Unashamed Love

"God delights in us and showers us with blessings just because we belong to him. He delights over us and gives us access to realms of God simply for our pleasure." Does that "just because" and the "simply" bother you? 

Well hopefully not, I thought it would be good for me to struggle with it in writing a little this afternoon though. It begs the question, "Are we acting like sons and daughters of God."

Sometimes we try to work too hard. We think that if we don't work hard God will not give us things, because, of course, we shouldn't have anything we don't deserve, right?

We think we shouldn't ask for things because that would be selfish. And that if we accept or take anything we need (like rest or a vacation) well we aren't thinking of others. We condemn ourselves and say that that is just lazy (and well I don't want to be lazy because lazy people are worthless. Right?)

Also, if I do accept something from God, I will probably mess it up since I'm a sinful person. Thus, I shouldn't take it. It would be terrible if I messed up God's plans. (the whole world would fall apart if I did that.) I wouldn't want to bring sin into his plans. 

"So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God's very own children, adopted into his family-calling him "Father, dear Father." For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures-for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering." Rom 8:15-17

If you just read this and felt ashamed for not acting correctly you need to read it again. This is God saying, "You don't have to be afraid of Me, I'm your perfect daddy and I won't make your life worse. You are my child, that's what I say and that is what's important. You can be my little boy or girl and you have nothing to fear. You are not a little rejected orphan, you are my very own. I have lots of favorites and you are definitely one of them. And I you get to have everything that Jesus had because I am a fair dad. You get to be glorious and super special just like Him. But, just so you know, it is going to be really tough sometimes too, because as my son/daughter you get to help me make the world better so you can have lots of little brothers and sisters!"

And even writing that I felt like, gosh that's too soft. What I was really thinking to myself was, "Shouldn't I have put more guilt and slime in that?" But I know that what I am trying to say is correct, the Spirit spoke deep down and said so.

So in the end, God can lavish his love on me. He can be my daddy. My daddy is big and tough and can do whatever he wants. And he is bigger than your daddy, as the saying goes. I just need to humble myself and act like a son. I need to let him love me to that spot of accepting everything he has for me. (have you done anything greater than Jesus lately? That's in the book too!) I can trust him to take care of me when I'm too tired to take those extra 2 hours at work. I don't need to fend for myself. 

I should get things I like as God sees fit, because God should get to give what he wants. He's God. I can't BE worthless even if I ACT lazy. If I say I'm worthless then Jesus is worthless. 

I will mess up until the day I die. God knows this, it's why he died for our sins. He can work around and even through my screw ups. And its pretty prideful of me to think that I could screw up his plans. He is so much more in control than that.

Are you acting like you belong to Him? Are you thinking like you belong to him? Do you feel like you belong to him? Let him lavish His love on you "just because." Let him take you to something much deeper than you imagined "simply" for your enjoyment. Because you please the Father and it pleases Him when you enjoy the things of God.