Monk's Musings: God Really Does Love Us!
Beacon Office
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness…” Jeremiah 31:3.
Wow! 2023 has begun! A chance to refocus and start a new chapter in our lives. To evaluate: how did our last year go? How did our walk with the Lord Jesus grow? Likely we all experienced challenges, with defeats as well as victories. But as we think back, and as we plan ahead, God insists on telling us that He loves us. He loves us as we are, not as we would like to be. He has always loved us, since before we were born. Through our whole life, He has wooed us and drawn us out with unfailing kindness. Sometimes we are aware of His love, often we are blind to it, but as a faithful parent, He goes on loving us, whether we respond in love or whether we ignore Him.
Yes, He is also a God of justice and holiness, a God who should be feared and respected. But love and fear are not contradictory. A joyful wife loves her husband deeply and is confident in his love. But she also has a healthy fear of being unfaithful to him. She realises the irreparable hurt that she could cause him and herself if she trampled his trust and love. But she doesn’t feel trapped into the relationship by fear. Fear does not drive her marriage, love does. And that depends on her own heart attitude. This makes all the difference between a good and a bad marriage, it also makes all the difference between a joyful and a sad Christian. So as we start this New Year 2023, let’s purpose to be more aware of the Lord’s love for us each day, and respond in joyful love to Him!
Remember you will always be welcome to come to Beacon, where we seek to enjoy His creation and warm our hearts to His infinite love in Jesus, so please encourage family and friends to come with you this year!
With all our love in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Andrew “Monk” & Marianne “Tia” Nunn