Kill the Noise ናሙና

God Will Never Give Up On You

God had every reason to turn His back on me and kick me to the curb. I was raised in a Christian home, the son of a Bible-teaching pastor and a mom who loved God. But there I was, drunk, OD’d on cocaine and zanie bars, partied out, and passed out on a bed in the Sheraton Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica. My life was totally out of control. I was drinking and doing drugs every night, sleeping with many women to satisfy my lust. I had told God to beat it – I wanted no part of Him in my life. Thing is, even though I tried my best to run away from Him, He never left me.

That night when I hit rock-bottom was the beginning of a new life for me. When I asked God to forgive me for all the bad things I’d done – and there were many – do you know what He said? He said, “Yes!” Seriously, just like that! This dirty sinner didn’t have to do any great works to prove himself – no extravagant prayers, no payments to some church. All I had to say was, “I’m tired of living for myself! I’m over it! I’m done with chasing after my body’s appetites. Forgive me. Change me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and give me peace.” God’s response was, “Done deal.”

Trust me, it had nothing to do with who I was. This was simply God’s grace and mercy. God forgave me, because He loves me to death. You know what else? I was the reason He died on the cross. Believe it or not, He loves you the same way, no matter your past and no matter your present. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what you’re caught up in at this moment. When you’re ready to turn from your sin, He’s ready to forgive you for everything. That’s right – 100%! Jesus said, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son [Jesus] into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16–17).

The apostle Paul wrote about this kind of love. “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7). Usually, people look at this verse as talking about our love for each other. Read that verse again, but this time with God’s love for you in mind. He will never give up on you, no matter how many times you tell Him “No.” He will never lose faith that you can turn your life around. He is always hopeful that you will finally see in yourself what He sees in you. You’re a diamond in the rough. God will stay close beside you through every circumstance – whether good or bad, whether you’re the victim or the perpetrator. God will never give up on you. His love is just too strong to let you go.

Fully Committed means seeing yourself as God sees you. You are special to Him. His love for you is overwhelming and His forgiveness is complete. Let God’s acceptance of you as you are and His desire to have you as part of His family be your motivator for putting the noise of the world behind you and living your life for Him.