The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"Relentless"
Of the many adjectives that describe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, "relentless" frequently comes to mind.
He is relentless in purpose. "The eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" guides our Heavenly Father's actions as He works to "gather together in one all things in Christ" (Ephesians 3:11; 1:10). He does not act arbitrarily, sentimentally, or impulsively, but rather according to determinations guided by His character and nature. "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works" (Psalm 145:17). God is perfectly consistent in purpose and devotion to the glory of His Son and the well being of His creation. Relentless in purpose.
He is relentless in truth. Truth constitutes the very being of God. "I am… the truth" declared the Lord Jesus (John 14:6). Thus, our Lord can only think, speak, act, and relate according reality as it actually exists. "The Lord liveth in truth" (Jeremiah 4:2). Journey into the heart of God and you'll find no trace of falsehood, insincerity, deception, or pretense. He is who He is. He is always who He is. Every outward expression of God flows in precise accordance with His inward reality. Relentless in truth.
He is relentless in power - "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). As the angel rhetorically asked Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14). God can do all things that accord with His character and nature, even as a vast creation of beauty, complexity, and wonder proclaims in both the immense and the infinitesimal. Even more, our own lives reveal the power of God as we trust Him to act on our behalf, and as He does over and over and over again. Relentless in power.
He is relentless in grace. "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). God loves to give, He loves to forgive, and He loves to grant undeserved goodness far more than we desire to receive it. Indeed, "God loveth a cheerful giver" because He is the cheerful giver - "it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (II Corinthians 9:7; Luke 12:32). We must know our Lord in these blessed terms, declaring far and wide the beautiful affirmation of the hymnist: "Out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again." Relentless in grace.
He is relentless in mercy. "He delighteth in mercy" exulted the prophet (Micah 7:18; emphasis added). God loves to offer and bestow forgiveness, to the degree that He gave His beloved Son to a cross of suffering, forsakenness, and death in order to provide freely given pardon to all who believe. He also continues to forgive and cleanse His trusting children in Christ for the maintenance of our fellowship with Him if we sin. As the Apostle John wrote, "we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (I John 2:1). The Psalmist concurred - "Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee" (Psalm 86:5). Relentless in mercy.
He is relentless in involvement. "God… worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 1:11). Creation teems with the presence and working of its Creator. We see so very little of His activity in relative terms, but the heart and hand of God moves among all things nevertheless. In the lives of believers, He works "all things together for good," a wonder of coordinating complexity that would instantly overwhelm us if we could see it all (Romans 8:28). Relentless in involvement.
He is relentless in faithfulness. "Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds" (Psalm 36:5). Faithfulness constitutes a most glorious aspect of the loving character and nature of God. Indeed, somebody - Somebody - exists who can be trusted with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5). As we frequently suggest in these messages, no one has ever trusted in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and been disappointed in doing so. And no one ever will. A faithful Heart will always vindicate our trusting hearts as we choose to believe in the perfect trustworthiness of God. Relentless in faithfulness.
He is relentless in holiness. As already mentioned, God is who He is. He is always who He is. He will always be who He is. And He will always think, speak, act, and relate as who He is. He is forever devoted to His own being, character, and nature. "I am the Lord, I change not" (Malachi 3:6). Such continuity means that we shall find our Lord the same today as we did yesterday, and the same tomorrow as today. Relentless in holiness.
He is relentless in judgment. "He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him… the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteouness of men" (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 1:18). We really do reap what we sow, sometimes obviously, and sometimes in ways we do not see or sense. As we trust and obey God in the power of the Holy Spirit, He graces our hearts with the reward of peace, regardless of what may occur of either blessing or challenge because we respond well to Him. Conversely, all distrust and disobedience results in wrath for unbelievers, and discipline for believers. No one gets away with anything in God's creation. He presently administers consequences for waywardness in some form and measure, with far more to come for those who never repent. The wrath and chastening may not appear in ways readily seen or felt. But it is there, as a righteous God sees all, discerns accordingly, and acts in accordance with His perfect evaluation. Relentless in judgment.
Finally, He is relentless in love. The Lord forever dwells in His unselfish devotion to others. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" proclaimed God to Israel (Jeremiah 31:3). He says the same to believers who have become the very dwelling place of His sublime character: "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5). Our Lord had bestowed His unselfish goodness not only upon us, but within us. We live our lives in the immeasurable devotion of His heart to our hearts. We must believe such truth, first because it is true, and then in order to experience the reality of the spiritual wonder in which we live. Our Heavenly Father created and redeemed us to serve as the recipients of His completely unselfish character, nature, and way. "His love is perfected in us" (I John 4:12). Eternity will not suffice for the full revelation of such glory, including this day that will offer new glimpses of God and His heart of lovingkindness revealed for us, to us, and within us. Relentless in love.
Relentless. Nothing more describes the eternally perpetual determination of God to be who He is, and do what He does. As we discover this glory of His goodness and greatness, we will find ourselves desiring to grow in consistency of response to our Lord, and to the path He paves before us. Relentless in response.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
(Ephesians 2:4-7)
Weekly Memory Verse
The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.
(Habakkuk 2:20)
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