God's Love For You Is Immeasurable!

  God's redemption of mankind from the slavery of sin is an unequaled demonstration of His love for us.  God unconditionally lavished on us His great love that we should be called children of God (1st John 3:1).  It is the revelation of His love that captures our hearts and enables us to respond to His love by fully abandoning our lives to Him in surrender.  Despite our disobedience, our-stiff necked and rebellious nature, God has chosen to unconditionally forgive us, be gracious to us, be compassionate over us and deeply love us.

Nehemiah chapter 9 details how the Israelites were arrogant, stiff-necked, disobedient and rebellious, and yet God forgave them whenever they turned to Him in repentance; He was gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love over them.  Israel's sins were gross and yet God chose not to abandon them in the desert.  For example, when Moses went up Mt. Sinai to meet with God and took longer than the Israelites expected, they decided to cast an image of a calf for themselves and worship it as their god.  In fact, they blasphemed by declaring that the calf had delivered them from Egypt (Nehemiah 9:18).  Despite such grievous sin, God was patient and gracious to them.  He chose to extraordinarily bless them despite their shortcomings.  For example:

• By day, the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path and by night, the pillar of fire shone upon their way (Nehemiah 9:19).  
• God did not withhold manner to satisfy their hunger nor did he withhold water to quench their thirst (Nehemiah 9:20).  
• God sustained them, such that they lacked nothing- their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen (Nehemiah 9:21).
• God gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers (Nehemiah 9:22).
• God made their sons as numerous as the stars in the sky (Nehemiah 9:23)
• God enabled their sons to enter the promised land and take possession of it (Nehemiah 9:24)
• God enabled their sons to capture fortified cities, to take possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug and vineyards with abundant fruit (Nehemiah 9:25)

Why was God so gracious and patient with the Israelites?   Does it mean that God was condoning sin and unrighteousness amongst the Israelites?  No, God was neither condoning nor overlooking sin.  Instead, He was giving the Israelites time to repent of their ways and turn to Him, for His desire is that none should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2nd Peter 3:9).  God's patience over us should never be confused as weakness.  Our God is love; but He too is a consuming fire (Hebrews 21:29)!

It is God's intent that His children enjoy his abundant blessings and not live in poverty- both spiritually and materially.  Delivering mankind from the curse of poverty was part of Christ's agenda as He laid His life for us at calvary.  Christ became poor so that we, through his poverty, might become rich (2nd Corinthians 8:9).  God takes pleasure in displaying His glory through His children's lives.   Often times, I have been guilty of making God too small in my eyes.  For many of us believers, we live short of the revelation of who God really is- He owns cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10), silver and gold belong to Him (Haggai 2:8), the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof (Psalms 24:1), He supplies our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19) and He does exceedingly, abundantly above which we can ask or think according to the power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

When we walk with God, we experience divine guidance, just like the Israelites were led out by a cloud by day and fire by night.  We enjoy the blessing of hearing His voice saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it!"  Also important to note is that in God's presence, there is preservation and sustenance. Just like the Israelites' clothes and shoes did not wear out for a period of fourty years in the wilderness, may all that belongs to us be preserved.  The Israelites were given kingdoms and nations, even to the remotest frontiers.  They captured fortified cities and took possession of houses that they did not build and wells they did not dig.  Where God is, His divine providence abounds.  In this year, 2016, I am challenged to stop limiting God and to instead stand on His promises that are Yeh and Amen.  God desires that we ask of Him the nations that He may give them to us as our inheritance and the ends of the earth as our possession (Psalms 2:8)!

Psalms 2:8, "Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession".

Sometimes believers leave the presence of God to look for "blessings" through carnal ways.  However, such believers toil and strive in futility; their lives merely becoming a chasing after the wind.  You and I ought to always remember that a man receives nothing unless that which is given him from above (John 3:27).  All we need, whether material, emotional or spiritual, is found in God, for He is our all in all (1st Corinthians 15:28).  No wonder believers are warned against chasing after riches like the pagans do.  Matthew 6:33 commands us to seek ye first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness and all other things shall be added to us.

When you are blessed, what do you do with the blessings?  Do you use the blessings for advancement of God's kingdom or do you misuse the blessings which often result to forfeiting your own soul?  Nehemiah 9:28 states, "But as soon as they (Israelites) were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight".  Its unfortunate to note that some believers forfeit their souls for riches and gold.  Others, as soon as they breakthrough financially, they become puffed up with pride and begin to compromise their Christian faith.  You and I ought to make a commitment to Christ, to be a conduit of His blessings, through which God shall exhibit His glory, fulfill His purpose and advance the kingdom of God.

God loves you and I, and it is because of His immeasurable love that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins.   I pray that we shall be deeply rooted and established in His love.  May God help us to grasp how wide and long and high and deep, Christ's love is!  His love surpasses knowledge!