“Jesus comes close to us when we are at our very worst.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 27, 2024
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5, NIV
One of the most remarkable things about God’s love is the way he loves us in our most unlovable state. It’s easy to love a lovable person! When someone is quick to serve others, finds joy in every situation, and lives with honesty and integrity, one can’t help but be drawn to them with a spirit of affection and appreciation. Yet when we encounter someone who is dishonest, angry, vindictive, and concerned only with their own wants and needs, it is natural to keep our distance and want nothing to do with them.
The heart of the Christian faith is that Jesus comes close to us when we are at our very worst. When others would be repulsed and turn away, he is filled with “great love for us,” as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2. The love of God is not based on our lovability but is an overflow of his own perfect love.
When the Lord looks at you and me, he doesn’t simply see a dead person without hope or a future. He sees something dead that was made to be alive. And not only made to be alive, but made to be alive in him, filled with his very life and breath. I wonder, when we encounter people at their worst, “dead in transgressions,” as Paul says, do we simply see them as finished products, or are we able to see the life for which they were made, believing the Lord is inviting them into a future that finds rest and peace as they live in the light of his goodness?
If the Lord can work this transformation in each of us, we must believe and hope for the same transformation in others. Never view someone who is at their worst as a “finished story” but choose instead to see the potential that is contained within each and every human being, no matter how deeply that potential is buried or forgotten. If God loves each of us when we are dead in sin, we can extend the same love to everyone we meet.
Prayer
Father, give us a heart of love and compassion toward others, and remind us daily of your own love for us even when we are at our very worst, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Who do you need to love today as you have been loved?
Related Reading
Zephaniah 3:17; John 3:16; Romans 5:8
Worship Resource
All Sons & Daughters: Great Are You Lord
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