I sometimes have trouble believing that God likes me. I know he loves me, but am I just a side project of his? Or does he really enjoy being near me, giving me grace? Am I just another in a long line of preachers who think they have it right but don't? Or does he literally experience delight when he sees me trying, like a dad watching his kid try to ride bike the first time?
Maybe you've wondered the same thing.
Ephesians 2 says, "Because of the great love [God] had for us, [he] made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses." Okay, so God loves me – got that.
Then Paul goes on to say, "He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (emphasis mine)
Sit With Me
When Jodi and I first started attending our last church, Grace Community, on our first Sunday, a couple we didn't know invited us to sit with them during the service. We accepted the invitation, chatted with them after the service, and to our knowledge never saw them again.
Ephesians brought that picture to mind, of God raising us up (something we can't do on our own) and inviting us to sit with his own Son, Jesus, at the family table. But not for one Sunday, or one meal – but so that in the coming ages (like, eternity!) he can display the immeasurable riches, not of his power, his influence, his ability to control the universe, build stars by speaking, destroy his enemies, or manage 7 billion prayer requests at once – but so he can display the immeasurable riches of his kindness to us in Christ.
Are you kidding me! For all eternity, God is going to show me how kind he is. And he doesn't wait until I'm dead for that kindness to begin. It began when he told Adam and Eve that the serpent-crusher would come one day and steal the power of the Deceiver. It continued in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and will one day be on full display when he removes sin, grief, sorrow, and tears from this world.
We've been invited to sit with Jesus at the table of God's kindness, and he's invited us to bring along as many others as we can.
Would you sit with me?
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But Never
by Paul Tripp
You humble me,
but never humiliate me.
You confront me,
but never mock me.
You warn me,
but never abandon me.
You call me,
but never leave me alone.
You discipline me,
but never beat me up.
You command me,
but never fail to enable me.
You see into my heart,
but never reject me for what you see.
You teach me your mysteries,
but never made fun of how much I don’t know.
You stay near to me,
but you never tire of me.
You place your love on me,
but never withdraw it when I fail.
So I love you,
but I have come to understand that
my hope and security.
my present and my future,
my acceptance and identity,
my ability and potential,
are not in my love for you,
but in your shocking,
unfailing,
faithful,
wise,
and powerful
love for me.
from “My Heart Cries Out”: Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life (Wheaton: Crossway, 2019)