Over the years I have come to the conclusion that religion and salvation life are incompatible. We cannot love an impersonal system we call religion, but we can make a choice to consistently love and be loved by our Father God. We dare not try to love religious systems, pointless routines and programmes amounting to idolatry, but we can choose to deeply love and be loved by a Person – Jesus Christ. His gift to us is His invitation to experience for ourselves what it means to be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.1” There have been times of late when I have prayed, “Lord, please overwhelm us with your love.” As we consider this prayerful request, we realise very quickly that God is on a mission to capture our hearts. And not just that He loves people but the way in which He loves us.
How wonderful to see His love in action as He looks into our eyes not to condemn but to convey His care. There is nothing like His love and no near comparison. How good that He does not leave us alone to follow a list of rules, but He mercifully writes His love letter on our heart and always includes us in what He is doing. A life conceived by God Himself. So, everything within us will desire to be a wholehearted disciple of Jesus. John describes our relationship with God like this. “Behold what exotic [foreign to the human heart] love the Father has permanently bestowed upon us, to the end that we be named children [born-ones, bairns] of God. And we are.” 2
[An excerpt taken from my latest book, “Whats In Your Heart” – Chapter 3.]
[1] Ephesians 3:19 [2] 1 John 3:1 Amp.
The book is available on Amazon for the UK here – Whats In Your Heart
Available on Amazon for the USA here – Whats In Your Heart
There are friends in South Africa who would like a copy of the book. If you know of a practical way to get copies to SA please email me. Thanks.
Many European countries, including the UK, are facing difficult lockdown measures. It’s worth re-reading David Rice’s article on ‘A Baptism of Peace’