is looking down, watching and waiting for us to serve Him, giving nothing in return.

If you feel this way, I hope that I can change your mind.

 

You see, God made us to be in relationship with us.

He didn't make us only so that we can serve Him so that He can do nothing.

It's not a one way relationship. It's a two way relationship.

First, God loved us. Because He loves us, we love Him.

Since He loves us, He provides for us so that His glory shall be revealed.

Because He provides for us, we in turn should serve Him.

 

Yesterday, I read Joshua 22-24. I'd like to share with you what stood out to me.

"Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.  Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.  To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out.  I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.  But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness for a long time.  Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land when I destroyed them before you.  Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.  But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand. You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. Thus I gave them into your hand. Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.  I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord." ~Joshua 24:1-14

 

Did you catch the theme of the passage?

God was basically saying to the people of Israel, "See what I've done for you?!"

Clearly, God pursues.

He is the ultimate pursuer. No one pursues like He does.

He is not a selfish God, but He is a selfless God.

He didn't have to do any of that. The people definitely didn't deserve it, but He did it anyway! His grace and mercy never ceases to amaze me.

 

Ladies, I'm sure you could agree with me that it's a nice feeling to be pursued. Knowing that a guy is willing to go out of his way to make you feel special is affirming.

 

Let me say it again, God pursues us.

It's not that we are pursuing God, but He pursued us first.

Isn't that amazing?!

The creator of the Universe is always pursuing you.

 

He proves this to us by...

1. Creating us

2. Providing for us

3. Most importantly, sending His son, Jesus, as a sacrifice to save us and, through that, offering us eternal life if we believe in Him.

 

If that isn't pursuing us, then I don't know what is!

In believing this truth, we feel special, loved and excited.  In response, we desire to return the love that He has proven us.

 

Any other religion would disagree with me.

They would say that God is far and distant, but I say...

He is near and pursuing us.

 

Look around you and see that God has pursued you.

He has pursued you through the rising of the sun.

He has pursued you through your newborn baby.

He has pursued you through the cross.

 

Thank Him for all that He has done for you, and let that be the motivation to give your life in service to God.

 

Check out this song, "He Knows My Name" by Paul Baloche.

 

 

Don't forget to pray for the unreached people group of the day!

Day 8 In Him we find...

Whether you have an earthly father in your life or not, you have an amazing, heavenly father. I love how Jesus teaches us to pray in Matthew 6:9 saying, "Our father who art in heaven..." Not only is He the creator of the universe, but He is our Father! (We have one rockin Dad!) God wants us to have a relationship with Him. He wants us to climb up in His lap. He wants to protect us. John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." What's even better is that He chose you! Let that sink in for a minute. It's not like he's saying, "Ugh, that's my kid?!" No, He's the Dad that carries a picture of you everywhere and shows everyone saying, "That's my child!" with a proud smile. He knit you in your mother's womb. He knows everything about you and accepts you!

Psalm 139:13- "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."
Romans 8:15- "The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
2 Corinthians 6:18- "And,“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

 

In Him we find our Heavenly Father.