RELENTLESS LOVE

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 1:6 King James Version (KJV)

A few months ago I gave a message about destiny. In it I commented that Jesus would not be Saviour without being Lord.

Some people in the congregation thought I was saying that Jesus did not love and would eternally reject those who did not perfectly follow Him as Lord.

Actually that thought never has even entered my mind as a reality. It is fairly easy for me to miss that so many struggle with knowing that God loves them because I have never once doubted His love for me. That is not a proud statement. It is not so because of some great aspect of character in my life. Far from it. It is so because I have never forgotten who I was and still am if He had not loved even His enemies.

For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

Colossians 1:19-22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

My first encounter with Him was outside a strip joint in Dallas Texas where my band was playing. Though I was in desperate need of Him I did not realize it. When He found me I was psychotic, mentally destroyed from taking psychedelics and extremely paranoid. I knew that I was completely unworthy of anyone loving me, especially God.

But there He was, loving me in spite of it all. His gift to me of life was fully unmerited and I knew it. He gave it just the same.

Since then I have walked through many periods of less than stellar performance in my walk with Him. Yet He has always held out His hand for me to grasp and make my way back to the path He desires me to walk.

As a result I know beyond a shadow of a doubt He loves me without limit. And I also know it was never anything that I did, I was or ever will be that brought it to me.

I was radically saved because I knew I was radically lost - without a hope of impressing God with anything of my life.

Paul understood this. You cannot find one jot of scripture to say that he was doing anything to bring God's love to him. Yet God relentlessly pursued him and one day he responded.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:12-14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

That reality has been wonderful beyond imagination but has also been one of my great difficulties.

You see I find that many people who have received Jesus are still struggling with their acceptance by Him.

I find second generation believers deeply struggle with this.

I have watched so many suffer from an affliction that I have never known. And an affliction it is. As I have listened to countless stories of people who just don't know they are loved by God I have felt a suffering in their hearts that seems as deep as hell itself.

While I have never felt it since the day He came into my life, watching others face it on a daily basis and the efforts they so vainly try to bring themselves to a place of security in having Him love them tears my heart out sometimes.

Even though I try to tell them it is not so, they are internally convinced that God does or does not love them due to something they have or have not done.

Though it may seem harsh or even cruel to say, I think many people who doubt God's love have not fully understood they were and always will be completely unworthy of God's love. As I listen to them I continually hear them express this oh so subtle but extremely binding concept that somehow their actions determine God's heart toward them.

Our actions do not determine God's love toward us. If they did He would hate all of us since all of us have failed him.

God's heart is one of love for everyone. For God so loved the World.... He died for every man and woman who has ever lived....... Their sin does not alter His heart of love for them. Paul continues this thought in the next verses:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 New International Version (NIV)

But the problem is, though it does not alter His heart of love, our actions borne out of a heart set against him do alter our ability to receive and be transformed by that love.....

That is the point of saying Jesus will not be Saviour without being Lord. It is actually the Relentless Love of God that makes it so.

If I am to have fellowship with the Holy God of the Universe I cannot remain in my sinful attitude toward Him. He must capture my heart completely. He must have it all. He must have my entire life in response to His love.

I love the song by Jesus Culture "You won't relent" You can hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEJnePjJZaM
It expresses the divine passion of God's heart to fully gain our heart.

To think of God accepting any less than this would be to degrade His love.

To give the idea that this love relationship is only one sided fails to understand that God's love will mean nothing to those who end up eternally separated from Him by their own choice.

If it were up to God's love alone to save us without our response in love to Him, the whole world would be saved.

His love is universal. People responding to His love is not.

Until we die, God will never stop seeking to draw us closer to Himself. No matter how close or far we are from Him, if we are His child He will never stop his relentless pursuit of our submission out of love for Him as the sole ruler - the Lord of our lives.

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

John 14:21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

Luke 6:46 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Knowing God will relentlessly pursue my heart until it yields to Him is one of the most comforting things I know. I am not left to simply wander around until I get it right. He orders every footstep to continually bring home to me that I cannot possibly hope to find any good thing in my life without Him.

Look at the life of Peter. He was constantly having issues with his walk. Those issues finally ended in his denial of Jesus.

Yet Jesus relentlessly pursued him. But it is important for Peter and us to see what the issue really was. Look at what Jesus asked Peter in his moment of reconciliation:

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He *said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He *said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He *said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.

John 21:15-17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Jesus was not asking Peter if he had prayed a prayer......

He did not ask him if he knew how much Jesus loved him....

He did not ask if he had been faithful.....

He did not even ask him to repent from his sin......

He asked him if he loved him. This is what God is after. This is what He relentlessly pursues in our lives. That we would love Him as He loves us. This is salvation, sanctification, justification and glorification..... to be transformed by His love into His image.

And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”

Luke 10:27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

He relentlessly pursues our hearts to fully love him..... no matter what.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

1 John 3:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Yet we can resist that pursuit.

No matter how much a man may love a woman.... no matter how long and hard he pursues her.... No matter how many gifts or provisions he makes for her..... his love will not make her love him..... It will give her the chance to respond but it will not force her to love him.

So it is with God.

A few weeks ago as I was praying through the fallout of my message on destiny the Lord whispered into my heart,

"Love cannot transform anyone who will not love in return."

The point of salvation, the point of Lordship, the point of Jesus' death is that we love God in response to His love toward us.

Those who will spend eternity separated from Him will have been loved just as much as those who will spend eternity with Him. The only difference in the latter is that they let His love transform them into His image by responding in love to Him.

Like a mother continually pours out her love towards her child yet cannot force the child love her even were she to die for the child, so God cannot make us love Him no matter how much He loves us or what He may do for us.

Yet when we respond to His love by opening our hearts He is right there to fan the flame. Even when we reject Him He will relentlessly pursue us. And if our love is lacking He will never stop working in our lives to bring it to fullness.

He won't relent until He has it all.....