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16th January 2025
ThursdayReflection
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'Jacob Smith'
'Treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing
Christlikeness'
"God shows his love for us "
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Tim Keller was known for his God-given insight into the human heart.
Keller not only knew how to exegete a text, Keller knew how to exegete people.
He knew how to tease apart the complex tangle of desires in the human heart.
The Love of God
In one quote Keller captures the breadth of the gospel here.
The gospel both cuts and heals.
It wounds in order to bind up. No heart is safe in the presence of this gospel.
"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"
..... Romans 5:8
This is right and good.
The love of God in Christ drives the Christian life.
And try as we might, we will never fully know in this life the depth and height of God's love for us.
But we must continue to plumb the depths and climb the heights of his love, for it is our salvation.
This is the Good News - that the Father loves us.
That we are precious to Him. That we are in His intimate family.
That His love is essential to His character, and thus will never change.
If you are in Christ Jesus, if you believe in Him as your Saviour, your Lord, your Treasure, if you love Christ Jesus - that is the result of the Father's love for you.
We must remember His love every day - His love that never changes, His love that never ends, His love that is not dependent on anything we say, on anything we do, on anything we accomplish.
When feeling depressed and hopeless, we either plaster a smile on our faces, stifling the feelings, or turn away from God, thinking He has let us down.
When someone wrongs us, we either aim to convince the perpetrator of his sin, or pretend we're ok and live a normal life outwardly while bleeding internally.
When gossiped about, we either wonder if we deserve it, or frantically search social media to track the terrible things being said about us and then do whatever we can to get even.
When tired, we either gut it out and get more and more tired, or try to create our own rest, getting angry and annoyed with those who interfere.
All these negative responses come from letting our feelings drive us - feelings of hurt, of inferiority, of inadequacy, of exhaustion, of depression.
Jesus never says, "Your feelings will set you free."
Instead, He says, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
(John 8:31-32).
The truth that sets us free includes the truth of the Father's love for us.
When we know we are loved - when we know that the Father has declared us righteous, has justified us completely by His grace through faith in Jesus, and thus He accepts us and sees us as His own precious possession - then we are free from the chains that compel us to those negative responses.
Confident in His love, we can respond differently:
We don't have to let the face of the criticizer or oppressor dominate our thoughts.
We can seek the Father's loving face - and respond out of that security.
We don't have to pretend everything is fine when hurting.
We can cry out, like a little child with her daddy.
We can weep and mourn - while holding on to the One Who loves us.
We can endure the trials and tribulations of this world, not because tomorrow will be better - it may be worse! - but because nothing can separate us from the Father's love; He will bring us safely through even the valley of the shadow of death to His heavenly Kingdom, and Jesus will return to reign forever.
We can know that when we are wrong or when we sin, we are still loved.
So do you feel hurt?
Do you feel despairing? Don't suppress the feelings - rather, thank God for them.
But don't let those feelings control you.
Rather, use the feelings to prompt you to remember the truth of God's love.
Friends, in Jesus you are loved.
Today. Tomorrow. For all eternity. God is faithful to His character - and thus He is faithful to love us now and forever.
Remember that love. Call it to mind. And then bask in that love.
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article, and Bible references, is avaiable on request
'Desiring God Community Church'
Our Gospel Pursuit
We glorify God by joyfully treasuring Christ and prayerfully pursuing Christlikeness in the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We see Jesus together as a family.
Share Jesus with one another as his disciples.
Show Jesus to all peoples as his witnesses in our neighbourhood, in Charlotte, and in the world.
Contact the Rector
The Revd.
Nic.Edwards
The Rectory,
Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE,
Northampton,
NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 - 815496
(Can be accessed from the mobile device)
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Contact the Benefice Office
Sunday School Rooms, Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE, Northampton, NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 830373
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