"God's Seeking Us"

  Sometimes we have a hard time believing! Especially those who struggle against sin. They get to a point believing that God doesn't want them anymore. While it is true that God cannot and will not walk in the world of sinful living with sinful attitudes, it doesn't mean He doesn't want us. God is opposed to ungodly behavior. He has to be separated from any unrighteousness to protect His holiness and righteousness! That's who He is.

  But do we really believe God wants us? Do we really believe that God delights in forgiveness? The Scriptures say He does! When Jesus explains the heavenly hosts break out into shouts of joy over one repentant one, God wants us! Jesus battled the self-righteous, sinful "preachers" of the first century called the Pharisees and was attacked by the teachers and preservers of God's Law called the scribes. Jesus was run out of districts and ridiculed over and over and then we find Him speaking of the city of Jerusalem wishing, wanting to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. He was seeking a relationship even with all that. But the bottom line fell on them: "You were unwilling!" (Matt. 23:37) There it is. That's the problem. We are never rejected by God but we reject God. It's our unwillingness to want to leave the paths of sin. We like what we do where we live and do not want to give in to Him whole-hardheartedly. The sin leaves us lonely, empty and hurting. We cry out for help and as this process goes over and over again, we conclude that He wants nothing to do with us. As we harden we believe Lord of heaven and earth wants to cast us aside. Our walking in sin's path has created a conclusion within us that the devil has convinced us that God wants nothing to do with us. That's far from the truth!

  Jesus came seeking and He still is seeking. It's us who will not give in and respond. We think that God doesn't want us because we have failed Him over and over. We do matter to God. I don't understand that either but we do matter and God has made it abundantly clear that He will keep coming after us, telling us what He wants for us and will do in us. The Lord seeks more than just forgiving us. He seeks to make something of us that looks like the image of Jesus. The question is: do we believe it?