Page 6 - Good News March 2019 paper
P. 6
an God love someone like me? Does this hugging embrace, and I heard
question ever trouble you? Perhaps it comes Him say with perfect clarity in my
Cup in those quiet moments when you're all heart, “I love you.”
alone. Maybe there was a time - in your childhood
years, perhaps - when you could believe that God That was it for me. He won my
really did love you. But that was… before thoughts heart! I had just spent a good half-
of God were overrun by the alluring pleasures and hour or more telling the Lord all
entertainments or athletic ambitions the world the reasons why no one could
offered you… before the molestation… before that possibly love me, why HE
first sexual tryst in high school or college… before shouldn't love me or even have
the abortion… before pornography became an anything to do with me. And how
obsession… before secret sin took over and began did He respond? What did He
to dominate your life… before you crossed lines and want to say to me about all of this?
engaged in things you swore you'd never do. “I love you.”
Whatever IT was that happened, it's now a mountain Friend, that's what He wanted me
between you and God. If He ever loved you, it seems to know above all else. Oh, to be
impossible to believe He could now. I remember all sure, He fully intended to deal
too well being in that place. My carefully with my sin, my selfishness, my
constructed life was demolished in quick fashion pride and self-righteousness, my
when my secret sexual behaviours came to light. I unfaithfulness, my utter lack of from this profound statement about love.
lost my job in ministry, lost my treasured pristine respect for His Word. But first, I
reputation, severely damaged my marriage and needed to know a very, very vital Our Love for God: While it's easy to sing “I love you
wound up exiled to a programme for sexual addicts piece of the puzzle that I had long Lord” while participating in the congregational
in rural Kentucky. I wasn't just lost; I was a 38-year been overlooking: He loves me. hymns and worship songs of the church, and
old Loser at the lowest point in my life. Years of self- perhaps even to utter the words in prayer now and
love had left me hardened outwardly and hollow Because of God's Love… again, the truth for most of us is that we do not love
inwardly. There's a story in Genesis that God - at least, not like we ought to. Not like Jacob
helps to make the love of God loved Rachel. If we did, then years of serving Him
One day, shortly after my unceremonious arrival at come alive for me. Perhaps you would seem as nothing more than a few days to us.
the Pure Life Ministries Residential Programme, I remember how Jacob deceived He would truly be the centre of our affections. Doing
took a walk out on the ridge, to the place where a Isaac and stole his brother's what we know would be pleasing to Him, wouldn't be
hand-hewn wooden cross stands amidst a small inheritance, then fled to the such a struggle. Obeying Him wouldn't seem
grove of cedar trees, and sat down on the bench distant home of his mother's burdensome or restrictive. It would be exhilarating!
overlooking the cross. relatives. In exile, Jacob wound If you spent time studying Scripture about what it
up agreeing to tend the flocks of means to truly love God, you just might discover that
I began to pray. I told God how miserable and his Uncle Laban. He also your love for Him is pretty weak and superficial. If
wretched I was. I confessed sexual sins, sins of happened to fall in love with that is the case, the best response is to begin by
deception, sins against others, sins against Him, Rachel, Laban's younger confessing that truth to God. Be honest. Be sincere.
sins too shameful to speak of here. I told Him how daughter. Pour your heart out to Him! He can handle the truth.
wrong I was; how sad I was; how lonely I was; how I And He can help you change!
felt like a failure my whole life; how nobody really Soon enough, the arrangement
loved me and I couldn't blame them. I lost track of was made that he would work for God's Love for Us: There's another side to this
time but I'm sure I spent at least 30 minutes babbling Laban for seven years, at the end divine portrait of love between Jacob and Rachel.
on and on, admitting to God precisely how of which time Rachel would This passage also provides great insight into the
disgusting, vile and wretched I was. At some point, a become his wife. Here's how the Father's love. God does love you! What if it meant
vague memory came to mind of some preacher Scriptures summarize Jacob's serving seven years for you? Would He do it? Yes,
saying I shouldn't do all the talking but should allow years of toil: “So Jacob served He's willing. And He proved it by coming as the
God opportunity to speak when I'm praying. seven years for Rachel, and they Servant-of-All for us (Mark 10:44-45). Would He
seemed only a few days to him serve seven years? I suspect He would serve
So I paused in pouring out my heart to God and said, because of the love he had for seventy-times-seven years. In fact, He would give
“Sorry Lord; I've been doing all the talking.” (In my her” (Genesis 29:20). Wow! “… His whole life. He did give His whole life: “For God so
thinking, this was just one more failure to add to the and they seemed only a few days loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
list.) “Do You have anything You want to say to me?” to him because of the love he had that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
It's hard to put into words what happened when I for her.” Can you imagine love like have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Let these familiar
asked that question. But somehow, I felt - in a very that? words become full of NEW meaning to you!
literal way - the arms of God Himself draw me into a There are two sides to consider - Ed Buch, Pure Life Ministries, 2018