I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Paul is a person who knows God's will and understands God's heart. When God sees his children going astray, He gets really anxious, just like our earthly parents would. Although parents may discipline their children, they do so out of love, hoping that their children will turn around. God's heart is the same way. He is full of compassion and mercy, not easily angered. The Bible also tells us that God's anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. We see that God's anger is to punish sin and to save His children.
The Bible says that we are the bride of Christ. Paul is saying this from God, "I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." We are one with Christ. The love between Christ and the church is intimate like the love between husband and wife. Jesus came into the world to die for us, and be resurrected again. The primary reason is not to show that He is victorious, but to win the love of His bride. The Lord really cares about the love we have towards Him. Otherwise, Jesus would not have asked Peter 3 times, "Do you love me more than these?" When the Lord comes again, it will not to be to judge the world, but to receive His bride.
Whenever I think of God's love, I like to use the term, "enduring and persevering" to describe his love. Although we keep rebelling and rejecting, He is patient with us. In the book of Hosea in the Old Testament, it especially describes the love between Christ and His bride. Although the Lord's bride keeps drifting away, He has never forsaken us. Won't such love cause our hearts to melt? Just like those who are in love, when you discover that someone loves you so much for who you are and is willing to die for you, wouldn't your hearts be touched?
The love of Christ is this type of love. Pray that God will help us love Him wholeheartedly because He first loved us. Pray that God will guard our hearts, so that we may have a pure heart that longs for Christ. Pray that God will also keep us alert, that we will not be deceived by the enemy and doubt God's will, just as Eve was deceived by the enemy, causing her and her whole family to stray away from God.
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, I thank you because no one cares about us as much as you do. No one can accept us and wait on us as patiently as you do. Pray Lord that you will cause our hearts to turn towards you because of your love for us. We want to say to you, "Lord, we love you too!" May the Lord strengthen our hearts. I thank you and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!
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