Let me throw a radical and deeply theological, yet profoundly simple truth at you:
God loves us like crazy. 🤯
Seriously, from the moment we were created, He's been head over heels for us. Even before we were conceived or took our first breath, we were in Him. He already had us in His heart and made us a part of His master plan.
In Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
That's a fancy way of saying we're completely wrapped up in His love all the time. It's a love that never quits, no matter what we do or where we go. He’s ALL IN on His love for us. Whether we're all-in on Him, kind of drifting away, or standing still, His love never fails us.
Imagine a love meter that’s stuck at full blast. That’s how God’s love rolls for us. No matter where we are on the journey, His love towards us is 100%! Our mountaintops and valleys, highs and lows, or triumphs and failures won’t move the needle one bit. It’s constant and consistent. ❤️
The Lord loves the opportunity to get close to you.
As we COME UP HIGHER this year, we need to have a deeper revelation of His love. His love never changes, but our understanding of it can change. It's not that His love grows or increases towards us—it's that our hearts grow bigger and better at receiving it as we get closer to Him. He’s always at 100%, but when we get to know Him and understand His ways more, we can experience more of that percentage. 💖
Your capacity to receive His love expands as you draw nearer to Him.
We find our identity in His love. As we get closer to God, we start to figure out who we really are—His much-loved kids. And let me tell you, that changes everything. We start to grab hold of all the good stuff He has for us. Every promise in the book becomes our personal treasure trove. 💫
But here's the deal: embracing God's love isn't just a nice idea—it's a game-changer. Honestly, we need that! So, I often pray, “Lord, reveal your heart to me. Let my roots grow down deep into the soil of Your love. May I be firmly planted in that unshakable truth!”
The truth is, being apathetic about something as amazing as God’s perfect, unconditional love can be very dangerous. This isn’t apathy in the sense of not caring; rather, maybe you have a hard time believing His love is for you, or maybe it’s not something you’re seeking to know more, or letting it really transform your identity. We should be actively growing in our understanding and receiving of His love, because it’s essential to defining who we really are as He intends. We don’t want to be apathetic when it comes to His love.
Apathy can open the door wide to doubt and unbelief, and it can invite insecurity, bitterness, and fear to live inside your heart.
Living from your true identity, means recognizing yourself as a beloved child of God. When you live from that position, it enables you to fully claim your inheritance in Christ. The Bible says that ALL of God’s promises are YES and AMEN for you. We know that’s God’s plan for us, but we just don’t always know how to lay claim to that inheritance.
You can start by operating from this reality...
I’m a beloved and cherished child of God.
Now, let's look at the flip side.
Here are a couple of lies from the enemy that we often entertain and even believe:
- You’re too bad to be loved and cherished. #fail
- His love is based on how good you are today. #bebetter
- His love depends on how much you've done for Him. #domore
- His love for you can grow if you change for the better. #tryharder
- Etc. Etc. Blah. Blah. Blah. All LIES!
When we start believing these lies, apathy towards God's love can set in.
It prevents His love from setting us free to embrace who we were created to be. Instead, we're bound by the enemy's deceit. Apathy can lead to spiritual disengagement or a lack of desire to cultivate a relationship with God. It limits our appreciation for the depth and significance of His love, preventing it from deeply transforming us.
It's as if we’re only half-heartedly accepting Jesus as our Savior.
Either He died for your sins, or He didn’t. Either you’re forgiven, or you’re not. Well, thankfully, He did, and you are! Friends, there is no place for apathy in this life! Let's kick apathy to the curb and remember one thing: God loves us, no matter what. Our worthiness doesn't even come into it. It's all about Jesus and what He did for us. God's love is off-the-charts amazing—never-ending and ready for us every second of every day. We’ve got to ditch any apathy and reclaim our true selves in Him.
What is your true identity in the Lord?
YOU ARE NOTHING LESS THAN HIS BELOVED.
🌟 Remember, His love is always 100% toward you, no matter what. But your capacity to receive can grow this week. Your heart can get bigger and better at taking it in.
Okay, let's get practical.
How can we receive God's love more and live from our true identity?
- Ask Him to give you a fresh revelation and deeper understanding of how much He loves you.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern any lies about God's love and your true identity.
- Confess any apathy towards His love, whether it's from believing the lies of the enemy or not letting His love truly shape your identity.
- Deal honestly with your insecure feelings or doubts with His love.
- When those doubts or emotions come up, don't let your feelings lead—dig deeper and stand on the truth.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help your confidence in His love grow stronger.
- Most importantly, thank God for loving you so well. ✨
So, let's grab onto that truth with both hands and let it change us from the inside out. As we do, we'll discover just how deep God's love goes and how awesome it is to be His beloved kids. 🙌
