Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 (ESV).
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV).
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you." And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." Mark 3:31-35 (ESV)
I chose these three passages and lumped them together because, even though they all come from the New Testament, they are all from different books aimed at different audiences, and yet they all convey the encouraging idea that some of us need to be reminded of today.
God wants to be close to us. He wants us to have a personal relationship with him, to draw close to him as we would to a father whose love we were assured of. Jesus says that those who do the will of God are his siblings, making us children of God. Hebrews reminds us that we can go before the throne of God confidently, not doubting that he will hear us, but knowing that we are valued by him and that he will empathize with our struggles and our hurts because he experienced the human existence.
Even that last sentence shows how far God is willing to go for a relationship with you. Unlike many religions, which encourage people to strive to become god-like, our God chose to lower himself to our level to save us. Philippians demonstrates the humility of Christ like this: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV).
God's love for you ran so deep that he left his throne in heaven to be born in a farm in an occupied nation and to preach for three years, enduring continual mocking and doubt, and to ultimately be executed in a way that treated him like an animal more than a human. Crucifixion tried to strip away every piece of humanity from it's victims, and yet Jesus willingly submitted to all of that because he knew that it was your only hope. And when he breathed his last breath on the cross, the ceremonial veil, which separated the Jewish priests from the place where God's spirit resided, in the temple of Jerusalem was torn in half, from top to bottom, signifying the start of a new way of approaching God and having a relationship with him.
So today, if you feel unloved or unworthy, or too ashamed to approach God, remember all that he endured and planned to give you full, personal, constant access to his throne room, and then walk into the throne room in confident prayer.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV).
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you." And he answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother." Mark 3:31-35 (ESV)
I chose these three passages and lumped them together because, even though they all come from the New Testament, they are all from different books aimed at different audiences, and yet they all convey the encouraging idea that some of us need to be reminded of today.
God wants to be close to us. He wants us to have a personal relationship with him, to draw close to him as we would to a father whose love we were assured of. Jesus says that those who do the will of God are his siblings, making us children of God. Hebrews reminds us that we can go before the throne of God confidently, not doubting that he will hear us, but knowing that we are valued by him and that he will empathize with our struggles and our hurts because he experienced the human existence.
Even that last sentence shows how far God is willing to go for a relationship with you. Unlike many religions, which encourage people to strive to become god-like, our God chose to lower himself to our level to save us. Philippians demonstrates the humility of Christ like this: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV).
God's love for you ran so deep that he left his throne in heaven to be born in a farm in an occupied nation and to preach for three years, enduring continual mocking and doubt, and to ultimately be executed in a way that treated him like an animal more than a human. Crucifixion tried to strip away every piece of humanity from it's victims, and yet Jesus willingly submitted to all of that because he knew that it was your only hope. And when he breathed his last breath on the cross, the ceremonial veil, which separated the Jewish priests from the place where God's spirit resided, in the temple of Jerusalem was torn in half, from top to bottom, signifying the start of a new way of approaching God and having a relationship with him.
So today, if you feel unloved or unworthy, or too ashamed to approach God, remember all that he endured and planned to give you full, personal, constant access to his throne room, and then walk into the throne room in confident prayer.
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