"For Us"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"For Us"

    Two of my favorite words in the Bible are found in the Apostle Paul's joyous affirmation of God's loving support for His children: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

    "For us."  Our Heavenly Father forever abides in faithful devotion to His trusting children in Christ.  We are "accepted in the Beloved" and thus, eternally the subjects of His gracious favor and attitude of good will (Ephesians 1:6).  He is for us.  He may not, of course, always be for attitudes we hold, or actions we perform, or actions we fail to perform.  The New Testament makes plain the fact that we can displease our Father in these aspects of our response to Him (Ephesians 4:30).  However, He remains for us in the sense that we are His children, in whom dwells the Spirit of beloved Son, the Lord Jesus.  

    Loving human parents well understand this truth regarding our children.  Devotion to their well being fills our hearts even when - and perhaps especially when - our sons and daughters stray from our teaching and direction.  We remain for them even when everything within us cries out against wrong actions and neglectful inaction.  Our children hold an inviolable place within our hearts that maintains our love for their person even when we may rightly hate destructive ways, words, and attitudes.  Multiply this by an infinite measure and the love of God for His trusting children in Christ shines forth in the glory of His promise to be for us in times of both faithfulness and waywardness.  Indeed, the book of Hebrews, written to first century Jewish believers being tempted to turn away from the Lord Jesus and return to the law, closes with the promise, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).  Our Lord abides faithful when we don't.

    Countless Christians have returned from times of wandering when the Spirit of God reminded them that the Word of God promises the abiding faithfulness of God.  Count me among that company, that is, among those whose hearts have often been broken and renewed upon the remembrance of a faithful Father.  Even more, the remembrance that a faithful Son's heart was once shattered by forsakenness so that we might never be forsaken calls us home to the God who both now and forevermore remains "for us."

"The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth forever."

(Psalm 138:8)

Weekly Memory Verse

    What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

(Psalm 56:3)