LIVING LIKE YOU'RE LOVED

Jude 21 “Live in such a way that God’s love can bless you.”

Perhaps you have heard about the ad placed in the “Lost and Found” section of the classifieds. It said, “LOST DOG— mutt, has only one eye, limps due to an accident with the car, hard of hearing, patches of fur missing from mange, answers to the name ‘Lucky.’”

You might wonder, “Why is a dog like that called Lucky?” This poor mutt is lucky because someone cares enough to look for him. Despite all its misfortune someone loves that little dog just the way it is.

You and I are lucky too. We were all deformed by sin. Sin blinded us to the truth; sin hardened our hearts so we could not hear God’s voice. Sin had us limping down the wrong path; we were dirty and sickly. But God loved us enough to look for us anyway. The Holy Spirit tracked us down, and Jesus paid the ultimate price to free us from the trap of sin.

Those who believe that Jesus died for their sins have been forgiven and set free from sin. But that is only the beginning! Jesus did not instruct his followers to go make converts; He didn’t tell them to just go out and find as many people who will believe. Jesus said, “Make disciples”. Becoming a Christian happens in a moment; becoming a disciple takes a lifetime.

Becoming a disciple involves growing in our faith. It means being actively involved in a lifetime process of becoming more like Christ. It means doing more than going through the motions. Jude reminds us all that growth is not attained simply from knowing that God loves us and that Christ died for our sins. We must live like we know God loves us and that Christ’s sacrifice is life changing.

The challenge for each of us is to press in to a life designed by God. Living like you know you’re loved means growing in faith. It means we must address the divisions of our heart. It means that we will address a wavering between flesh and spirit. Scripture tells us that there is indeed a war between flesh and spirit. It must be faced if we are to live. It is won, it is finished, but the responsibility for us to live like it belongs to you and me. Without this consciousness, the results of our lives will be fractured relationships, broken dreams, and intense failure and disappointment.

But hope is found in our scripture. By living in a way that God’s love can bless us, we place ourselves in the center of his love. If we renew our love daily, then we find that his divine power has given us everything we need. By staying in his love, by abiding in his word, and by worshipping him with everything we have we will receive him. Let our hearts remain outstretched to receive his all powerful and never ending love for us. Then we will never miss a moment of the blessing he has promised and our lives will produce everything that we’ve always dreamed of.