This Is LoveSample

In our journey to know God more intimately, there’s one thing we can’t ignore: God hates sin.

Ouch, I know—not exactly a popular or culturally kosher thing to say, but there are no “nice-isms” to couch that truth in. God detests sin because He is perfectly holy.

If you and I want to know God more and truly experience close fellowship with Him, then we are called to brokenness and repentance.

Scripture says He is close to the brokenhearted. When we’re truly repulsed by our sin and understand how it hurts the heart of God, it breaks our hearts, and we draw closer to Him.

Intimacy with God requires a repentant heart. In His love, God says when we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to cleanse us. That cleansing restores our fellowship with Him.

In today’s reading in the book of Revelation, we see Jesus speaking to a self-reliant community of the Laodicean church. Through His call to them, we have a powerful picture of Jesus knocking on the door of our hearts. He wants to come in and eat with us. Still, if the dining table is full of junk and we’ve just gorged on double cheeseburgers and extra-large fries and thick chocolate shakes, chances are we won’t want to open the door to Him because we’ve already glutted ourselves on what was not meant for us.

We don’t have to hang our heads in shame. He offers to come and sup with us. When we give Him full access to our lives, He cleans up the greasy takeout boxes and offers you and me a seat at His banqueting table.

Today, friend, let’s pray for brokenness over our sin, a contrite spirit that mourns over our transgressions, and a grateful heart that accepts God’s forgiveness through Jesus.

This is love—that God offers us forgiveness and freedom through Jesus. May we respond to His love.

Lean In

Father God, I pray for true brokenness over my sin so I won’t go crawling back to it, somehow buying into the false idea that the things of the world are more satisfying than You. Lord, like the Laodicean church in today’s Bible reading, I tend to be lukewarm in my faith. I tend to be too self-satisfied and self-reliant. I tend to be distracted by the things which promise to satisfy but are only ploys of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy. I pray that You would foster in me a repulsion for the things that take me away from You and stir in my heart a passion for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.