Learning To Live Loved

I have been reading “Uninvited” by Lysa TerKeurst off and on for the past few months and it has been a great read that I encourage you to read if you have not.

All of our hearts long to be loved. We want to be noticed, appreciated, and longed for. We want to feel important and desire to be invited which that can often become our sole focus. We can switch our eyes from the Creator to the created.

But the beautiful thing is– even if we don’t always feel invited or included by people here on earth, we are always welcome to sit at the Father’s table. He draws us in, invites us to sit, and desires to hear from us. Not because of anything I have done, but because of what His son did on the Cross. The Father is able to see me as made new and purified because of the blood of Jesus that was bore for my sins.  He takes me from my brokenness, brings me out of the darkness and very depths of my soul, and brings me life. He knows we have absolutely nothing to offer Him, yet simply wants to have an intimate relationship with us. What an amazing love.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story from 2 Samuel 9. This is when David shows incredible kindness to Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. David desired to show God’s kindness to anyone who was still alive in Saul’s family for the sake of Jonathan. “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.” Zika replied, Yes, one of Jonathan’s  sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.

David sent for him anyway.

He knew that Mephibosheth had nothing to offer. He knew that he was crippled and would not be able to bring any sort of gift to the King– but he had him anyway.

Sound familiar?

We have nothing to offer our King. Even our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). But, Ephesians 2:8 tells us “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND!

I have not a thing to offer to Him, yet sweet Jesus invites me to the table every time. Maybe you find yourself trying to do enough to earn the Father’s love. Maybe you find yourself running from one bible study to the next in hopes that you could earn favor in His eyes. But take heart dear friend. There is nothing you can do to earn favor in the Father’s eyes. We have nothing to bring to the table. We come empty-handed but with hearts sold out for our King. & that, dear one, is enough.

I love how Lysa TerKeurst explains Living Loved. She says, “It’s settling in my soul. I was created by God who formed me because He so very much loved the very thought of me when I was nothing He saw something and He declared me very good and very loved. Therefore I can bring the atmosphere of love in any situation I face. I don’t have to wait for it, hope for it, or even earn it. Then, when I finally get all of that Im not so tempted to flirt with the world because I have the real thing with God. I am loved. YOU are loved. This should be the Genesis thought of every day. Not because of how terrific I am. God doesn’t base his thoughts toward me on my own fragile efforts. No, God’s love isn’t based on me. It is simply placed on me and its the place from which I should live. Loved.”

You are loved, friend. Deeply loved and so very known. I hope that brings you peace and comfort tonight. If you don’t know this Father, I pray your heart will be stirred tonight to get to know Him. You don’t have to clean up first or have it all together– He asks you to come as you are. (I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent -Luke 5:32).

Join His table, friends.

By Sydney Shook