By sis Esther Tok
In today’s society, most people work very hard. They are out early and return home late to catch up with their family and loved ones. As most people pursue material enjoyment and strive to fulfil all the basic needs of themselves and their families, they often overlook the most important question in life - Who Is Our Creator?
In my pre-Christian days, believing in God was irrelevant to me, but when I came to know God, I realized that there are many things that need to be prioritized. As Jesus said in Matt. 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The way of God is the blessed way – if we trust Him and seek Him in all that we do, we do not need to be afraid of what life may bring.
There are many who live their lives in sin every day. But the rejection, rebellion and self-centeredness of humanity can never change God’s love towards us. God hates sin and knows all the secret sins that we commit. He can easily turn away from us in disgust, but instead of despising us, He gave His only Son to die for us. The death of Jesus was predetermined by God. Jesus is fully God, but He is also fully human to accept the physical torture and shame. Jesus expressed the instinctive, defensive human fear of pain and suffering when he prayed to God saying: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will”- Matt. 26:39. He prayed a second time in Matt 26:42 and a third time in Matt 26:44, praying for the same things. It can be seen from these passages that Jesus’ heart was exceedingly sorrowful but He was willing to submit to God’s will as He was the only suitable sacrifice to redeem us from our sins. This illustrates the depth of God’s love for us. He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through His son Jesus Christ. But He also wants us to live holy lives and obey Him so as to draw closer to Him. Isa 54: 10 speaks of God’s unwavering mercy and love toward us - “for the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed.” God calls us His children and that He is our heavenly Father - 2 Cor. 6:18 reads: “And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my son and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” God is ever patient with us just as how parents are constantly patient with their children when they make mistakes. It is because of God’s perfect love that He created us and it is His love that sustains us.
We ought to reciprocate God’s love for all that He has done and given to us. He loved us when we were deep in sin and He loved us even before we knew Him. God did not wait for us to love Him first before He decided to send Jesus to die at the cross for us. We love God because He first loved us. We should place our trust in Him and value Him above all else. As Jesus said in Matt. 22:37, “Thou shalt love the Lord God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” We love God by loving His Word and obeying His commandments. We communicate with Him through prayer and give thanks to Him daily.
There are so many reasons to love God but the greatest reason for me is that He gave His Son to save us (John 3:16). Let each and every one of us be a grateful Christian and always remember how Christ died for us.