Have you ever watched a child learn how to walk. Watching my children learn how to walk was a blessing to me. The word blessing doesn't even begin to describe how I felt as I watched my children's determination to walk no matter how many times they stumbled or fell.
I watched them catch their balance when they stumbled. I saw them stand back up and try again and again. I loved how they persevered.
Now in comparison, think about how much our Heavenly Father loves us and his parental pride in us. God loves us with a perfect love. The definition of him in the Word is 'God is love'. His love is described as unconditional. His love knows no boundaries.
He gave his Son so that we can have eternal life with him in glory. God's son, Jesus Christ, being unjustly murdered was the epitome of sin. Jesus giving his life for us so that through faith in him and what he did for us so we will be saved is the epitome of love. God's love is perfect.
Our Father who knew us and knitted us in our mother's womb and gave life to us watches us as we learn to be more like Jesus Christ and learn how to put on the mind of Jesus Christ.
God sees us catch our balance when we stumble. He sees us correct ourselves every time we make a mistake. Jesus said we are to forgive our brother seven times seventy times when he sins against us. The mistakes we make trying to be more like Christ are just that, mistakes.
Our words and actions, even our way of thinking comes from a place of memory. Our body remembers the muscles we use to catch ourselves when we fall and to stand back up after we've fallen. We speak and act instinctively. Our heavenly Father sees us training our minds as we learn to replace a mind of carnality with the mind of Christ. He sees our struggle as we correct ourselves over and over again. He sees us try every day to be more and more like him and he has a father's love, watching us learn to be more like Jesus Christ.
God's mercy is renewed every morning. The salvation that we're given comes from what he's accomplished not through our own efforts and works. If we could attain salvation on our own then Christ died in vain. If we think we can earn our way into heaven we're not glorifying Jesus and putting God where he needs to be in our minds and hearts. We're minimizing him with our self-righteousness instead of glorifying him as we walk in his righteousness and the righteousness and holiness that is ours through his sacrifice. As a loving Father God watches us as we learn to put on the mind of Christ and replace old habits with new habits.
God watches us with joy. He bask in joy over us as we learn to use the instructions he's given us. He watches us with joy as we strengthen our minds and muscles and he's waiting for us to ask him for help. He's not going to take over while we're strengthening our spiritual muscles but he will come to our aid when we need him and ask him to. Jesus didn't instruct us to forgive our brother seven times seventy times when he sins against us then in contrast is waiting to strike us down when we inductively sin. The word says Jesus sits at the right hand of God making intercession for us. He is our advocate.
As you learn to walk in your shoes of holiness and righteousness remember that God is love. He loves you unconditionally. His love is eternal. Your face is ever before him. Bask in your father's love.
Written by: Lisa C
