“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (NIV)

God has loved us since before we were born, when we were knit together in our mother’s womb. All our lives He patiently waits for us to turn to Him and love Him back so He can strengthen us through His abundant love and undeserving mercy.

We go through many experiences that seem to be the end of life itself; but somehow we pick up the pieces and keep moving. It could be any number or combination of circumstances we experience on our journey. Perhaps you can relate to some of these:

We lose a job due to cutbacks; We lose a home in foreclosure; We have a wayward child; Our spouse is unfaithful; We have a prolonged illness; We lose a spouse suddenly by death

All of these events are difficult and hard to manage on our own and sometimes we wonder, “How could a loving God let something like this happen to me?”

God does allow all things to happen. He is in control of all time, matter, and events, which are either tragic or victorious. When something happens in our lives or of those we love, we are being taught to rejoice in these times. Why and how can we do this?

We do this is because as His children, it brings glory to Him. It isn’t that God is a torturous God, it’s that He loves us and wants to teach us how to deal with hardship and trials so we will know Him deeper and utterly depend upon Him for our breath.

One of the first ways we can start to do this is to accept that God loves us no matter what we thoughts we have had, what words we have uttered or what actions we have made against Him in our lifetime.  No matter what losses, no matter what victories, God loves us. He loves us enough not to leave us where we are, so He sent His Son to give His life for ours.

Secondly, Jesus Christ died on the cross as a criminal for the forgiveness of our all our rebellious ways. He too, was mistreated and lived a life of persecution and scoffing.  His death frees us from the burden of our sin for the past, present and future. He won the victory over sin through His death. Once we genuinely profess that Christ is our Savior, ask for His forgiveness with a heart of repentance and invite Him into our lives to be the One in control, a mighty work begins in us.  It may take one day to begin change in our lives, or it may take more than forty years. Usually it is the latter.  I have known many people who were misled when they were younger about the truth of God, thereby resulting in years of poor choices, turmoil, loss and emptiness. But in the climax of the moment of hopelessness chose to trust God and depend on Him alone. In fact, I was one of those people.

A final point, but the most important, is that Jesus Christ died for us while we were still out of control, being controlled by our sinful nature. He was raised from the dead and before ascending to heaven to sit at the throne of God, He sent the Holy Spirit, as the gift of eternal life, to live in us as our guide. The effect in our lives is not what we have done, but what Christ did for us.  God is in charge of all time, He can go in and out of time wherever He chooses; He is Sovereign. When He dies for us, while we are still sinners, we die with Him and are born again into a new life of freedom. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is the One that raises us out of our lives of emptiness and doom to a new life in Christ. He begins a work in us manifesting His character and His love. When we receive this from God, allowing Him to do a work in us, we receive peace, hope and joy as we have never known before and beyond any man’s description.

The heartaches and tragedies, the pain and writhing, the despair and emptiness are allowed by a God who loves us so much so that we will turn to Him! It sounds funny doesn’t it, but it’s true! In loving Him, He will build up strength in us that a world full of armies cannot overcome.

God is a loving God, but He is also a wrathful God who will have justice and reveal all truth about everything in our lives. There is a day that comes for each of us, and we will either choose to live in the refuge of our mighty God, bringing glory and honor and praise to His name through our lives, or we will choose to keep on living in our own strength and our own way, resulting in emptiness, loss, tragedy, hopelessness and constant worry.  There is a path that a man thinks is right, but in the end it is death.

God loves us! He wants to bring us into His love so we can live with Him, bringing praise and glory to His name for eternity. His allowance of events and His wrath in our individual lives and world is a way of protecting us now and for eternity because He loves us so deeply.

I often wonder why it took me so long, but today none of that matters, I am forgiven. I am new and have been made clean. God promises this for those who believe Him.

What can we do to improve our lives in Christ?  Do we know Him and His love? Are we free to live in Him?

Scriptures for further reading: Psalm 139:13; 1 Peter 1:5-7; 1 John 3:16; John 3:16; Galatians 5:22-25; Acts 2:24; Psalms 62:1-3; Galatians 2:20