Happy Sabbath friends! I apologize for not posting the past couple of weeks. I have been busy finalizing and preparing my sermon that I gave last Sabbath. To those that are reading this, and watched it, I want to extend my sincerest gratitude for your support. To those who have not seen the sermon, I will include the link so you can watch it if you’d like: https://www.youtube.com/live/D1YwpBzmFC0?si=IZBXWAzjQWZDaELf

As I established in my sermon, I was separated from God for about three years of my life because I was seeking the approval of a man that never returned the same love I had for him. While I was in the relationship, and even afterwards, I truly believed that I was better off being alone. I really struggled with the fact that I was deserving of love because for three years I was repeatedly told by the guy I was with that I could do no better than him. I believed him for a while, I’ll admit. Until one day I was reunited with a Man who called me chosen. I was reunited with a Man who called me beloved. I was reunited with a Man who called me precious.

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭13‬-‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God reminded me of who I truly was. He reminded me of my purpose. He reminded me that I am deserving of so much more than someone who was only taking advantage of my heart. The guy I was with would constantly tell me that I would find no one better than him, and guess what, I did. When the guy I was with was taken across the country, was when my love story with Jesus truly began. His Word was like a love letter that I would read constantly as it was a reminder of how loved I was by the One who sent His Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins and transgressions.

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
‭‭I John‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

God loves us so much, and so deeply, that He died for us all to save us! What depth His love is for us all. Each day that I wake up is a constant reminder of the love God has for me. Any rejection I face from the world doesn’t matter, because I have already received the approval and love from the One who calls me His. For three years, all I wanted to hear was that I was his, but now I am told every single day that I am wonderfully made in His image, and I am so deeply loved by the Creator of all.

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.”
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This verse in the Bible is defining what love is, and shows us how we can determine if it’s truly love, or not. If you replace the word “love” with God, it will demonstrate His unwavering love for us all. The biggest part of this verse that stands out to me is that “love never fails”. If you replace “love” with God, it would say “God never fails”. God will never fail you. We may have times in our lives where we feel undeserving, broken, lost, etc. believe me, I’ve been there, but God still shows up for us every single time to remind us that we are His children and we are His forever and always.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭5‬-‭6‬, ‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I may have been hurt by a man who could never return the same love I had for him, but God found me in my darkest place, grabbed my hand, lifted me up, and reminded me of who I am in Him. Ever since that day of remembrance of His everlasting love for me, I have truly felt as beautiful as ever as I have been truly transformed by the grace of God. The old me who was used by someone who didn’t share the same love, is gone. The new me is being cherished and loved by the One who has shared the same love ever since I was knit together in my mother’s womb.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s the greatest love story I’ve ever witnessed. I was broken, lost, etc. and God still saw me. He still loved me. He still wanted me. Because of God’s everlasting love and forgiveness, I was transformed and He has made me a better person through Him. I can be who I truly am when I am with Him. Isn’t that truly amazing? And you can have the same exact thing. Open your hearts to Him today, and allow Him to transform you, so you can be reminded of how wonderfully made you are, and of the everlasting and constant love He has for you.

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Amen.