A Passion That Never Gives Up

Meditations for Ragamuffins

October 2, 2023

A Passion That Never Gives Up

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

John 10:27-30 

The passion of God for His children is revealed throughout the Bible. In Isaiah, God describes his passion as that of a husband, “For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth” (Isaiah 54:5). God takes this metaphor even deeper through the life of the prophet Hosea. Through the life of Hosea, we see God’s unfailing love; we see God’s passion never wavering, even though Israel’s betrayals were frequent.

Hosea is a difficult book to read because Hosea is so far removed from our experience. It is incomprehensible for us to put ourselves in his place. It is only when we step back and grasp the truth that Hosea’s story is not about a man loving his serially unfaithful wife. It is the story of our Creator God’s unfailing love for his unfaithful children. God’s longing, His passion for His children makes it impossible for Him to give up on us. It is His compassion, His passion that enables Jesus to give us eternal life, and empowered Saint Paul to boldly proclaim, “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

My Takeaway: It is so very easy for us to look at our faults, our failures, and the countless times we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We certainly want to have an awareness of our sin. We certainly want to repent, to turn from our fallen lives and turn toward God as He reaches for His prodigals. However, I am convinced that the freedom Christ so desperately wants for me will come when my focus rests more on God’s passion for me than my faults and foibles.

 Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.