When you read Exodus and Leviticus in the Old Testament this line appears in practically every paragraph: ‘this is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you…’  Father God does not do or say anything without a reason – we need to pay attention to what He said.

He wants to teach us how to live our lives reconciled to Him, progressively learning His Ways. In the Old Testament His requirements were temporarily satisfied by the blood, of sheep, bulls, goats and birds – in the New His requirements were totally satisfied, now and forever, by the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews1:1&2 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world.”  

What Christ did was so powerful, it went backwards and forwards throughout time! The blood of animals previously satisfied the Lord’s anger at man’s rebellion and disobedience to His instructions … for a season. Meanwhile, do look at how patient He is – that first season lasted for approximately two thousand years!  (Moses to Christ.) For those two thousand years He provided a way for human beings to be able to relate to Him by a series of rituals and instructions … and then Christ came … and everything changed forever. Now, instead of temporary reconciliation, we have a reconciliation that lasts forever. Thank you Jesus!! We can go boldly to the throne of GRACE at any time.

Jesus took all those many commandments and transformed them into two. “Love God” and “love one another.” However, He was not just content with telling us about them – Christ fulfilled them both. We are not thinking clearly enough if all we can see is that Jesus died to reconcile US to God. That thought makes US the focus! NO!! He deliberately died because GOD wanted to  reconcile Himself to us. None of us qualified to be able to approach our great and mighty Father without the ceremonial rules and regs of the Old Testament. But He is not satisfied with lip-service. He loves the genuine heart felt response that comes from real revelation of Who He is, into a heart seeking after Him. 

Let’s be clear. Father God loves the man He made. He does not just tolerate us – HE LOVES US — Our God loves the vilest sinner as deeply as He loves the sweetest saint but, we eliminate ourselves when we refuse to live this life His way.Human beings have no idea what unchanging means, because humanity is so changeable and fickle. However God’s love is like a mighty heart beat steady, strong, powerful and the Holy Spirit goes after each one of us with a plan and a passion we will never understand … this side of heaven. We think too small. And when we think too small, we make God too small – we make Him like us by using OUR logic to explain – or sadly, dismiss Him. 

Actually I think we have even presented Him to other people in an incredibly limited fashion and that’s why many people reject Him. Because we explain Him like a list of rules and regulations, dos and don’ts … instead of a vibrant living, loving, passionate Being Who cares about each one of us so much He has done all He can to bring about reconciliation. That ball is now in our court. We need to remember, that He knows how many hairs we have on our heads and the deepest joy and sorrow of our hearts.

We dare not reduce the God of the ever-expanding universe, to a formula!  He is the God Who produces tiny babies almost by the second all over this world, AND… they are all different. How astonishing. He knows each one of us by name, by nature, and by His own choice. His love is personified in Christ and spread abroad by the Holy Spirit – that’s why walking with Them both is so incredibly important. Through the Son and the Spirit – even though we are limited, we can see parts of the Father’s heart toward us that we cannot see any other way. All this is evident to me when I see Him take such a personal, intimate interest in my life and well being. He helps me please Him through the Grace released at Calvary and the precious Holy Spirit’s help.

The Lord has taught me that Love doesn’t come by command — but through appreciation, by beholding … by seeing Him. Our great quest is to personally discover, through His Word, and our experiences of His intervention in our lives – how truly beautiful He is. Jesus Christ’s BRIDE needs to be pure, utterly in love with our BRIDEGROOM for Who He is, not just what He does.Then that deepest sacrificial love for our bridegroom will take us places that we have never even dreamed about. Our Gracious Father has given us clear guidelines, through His book, how to be transformed by His Grace into a Bride worthy of His precious Son. 🙌